Agents of SHIELD - S3E16 - Paradise Lost

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Previously on Agents of SHIELD, ‘’Spacetime”

Agents of SHIELD - s3e16 - Paradise Lost | Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Luke Mitchell, Powers Boothe, Mark Dacascos | Writers: Sharla Oliver & George Kitson | Director: Wendey Stanzler

Now that SHIELD is aware that the ancient inhuman is lurking around in a meatbag that resembles Grant Ward, feelings that were freshly buried have risen to the surface once more. Meanwhile, the potential future Gideon Malick saw in “Spacetime” haunts him to no end. His past - along with Lincoln’s - are slowly revealed, presenting an even darker history that explains their respectively motivations and goals. Also, Coulson continues to break down under the stress of stopping Malick, keeping a fracturing team together and dealing with the guilt of murdering Ward on Maveth.

THE WEIGHT OF GUILT

For all his grandstanding about taking down HYDRA and any other enemies that pop up the “right way”, Coulson’s ghost is now quite literally haunting him. Ending Ward’s life has been a more traumatic experience than even Phil couldn’t envisage. Revenge is a poor motivator for the Director who was dead set in putting Grant in the ground after taking out Rosalind Price. Phil didn’t even feel any semblance of vindictiveness when Ward nearly killed FitzSimmons, May, Johnson, Morse and Dr. Garner.

Fitz is glad Phil puts hands on Grant but the Director is not like May, as she pointed out. Killing someone is the last course of action but he placed it at the top of the order. Due to his irrationality, Coulson remains unfocused on the task at hand AND was indirectly responsible for Hive having a fresher, stronger corpse to invade.

“TOGETHER UNTIL THE END”

My how the tables have quickly turned.

Gideon Malick always appeared as a confident, calculating mogul who for one reason or another had the right people in his pocket. After acquiring vast amounts of power over the years, Malick has the same problem most men in his position suffer: an overconfidence in their worth. Despite the cheerful homecoming Hive received from Gideon and his cronies, Malick has seemed hesitant about the overtly sinister machinations the inhuman has planned for the world. The vision Charles put in his brain finally opened his eyes and made him wonder “What kind of world am I creating for humanity?”

From the onset of “Paradise Lost”, writers Sharla Oliver and George Kitson ventured into Gideon’s past and his allegiances to HYDRA - well, a specific faction. While the two scripted Malick in a sympathetic light of sorts, there’s no denying that he’s been a callous, selfish turncoat since his late teens. For a boy to worship the very ground his father walks on, only to learn that pops rigged the Monolith ceremony in his favor should be a very difficult revelation to accept. Turns out Gideon is more like his old man than he realized and tossed his own damn brother into the portal to appease “the Hydra God”.

All of Malick’s scheming and manipulating and acquisitions across the globe to ensure Hive’s return to earth will bare him no fruit, thanks to a part of Nathaniel (Gideon’s younger brother) that lives on in Hive. Karma can be a real mother, and she hit him hard this episode as Hive drained the life out of his daughter, his only heir, as revenge for betraying his blood decades ago.

Something tells me after that heinous act, Malick will once again have a change of heart (purely a saying and not implying the man does still have a working heart in his chest) and seek aid from SHIELD and the ATCU in the near future. Slowly losing his influence with no one to carry on his work and family name, not to mention having seen his agonizing demise, Gideon truly has no reason to live. It can almost make a person feel bad for the louse. ALMOST.

OH, THE INHUMANITY!

The most exciting moment in “Paradise” was the partial reveal of Hive’s true appearance. Malick’s regret in retrieving this ancient evil from his prison has been fairly transparent the last couple episodes. If his concerns about his family’s station in this new world and Hive’s access to his brother’s memories were worrisome, seeing the inhuman in all his glory was the lynchpin that made Malick aware that he made a fatal mistake.

“Paradise” also introduces a washout from Afterlife by the name of James (Axle Whitehead). If Jiaying felt the need to exile the initiate, you know the man is far too unstable. Before being cast out of the settlement, James managed to steal a number of historical documents and an artifact of great significance. Daisy immediately recognized it as Kree in origin and James expounded on its possible use: a device that activates a portal to return Hive back to planet X. At least that’s one theory. Or it could summon the first generation of Inhumans. Or it’s a homing beacon for the Kree. OR it could blow up the world.

One simply never knows with alien doohickeys these days.

BEST LINE

*while being threatened by Daisy and Lincoln*

James: I see you’re the brains and the braun. He’s just the haircut.

BADASS MOMENT

This week’s gold star has to be awarded to Mark Dacascos for finally having the opportunity to display the full range of Giyera’s abilities. For a while he appeared to be nothing more than a glorified henchman with Magneto-esque powers. Thankfully the writers finally put some extra pep in the man’s step and showed he’s quite capable of taking down a SHIELD team - along with Zephyr One - on his own. However the scene was a bit of a rehash from another villain’s playbook, i.e. get yourself imprisoned then take them down from the inside. Hey… If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

• So Hive may be scared of genetically modified birds… did I hear that correctly?
• Look everyone, it’s Daniel Whitehall! His was an all too brief cameo but enough was said to give viewers further insight on the in-fighting that was occurring within HYDRA since the 1940s. So folks were either all about tyranny through science or worshipping the beast and releasing it from its cage. Don’t forget about Johann wanting to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos as well. I guess if it wasn’t for their acrimony they would have conquered the world decades ago.
• Now that Daisy revealed to Lincoln her other glimpse into the future, who do you have kicking the bucket in your SHIELD death pool?

With the A team held hostage by Giyera and HYDRA, it’ll be up to Daisy to lead a rescue op with her Secret Warriors in “The Team” next Tuesday at 9/8c on ABC!