The Man Behind the Shield (414)

[GateWorld]

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - SEASON FOUR THE MAN BEHIND THE SHIELD EPISODE NUMBER - 414 The S.H.I.E.L.D. team launches a rescue mission inside enemy territory after Mace is captured, leading to a showdown with Anton Ivanov. Meanwhile Fitz wrestles with the moral implications of his work. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>

[Teddybrown]

Oh man, things just got serious, FitzSimmons vs the LMDs...

[garhkal]

That's assuming that Mac, Phil, the director AND Skye ARE all LMDs... Maybe only one or two of them are that way.

BUT i CAN'T see them switching out all 4 at the same time when there didn't seem to be THAT long of a time delay between when Phil and Mac rescued the director, and Daisy kicked the Superior's behind, and when they all converged on where Simmons was..
Certainly not enough IMO for Aida to LMD all 4 of them.

[jelgate]

Didn't Simmons say they are all LMDs?

[garhkal]

BUT was that a glitch or fact?

[Jeffer]

Phil talking to the superior was awesome "cool origin story bro" Aida said they replaced the top operatives in sheild so I'm leaning towards them all being replaced. It should be easy to test Daisy tho. I wonder if Fitz and Simmons are in the frame work.

[Ian-S]

BUT was that a glitch or fact?

Fact, kind of anyway, on the screenshot it stated "4 LMD models detected".

But surely I can't be the only one who is considering the possibility that it's Fitz and Simmons in the Matrix and not the other four? Fitz was on his own in the server room and Simmons went off with the guard who we never saw again, when she returned to the sub launch bay she was on her own.

Perhaps I am just spoilt by Westworld and reading too much into it (like my theory that Radcliffe is Fitz's father), or perhaps I am an LMD as well?

[meredithchandler73]

General thoughts about the ep:
--I thoroughly enjoyed it. Young Coulson/Young May were SO MUCH FUN! Coulson described pre-Bahrain May (in ep 1x9 "Repairs") as warm, fearless in a different way, liked to pull pranks, and thought rules were made to be broken. Young May's personality and banter was definitely warmer than the May we met in season 1. When the Russian soldiers were headed towards them in the flashback, "Four at once? Sounds like fun!" And even though she knows the mission comes before the man, she was not going to leave Coulson's "defenseless ass" behind.
--I'm starting to worry about Aida. I wonder whether she is already starting to do her own thing or if she is still following orders right now. She doesn't seem to be doing the Superior's bidding (since him being incapacitated likely wasn't part of his plan), but what exactly would replacing the top SHIELD operatives accomplish for Radcliffe? That might have been part of Ivanov's plan - start by replacing SHIELD leadership and then finding out where all the Inhumans are so they can be killed. Could she still be doing what the Superior wants, but letting him get knocked out because she doesn't like him?
--Of course Mack has a point about monitoring the implications of scientific work/inventions, but he was way off putting any blame on Fitz. Jemma was totally right - Fitz creates things from his brain and his heart to help people. He isn't responsible for the terrible things other people do with his work.
--That last scene - LMD Coulson turning on LMD May and saying, "We've waited around forever. I think that's long enough." Are the LMDs going to get it on?!?!?!

Fact, kind of anyway, on the screenshot it stated "4 LMD models detected".

But surely I can't be the only one who is considering the possibility that it's Fitz and Simmons in the Matrix and not the other four? Fitz was on his own in the server room and Simmons went off with the guard who we never saw again, when she returned to the sub launch bay she was on her own.

Perhaps I am just spoilt by Westworld and reading too much into it (like my theory that Radcliffe is Fitz's father), or perhaps I am an LMD as well?

Actually, my first thought was that Fitz and/or Simmons were also switched out, but why would some of them not know that? It didn't occur to me that only Fitz and Simmons were switched and now they are in a simulation thinking they are the only ones not switched. But the things that lead me to believe that isn't the case are us seeing Aida (unbeknownst to FitzSimmons) saying the top operatives at SHIELD have been replaced. And then LMD Coulson turning on LMD May. FitzSimmons aren't seeing that. Why would we be seeing that if it isn't really happening?

