Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “Lockup” was written by the team of Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman and was directed by Kate Woods - love this all women team up, especially since the women Agents kicked some serious butt in this episode! The Zuckerman sisters have written as a team on Suits, Haven, Human Target, and Fringe. The best part of the episode was seeing the team mostly back together and working in the field. We also get some of the backstory on The Darkhold. And we get more information on Mace (Jason O’Mara). Looks like he may just be a bad guy – and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) is playing a dangerous game by threatening him. Anybody else hoping that this is a long con set up by Coulson (Clark Gregg)?
The episode begins with a flashback of Lucy (Lilli Birdsell) and Joseph (Kerr Smith) finding the book. The pages are blank – and those who read it see it in their first language, so Lucy reads English and Joseph German. That German connection has to be significant. It’s also interesting that the two stop holding hands as they read – has the book taken over as the thing they care about most? They wonder if the book is actually reading them.
I wonder what the book will do to Eli (Jose Zuniga) and whether it being in Spanish for him will give him an advantage over Lucy – she can’t read it herself as a ghost because she can’t touch it, but does she read Spanish? He could tell her anything if she doesn’t.
I loved Coulson’s strategy session with Mack (Henry Simmons) and May (Ming-Na Wen). He tells Mack he’s not sure they can trust Mace – and therefore doesn’t tell him about the mission. He asks the two for thoughts and feeling – “This is a safe place!” Coulson insists that they need the antidote to the ghost sickness that Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) is working on. Robbie (Gabriel Luna) wants to come because they are breaking Eli out of prison, but Coulson says no. Coulson tells Mack that Robbie is growing on him, and Mack thinks he’s nuts – but it’s pure Coulson gold. Of course, he’s going to want to take the troubled “kid” under his wing!
Daisy (Chloe Bennet) has isolated herself completely from the others by hiding out in the quinjet. But Daisy tells Robbie to trust S.H.I.E.L.D. She tells him she keeps her distance because it’s better for everyone.
“Bold strokes. Well played!” Fitz compliments Simmons. She is worried about the polygraph, but she’s not happy that he was lying there – in THEIR bed – hiding things from her. It’s so simple. If you are in a relationship you
share. In the end, Simmons lets him off the hook. She does a good job with the polygraph until she can’t really deflect the answer. Mace arrives and asks her to come with him… now.
Coulson thinks May should and would want to talk about her death experience. It’s not just to help her, however. Coulson doesn’t remember anything about what happened when he died – he’s trying to fill in his own blanks as well. I wonder if we’ll be revisiting TAHITI this season? In the end, she finally admits that she saw HIM when she died. Is this the beginning of something?
Coulson and May find out the hard way that Lucy has already infected much of the prison. Mack puts the away team together, and Daisy convinces him that they need Robbie. Mack agrees but says Robbie has to stick with him. Daisy will lead the other team. Mack asks if Daisy is ok. She has new and improved – and shiny! – gauntlets. She tells him that she won’t quake because it could shatter all of her bones and be crippled for life is she does. Fitz is to be coach and call the plays – love the banter between Fitz and Mack!
Coulson and May meet Daisy halfway in her rescue of them. The three continue the mission together. They end up in trouble in a cell block full of Watchdogs. Daisy points out that this is how they are organizing – recruiting in prison. And then Lucy, lets the dogs out! Another great fight and chase scene. Daisy stays behind to help Coulson and May get away – another suicide mission? Or is she simply taking responsibility for the Watchdogs?
Mace asks Simmons if he can trust her – and seems very intimidating before shifting to the golly-gosh-gee persona after she says he can. He tells her he wants to know everything in her head. Simmons looks worried and says they don’t have that kind of technology – but they do! Earbuds! He needs her to feed him information during a press conference.
Mack is worried that Robbie can’t control what’s inside him, but Robbie tells him he doesn’t want his uncle to find out, so he’ll keep it down. Robbie saves Mack – mostly – but Mack still has to give himself the horrible needle! Both Hugo (Ward Roberts) and Vincent (Usman Ally) meet their ends at Robbie’s hands.
Robbie is distracted by the last member of the gang (Rolando Molina) who crippled his brother and in going back to kill him, he allows Lucy to take Eli. I do love the special effect of his burning skull! I really thought this would be a lame character to add, but like Coulson, he’s really grown on me.
Mace faces off with Nadeer (Parminder Nagra). When she flatfoots him with the mission at the prison, Simmons doesn’t help him and he handles it fine on his own without seeming the least bit ruffled. “It’s our policy not to comment on on-going missions…” Nadeer is accused of using a “dog whistle” to set people against the inhumans – hello Watchdogs connection – and Mace admits that he’s the man for the job of running S.H.I.E.L.D. because he’s an Inhuman!
May and Coulson go back and save Daisy. I adore Wen’s delivery of May – felt good to stretch my legs! And the two are done giving Daisy time to get herself together. They won’t let her tell them they shouldn’t have come back or that she’s not hurt. May comes to see Daisy. She knows what she’s doing because she invented the move of isolating yourself. And it doesn’t work because of Coulson – he didn’t give up on May and he won’t give up on Daisy. She tells her, “You don’t get to choose who cares about you.” She also tells her that Lincoln wouldn’t want her doing this. Daisy says she’ll see the operation through, but then she’s gone.
Mace is going to have Simmons re-take her polygraph because trust has to be earned. Simmons asks him if he knows about micro-expressions – and then threatens him! He didn’t tell the truth about saving the woman in Vienna! Mace is not happy about Simmons getting the upper hand.
Nadeer briefs Mace on the operation at the prison. She threatens him with sending the footage to ABC news and he asks her what she wants. I’m looking forward to finding out who really has the upper hand here. I’m also still really curious about what Mace’s actual powers are besides super strength – because there has to be more, right? And what really happened in Vienna???
What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
