Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “Among Us Hide…” was written by Drew Z Greenberg and was directed by Dwight Little, whose credits include
Bones,
Nikita, and
24. My main requirement for a new director for S.H.I.E.L.D. is good action sequences, and Little delivers on that count. I know the cast is always going to deliver terrific performances. It was great to see Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) back in action. And before I delve into the episode, I’m going to pause and gloat just a little over the fact that I pretty much ruled Banks (Andrew Howard) out as Lash and called Andrew (Blair Underwood)! In fact, I pretty much described what actually happened – so go me!
The episode picks up with May (Ming-Na Wen) anxiously waiting for Andrew to arrive for medical treatment. He’s survived the attack, but he’s injured. Coulson (Clark Gregg) and May take his statement, and he says that the SHIELD agent tailing him saved his life. He also tells them about Alexander (Spencer Treat Clark) – his exchange student. He says he knew he was troubled and he’s glad that Alexander didn’t make it because Ward (Brett Dalton) would have made him finish the job. I loved how quickly May went from concern to revenge mode here.
May is furious with Hunter (Nick Blood) and Coulson takes him off the assignment. May tells Coulson to put her on it, leading him to ask if she’s back. May says, yeah – but is it permanent? I’m betting yes. I absolutely adored her teaming up with Bobbi. And I really enjoyed Hunter teaming up with Daisy (Chloe Bennet) and Mack (Henry Simmons), so I’m kind of really hoping that spin off never happens!
We get the first great Bobbi action sequence when May puts her through her paces to prove to both herself and Bobbi that Bobbi is ready to get back in the field. It becomes clear that she’s still affected by what Ward did to her, but by the major fight with Kebo (Daz Crawford), she’s pretty much back too. Bobbi isn’t too impressed with Hunter either and tells him as much, saying, “You were quick to violence and innocents got hurt.” She’s a little hurt too when he doesn’t “say the thing.” But he tells her she already knows. Still, it’s clear she was looking for that reassurance and that little good luck charm.
May determines that Alexander is actually Werner Von Strucker and they trace him to the Cayman Islands. They aren’t the only ones looking for him, however, and Ward sends Kebo to take care of him. Meanwhile, Werner has gone to Gideon Malick for protection. Werner is terrified of Ward, but Malick knows Ward and doesn’t fear him because he knows Ward’s history. Malick calls Ward to offer him redemption. Ward knows Malick as the one everyone else was afraid of. Malick tells Ward that Werner is a liability now because he knows too much. He also tells Ward that sometimes you have to sacrifice a player to save the game and then he goes on to say, “Remember when I come calling that I chose a side…” Look for Booth to be in the rest of the season. It looks like Ward is going to be fighting a battle on at least two sides…
Every single scene with May and Bobbi undercover was pure gold. I adored how they played off of each other. I loved May flirting with the Bank Manager, Jerome (Hector Hugo). And the subtitles were hilarious! Loved them getting into the vault only to trigger an alarm and Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) telling them they have zero time. Followed by May says “We’re screwed” in Mandarin! It’s interesting that May is ready to fight, but it’s Bobbi who hesitates.
In fact, May doubts Bobbi and thinks she’s afraid to engage, but this is absolutely consistent with what she says to Hunter about being too quick to violence. I love seeing that Bobbi is more than just a lethal fighter, and her plan to cover the alarm by offering Jerome a job is brilliant! It doesn’t work, but still, it almost did! May tells Bobbi to let what Ward did to her make her stronger. May knows all about channeling strong emotions – let’s never forget her with that Asgardian stick…
In the end, they track down Werner, but it’s too late. I loved Bobbi’s fight with Kebo and the action underwater in the pool too. Her emerging from the water is almost like a re-birth of sorts too. Perhaps the best part was Bobbi using her tasers to shock Kebo – I’m assuming he’s stunned and not dead! Meanwhile, Werner tells May what really happened with Andrew just before he dies in her arms. May doesn’t want to believe it, but I get the impression that she’s not really surprised either. Now the question remains about what she will do with the information. Will she try to protect Andrew or will she warn everyone?
Back at base, Hunter is trying to find a way to occupy himself. It’s hilarious as he tries to help Fitz. He also gives Fitz a little advice – don’t help the competition. I loved their exchange when Hunter says, “if your girlfriend’s ex want to visit from Phoenix, don’t buy the plane ticket” and Fitz replies, “That’s really specific…” Fitz eventually sends Hunter packing.
When Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) asks to see the simulations, Fitz has disappointing news that he was trying to shelter her from. He vows that he won’t give up and this was only one option. Simmons appreciates Fitz’s determination to help. What she doesn’t know is that he’s also been occupying himself with learning absolutely everything he can about Will. Clearly, he is curious about the competition. After all this time, Fitz has to be pretty devastated, even considering that Simmons didn’t think she’d ever see him again.
