Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “Hot Potato Soup” was written by Craig Titley and was directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado, whose other credits include
The Flash,
Supernatural,
The Librarians, and
The Mentalist. This episode featured the return of Patton Oswalt as Billy, Sam and now Thurston Koenig, and I was delighted to see him return!
Who didn’t love that opening with Billy and Sam at the arcade, practicing their hoverboard skills while quoting
Star Wars! Russians show up to nab Billy because he’s supposed to have the Darkhold and are completely confused by Sam! Poor Patton Oswalt did not strike me as a great runner – and he had to do it twice! Not many shows can seamlessly weave humor like the Koenigs with the drama of the main storyline.
Coulson (Clark Gregg), May-bot (Ming-Na Wen), and Daisy (Chloe Bennet) are all over rescuing Billy. Coulson is sure that Radcliffe (John Hannah) has tipped them off and is working with Nadeer (Parminder Nagra) as that explains the resources they’ve been able to bring to bear on finding the Koenigs. I loved Daisy pointing out that half the time they can’t even find them! Coulson points out that Radcliffe needs protection and resources, so that explains him aligning with Nadeer.
Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) works on extracting information from Rad-bot. Simmons (Elizabeth Hestridge) and Mack (Henry Simmons) help. I loved Simmons playing bad-cop, and Mack’s continued – and quite right! – hatred and distrust of robots. He’s got his ax-gun ready to go! There’s a terrific transition as Rad-bot tells them that he’s the victim, things aren’t as they seem – and we switch to Radcliffe playing that very part to get Billy to talk.
Shockley (John Pyper-Ferguson) is there to frighten Billy. I loved Billy putting up a brave front and then immediately caving and asking Radcliffe for cyanide as soon as Shockley leaves the room. Naturally, Billy calls Radcliffe on turning all “Gollum-y” over the Darkhold –
Lord of the Rings reference for the win!
When the Captain – Ivanov (Zach McGowan) arrives we get a wonderful shout out to
Raiders of the Lost Ark as he peels an onion and pours a clear liquid into a test tube set to ominous music – just like the hanger scene in
Raiders, it turns out to be benign. In this case it also carries a deeper meaning and some insight into Ivanov’s character. It’s just vodka and the onion enhances the experience. He is committed to the “old ways.” And that is never going to align with Radcliffe’s radical plans to live forever and create androids! Ivanov insists that men are the superior machine. Ivanov is, of course, much more than simply a torturer – he’s a wealthy and powerful businessman.
To his credit, Radcliffe stops the charade when Ivanov is about to cause permanent damage to Billy. Radcliffe suggests merely getting into his brain – and proceeds to map his brain. Unlike May, Billy is easily soothed by a puppy. I loved how much Aida (Mallory Jansen) clearly disliked their new allies.
Sam fanboying over Quake is everything! He can barely look at her when he arrives! And then trying to impress her that he was doing the fighting and Billy was hiding. Of course, Daisy points out that he’s “literally wearing the same thing” as he was in the video! Daisy tries to explain to Sam that she’s the same person she was before Quake – a name she hates. And then Sam stumbles into the dangerous territory of fan fiction! LOL! I still have to make time for those shipping fics with Black Widow….
Rad-bot, unfortunately, knows how to play Fitz perfectly. First, he feeds him false code that Fitz can’t make sense of. I loved Mack’s “Only thing worse than a robot is a possessed one…” Let’s not forget Mack’s dislike of Maximum Overdrive! Simmons thoughtlessly wonders where Daisy is when they need her – suggesting that Fitz isn’t up to the job – and Rad-bot uses that against the both of them.
Once Daisy id’s the Russians, Coulson points out how bad things are. Nadeer, the International Watchdogs, and Russian spies have all united over their hatred of Inhumans. Sam reveals that he knows that Billy had the Darkhold and assures the others that it’s secured – and explains that he couldn’t say anything before in front of the “red shirts” – thank you
Star Trek reference…
Fitz makes the mistake of talking to Rad-bot like he’s Radcliffe, revealing how upset he is. Fitz is feeling guilty about betraying S.H.I.E.L.D. and lying to Simmons and he’s hurt that Radcliffe made him believe he was his friend. Rad-bot goes one better and says that Fitz was like a son to him. Simmons sees what’s happening and tries to shut it down. Mack suggests turning Rad-bot off, but he has to be on to access the programming.
Rad-bot draws a parallel – they’re all programmed. Fitz has been programmed by betrayal, abandonment, Ward, Daisy, your father… Simmons points out that Rad-bot is trying to distract him – but the damage is done. Fitz says he can’t do it. Rad-bot reveals that he knew Fitz’s father and knows that his father was always telling Fitz he wasn’t good enough. Rad-bot says he wanted to tell him but was afraid it would open old wounds. They weren’t friends but Glasgow isn’t that big. They went to the same school, took the same train. He even says he saw him a few months ago – and Fitz pulls the plug and walks out.
There is a terrific scene between Mack and Simmons who come together over their mutual concern for Fitz. Simmons tells Mack that Fitz’s father was not a good person, always telling Fitz that he was stupid and worthless. It’s interesting that Mack knows nothing about this part of Fitz’s life – but not surprising that Simmons does. Mack immediately wants to “have a word” with the person who’s hurt his friend. Fitz hasn’t seen or heard from his father since he was 10. Mack suggests it should be easy to find him, but Simmons tells him that Fitz doesn’t want to – so clearly, we’ll be seeing him in the near future!
It was perfect when Radcliffe finally accesses Billy’s memories and thinks he’s building a bomb to destroy the Darkhold – but he’s just building a Darth Vader alarm clock!
