S04.E13: BOOM

[Cranberry]

Daisy, Mace and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team must find a way to contain an explosive Inhuman. Meanwhile, Coulson and Mack come face-to-face with Radcliffe’s inspiration for Aida.

[Raja]

An explosive Inhuman? It certainly isn't in the promo, James/Hellfire is still alive after Ghost Rider. With Russian ex-Hydra and a Red Skull like concept of " a superior man" running around, I am getting shades of Leviathan from Agent Carter

[TVSpectator]

4 hours ago, Raja said:

An explosive Inhuman? It certainly isn't in the promo, James/Hellfire is still alive after Ghost Rider. With Russian ex-Hydra and a Red Skull like concept of " a superior man" running around, I am getting shades of Leviathan from Agent Carter

 

OR maybe it's a Heroes' reference since Nathon is now part of the military?

[AimingforYoko]

Moving Day on Agents of SHIELD, we lose Paraminder Nagra and John Pyper-Ferguson in one episode. Now it's down to Radcliffe and the surly Russian.

[TVSpectator]

14 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Moving Day on Agents of SHIELD, we lose Paraminder Nagra and John Pyper-Ferguson in one episode. Now it's down to Radcliffe and the surly Russian.

If the Senator and Vijay have the same parents then why didn't she go into a cocoon and turn into an Inhuman herself?

[Lantern7]

I guess that the new Inhuman figured the powers would make up for being a freak. Also, losing his clothes each time he explodes.

Senator Nagra bites it . . . would not have seen it coming.

Getting a little tired of the football analogies from Mace. I'm thinking he had a few gridiron-related concussions back in the day.

[thuganomics85]

So, Aida's looks were just created out of the blue (or, again, because Radcliffe was a huge fan of Galavant), and she is actually based off of Agnes, Radcliffe's girlfriend/wife (?), who has an inoperable brain tumor, and Radcliffe bailed on her because of it.  Yep, that sounds like Radcliffe!  Cool hearing Mallory Jansen's Australian accent this time and the different look compared to Aida.  Interesting that Radcliffe ended up using the device he is currently using on Melinda to "keep her alive", even though her body is now dead.  Then again, I have a bad feeling about this considering how Aida keeps looking at her.

Surprised this is it for Nadeer.  Done in by John Pyper-Ferguson finding out that he is Inhuman the hard way: by suddenly turning into a bomb! But it looks like he's gone too.  But The Superior is still around!

Sheesh, Coulson, I get finding Melinda is important, but it was obvious that it was better to take a soft approach with Agnes, and not try to bulldoze your way through her.  You really shouldn't have to be having Mack tell you this.

Mace now finds how that the serum he uses for his powers is actually going to kill him if he uses it too much, so he now questions his purpose in the long term.  For now at least, it seems to be giving Simmons and Fitz time to take out Ferguson's Inhuman.  Of course, he's now in the Superior's hands now!

[Maverick]

 If The Superior is so anti-Inhuman, why isn't he giving his henchmen fish oil pills before putting them to work.   Maybe then he wouldn't get caught with his pants down...but an Inhuman with his pants down.

[VCRTracking]

Mallory Jensen did a great job as both Aida and Agnes this episode.

So long and good riddance Senator Nadir.

Really thought Mace was going to die too this episode.

Loved FitzSimmons scenes.

[Tiger]

I'm willing to handwave a lot, especially with superhero shows, but I can't handwave uploading the brain of someone with a brain tumor.  

I doubt Nadeer is actually dead as it was hinted that her brother was still alive after she shot him and droped his body into an ocean.  I think Nadeer is an inhuman, already went through teragenysis, has been hiding it, and actively campaigning to destroy what she is.  She must be based on former congressman Schock.

I really hope May's mutterings mean she is continue to fight to escape the framework, and she will eventually rescue herself and the team.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Tiger

[shrewd.buddha]

This is supposed to be SHIELD, right? The international super-spy agency with hundreds of agents, giant helicarriers and quinjets with cloaking technology? Yet Coulson and Mack are using only ear pieces and guns to try to track down and capture Radcliffe? 

And the (only) other team, tasked with confronting an exploding Inhuman and a small army of WatchDogs, consists of only four people and one vehicle. 

Come on show - - at least make some small effort at representing the world you have established as your basis. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by shrewd.buddha

[Sandman]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

 Interesting that Radcliffe ended up using the device he is currently using on Melinda to "keep her alive", even though her body is now dead.  Then again, I have a bad feeling about this considering how Aida keeps looking at her.

Yeah, that'll end in tears. I was creeped out watching Aida steal Agnes's necklace.

I'm not all that impressed with the Superior. I was expecting something, or someone, a little more awe-inspiring than a greasy Russian thug. But at least the show is timely!