Meanwhile, Simmons does appear to be readjusting. She talks with Andrew about being a victim. He finds it eye-opening to be on the other side of the couch. He tells her that the more people try to help, the weaker he feels. Simmons is ready to get back to work to regain her own strength and tells Daisy that she can handle whatever Daisy needs when she calls for help with Banks’ blood.
Daisy also has a couple of interesting exchanges with Andrew. She goes to him for a consult to try to figure out why Lash spared her. She also tells him about seeing Lash transform – but just his shadow. I wonder what Andrew would do if his secret had been blown? He suggests that Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) might be able to help. Daisy tells him that Lincoln has been off the grid since the ACTU incident. She also says that he calls sometimes but they are interrupted by Mack calling for Tremors – I love his nickname for her!
At the end of the episode, we see Daisy on the phone to Lincoln. He’s checking in and it’s clear that the two are closer than ever. Andrew is eavesdropping. Daisy doesn’t deny she was talking to Lincoln and even says he promises to reach out soon. Andrew insists that Lincoln would be safer under their protection. But would he? Did Andrew spare Daisy to get access to other Inhumans? Access to Lincoln? Does he want Lincoln to find the others? Underwood finally has something to do, and I loved the final look on his face in this episode – though I’m still hoping for May’s sake that he doesn’t ultimately become a bad guy.
Finally, Coulson, Daisy, Mack and Hunter all end up discovering something about ACTU even though they follow very different paths to get there. Daisy still has reservations about Coulson’s ability to keep his perspective about Rosalind (Constance Zimmer). Coulson assures her that years in the field have trained him to be able to stay objective. Daisy tells him about her suspicions that Lash is in ACTU – ironically, of course, Lash/Andrew is getting his intel from S.H.I.E.L.D.!
Coulson tells Daisy to carry on but keep the investigation off Rosalind’s radar as she’s finally giving him that tour of the ACTU. As it turns out, she’s trying very hard to manipulate Coulson and humanize herself in his eyes. She fakes – somewhat badly, actually – a break in of her home. She even gets him burgers from his favorite burger place – DJ’s. I am really enjoying Zimmer and Gregg’s chemistry! Coulson calls her on her manipulation, knowing it started with the Thunderbird - *cries.* Also? I’m missing Lola! Rosalind finally agrees to actually take Coulson to the ACTU.
Meanwhile, Hunter has insinuated himself onto Daisy and Mack’s team. They are staking out Banks as the most likely candidate. Hunter wants to know if it’s a grab and torture kind of scenario. Mack and Daisy are both horrified – there’s that quick to violence streak! They also call him on his anger issues. Loved the exchange between Hunter – “I’m just offering helpful suggestions” and Mack – “Helpful how? How about professionalism, doing the job smart, not getting people killed?”
It’s hilarious when Hunter sneaks out of the van and just ices Banks! Again, Mack and Daisy are horrified, but it’s effective! Hunter even points out that all they have to do is send a sample of his blood to base to have it checked for the Inhuman DNA markers. When Banks gets a call about a delivery at Endo-tech Labs, the team leaves him still unconscious in his car and takes off.
We get to see evidence of just how fully recovered Fitz is when Daisy produces a mini-drone equipped with cloaking technology to send in to see what’s going on at Endo-tech. What they discover is that Coulson is also there! It’s ACTU! The delivery turns out to be Inhumans encased in stasis gel. Daisy is horrified to see Coulson there, but Mack and even Hunter come to his defense with Hunter saying that Coulson looks as horrified as they are. Daisy pulls the drone out.
Meanwhile, Coulson tells Rosalind exactly what he thinks: it’s like a horror show that there is no way to justify. Rosalind insists that she’s protecting them from themselves. Coulson figures out that Rosalind lost someone – did he know this? Is this another ways she’s trying to humanize herself? Is it just something she’s made up? Regardless, she tells Coulson she wished she could “have put him to sleep until someone found a cure” – but she can do that for these people. Coulson admits that he didn’t expect that. Rosalind quips, “That I was human?” and Coulson lifts his mechanical hand and says, “Not all of us are…”
Rosalind says she’s trying hard to hold on to her humanity, and Coulson replies that you usually have to cut yourself off from it. It seems an un-Coulson-like thing to say, and it’s Rosalind who says she’s trying not to. She then goes on to admit that it might be a little true that she was trying to get Coulson to like her. I really like these two together! I know I keep harping on it, but they play off of each other perfectly.
All in all this was another great, action-packed episode. I loved the Lash reveal! I still have to wonder if Daisy’s reservations in regards to Rosalind are going to be justified in any way. What will May’s next move be? What did you think of the episode? Did you like the addition of Powers Booth? Favorite scene or line? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
