Violet recaps of Season 4 Episode 19 of Agents of SHIELD, titled All the Madame’s Men, where Daisy gets her powers back, and she and May take on HYDRA! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
- His thoughts on All the Madame’s Men, Episode 419 of Agents of SHIELD
- Her thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 19: All the Madame’s Men
The episode begins with The Bakshi Report, with our old friend Bakshi reporting that the Patriot was killed.
Meanwhile, Daisy breaks out from her Terrigenesis shell, and she and Agent May begin shooting their way through HYDRA. However, Madame HYDRA catches up to them, and they are forced to drop their weapons. But then Daisy uses her newly regained powers to force Madame HYDRA through the window, and she falls from a very high floor to the ground.
In the real world, AIDA awakens, telling the Russian that she has had a setback in the Framework. The Russian tries to shoot the unconscious Agent May, but he is unable to, because it violates his and AIDA’s programming. However, if one of them becomes a direct threat to the Framework, then they will be able to kill them, and AIDA says there are already two agents who fit that description – Daisy and Simmons. She asks the Russian to find them.
Back in the Framework, Bakshi continues to spread HYDRA propaganda. Suddenly, he gets information about a terrorist attack at HYDRA. It seems that Madame HYDRA survived the attack. Simmons presumes that Daisy is behind the attack.
Daisy and May travel toward the place to make contact to get to the base of the Resistance.
Fitz demands that all the doctors leave Madame HYDRA’s room, where she lay resting and recovering. Fitz’s father encourages him to send a message regarding this attack, and tells him he has an obligation to lead, as he is the new head of HYDRA.
Later, Bakshi comes to see Fitz and asks for Ophelia to appear on his show, but Fitz refuses. Fitz says he doesn’t want the public placated, he wants them afraid. On Bakshi’s show, Bakshi shows photos of Skye and May, and asks the public to bring these killers to justice.
At SHIELD HQ, Mack explains to his daughter, Hope, that the news is controlled by HYDRA. Ward and Coulson talk, and Coulson reveals that at one point, someone approached him to join SHIELD, but he was too afraid. Ward talks about when he got his own offer to join SHIELD from Victoria Hand. He says he can’t sit around and do nothing, so he goes out to look for Daisy.
While walking down the street, a woman recognizes Daisy and May and runs, as the two proceed to steal a car.
Simmons find plans for Project Looking Glass, which she recognizes as Darkhold tech. When Simmons mentions it needing a tremendous energy source, such as a dam, Tripp says that he heard someone talking about shipping parts to an oil drilling platform. Simmons realizes that AIDA is working with the Russian on this side too. Tripp and Daisy take the Quinjet there.
Daisy and May arrive at the location to make contact with the Resistance, but unfortunately they were followed. HYDRA drives down the street shooting at them, and they run inside and take cover.
Back at SHIELD HQ, they’ve gotten a report from the Resistance contact about making contact with someone, but there were gunshots and it cut out. Coulson and Mack decide to go check it out.
May warns Daisy that HYDRA teams and an airstrike might be coming, and confesses that it was her fault the Patriot died.
Fitz sits with Ophelia, but there’s been no change. His father tells him that the attackers have been found, so Fitz says he wants to monitor the situation personally. Ophelia wakes up and tells Fitz to finish the machine — Project Looking Glass, because once it’s complete, then this body won’t matter. Fitz’s father says he’ll take care of the traitors.
Mack and Coulson find Daisy and May. Mack is reluctant to trust May, but gives in for now. Another SHIELD agent reports that they have a secret tunnel out, and they leave safely.
Simmons, Tripp, and a couple of SHIELD soldiers arrive at the oil drilling platform, which Simmons has determined goes deep. There’s nothing there, but Simmons realizes that AIDA is building it here, but in the real world. She also concludes that AIDA has found a way to generate living matter – human tissue – and that AIDA wants to make herself a real person, so that she can circumvent her programming. Tripp believes her, and says that a week ago he had heard they were about a week out from finishing the project.
