Oh my god.
"Many Heads, One Tale" is the big one. It's the episode where all the plot threads come together, coalescing into one brilliant, beautiful whole. Everything the season has been building up to is let loose, with every single dangling plot thread addressed and furthered. Rosalind's Hydra ties, the complexity of Fitz and Simmons' relationship, cooperation between Malick and Ward... it's all there, and it blends together in perfect synchronization. Coupled with some razor-sharp writing and some genuinely funny moments, this is a strong contender for the best episode this season.
Mack questions Coulson's relationship with Rosalind. The two have become close - as in, romantically close. However, it's all a ruse, with Coulson revealing that he's been playing along in order to get the truth from Rosalind, and determine whether or not she is Hydra. Early in the season, Rosalind made a quip about TAHITI, and Coulson knew that she would only know that if Hydra had told her. With Rosalind invited to SHIELD's secret base, Coulson has a plan: While he deals with her, his agents will infiltrate the ATCU in order to retrieve intel about what they're actually doing there. Coulson's leadership skills really come through here, but also some of the coldness that he has developed in his line of work. What the infiltration team discovers is shocking: Malick is been in charge of the ATCU's science division, and there they've been continuing the work of Centipede. Having found the Terrigen-infused fish oil pills, they've been duplicating the supplements and forcing employees to take them. Hydra is trying to build an Inhuman army, and they captured Garner, who was previously in ATCU custody.
Holy shit.
Meanwhile, Fitz has discovered links between the space program which sent Will through the monolith and the ancient signs found in the ancient castle where SHIELD saved Simmons. His insistence on doing the right thing hasn't escaped Simmons' notice, and it's stressing her out. She feels he should be mad at her for loving Will, but Fitz doesn't blame her. He thinks the universe itself is conspiring to keep them apart, lending some epic gravitas to the struggles of their relationship. While every major relationship in this show is troubled in its own way, that of Fitz and Simmons might be the most troubled of all. Fitz understands perfectly well why Simmons would fall in love with Will, and feels frustrated that she happened to be stranded on an alien planet with someone like him. But Simmons likes Fitz more, because Fitz would leap through a space portal for her. The two make out, finally relieving some of the pressure that viewers have been dealing with for three seasons now. But the biggest event of this plot thread is how it ties into the main one: Another symbol which resembles the two Fitz had been comparing? The logo of Hydra.
Holy shit.
We learn this after the conclusion of the Grant Ward plotline, wherein Malick decides that Grant is useful to him and might be able to do great things with Hydra as his #2. At first, Malick considers Ward a liability, given that Ward is seeking a secret von Strucker vault which only Malick knows the location of, but Ward proves himself far more knowledgeable than Malick expected, and defeats the men sent to deal with him. When the two meet again, Malick reveals that Hydra is far older than the Red Skull: They date back to ancient times, serving a master from another planet. They know this master through the Monolith. Were those same medieval men who sacrificed a man to the Monolith an earlier incarnation of Hydra? All signs point to yes.
Holy SHIT.
This is quite the unexpected departure from the source material, but it brings all of the series' plot threads together into one singularity. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has picked up considerable momentum these past few weeks, and shows no sign of stopping, and with this episode, it's reached the height of its tension. What an excellent episode.
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