indigo sunrise

Raonaild

So, we finally find out what's going on with Mace. I guess it mostly explains what's been happening so far this season - I think not only has he been faking his "powers", but in general he's been acting like he's in control when really he doesn't know what he's doing. And it seems like Talbot's really in charge, he made Mace what he was, set him up to take over SHIELD because he has more control over him than he does Coulson.

One thing I find a bit strange though - I thought the reason Coulson had to step down as director was because he used unauthorized Inhuman help, but somehow it's okay for Mace to do it, and just proclaim Daisy's a hero and everybody's okay with that.

I also find it a bit strange that they're making Daisy so public, you'd think that would make it harder for her to operate as an agent if everybody knows who she is.

I'm not at all surprised that we've ended up with Mace as the figurehead while Coulson is the one really calling the shots. I thought it would be like this from the beginning, that there would have been some agreement like this between him and Mace from the start. I'm surprised that there was no secret agreement, that Coulson really turned over SHIELD to someone he knew so little about, someone who's so obviously unqualified to actually run SHIELD, and it took him so long to get to the truth and try to restore some sanity to the organization.

As far as the AIDA situation goes, I liked that Fitz and Simmons finally had some proper interaction in this episode, but I'm annoyed that took until ep 10 to have their first proper conversation about AIDA since Simmons found out Fitz was helping Radcliffe build a robot in ep 4. Since then, Simmons has periodically made pointed comments about it (mostly to other people), but there was no real discussion between the two about her problems with the situation. And I'm a bit frustrated that, even now, Simmons is just annoyed with Fitz and wants him to let it go, and she didn't try to appreciate his side of the situation.

Not that it was good that Fitz lied to her about AIDA at the end, but I can understand why - he wants to know what happened, and since Simmons doesn't want to talk about it he has to hide it from her. Personally, I think the scientist in Jemma should be more interested in what went wrong with AIDA too - it's easy to blame the Darkhold, but for scientists like them that shouldn't be a good enough answer. Without knowing that Radcliffe was behind AIDA's attack on SHIELD, Fitz is also still left thinking that what happened is that AIDA developed emotions somehow, that she evolved beyond her original programming into more than just a robot, and he wants to help her but nobody else sees it that way.

So far, the whole AIDA situation has been played like Fitz was cheating on Simmons, and that he's been neglecting her in favour of AIDA. And it looks like in the next ep, she's going to find out that he hasn't let it go, and they're going to have a blow out. I think in the end though, Fitz's persistence will be a good thing, because that's how he's going to discover what Radcliffe is up to.

Also, we found out in this ep that the AIDA who had her head chopped off was not the AIDA who killed Nathanson, and all the bad things she did or said in the last episode were programmed by Radcliffe. I suspect what happened is that the AIDA head at SHIELD is from the "original" AIDA, the only one that Fitz worked on. The AIDA that Radcliffe has now is a copy that he built using some of Fitz's work, plus making changes of his own that have led to her being more aggressive and less sensitive than the one Fitz helped with. There was the running gag in last week's ep that of course the robot was going to go evil and turn on the humans, but in the end it wasn't that at all, the AIDA who attacked SHIELD wasn't really responsible for what she was doing, and I think she (and Fitz, because "his" AIDA is the good one) will be vindicated in the end. Besides helping to uncover what Radcliffe is doing, I suspect that the AIDA Fitz has will help save the day at some point, perhaps sacrificing herself in the process.

Another prediction: Last ep, there was a brief discussion about the possibility that a robot like AIDA could develop feelings, and if she did then maybe that would make her more than just a thing. I suspect that when they find out that May!LMD is a robot, there will be a similar sort of discussion, because as far as she seems to know she IS May, and if she has May's memories and thinks and feels like her, what do they do with her? So far, the only one who seems open to the idea that a robot could be more is Fitz, and everyone else (including Jemma) thinks that's nonsense. But I have a feeling Fitz may end up being on the right side in this. I think May!LMD herself is going to have some sort of crisis, and Fitz is the one who will be most sympathetic.

indigo sunrise

This episode had some seriously funny moments. I love it when Talbot comes back, always guarantees some hilarity but a lot of the one liners were great.

