‘Agents of SHIELD’ recap: ‘Self Control’ – EW.com

Last weeks cliffhanger promised a coming stand-off between Fitz, Simmons, and a group of LMDs that replaced their team. Before we check back in on that, though, this episode begins with a look at those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in their suspended animation, and then at the Superior himself. Anton Ivanov survived his battle with Daisy, but just barely. Hes now laid out on an operating table, where AIDA is getting ready to fix him. Ever the Darwinian eugenicist, he makes her promise not to mess with his mind or upload him to the Framework like the others. She agrees, but the changes she has in mind sound even more extreme than that. She soon picks up a chainsaw and fires it up.

Now we get a look at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where Fitz and Simmons are figuring out how to interact with their newly replaced teammates (including the repaired Director Mace). Mack LMD wants to bring all Inhuman S.H.I.E.L.D. assets to base, presumably to kill them. He also suggests splitting up, but Fitz and Simmons insist on sticking together.

In Coulsons office, he and the resuscitated May LMD are talking about snow, leading May to realize that even though theyre both LMDs, theyre substantively different. Whereas the May LMD was ignorant about her true nature and only realized it gradually, Coulson knows hes a robot, and hes fine with it. Proselytizing for the Framework, he tells May its a place where you can wipe away your big regrets. His, for instance, was committing to the spy game in the first place, instead of pursuing a more normal civilian life. May LMD seems to consider picking Andrew over Phil one of her big regrets, and Coulson LMD tells her that in the Framework, they can be together.

As they go to the lab together, Fitz and Simmons realize that Radcliffe must have used the Deathlok eyes in the May LMD to study everyones biological data, enabling him to prepare their LMD bodies ahead of time and then switch them out during last weeks operation. Unfortunately, as they talk, FitzSimmons head through another LMD detector, and it goes off. Each naturally suspects the other of being the robot, but Simmons is the one who draws a gun. She insists that Fitz cut his wrist (non-lethally) to prove hes not a robot. He does so, but he starts tearing up and worrying that he accidentally severed a key artery. This gets Simmons to lower her guard, and Fitz attacks, revealing himself as the LMD. So much for that you and me against the world vibe they had going.

Fitzs LMD transformation is confirmed in the next sequence, which finds Radcliffe waking up from the Framework and glimpsing the real Fitz strapped in beside him. Hes mad at AIDA for waiting more than 24 hours to wake him up, but she says she didnt. Seems the Framework has a bit of time distortion going on. Combined with the fact that its hard to separate from the real world, Framework trips pose a real danger of losing oneself doubly so because AIDA has specifically rejiggered the Framework to take its inhabitants through their greatest regret. Radcliffe is opposed, but he spends most of his time these days in the Framework anyway. In his absence, AIDA is slowly asserting more authority and vision. Their conversation ends with AIDA off-handedly revealing the other S.H.I.E.L.D. member not yet in their possession, and its Daisy, not Fitz.

NEXT: Ka-me-ha-me-ha