The AGENTS OF SHIELD are in more danger than ever before. Aida wants to hurt Fitz and Ivanov wants to build a new world where Aida is in control. It’s a good thing the Ghost Rider is back.
Read the full recap of Agents of SHIELD, “The Return” here.
Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) is back.
May (Ming-Na Wen) updates Coulson (Clark Gregg) on their status. She keeps bringing up that bottle of Haig. Coulson tells her they will need another bottle after explaining what happened to the first one.
Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) explains to Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) that Aida (Mallory Jansen)is neither human or Inhuman. She was created from the Darkhold. He devised a way to insert Inhuman DNA into the body that was created for Aida. He starts talking about the bad things he did in the Framework. Simmons says that was not really him.
Coulson checks on Mack (Henry Simmons) and Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley). Daisy (Chloe Bennett) says she can help extract them from the Framework, but there’s a problem.
Inside the Framework
Yo-Yo is strapped to a gurney. She is calling for help and a Hydra agent shows up. He points a gun at her. Someone shoots him first. It’s Dr. Radcliffe (John Hannah). He unstraps Yo-Yo. Daisy led him to Yo-Yo. She asks him to take her to Mack. He says she’s too late. Aida is shutting down the Framework.
Aida and Ivanov (Zach McGowan) are flirting with each other. She threatens to kill him and the other Russian clones. She has second clone. They are packing a truck. Ivanov asks Aida if she wants to rule the world. She does. She also wants SHIELD to suffer…especially Fitz.
Robbie shows up. He tells them he wants the Darkhold. Aida looks at Ivanov, thinking Robbie is a regular guy. The two Russian-bots fight Robbie. One of them knocks the Darkhold off of a table.
Aida reaches for the Darkhold and Robbie lashes at her with is chain fire. She is hit. Robbie asks her what she did. She shoots an electric bolt at him. Robbie transforms to the Ghost Rider. He swings his chain at Aida and she disappears.
Simmons tells Coulson that the Framework will collapse in 12-20 hours. Fitz and Daisy are working on a backdoor for Yo-Yo and Mack.
General Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) calls Coulson. Talbot says Mace’s autopsy report was leaked. Everyone knows he was not an Inhuman. There is an intelligence inquiry called against SHIELD. Talbot tells Coulson to get someone there or there will be no SHIELD.
Coulson tells him that they are the primary target of Aida. They would only endanger lives, but he will call Talbot if that changes.
Aida’s arm is badly burnt and it’s not healing. Ivanov says Robbie is made of the same matter that Aida is made of. She needs to be careful.
Daisy figures out that Robbie is back. She tells Coulson and the go to meet him. Robbie tells Coulson and Daisy that there was a tear in the Dark World when Aida was created. He was able to return to Earth through that tear.
Robbie is there to take Aida and the Darkhold back to where they came from. Daisy asks if that is hell. Robbie says it’s all relative. He says the earth is just one territory in a war that’s been going on forever.
Daisy asks if he can beat Aida. Robbie is not sure, but the demon hates Aida in ways he never felt.
May walks up with a head in her arms. She asks if anyone knows who he is. Coulson says Aida could have duplicated anyone. Daisy will try to identify the head.
Ivanov and the mystery Russian bot prepare to leave. Aida tells them not to disappoint her. Ivanov assures her they will create a new world…just to please her.
In the Framework
Yo-Yo and Radcliffe arrive at the SHIELD base as everyone is preparing to leave. Yo-Yo sees Mack. Radcliffe tells her to let him talk to Mack. Radcliffe tries to tell Mack the truth about their reality. Hope (Jordan Rivera) interrupts them to tell Mack that she’s ready.
Hope sees Yo-Yo and assure her that Mack will take care of them. Yo-Yo introduces herself to Hope. Mack sees Yo-Yo, but doesn’t recognize her. He walks past her as everyone leaves.
