Danny Hale reviews the nineteenth episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4…
Following the shocking demise of its leader in ‘No Regrets’ the resistance now struggles to find its voice and a steady hand to lead them in ‘All the Madame’s Men’. Meanwhile an attack on Madame Hydra spurs Fitz into action.
In the lead up to ‘All the Madame’s Men’ it was pointed out to me by my fiancé that we really had no guarantee that Daisy would necessarily emerge from her stone caste this week. Therefore, to see Quake burst forth so spectacularly and so quickly was a welcome move. The ensuing escape with May gunning down several Hydra agents threw us right into the action before coming to what I thought was an underwhelming halt; surely Quake and May didn’t need to stand down? To see Madame Hydra then blasted through the window and from the Triskelion at Daisy’s hand was incredible and set a great precedent for the episode that followed. It also transpires that May has not regained her original memories rather it seems Mace’s sacrifice has sparked her true nature. And although we still haven’t technically gotten the reunion I was looking for (the ‘real’ May has been separated from our team for so long!) I still cheered audibly to see May fight for our side again. Even the dramatic flip. I’m cool with that.
Ward and Daisy’s scenes this week were surprisingly moving and I really do respect how Daisy is handling this entire situation; despite what she personally has suffered due to Grant Ward she still allows herself some compassion for this ‘version’ of him. I never really allowed myself to trust this new Ward ever since the beginning of this pod but him asking if he would ‘get his Skye back’ after our heroes leave the framework was kind of heartbreaking. To then see Daisy genuinely moved by this and in a sense come face to face with the person she had initially believed Grant Ward to be back when the show began brought a lot of resolution to both of these characters. But most importantly for me, it legitimises Ward’s actions in the beginning of season two. I had put it down to the writer’s not being sure where to take his character after his Hydra reveal but this shows he does have compassion and he does possess redeemable qualities. Daisy put it perfectly (and delivered it impeccably), ‘I didn’t totally understand him, until I met you.’ Even Ward was not destined for evilness just as Fitz was never guaranteed to be a good man. It speaks to the fragility of human morality and shows just how much someone can change given their environment.
The reveal that the oft mentioned Project Looking Glass was actually being built in the real world and not in the Framework was a nice twist and hopefully allows for Yo-Yo, Agent Piper and the others to chime in soon! To further learn that Project Looking Glass is designed to create a real life body for Aida is not really surprising but I am glad our team are finally up to speed. Everything Aida has done up until this point has been driven by her desire to experience humanity. I especially think this will be great to see on a rewatch of the season; Mallory Jansen has been delivering a superb performance throughout and for weeks on end gave us only the slightest indication of what she was processing in her head.
‘All the Madame’s Men’ was another powerful entry to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. keeping the amazing standard this pod has set. I loved Radcliffe’s brief scene with Fitz’s father even if I knew it wasn’t going to end well for our doctor. I really can’t see Radcliffe being around for season 5 so I’m grateful for any screen-time he may have left. For a (sort of) villain, I really am going to miss him; John Hannah has brought so much to this show. I also found while watching Trip, Ward and Coulson all on-screen and it really took me back to seasons one and two; it makes the show feel more complete and connected as a whole. Daisy’s great reaction to hearing that Triplett was back on the team was wonderful and by the episode’s end we have nearly all our players back together.
The resistance’s televised message was quintessential Phil Coulson. Here is the agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. we know and it was wonderful to see him come into his own once more. His ensuing call to arms was the perfect way to lead into next week’s episode; our villains now know where Simmons and Daisy’s real life bodies are, and therefore Yo-Yo too, and what should have been a great moment for our heroes may now have started a fire that they cannot quench; Fitz’s grief over his beloved Ophelia’s dying body is a worrying motivation for this already twisted man and his vengeance may be something our team is completely unprepared for. Just please don’t let him hurt Simmons…
Danny Hale
Originally published April 27, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