Personally, my hunch is that Nadeer is na-deader than nadoornail. (Sorry.)

[Lady Calypso]

I was convinced that Mace was sacrificing his life during his last scene. It seems like he will probably die due to using the serum at some point which does suck because I've grown to tolerate Mace and think of him as a useful front figure for SHIELD. But his obsession with being strong enough and being part of the team in that way is hindering his ability to see the bigger picture. I do like that a big, physically fit guy like Mace is nowhere near as strong as the other agents. It's a nice change of pace. 

I really did like Agnes and it sucks that she was just a one episode character. I enjoyed hearing Mallory's natural accent as well. Oh well; it looks like Aida is going to go all Single White Female, except more accurately because she does already look like Agnes. 

Exploding John Pyper-Ferguson. An interesting twist. He's not going to be gone for long since his particles are swimming in that machine so that'll obviously get opened at some point and he'll return. I'm more disappointed at Senator Nadir presumably being dead. I'd like to think that she was already Inhuman and did survive the bomb, much like her brother presumably being alive in the ocean. I like having a female villain; we don't get nearly as many on TV.

[paigow]

Nothing ever went wrong building a Matrix...Agnes & May meet the Oracle....Have a cookie....

[Gregg247]

Agnes had "TV cancer", in which you have absolutely no symptoms, you look fit, healthy and beautiful, you have gorgeous hair, ......and then you suddenly die peacefully .

Coulson and May were best work buddies and trusted friends for years, and then they're suddenly soulmates.  I don't buy it.  I always thought it would have been funny if, around S2, we found out that they used to be married, had gotten divorced, and STILL maintained a strong working relationship. That would have worked for both of the characters.  This new, late-blossoming "true romance" thing seems ridiculous and more of a focus-group driven development than a believable character arc..

[Traveller519]

4 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

This is supposed to be SHIELD, right? The international super-spy agency with hundreds of agents, giant helicarriers and quinjets with cloaking technology? Yet Coulson and Mack are using only ear pieces and guns to try to track down and capture Radcliffe? 

And the (only) other team, tasked with confronting an exploding Inhuman and a small army of WatchDogs, consists of only four people and one vehicle. 

Come on show - - at least make some small effort at representing the world you have established as your basis. 

So much this! I know SHIELD is a shell of its former self we saw in the first parts of Season 1. But come on guys, not a single surveillance drone here?

So knowing the history of Aida's appearance we can completely disregard Radcliffe's claims that he never attempted to have sex with Aida, right?

[Raja]

I notice they dropped that "the superior man" took a glance at the Darkhold, and that is all Dr Radcliffe did before passing it off to Aida. 

[Raja]

13 hours ago, TVSpectator said:

If the Senator and Vijay have the same parents then why didn't she go into a cocoon and turn into an Inhuman herself?

It is genetics, recessive and dominant genes. Like one brother can have Sickle Cell Anemia and his siblings could just carry the trait ready to pass it on their children. Nadeer did have it coming with  her laugh when she knew that she wasn't an Inhuman but the Watchdog field commander was one. That Shockley was so far in the Humanity first movement that he assumed Lash's mission going after the "two" most public Inhumans felt like a replay.

 

A quick Google search does show Marvel nerds asking if Shockley is some character named Nitro.

[rubyred]

4 hours ago, Sandman said:

I'm not all that impressed with the Superior. I was expecting something, or someone, a little more awe-inspiring than a greasy Russian thug. But at least the show is timely!

What?! The Russian is The Superior?! I guess I should stop waiting for someone Powers Boothe-y.

[Sandman]

2 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

So knowing the history of Aida's appearance we can completely disregard Radcliffe's claims that he never attempted to have sex with Aida, right?

To say nothing of Radcliffe's well established history of being a lying, self-centred douchebag (... and also evil and insane); I think it's safe to say.

But I am confused on (at least) one point: did the mass dispersion of the Terrigen crystals through the fish oil supply change the way exposure to the crystals affects humans? Because Tripp was transformed into a husk and died after exposure to the crystals -- because he wasn't a latent Inhuman (in contrast to both Skye and Raina). Mack chopped off most of Coulson's arm so that he wouldn't die. But now the humans, like Nadeer, who are exposed to the Terrigen show no effects at all? (Or is her reaction going to be revealed as delayed in some way, along with the fact that she's only mostly dead?)

Something doesn't make sense to me.

[Raja]

35 minutes ago, Sandman said:

To say nothing of Radcliffe's well established history of being a lying, self-centred douchebag (... and also evil and insane); I think it's safe to say.