Sam finally reveals that Billy gave him the Darkhold, so Billy can’t tell them where it is. And Sam tells them that LT (Artemis Pebdani) has it. This Special Agent Koenig is the original! I loved the reveal on her. May-bot, Coulson, and Daisy head to the Soul Patch to pick up LT – only to mistake Thurston for LT. Thurston is a stand up and the only Koenig not involved in S.H.I.E.L.D.!
May-bot and Coulson share a moment while staking out the bar. It looks like they are just about to kiss when Daisy tells them they’d better get in the club.
The introduction to Thurston was brilliant. Oswalt is a stand up comic himself, so Thurston is really a stand in for the real Oswalt and gives the writers a chance to say some pretty interesting stuff – commentary on what’s going on. Thurston begins by pointed out that everyone is being programmed by their screens – and isn’t that a current concern when we’re all faced with having to find the truth in a sea of “alternative facts”? It’s also a nice tie in to the discussion between Radcliffe and Fitz. There’s also lots of Marvel references. Thurston is pissed when the fight breaks up and interrupts his set. LT shuts Thurston up by icing him and apologizes for kicking Agent Davis’ (Maximilian Osinki) candy ass!
The Koenig reunion is hilarious. LT is clearly the toughest. She was in charge of Operation Hot Potato and the last person to have it was Billy. He hid it in the Labyrinth – a top secret storage facility known only to the Koenigs.
Radcliffe accesses the information to get into the Labyrinth. Aida finally takes real exception to the threatening tone of their partners. I loved her just sticking her hand in the one guy and bringing Shockley to his knees. Ivanov is pissed that Radcliffe has brought an Inhuman but seems a bit more accepting when he finds out she’s a machine. I loved Aida going from attack dog to demurely sitting back down!
Simmons comes to Fitz and we get a scene that a lot of fans have been waiting for. Fitz is worried he’s stuck in a self-destructive loop, but Simmons doesn’t see it that way. She admires him for becoming the most open, loyal, caring person she’s ever known – and why she fell in love with him. It’s something well beyond programming! And that’s the clue Fitz needed…
Mack is about to take out Rad-bot for hurting his friend. Rad-bot argues that flesh and blood is just biology – software. Mack goes on that he has soul that will continue long after he dies. Rad-bot argues that the soul comes from somewhere else other than the physical body, so why can’t he have one? Mack seems a bit stumped. Rad-bot even asks why Mack turned him on to kill him if he didn’t believe Rad-bot had a soul. Mack does have a good reason – he likes to hear robots scream!
Fitz stops Mack just in time. Fitz has figured out that Rad-bot is more than programming. The code wasn’t code – Fitz takes off the back of Rad-bot’s head – it has a brain! That looks exactly like the box from the Darkhold – and of course that’s where Aida got the idea for the brain. I loved the proud look on Simmons' face as Fitz works on the brain. Rad-bot tells them that all the memories reside in the quantum brains – and his use of the plural tips Simmons off – there’s more than one! And Simmons knows it’s May because she watched him do it.
The team launches their infiltration of the Labyrinth. Daisy asks LT what it was like growing up with the other Koenigs. LT says the laundry was disgusting – enough DNA for a clone army! So ARE they clones? Daisy looks thoughtful as she nods. At the end of the episode, it’s revealed that they were part of the original LMD program, and Davis thinks they’re robots – nope. Just technicians. But they could still be clones…
May-bot and Coulson share a moment. There’s actually another nice transition moment as Coulson muses how big their brains would have to be for them to read all the books in the library they’re standing in – as we switch to Fitz’s examination of Rad-bot’s brain. May-bot’s brain IS that big. May-bot suggests that they should go to Ireland together to read
Ulysses together in pubs – and now I want to do this! The two share a kiss just as LT warns that they have company and Billy arrives with the Darkforce – and passes it to May-bot.
As soon as May-bot won’t give the book to him, Coulson knows it’s not really May. May-bot is totally clear that she “can’t” give him the book – she clearly wants to. Coulson says you can’t because it’s not in your programming. May-bot is particularly upset that Coulson tells her there are some things you just can’t fake. She tells him that she didn’t know what her mission was until that moment – she also points out that her desires are May’s.
I loved Daisy coming in and blasting May-bot – “So May’s a friggin’ robot!” Simmons tipped Daisy off. Daisy breaks her leg, and she and Coulson take off with the book.
Shockley comes in with a gun to Billy’s head – and Sam hilariously says he’s never seen him before. Coulson gives up the book for Billy – but Daisy uses her powers – until she’s tased. We get treated to a nice fight/gun-fight. LT and Sam take out one of the bad guys together. Billy gets the book and runs, only to give it to May. Radcliffe then takes the book from May who begs him to take her with him. He cruelly tells her that she wasn’t made to last and leaves her for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Billy and Sam are sorry they failed. Coulson is still considering it a win. They have the name of the person who’s been funding Nadeer and likely Radcliffe. They can now hunt them and stop them. Coulson thanks the Koenigs for their service and is ready to send them home.
Mack, Simmons, and Fitz watch as Aida and Rad-bot burn. Coulson couldn’t face burning May-bot – as she might be all that’s left of May. Daisy promises that they’ll find May. The final scene would seem to indicate that Coulson is the one in danger, however. Ivanov believes that Coulson is the one responsible for all of the problems – the man standing behind in all the photos. Radcliffe tells Ivanov that he can help him get to Coulson.
It was great to see Patton Oswalt back as the Koenigs. May-bot has been revealed, so hopefully, the team can save her soon. I loved Daisy promising to help Coulson find May. It's a bit curious that Radcliffe is still working with Ivanov now that he has the Darkhold, but perhaps he still needs his money? All in all, this was a solid episode. Good fights, humor, and so many great pop culture references! What did you think of the episode? Do we need to worry about Coulson's safety or do we need to worry that Coulson is up to some nefarious agenda of his own? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
