Check out Josh’s recap of Season 4 Episode 15 of Agents of SHIELD, titled Self Control, which revolves around a whole bunch of LMDs coming into SHIELD headquarters. Also, don’t forget to check out our thoughts on the episode following the recap!
- His thoughts on Self Control, Episode 415 of Agents of SHIELD
- Her thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 15: Self Control
On this episode of Agents of SHIELD, AIDA seems to be taking control, using her directives. She has Coulson, May, Mack, and Mace in the Framework now. Meanwhile, she also has the Superior, who is still alive. She decides that she wants to take him apart with a saw, for what reasons, we do not know yet.
Then we see Fitz and Simmons trying to figure out what the next move is. But Mack, Mace, Coulson and Daisy come in and Simmons gets a bit jittery. Coulson and the other LMDs want to round up the Inhumans to keep them “safe” at the base. Of course, they are actually wanting to execute them, but this is the front they are putting on for Simmons and the other human–presumably Fitz, but that may not be the case we will find out later…
But for now, Fitz tries to help out Simmons, keeping her from being alone with Mace, by saying they have something to work on. Meanwhile, Daisy has been put in charge of contacting the Inhumans to bring them in. Mack has taken it upon himself to call in Yo-Yo though, given their “relationship.”
Meanwhile, Coulson talks with LMD May, and she learns that Coulson is keeping her locked up so that SHIELD doesn’t discover that he has been replaced. LMD Coulson tries to calm her down though, saying that she has been programmed different than the other LMDs–not knowing she was synthetic until she was told so. LMD Coulson then tells LMD May about the Framework, and how it is a world where the greatest regrets people have can be wiped away from those who decide to go into the Framework.
Back with Fitz and Simmons, they are working together, and we see that LMD alarms are going off–meaning either Fitz or Simmons is an LMD. Fitz tries to play it off as equipment malfunctioning, but Simmons pulls a gun on Fitz. Fitz tries to accuse Simmons of being a LMD, and so they argue with each other, trying to tell each other that the other is an LMD. Fitz goes on an apology binge, saying how this is all his fault. Fitz sets out to prove it by cutting his own arm at Simmons request to show the robotics inside. Fitz cuts pretty deeply, so Simmons becomes concerned, dropping her guard. This gives Fitz enough time to get the drop on Fitz. Simmons is knocked out by Fitz.
Moving over to AIDA, Radcliffe is awoken, and he seems to lose track of time in the system. Radcliffe comments that the world seems different, and AIDA apparently has had to make changes to accommodate the “new residence”. Radcliffe is concerned about these changes, but AIDA says they fall within her programming parameters. We see that the Russian has also been jacked in to the Framework, and we learn the other SHIELD agent currently still free of it–Daisy.
Meanwhile, Daisy and Mack are preparing to meet up with the Inhumans they have contacted.
Back with Simmons, Fitz is trying to hook her up to the Framework, but she tries to crawl away. Simmons has a moment with the LMD Fitz, when he mentions marriage, and apparently Fitz has thought about it. But Simmons is able to take out the LMD Fitz by dropping a machine on him from a hoist. Simmons then repeatedly stabs Fitz as he screams out in faux-pain, trying to guilt trip her. Simmons continues, eventually disabling LMD Fitz.
LMD Mack, meanwhile, is realizing that Daisy might be on the way to discovering the LMD infiltration, and we see that she has–when she walks into a room full of LMD Daisy’s. Mack comes in, so Daisy does her best to blend in with the surrounding LMDs, assuming their pose so that Mack is not able to easily identify her (I guess it is a good thing the LMDs have the same under garments as the real Daisy!). Daisy manages to take down Mack for now, and winds up hiding herself. She looks at security camera footage, and sees Coulson and Mace looking at dead Fitz. They try to tell other SHIELD operatives that Simmons is an LMD but they figure out that Fitz is the LMD, so Coulson and Mace shoot the operatives dead. The LMDs then have the camera feed cut, so Daisy loses her advantage.
Simmons then finds Daisy, and the two are in a stand-off, trying to figure out if the other is an LMD. Daisy’s best solution is to use her abilities to shake their bones, but Simmons refuses. Daisy grabs Simmons forcibly though, and proves it to her.
AIDA and Radcliffe, meanwhile, discuss human emotions, and AIDA seems to not be able to reconcile it. AIDA then tells Radcliffe that her two parameters–protecting Radcliffe and the Framework are in conflict with each other–because he is the greatest threat to the Framework. Radcliffe says that is not true, but AIDA doesn’t believe him. Concerned that she could be dismantled, or change her parameters, she is worried he could deconstruct the Framework. She then decides that the best solution to her problem is to slit Radcliffe’s wrists, and lock his mind in the Framework, giving him a long life–within the Framework.