A thought I had - but doesn't quite work because of the LMD detector - was that Fitz has been an LMD for a long time now. At least as far back as when Radcliffe said he had a 2nd LMD in place. We figured that the Radcliffe LMD was the 2nd one he was talking about, but that wouldn't have been a backup for finding the Darkhold. Radcliffe had already been banned from going anywhere near the Darkhold. The Radcliffe LMD was there as a safety for him since he knew he'd be discovered at some point. What if Fitz was his 2nd LMD this whole time? I was thinking about the fact that Coulson, Daisy and Mack all tried out the matrix at the Playground. That would have been a perfect opportunity for their brains to have been scanned for their LMD counterparts. And Mace was in captivity for a while, so there was plenty of time for him.

[garhkal]

Phil talking to the superior was awesome "cool origin story bro" Aida said they replaced the top operatives in sheild so I'm leaning towards them all being replaced. It should be easy to test Daisy tho. I wonder if Fitz and Simmons are in the frame work.

That would be a Farked up thing if they were trapped..

BUT as i said earlier, HOW could they have haad the time to swithc all 4 out with LMDs...

One or two i might see. BUT not all 4.

--I thoroughly enjoyed it. Young Coulson/Young May were SO MUCH FUN! Coulson described pre-Bahrain May (in ep 1x9 "Repairs") as warm, fearless in a different way, liked to pull pranks, and thought rules were made to be broken. Young May's personality and banter was definitely warmer than the May we met in season 1. When the Russian soldiers were headed towards them in the flashback, "Four at once? Sounds like fun!" And even though she knows the mission comes before the man, she was not going to leave Coulson's "defenseless ass" behind.

I also loved their quipping about love lives and civilians and her ending by stating "my new man is a psychologist.. Setting it up to be He who would become Lash..

--I'm starting to worry about Aida. I wonder whether she is already starting to do her own thing or if she is still following orders right now. She doesn't seem to be doing the Superior's bidding (since him being incapacitated likely wasn't part of his plan), but what exactly would replacing the top SHIELD operatives accomplish for Radcliffe? That might have been part of Ivanov's plan - start by replacing SHIELD leadership and then finding out where all the Inhumans are so they can be killed. Could she still be doing what the Superior wants, but letting him get knocked out because she doesn't like him?

IMO definitely her own agenda..

--Of course Mack has a point about monitoring the implications of scientific work/inventions, but he was way off putting any blame on Fitz. Jemma was totally right - Fitz creates things from his brain and his heart to help people. He isn't responsible for the terrible things other people do with his work.

I disagree. Just look at all the flak Stark got for MAKING ultron etc..... YES you can intend to do good with your creation, but if it goes bonkers its IMO STILL ON you for the fact you still created it.

--That last scene - LMD Coulson turning on LMD May and saying, "We've waited around forever. I think that's long enough." Are the LMDs going to get it on?!?!?!

Funny, i thought they burned the LMD of May and Aida at the end of last weeks ep..

What if Fitz was his 2nd LMD this whole time?

I was fearing that before we found out it was radcliff. BUT who knows maybe he still is and they are awaitng the big reveal..

[Teddybrown]

Funny, i thought they burned the LMD of May and Aida at the end of last weeks ep..

They burned Aida and Radcliffs LMDs at the end of the episode before last if I remember correctly

[Starsaber]

That would be a Farked up thing if they were trapped..

BUT as i said earlier, HOW could they have haad the time to swithc all 4 out with LMDs...

One or two i might see. BUT not all 4.

That's what they were saying about the "missing time". We only saw the times during the mission where something focused on the main characters was happening. Jemma said something about tanks of gas (which I don't remember seeing), so maybe Aida pumped knockout gas through the whole compound.

Alternately, everyone but Jemma and Davis (redshirt) were alone at one time or another during the mission. Mace could have been swapped out any time after he was captured last episode, then Mack was alone searching for him while Coulson confronted the Superior. Coulson was alone between leaving him with Daisy and showing up to help Mack and Mace. Daisy was alone after dropping the ceiling on the Superior. If Aida had LMD bodies ready for them already, it would have just been a matter of the brain scan (which Radcliffe might have been able to hack from when they were in Fitz's version of the Framework at the beginning of the episode).

[Ian-S]

Glad I'm not the only one questioning what is reality and what is framework.

[garhkal]

I'm just wondering how much longer they are gonna draw this out...

[Bhousden]

I read an article that said the lmd storyline was gonna be done next week.

[garhkal]

I hope so..