The fourth episode of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD‘s third season, “Devils You Know,” while providing insight on previously unanswered questions, delivered us as viewers a multitude of new questions that we may not want to know the answers to.
An episode packed with just as much action as emotion, we were shown a surprisingly human side to the mysterious Inhuman Lash, while on the other side of the spectrum, the very human Grant Ward proved that no price was too high to avenge the woman he loved.
So, why did Lash pointedly spare Skye’s — sorry, Daisy’s — life, when he knew she was there? Now that Andrew is believed to be dead, what repercussions could this bring for both agents May and Hunter?
The episode opened with a familiar face, Alicia, an Inhuman with the ability to multiply herself — who happened to have an unfortunate run-in with Lash. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU are onsite in moments, but the murderer evaded his capture once again, and made a run for it. Coulson and Rosalind’s banter (and UST?) was entertaining as always, minus the hand puns this time around, and at long last, the two organisations seemed to be making some headway as to the identity of the monster who has been killing other Inhumans.
Of course, that was before the monster himself decided to attack the convoy. That wasn’t so surprising. Killing the (inhu)man they had in custody, Dwight Fry, was to be expected. Sparing Daisy, however, was a surprising move on Lash’s part — leading the viewers to wonder, who is this monster? The plot only thickens when Daisy sees his shadow shrink down from the Inhuman they fought to a normal-sized human being — someone who could blend in with everyone else.
This begs the question, is Lash someone who is already living in their midst? Who that Daisy and Coulson know would spare her life?
On the other end, Hunter found himself face-to-face with the newly christened ‘Director’ Grant Ward, of HYDRA. With May covering his back, the two of them escaped, physically unscathed for the most part. It became clear, though, that while Ward had not been expecting them, he was certainly not unprepared.
Because he had his ace in the hole. His leverage, Andrew Garner, was being held by a certain recruit, Werner Von Strucker. It wasn’t quite what Ward had in mind, “but hey. It’s the best [he] could do on such short notice.”
Once again, Ward managed to escape, but not entirely unharmed — Hunter did, after all, managed to lodge a bullet in Ward’s back. Not, of course, what he had in mind, and for May, the sacrifice of her ex-husband was not worth it.
Cut back to the shop where the christened ‘Alex’ (Werner) had cornered Andrew, and all we saw was an abandoned cell phone, a pool of blood, and a lighter surrounded by gasoline.
Is Andrew alive? If so, what does ‘Director’ Ward have planned for him? It would have been poetic to kill him — and in his mind, it would have made a great deal of sense. An eye for an eye, a lover for a lover. But if he is indeed still alive, we know one thing for certain. He is most certainly in grave danger.
What did you think of episode 3.04, ‘The Devil Within’? What are your theories about Lash, Rosalind and the ATCU? What do they really want with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Where are the rest of Afterlife’s residents living, and is there a reason that Lash has seemed to go after them in particular? Has May been pushed to her breaking point? And how far will Ward go to exact his revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Tune in next week at 9/8c on ABC for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode 3.05, “4,722.”
“4,722 Hours” – After her dramatic rescue from another planet, Simmons is still reeling from her ordeal and reveals how she had to fight for her life in a harsh new world, on “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” stars Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Agent Daisy Johnson, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, Nick Blood as Agent Lance Hunter, Adrianne Palicki as Agent Bobbi Morse, Henry Simmons as Agent Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie and Luke Mitchell as Lincoln Campbell.
Guest starring is Dillon Casey as Will Daniels.