Coulson and the LMD team has enacted a search for Daisy and Simmons, claiming to the other SHIELD operatives that those two are the LMD. Mace and Coulson insist that they should be shot to “maim” not kill, so their minds are intact.
Back with Simmons and Daisy, they come to the conclusion that they have to escape the base, then figure out a way to hack into the Framework. Simmons is freaking out, but Daisy tries to remain calm, and get Simmons calm too. Daisy promises to Simmons that she will be able to beat the LMDs so they can escape. She is so determined because she believes that Fitz and Simmons belong together.
We see that Daisy has rigged some ATV type vehicle with some sleeping gas, and sent it in to greet the misinformed SHIELD operatives, taking them out of the equation. The LMDs prepare to take on Daisy, with Coulson even bringing May into the fight.
Daisy first encounters Mace, who puts up a pretty tough fight, but finally takes him down. Meanwhile, Simmons has gone off and woken up the operatives with an antidote. The Operatives don’t believe Simmons about not being an LMD, but Simmons holds them at gunpoint. Mack and Coulson then attack Daisy, shooting her a couple times, but Daisy is able to get a “quake-ball(?)” going, which obliterates Mack, and shows the operatives that Simmons and Daisy are not the LMDs. Daisy and Simmons get the Zephyr ready for flight with the remaining operatives, but Agent May is waiting for them, with what looks to be a trigger to a bomb. Daisy and Simmons try to reason with May, but with little luck.
Fitz has meanwhile repaired himself enough to be functional, and he and Coulson head down to find Daisy and Simmons. But all they find is May, who still has the bomb trigger in hand. Coulson tries to reason with her, but May explains that she is doing what she wants to do. Daisy and Simmons, with the rest of the SHIELD operatives make their escape on the Zephyr as May explains how they are different from the real versions of themselves, and decides that, while she is afraid to die, she decides to blow herself along with the rest of the LMDs to kingdom-come.
Daisy and Simmons meet up with Yo-Yo, and talk to her about their plan to enter the Framework. The two aren’t sure where they will end up in the Framework, so Simmons hacked a back-door into the Framework, where she and Daisy will meet up. Meanwhile, Yo-Yo is told that she can’t pull the two of them out under any circumstances, as it could cause permanent brain damage.
We see Daisy wake up in the Framework, receiving a text message to head to work–along with her boyfriend, who she assumes is Lincoln (it is actually Grant Ward). We see Coulson has become a teacher, Mack is at home with his daughter, and Fitz is some rich guy, with a girlfriend apparently. May is still an agent, though not for SHIELD anymore, but for HYDRA. Oh, and Simmons is apparently dead.
We then see what appears to be the real world again, with the Superior talking to AIDA. Apparently AIDA has programmed a robot body for the Superior, to protect the Framework, which apparently the Superior is to control “wirelessly” from his head, which is hooked up to some sort of device. We also see that AIDA has decided to figure out how to give herself feelings.
His Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 15: Self Control
I have been really invested in Agents of SHIELD lately, as I think it really has come around this season for the most part. This episode was really well done, even with the whole “switcheroo” thing it did with trying to make it look like Fitz was human, and him turning out to not be. Unfortunately the interaction between Fitz and Simmons was given away pretty easily to me for some reason. I actually wished it was a bit more murky as to who the real…real person was. But Fitz certainly was pretty creepy when it came out that he was the LMD. I would imagine it would be very traumatic shanking your screaming boyfriend over and over again.
I thought Elizabeth Henstridge did a great job acting this episode, showing how traumatic such an event like this would be. I know I would be freaking out big time, if I was in the same situation. Meanwhile, Chloe Bennet/Daisy pulled off the cool and collected side of things, despite myself thinking that the reason Daisy is calm is because she believes in the power of love between Simmons and Fitz. It certainly is not a very scientific or logical thing to do, but I guess it is working for her.
Another interesting bit to the episode, that I thought would come to pass, is the LMD May would eventually come to the rescue of the humans, as her programming is fundamentally different than the others, as Coulson points out in the episode.
As for the Superior, what has been done to him is pretty creepy, I have to say. I wonder how that is all going to play out, and if AIDA is in fact going to be able to get herself to be a “real girl”.
As of the time of making writing this recap, Violet and I have already seen the next episode (thanks to an early screening at WonderCon), and it is a really good one, with Simmons and Daisy trying to navigate through the Framework. It seems certain “regrets” that are taken away from the agents hooked up fundamentally changed how this world works, so tuck in and get ready for Marvel’s: Agents of HYDRA!
Her Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 15: Self Control
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