The Russian bot head belongs to Sergei Mishkin (Joris Jarsky). He’s the senior Russian analyst that was invited to the SHIELD inquiry with Anton Ivanov. The team try to figure out what Aida and the Russians are up to.
Ivanov addresses the inquiry saying SHIELD is the biggest threat to the human race. They breed, recruit and weaponize Inhumans. Ivanov tells them that the Darkhold holds the answer to the Inhuman problem. Talbot speaks up for SHIELD.
Shots are fired and Daisy walks into the meeting. She shoots Talbot in the head.
The real Daisy shows up with Robbie. May, and Coulson. They hear the gunfire and run toward it.
Ivanov says this proves he’s right about Inhumans. Coulson and May shoot at Ivanov and Mishkin. They run from the room. Talbot is still alive. May finds the Darkhold on the floor.
Daisy runs into Aida and the Daisy-bot. Aida says she thinks it would be fun to watch Daisy kill herself.
Robbie destroys the Daisy-bot. He tells Aida it’s time for her to go home. He swings the chain at Aida and she disappears.
Talbot’s assistant tells Coulson that Daisy will pay for shooting Talbot. Coulson tries to explain that it was a robot. The assistant tells the guards to take Coulson and May into custody, but they get away.
Robbie and Daisy fight the security guards and Mishkin. Ivanov shows up. He injures Daisy. Ivanov tells Daisy that he can’t be stopped.
Ghost Rider wraps his chain around Ivanov and throws him into the air. Daisy comes behind Ghost Rider and quakes the Ivanov bot to pieces.
Coulson and May show up after. Coulson is upset that he missed Daisy and Ghost Rider fighting together.
The team figures out that Aida is using Daisy-bots to discredit SHIELD and turn everyone against them. As soon as the video of the Daisy-bot shooting Talbot surfaces, SHIELD is gone. Aida is trying to recreate the world from the Framework. She wants to create fear of Inhumans using the Daisy-Talbot incident.
Coulson suggests to use the Darkhold to scare Aida. She can experience fear now. She will be afraid of Coulson if she thinks he is using the Darkhold against her.
Robbie and May tell Coulson no, he can’t have the book.
Daisy tells them that Aida is afraid of Robbie. As soon as she saw him, she teleported away.
Coulson asks if Robbie can destroy her. Robbie says he can’t get close enough to her to try. Coulson asks if the Rider is as desperate to destroy Aida as they are. Absolutely! Coulson has an idea.
Simmons and Fitz join the team. They say there isn’t enough power on the Zephyr to support Mack and Yo-Yo in the Framework.
Coulson suggests they go back to SHIELD headquarters. He’s tired of hiding from everyone. He says it’s time to take the fight back home.
In the Framework
Everyone is fleeing. Yo-yo talks to Mack. He recognizes her name because Daisy mentioned it, but he doesn’t remember her. Mack says he’s trying to keep Hope safe. Yo-Yo tells him that the Framework is disappearing. Radcliffe thinks Fitz is keeping Yo-Yo and Mack alive.
Things start to disappear. Mack decides to take Hope home.
May says Coulson’s plan is terrible. Coulson says robot-May was more supportive. May asks if the LMD May is the reason the Haig is gone. May says they need to have their talk bc they don’t know what going to happen next.
Robbie and Daisy watch over Mack and Yo-Yo. Daisy asks what’s it’s like in Robbie’s world. Painful and lonely…but Robbie is here now and it’s good.
Daisy and Fitz are going to build a backdoor for Yo-Yo and Mack to get out of the Framework. Simmons is helping Fitz. He asks if she bolted the door. Aida appears and says Simmons is dead.
Yo-Yo and Radcliffe go to Mack and Hope’s home. Yo-Yo is upset that Mack doesn’t remember her. Radcliffe says Mack knows that Hope is dead in the other world. She has to come to terms that Mack would rather die than leave his daughter.
Yo-Yo knows this. She’s just sad that he would die for a girl that isn’t real. Hope hears them talking.