But I am confused on (at least) one point: did the mass dispersion of the Terrigen crystals through the fish oil supply change the way exposure to the crystals affects humans? Because Tripp was transformed into a husk and died after exposure to the crystals -- because he wasn't a latent Inhuman (in contrast to both Skye and Raina). Mack chopped off most of Coulson's arm so that he wouldn't die. But now the humans, like Nadeer, who are exposed to the Terrigen show no effects at all? (Or is her reaction going to be revealed as delayed in some way, along with the fact that she's only mostly dead?)

Something doesn't make sense to me.

The crystals that JaI Ling's group grew using diviners had the impurities of the metal cause death. The pure crystal which suppose human, SHIELD, Hydra, The Superior  etc group manged to grow did not have the impurities. Perhaps they mined the fish oil which left the metal in the ocean.

[mrspidey]

Haha, they caught Nitro with a giant Pokéball.

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, Raja said:

The crystals that JaI Ling's group grew using diviners had the impurities of the metal cause death.

I had forgotten that Jai Ying and her group of isolationist charmers had booby-trapped the crystals with deliberate impurities. Thanks for the reminder.

[Raja]

2 hours ago, Sandman said:

I had forgotten that Jai Ying and her group of isolationist charmers had booby-trapped the crystals with deliberate impurities. Thanks for the reminder.

I don't think it was booby trapped. It was just a side effect of an outlaw group growing their own crystals. And anyone chosen would have already had passed the deviner test. So no need to further refine the crystals.  With the IMAX movie and ABC miniseries coming perhaps there will be a retcon on Inhumans gaining their gifts 

[TVSpectator]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

It is genetics, recessive and dominant genes. Like one brother can have Sickle Cell Anemia and his siblings could just carry the trait ready to pass it on their children. Nadeer did have it coming with  her laugh when she knew that she wasn't an Inhuman but the Watchdog field commander was one. That Shockley was so far in the Humanity first movement that he assumed Lash's mission going after the "two" most public Inhumans felt like a replay.

 

A quick Google search does show Marvel nerds asking if Shockley is some character named Nitro.

 

 

 

Yeah, that is the basis for how they explain how Daisy got her powers and basically every other Inhuman. In the comics, I believe that they established, in the comics, that the Inhuman gene is passed from mother to child (regardless of what the sex of the child is) and the X-gene (the gene that makes you a mutant) is passed on the father's side to child (regardless of the sex of the child), but here on the show I feel like they either are going to a moment where it is shown that:

a ) Nadeer is, in fact, alive but transformed into an Inhuman,

b) explained/reveal that Vijay and the Senator are either adopted and/or half-siblings (or even maybe cousins)

c) totally retcon their very own bullshit on how the Inhuman gene (s) is passed down (which is what I think is happening but I also wonder if they are setting up for option a).  

Sure they can try to explain that you need two recessive genes to make one fully Inhuman (once the mist hits you) but that kinds of disproves  the idea that a non-Inhuman carrier (a.k.a. Cal "Dr. Zorbo" Johnson) and an Inhuman carrier (a.k.a. the very long live Jiaying)  can have a child who is an Inhuman (a.k.a Daisy "Skye" "Mary Sue Poots" "Tremors" "Quake" Johnson). The only real explanation would be that Cal has a recessive gene but that seems like stretching it, in my opinion. 

Edited February 9, 2017 by TVSpectator

[ravmeltt]

This show keeps getting better and better. I'm loving it. I can't wait for May to be back as herself though. I'm missing her but Aida is scary and I think she's going to have a hand in May being away longer than we'd like.  

[blackwing]

One step closer to the end of this LMD storyline.  I'm bored by it.  I do give that it was interesting to see the real-life model for AIDA, and interesting to hear Madalena's true Australian accent.  

I'm hoping that's the last we see of Longhair.  Not sure what his motivation was, not sure why he was working with Russian or if both of them were working for or with Nadeer.  I guess I just don't care.  For someone who hated Inhumans, he sure relished using his powers once he got them.  I really didn't need to see that his power got him naked, I guess there's no real way to explain how his clothes would stay on, but still.  Naked Longhair, or the suggestion of naked Longhair, was something that I really didn't need to see.

I was surprised that Mace didn't die.  I hope the show finds a way for him to stick around.  Instead of having him rely on the serum, why can't Fitz just build him a suit?  Tony Stark is a weak man, but in that suit he has super strength.  Make a suit for Mace.  I feel like Jason O'Mara has had so many cancelled on him (he's like the Eric Close of this decade before Eric Close found "Without a Trace") and it'd be nice for him to have some long-term stability on a show.

[Enigma X]

UO in 3, 2, 1...I much preferred the Australian guy (name I forget) and his powers to Shockley and Ghost Rider, and I much prefer Shockley and his powers to Ghost Rider.

[benteen]

Shockley regenerating himself was some impressive FX work.

