7 Developments From Agents of SHIELD: Season 3, Episode 21 & 22 [SPOILERS]

It's the end of the season for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC, as with past seasons, is running the final two episodes back to back. Hive has been putting his plan together to detonate a bomb to turn a large portion of humans into primitive Inhumans he'll be able to control. As per Daisy's vision from a few episodes back, stopping that plan will result in the death of someone on the team.

Warning: Spoilers for season 3, episode 21 and 22 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "Absolution" and "Ascension," will be discussed below.

Daisy's in Recovery

Daisy was completely under Hive's control. In withdrawal now, she's struggling with accepting all the horrible things she did under his control as well as the longing for feeling like she's part of something. She blames herself for those that were hurt. She attacked and almost killed Mack, betrayed Lincoln, and Lash died saving her life. She also has to figure out which member of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to die, as seen in her vision.

The Cross Keeps Changing Hands

In Daisy's vision, there was a cross floating in the quinjet out in space. Seconds afterwards, the jet explodes. For viewers, it's been a giant guessing game once Yo-Yo gave her cross to Mack. Mack tried giving it back to her when she was included on the dangerous mission against Hive. Angry, she pointed out it wasn't a lucky rabbit's foot to be handed around. Mack accidentally drops it on a chair, and Fitz picks it up. Fitz put the cross in his jacket pocket. When May and Fitz stowed away on the Zephyr One that Hive hijacked, Daisy is given the jacket to stay warm in the thin atmosphere. She finds the cross and figures it's up to her to stop the plan and sacrifice her life.

Hive is Defeated...or Is He?

Surprisingly, Hive gets captured in Episode 21. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents manage to trap him in a gel matrix containment unit. He's brought back to the base while they figure out where to keep him stored. Things don't go quite as planned when a bomb, planted in a shipment of parts to fix the hydraulic door Daisy damaged, goes off. Some random S.H.I.E.L.D. agents nearby get doused with Radcliffe's gas and are transformed into primitive Inhumans. Hive is set free.

Radcliffe Helps Out S.H.I.E.L.D.

May came to Radcliffe's rescue before Hive was captured. While he seemed eager to work for Hive and try to change the human race, he was also extremely fearful for his life. Once on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side, he does offer insight into Hive's plan and helps figure out a way to keep away from the primitives.

At the end of the episode, six months later, it's mentioned he's trying to get Fitz to work on a project with him. He feels bad for the agents having lost so many friends and has been working on an old S.H.I.E.L.D. project - LMDs. Comic fans know LMDs are Life Model Decoys. The season ends with Radcliffe ready to put his A.I. into a body.

Daisy vs. Hive

Episode 21 ended with Daisy begging the newly freed Hive to take her back. In agony and tears, Hive approaches her to turn her once again. To his dismay, he discovers he is unable to due to Lash cleansing her. Daisy then comes to her senses and starts attacking Hive. Using her powers and hand-to-hand skills, it's a brutal fight. Unfortunately it's a fight she can't win. Knocked out, Hive takes her on the Zephyr, knowing S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn't fire upon them while she's on board.

Lincoln's Decision

Daisy was ready to sacrifice herself to stop Hive's plans. Still feeling guilty over what she did under his influence, she moved the nuclear warhead with Radcliffe's gas on the quinjet Coulson and the others arrived on. Hive comes up behind her, and he tells her because Ward is still in him, he can override the manual control. They both discover that Lincoln snuck into the pilot's seat. He zaps Daisy, knocking her out the hangar door, and takes the jet, with Hive, out into space.

Lincoln tells Daisy he loves her. She tells him she can't handle losing him this way. The radio soon cuts out and the jet starts to drift as the timer on the bomb ticks away. Hive is at peace with the turn of events. He's curious about experiencing the one thing that's eluded him all these years--death. Daisy watches on the monitor as the jet explodes with Lincoln and Hive.

Six Months Later

Several newspaper clippings are pinned to a wall. The headlines read, "Who is Quake?" "Hero or Rogue?" "North Dakota Experiences First Earthquake in 40 Years," "Quake takes down Bank." Coulson and Mack are on a stakeout. Coulson is watching a little girl and her mother. The mother thanks someone off camera for the money given to them. Daisy is revealed with jet black hair and heavy makeup. She gives the wooden robin to the girl. Charlie, the Inhuman with the death visions, made it for her before he died. Coulson sees it's Daisy and orders everyone to get her. Daisy heads into an alley, crouches down, and uses her quake powers to launch herself onto the roof of a nearby building and gets away.

Thoughts

There were several edge-of-your-seat moments. It was surprising to see Hive captured in the second to last episode. Having it turn out to be another piece of the overall story to set him up within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base was great, almost as if he planned it himself. His fight with Daisy was pretty intense. He did show how formidable an opponent he can be. Later, when confronting Coulson, he shed his Grant Ward guise to face his enemy with his true face. Hive's true face is pretty gruesome but was a little too CGI.

Having the cross go from agent to agent also kept the tension going. Knowing that any one of the characters could be up on the chopping block, it kept us invested in the overall story as well as the inevitable fate of a character. Lincoln's sacrifice did feel fitting. As with past characters that have been killed off, it does feel like a waste. Lincoln was shaping up to be a really good agent. His death does serve to push Daisy over the edge and into a new direction.

Yo-Yo took a bullet for Mack. Will we see the two hook up? Will Fitz and Simmons get their vacation time alone? What about Fitz killing Giyera? There are a lot of questions we'll have to wait to find out what's next. The six month jump makes you wonder how things are in S.H.I.E.L.D. after all this. Are they still working in the shadows? Is Radcliffe making LMDs for S.H.I.E.L.D. or the private sector? Finally, how come Coulson isn't the Director anymore? He mentioned calling the Director to Mack when they were in pursuit of Daisy.

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The final question is, "Is Hive really dead?" Does this mean Brett Dalton is out of a job? It seems if Hive survived for so long, dying in an explosion in space could be avoided. We saw him blasted by a high-powered weapon, and he healed within seconds. Can he heal from a nuclear blast in space?

The show appears to be mixing things up, as it usually does at the end of a season. Daisy is on the run and using her powers as she sees fit. Coulson is no longer the Director. We don't know what the status of S.H.I.E.L.D. is and whether or not the other agents are still active. Will we see Radcliffe's A.I. "Aida" as a member of the team? She was voiced by Amanda Rea, but that doesn't mean she's officially cast for the next season. It's going to be a long wait for the next season.