Fitz tries to calm Aida down. He calls her Ophelia and says he will go with her. He doesn’t want her to hurt anyone. Simmons calls her Aida. Aida wants wants to make Fitz suffer the way that she has suffered. Aida stabs Simmons.
Coulson tells May about LMD May and the bottle of Haig. He says he’s not sure how much was real. May says maybe part of the feeling were real. Coulson suggest that after everything is over, they open another bottle and see what happens. May agrees.
Fitz says he will give her the Darkhold if she lets Simmons go. He tells her that Coulson is reading the book to fire up the gateway.. He promises to take Aida to Coulson.
Aida electrocutes Simmons Aida says she’s going to kill everyone he loves in front of him. And there’s nothing he can do.
Aida finds Coulson with the Darkhold. She says that he can’t stop her. There’s only one person who can and he’s not there. Someone shoots her from behind. It’s Simmons!
Aida says Simmons’s plan didn’t work. Simmons says she just wanted to shoot Aida.
Coulson steps behind Aida. Aida tells him he can’t kill her. Coulson says he can. Coulson transforms into the Ghost Rider!
Aida fights off the Ghost Rider. He wraps the chain around her waist. Aida teleports away, but the Rider goes with her.
Everywhere Aida goes, the Ghost Rider goes with her. They end up back at the base.
Fitz and Simmons find them. The Ghost Rider burns Aida to a crisp and scatters her ashes. Simmons asks if she’s really gone. Coulson says yes.
Hope tells Mack what Yo-Yo said. Mack asks her why she said that. Yo-Yo said because she doesn’t want to lose him. Mack says he’s not living in a world without his daughter.
A door appears. Radcliffe says it’s the only way out. Yo-Yo pleads with him one more time to leave. Mack won’t leave Hope. Yoyo won’t leave Mack.
Hope is scared. Mack says he will never leave her. He holds her close…Hope disappears. Yo-Yo consoles Mack.
The framework ends. Daisy can’t see Mack. She thinks he’s gone.
Yoyo wakes up. She reaches for Mack. Mack wakes up.
Coulson tells Robbie the Rider is horrifying. Coulson made a deal with the Rider. Robbie asks if he’s going to tell the others. Coulson says he will tell them when it’s time.
Mack misses Hope. Yo-Yo feels bad for trying to pull him away from her. Mack is happy to just have some time with her. He says he saw a glimpse of the life he can have in the real world with Yo-Yo.
Daisy and Robbie say goodbye. He tells her to look after Gabe.
Robbie opens up a gateway with his chain fire. (Kind of the same way Doctor Strange uses that magic)
Coulson hands Robbie the Darkhold. Robbie says he doesn’t envy Coulson. Coulson was going to say the same thing.
Robbie goes back to the Dark World…with book in hand.
Mack and Yo-Yo inform the team that Talbot is alive. And the military is coming to take them all into custody.
Fitz tells them to go. This whole thing is his fault. He says he will explain that he build the LMD.
Daisy cuts him off. She says they are all in this together. He has nothing to apologize for. If there’s a price to pay, they pay it together. Everyone agrees.
In the Framework, Radcliffe watches the sun go down. He is ready to go. He says what is a world without Agnes…and he disappears.
The team is at a diner eating. The lights go out. A military team moves in.
The leader of the team…whose face we can’t see…pulls out a small device that freezes everyone. He says the window closes in two minutes. The agents are taken.
Later
Coulson wakes up, alone in a cell. He puts on his boots. Opens a window. He is in space.
Thoughts
- I really liked the Ghost Rider story. This season was so much better. Too bad they can’t keep him on. Hopefully he comes back!
- That was a nice twist to transfer the Rider into Coulson.
- This season moved a lot quicker. The story flowed smoother. There was a lot more action. And the way the writers phased the two stories (Ghost Rider and LMD) together was nice. I really hope they keep up this style for future seasons.
- It was good to see Grant Ward and Tripp back on the team.
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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