Now THAT is more like it.
Garner is Lash. This is not a drill: Garner is Lash. This one revelation turns the entire season on its head, turning Daisy and Garner's relatively normal exchanges into tense moments of nearby danger. So many scenes take on a completely different light now, as does his position as SHIELD's psychiatrist for Inhumans. This twist has an equally important effect on May, whose forced subplot with Garner suddenly becomes much more interesting, and on Daisy, who's been largely spared, most likely because Garner has come to like her. Why is he killing Inhumans? That has become the most interesting question of the season, and I'm honestly more excited about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. now than I have been for most of this season. This very well might be the Hydra/Inhumans of this season.
The rest of the episode is no slouch either. The main plot threads this episode are Coulson working his way towards the ATCU's labs, and the fallout of Hunter's failed raid on Hydra. In the former, Daisy's apprehension towards the ATCU takes on a less irritating form, where she expresses distrust of the ATCU but seems to understand more why Coulson feels he needs to work with them (or, at the very least, she accepts that he feels it necessary.) Coulson's own character development is particularly clear here: He's become more calculating, partially as a consequence of what he's gone through in this line of work. In any case, while Coulson is convincing Rosalind to bring him to the labs, Hunter, Mack, and Daisy are investigating someone who they suspect of being Lash, and in here there's a strong blend of humour, tension, and action that has been missing from the season so far. Of course, given that Garner is Lash, they learn that their suspect, Banks, has no Inhuman blood.
This is fairly intriguing, but even more enjoyable is Melinda and Bobbi tracking Hydra through Strucker's bank accounts. Strucker, having failed to kill Garner, has fled from Hydra, and is now seeking refuge with former Hydra official Gideon Malick. When we see Ward reflecting on Strucker's leave, it's apparent that the glimpses of humanity shown in season 2 are gone. He knows that SHIELD loathes him and wants him dead, and so he's given completely in to his dark side. To him, Strucker is now a liability, and Malick knows that. The conversation between the two is surprisingly intense, and when we finally see what becomes of Strucker after Malick reveals his location, it's one of the darkest scenes of this show.
Melinda and Bobbi, meanwhile, had broken into a bank and stolen significant papers from Strucker's file. Bobbi attempts to use diplomacy, despite May's recommendations. Ultimately, May's method wins out, and there's a conversation between the two afterwards where May reveals that she had scouted Bobby back at the academy. The dynamic between these two is new and fresh, and deserves to be explored much more, especially given that it's been rarely explored previously. And so, May is officially back - and when she learns about Garner from Strucker, it appears that's for the best.
Finally, there's Fitz and Simmons. With this new astronaut having become a complication in their relationship, it's admirable that Fitz is still committed to bringing him home. His simulations don't work out, but he continues onward. The simple fact that he's trying to save someone who might take the girl he loves is clearly a point of turmoil for him, but he's ultimately taking the high road - or so it seems. Hunter has brought up the question of whether it's worth it, and how Fitz has taken that is unclear. Hunter has been seen elsewhere to not really be the moral centre of the team, with his anger issues being a source of comedy in this episode. For Fitz, it's possible that Hunter might lead him down a darker path. Hunter doesn't want to be a negative influence, and maybe he's not. To him, it probably seems like he's just giving some man-to-man advice. But, depending on how this subplot plays out, it might have a greater effect than intended.
Leaves a lot of excitement for the next episode, doesn't it?
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