I actually like the guy playing the Superior but agree that the character should be bigger.

Didn't expect Nadeer to go out like that and go this quickly.

Quote

Agnes had "TV cancer", in which you have absolutely no symptoms, you look fit, healthy and beautiful, you have gorgeous hair, ......and then you suddenly die peacefully .

THIS.

[tennisgurl]

I hope they can keep Mace around after this season, and he can figure things out. But I fear he has a heroic sacrifice in his future, so that there's no one to challenge Coulson's authority.  

Surprised to see the senator meet her end already. Oh well. Nothing of value was lost.

[blackwing]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I hope they can keep Mace around after this season, and he can figure things out. But I fear he has a heroic sacrifice in his future, so that there's no one to challenge Coulson's authority.  

Surprised to see the senator meet her end already. Oh well. Nothing of value was lost.

I know it would never happen, because it's Coulson and there seems to be some sort of mystical cult among those in charge at Marvel/ABC that worships him... but I'd like to see Coulson make that heroic sacrifice, and I'd like to see Mace stick around as Director.  Jason O'Mara >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Clark Gregg.  He's a much better actor, much more personable.  I love Melinda May, but I hate the idea of May with Coulson.  But May with Mace is perfect.  Their names are practically the same!

[RobertDeSneero]

On 2/8/2017 at 10:25 AM, Gregg247 said:

Coulson and May were best work buddies and trusted friends for years, and then they're suddenly soulmates.  I don't buy it.  I always thought it would have been funny if, around S2, we found out that they used to be married, had gotten divorced, and STILL maintained a strong working relationship. That would have worked for both of the characters.  This new, late-blossoming "true romance" thing seems ridiculous and more of a focus-group driven development than a believable character arc..

May was married to Andrew, so she was unavailable when they first met.  Then Bahrain happened, and even after her marriage failed, she was still emotionally unavailable for any sort of serious relationship.  (Her thing with Ward was the sort of messed up stuff that she was capable of.)  Lash is dead, but she's in a better mental state now and Phil has also recovered from the trauma of dying, so recently has arguably been the first time that both of them are free and in relatively healthy place where a romantic relationship is something that they could consider beyond their clear emotional connection.

[AKA...CJ86]

On 2/8/2017 at 0:54 PM, mrspidey said:

Haha, they caught Nitro with a giant Pokéball.

YES!  The minute I saw that device, "Who's that pokemon?!" went through my head.

[hello]

Quote

This is supposed to be SHIELD, right? The international super-spy agency with hundreds of agents, giant helicarriers and quinjets with cloaking technology?

NO. That SHIELD got crushed. Watch the Captain America movie. Then SHIELD went rogue (no legal cover), took out HYDRA. Now they're trying to rebuild. Awkwardly. It's NOT the mighty SHIELD you're thinking of anymore. It's an organization founded in the 1940's trying to fit itself into the 2010's after a humiliating defeat. They still have the tech but are still trying to figure out how it should be wisely used in a world they failed to keep up with.

[Sandman]

On 2017-02-10 at 1:03 PM, blackwing said:

 Jason O'Mara >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Clark Gregg.  He's a much better actor, much more personable.

I feel just the opposite. The character of Coulson tends toward the Gary Stu-ish, but I find O'Mara very limited as an actor, and miles behind Gregg.

[blueray]

Quote

Agnes had "TV cancer", in which you have absolutely no symptoms, you look fit, healthy and beautiful, you have gorgeous hair, ......and then you suddenly die peacefully .

^This. I was surprised when she died at the end, because she seemed healthy. I feel like with that kind of terminal cancer she would be in a hospital at that point. As for her hair, I guess it would grow back when it was clear that there was nothing the doctors could do, so no reason for cemo.

As for Mace, he is growing on me. I hope they keep him around. I think it would have been more interesting if the serum was the opposite, like he'd die without it.  Because then there would be consciences for what he did. The way they have it, once he starts really training ,he'll eventually except that he is normal, as he was his whole life anyway.

I'm hoping that the senator is dead, because she is really annoying. And she has it coming.

Lastly, when I read the description I was thinking of the Australian guy. I still like his character even though he turned on them ;).

[HawaiiTVGuy]

Considering how quickly Radcliffe can seemingly conjure up LMDs, why couldn't he make one for Agnes and her memories instead of just trapping her in the Matrix?

[Kel Varnsen]

I generally love the MCU, but pretty much across the board i hate how inconsistent they are with technology. They had flying cars in 1942. They can download people's memories and personality. Pym shrinking technology is a thing as is vibranium. They can make perfect robot copies of a human in like a couple of days. But they still can't cure cancer.

And of course Jessica Jones still has a shitty cell phone that can't stay charged for longer than a day.