I'm pretty satisfied with the whole Mace storyline - I was half bracing myself for his big secret to kind of be a let down, but all of this makes so much sense with what came before and at the same time, I really didn't see it coming at all. I like that this is how Coulson gets some authority back, but I thought it was a good call to keep the front up that nothing changed with Mace. I wonder how long they'll be able to keep that a secret though...

Yeah, it's definitely not going to be all that black and white when they find out about May's LMD - I think there's a possibility they'll eventually keep her around, actually use her as an LMD much in the way the comics do. I also can't wait to see how LMD!May will react now that she knows.

Raonaild

I'm okay with how Mace's storyline worked out, but it does lead me to wonder if now that the cards are on the table, Jemma's 'promotion' means anything anymore, or if we're sort of back to status quo with Coulson calling the shots. Because it feels like they made a big fuss about Jemma's position over the last 10 eps, but so far she hasn't really done much with it, and most of what has happened would have played out the same way if she had been head of the science division instead. I think the only thing that really happened was that it forced Fitz to lie to her about AIDA initially, because of all the lie detector tests she had to take.

It seems like all the pretense of the new hierarchy fell apart when Talbot showed up. And given that he was the "wanker" who invented the new security system, and they all know now what's really going on with Mace, does any of that matter? Will they keep following the annoying bureaucracy that Talbot helped set up, or just go back to doing their own thing, except with Mace as the figurehead?

L i N d $ @ y

Why do I have a feeling that Aida might kill Radcliffe? Last week I was feeling that Radcliffe may compromise Aida.

I hate that they're making it look like Fitz is "cheating" on Aida. Fitz means well but I do hope Simmons doesn't blow over a fuse because Fitz didn't do what she told him. If anything, he's right to further examine the LMD as I think there's a great risk that the one Radcliffe has now will get destructive.

I'm pretty lukewarm with the Mace SL. I do like how Coulson reacted towards it. Mace will still play his cards but at least Coulson is calling the shots. That's all I ever want for Coulson: to be the leader. Sometimes he's not the best but this is AOS and someone like Coulson should be leading.

I love that LMD May doesn't know she's a robot. At the same time, I'm scared of what the outcome in the end will be. If anything Westworld has taught me, these robots turn on humans eventually (Mack is right).

Raonaild

Apparently that AIDA has already done things that Radcliffe doesn't approve of. He's already losing control of her, and it's only going to get worse.

I'm actually wondering right now whether Radcliffe will last to the end of the season. Even if AIDA doesn't kill him, I can't see anyone forgiving him for this when the truth comes out. Especially considering what he did with Hive last year, he's already on his second chance with SHIELD.

I feel like, now that we know Mace's secret, he doesn't have any more cards to play. I think he started to lose control back in ep 4.08 when he admitted his whole "team that trusts" business was nonsense.

The only thing that's nagging me now though is that conversation Mace had with Radcliffe at the end of 4.08 about how SHIELD was interested in his LMD program. And it's that kind of interest that Fitz was worried about back in the season premiere, and one of the reasons he didn't tell Simmons about it from the start. Is all of that off the table now that AIDA has killed a SHIELD agent, or is there a possibility that Mace might try to continue the program despite that? And maybe behind the backs of Coulson and the rest of the team?

I think Mack and Elena going on about the robots turning on humans last ep was a distraction, and that's not actually what will happen. I think what this is leading to is more along the lines of what LMD's are supposed to do, which is stand in for real people. I suspect we'll see something along the lines of Radcliffe transferring himself into an LMD - and perhaps not just a copy of himself like May, but actually becoming a robot.

DR76

How is Coulson going to resume control of S.H.I.E.L.D. without the interference of Talbot and the President? Blackmail?

strider

Not sure how the former head of the ATCU is even giving orders to SHIELD. As to how Coulson resumes control, the president and Talbot both know the truth about Mace. I think they will let him run the missions as long as the public sees Mace as the head of SHIELD.

strider

Coulson may not be the best but then the job doesn't come with an instruction book. He has to do the best he can under the circumstances (which are better now that they're legit), and he's still the number one believer in what SHIELD was created for. And he's the one all of the others will follow.

strider

Coulson was requested to step down because it isn't considered kosher to run an illegal spy network on American soil, and because he refused to hand over his Inhuman assets per the Sokovia Accords (they got taken anyway). He didn't turn SHIELD over to Mace. he didn't pick him; he only requested that they get an enhanced person to be the new director. Talbot and the president picked Mace. Coulson only knew Mace by reputation.