Fitz’s father returns to Fitz’s lab and reports that the terrorists escaped. Fitz gets upset, saying that he wants them dead. His father criticizes his outburst, but says he’ll find them.
Mack, Coulson, Daisy, May, and Ward all return to SHIELD HQ. Ward talks to Daisy about the other world.
Fitz’s father questions Radcliffe about the traitors. Radcliffe mocks him, which causes Fit’z father to begin beating him.
Daisy tells the others that Radcliffe told her where to go to get out. But Coulson’s plan is to wake people up and save the Framework world by showing them the footage of the Patriot being killed. The SHIELD team breaks into the Bakshi Report studio and ties everyone up.
Over at HYDRA, Fitz visits Ophelia and tells her that he completed the project, and she won’t have to live like this much longer. He asks her to take him with her, and she is glad to hear it.
Daisy sets up things to air the video, and Ward says he’ll hold the studio. Ward asks if he gets his Skye back after Daisy is gone, but she says she doesn’t know. She says she didn’t totally understand the other Ward until she met this one, but now she realizes there must have been some good in him all along. She wishes him luck.
Fitz’s father tells Fitz that Radcliffe had heard something through the air vent, so it’s proof they were conspiring. However, Fitz’s father says that Radcliffe is prepared to die. Fitz says they should give him a reason to live.
Coulson goes on the air and reports the truth about the Enlightenment Center and the Patriot, and airs the footage. He encourages people watching to take a stand. While he is giving the report, people show up outside — but they’re not HYDRA, they’re there to help them fight. He ends the report by saying that he is Phil Coulson, and he is an Agent of SHIELD.
Back in the real world, AIDA has uploaded the final specifications for the machine. Once it’s finished, her restrictions will be lifted, and she confirms that the Russian’s will as well. The Russian says that he has located Daisy and Simmons — they are on a SHIELD jet (Zephyr One). Once they get a lock on it, his men have orders to shoot it down.
Her Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 19: All the Madame’s Men
I know I keep saying it every week, but Agents of SHIELD continues to capture my attention. This was such a profound episode with so many meaningful and significant interactions, conversations, and speeches going on that I am not even sure where to begin talking about them!
I guess I’ll start with Coulson’s regret, since that’s pretty much the theme of the Framework, is AIDA having gotten rid of people’s biggest regret. With Coulson, it sort of seems like it was the opposite of a regret, since it appears that the big difference separating Coulson’s real world life from his Framework life is that in the Framework, he turned down the offer to join SHIELD. In his words, he did so because he was a coward. In this case, it sounds like Framework Coulson regrets having turned down the offer! But why would real world Coulson’s biggest regret have been accepting the offer to join SHIELD? Maybe he regrets not having had the chance to live a normal life?
Then there’s Ward. But since the real Ward is dead, how much does this Framework Ward reflect the real Ward? Does he also have a regret that was righted? Does it have to do with being with Skye? But then again, how does AIDA know so much about this person that she never even met? How do we know (and how does Daisy know, as she seems to have been led to believe that she now has a better understanding of Ward) that this Ward is anything like the real Ward?
In any case, we now know what AIDA’s big plan is: she is going to make herself into a real person, then she’ll be able to do whatever she wants without having programming restricting her actions. What’s scary is that Fitz is still in this mindset of evil Fitz, fully devoted to AIDA/Ophelia, and he has asked to go with her. So when he comes back to the real world, will he still be this evil Fitz? Will he ever regain his memories? If so, how? When? And when will all the others regain their memories?
With Project Looking Glass now being complete, some big stuff is about to go down any moment. And I can’t wait to see what happens.
His Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 19: All the Madame’s Men
COMING SOON
Scenes from Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 20: Farewell, Cruel World!
Preview of Season 4 Episode 20 of Agents of SHIELD
This season is incredible!