Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Devils You Know (3x04)

Wow! Things are getting mighty intense... I love this show. Honestly, it's just so incredibly solid and amazing. Let's get started.

Cons:

The only con I can think of is that all of the stories were so excellent that it might have been nice to drag them out a little more. We've got all this stuff with Lash and Daisy and the ACTU, and then there's a bunch of stuff with Hunter, May, and Ward. Each one of these plot threads could have filled out an entire episode, with the Fitz, Simmons, and Bobbi stuff as a subplot. Doing all three stories in one episode did mean that there wasn't a lot of breathing room. But honestly, if they can keep delivering action-packed and interesting episodes, I'm okay with a little bit of crowding.

Pros:

Frye and Lash. This week, S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers a man named Frye, whose Inhuman power is, unfortunately, that he gets sick around other Inhumans. They discover from Frye that Lash is trying to save the world from the scourge of the Inhumans, even though he is one himself. ACTU takes Frye with them, but Lash intercepts the truck, killing Frye, injuring Mack, but sparing Daisy. Daisy sees Lash transform to look like a normal person, which explains how he's been getting around so effectively. All of this stuff is great. I'm really fascinated by Lash and his motivations. He seems to be a rogue agent in many ways, but he had at least one supporter in Frye. Why was Daisy spared? Lots of interesting considerations here!

I'm also loving the growing tensions between S.H.I.E.L.D. and ACTU. Coulson makes sure to let Price know when they find new Inhumans, and Price reluctantly reciprocates by allowing Mack and Daisy to come along as they bring Frye in to their facility. This cooperation is tense to say the least. While Coulson and  Rosalind continue to have good personal chemistry, their people aren't exactly thrilled with the partnership. Mack and Daisy complain to Coulson about the situation, convinced that ACTU can't be trusted. I continue to love this idea of the two organizations working together. We'll have to see if the tensions will be smoothed out or if things explode!

The best plot thread of the evening was actually Hunter and May's. Hunter infiltrates Hydra! I was surprised by how quickly they decided to push the confrontation between Hunter and Ward, but it worked very well. Hunter gets in on a Hydra mission, but when Ward ends up being there, Hunter knows his cover has been blown. He tries to kill Ward, and is quickly in the middle of a shoot-out. May shows up to help. Pretty soon, it's just Hunter, May, Ward, and a few other Hydra agents stuck in a stalemate, crouching behind crates to defend themselves as they try to kill each other. This whole scene was very intense, and well-paced. May is a total bad ass, and it's always a thrill to see Ward come into contact with our heroes. His past relationship with them makes everything so delicious and tense.

Ward is in fine form during this fight - he goes for a very low blow. He shows May a live video of Andrew and threatens to kill him if May and Hunter don't lay down their weapons and leave. May is willing to give up Ward to save Andrew, but Hunter can't let Ward go. He jumps out from under his cover and shoots at Ward. He manages to hit him, but Ward jumps out a window and makes his escape, injured but very much still alive. Since Ward didn't call off his men, Strucker blows up a building with Andrew inside. Oh no! I can't imagine that Andrew is actually gone for good - there were a lot of interesting things going on with Andrew and May. We learned this week that Andrew left May suddenly, and that May assumed that this meant Andrew didn't like who May was anymore. We need more answers about this! The most interesting thing going on here is Hunter and May's relationship. How is May ever going to forgive Hunter for this? He chose to sacrifice Andrew for the greater good! That's pretty insane, Hunter.

There was a sweet little scene with May and Coulson that I need to mention. These two are so precious. I think Coulson is still feeling unfocused without May by his side. All of this chaos with the Inhumans, and the ACTU... and he doesn't even have his right hand! I can't wait to see these two back together, partners as they should be.

Fitz and Simmons just got a subplot, but it was a great jumping off point for next week. Fitz sees Simmons' research about the Monolith, and figures out that Bobbi knows something about it. As the episode ends, Simmons finally tells Fitz that she has to go back - and she agrees to tell him the whole truth. Fitz's concern is really heartbreaking and wonderful. These two are prefect for each other, but they've both been through so much hardship that they obviously have a difficult time achieving the peace they deserve.

All of these plot threads are moving in really promising directions. I can't wait to find out what Simmons was up to in the alien world. It looks like we'll be getting that story in next week's episode, and I'm thrilled. My worries about Simmons' story not having further relevance have been assuaged!

9/10