Having reluctantly agreed to share information with Rosalind and the ATCU, Coulson and the team go in search for the Inhuman who killing off other Inhumans. May feels that Hunter's mission to take down Ward is getting too personal.
Now that an alliance of sorts has been established between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU, Coulson and the team are only fighting battles on two fronts: the mysterious Inhuman hunting his own kind and Ward rebuilding Hydra. Both battles are escalating. The need to split their time between them leads to a very shocking death at the end of "Devils You Know." The team is trying to handle a lot right now. They are spread out and unable to provide ample backup in times of need. On two separate occasions, members of Coulson's team are placed in situations where they don't have the resources to take on the bad guys. That's not a good strategy at the moment. That's what comes from fighting a war on many different fronts with few resources. But the consequences are much more devastating.S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU still don't completely trust each other. They have agreed to share information and be more civil because they are dealing with the same threats. And yet, both agencies have their own agendas as well that they want to keep secret. Right now, Coulson, Daisy and Mack are trying to figure out how much Rosalind and her team know about the Inhumans. They know next to nothing about this new team that has been put together by the government. They don't know the lengths they will go to in order to produce results. They are a mystery that needs solving. And yet, that's not coming anytime soon because threats keep popping up that delay such answers.
Both agencies do get some information regarding the mysterious and monstrous threat to the Inhumans. His name is Lash and he is indeed an Inhuman as well. He sees killing the rest of his kind as something he is suppose to do. It's not abundantly clear what his motivations are. This episode does set out to explain how he is able to find the other Inhumans so quickly. He has help from one who feels pain whenever another one is in close proximity. That's a strange power to have. But all of it is pretty useless information. Why does the audience need to know that Lash has help but the help only uses emails to plant viruses on the targets computers? It's action that showcases the developing connection between the two agencies. But it's never really important. Lash shows up to keep his friend from talking when the ATCU has him in their custody.
It's notable that Lash only kills his friend though in that sequence. Daisy is an Inhuman and has used her powers against Lash in battle. And yet, he lets her live. There has to be a reason behind that that is more than her being the lead character in the story. She also comes to the realization that Lash is able to change his appearance. In battle, he is this monstrous creature. But he is able to slip away so easily because he can revert back to a normal human form. That makes him much more difficult to track. It also creates a big mystery regarding Lash's true identity. Someone on the show this season is going to be revealed as Lash. That's a given simply by the way the story is constructed. His identity is a mystery. So that means it will be a character known to the audience who will be revealed as the bad guy in a future episode. The speculation should start now. And yet, it's hard to care considering Lash is still largely just a bland villain when talked about and a terrorizing yet non-distinctive presence in battle. There's not enough nuance to care about such a mystery with his identity.
Elsewhere, Hunter's judgment has become seriously clouded in his pursuit to kill Ward for what he did to Bobbi. She is still stuck in the lab unable to be active in the field because of the injury she sustained by Ward. Hunter is furious and wants his revenge. And yet, that singular mindset offers some devastating consequences. May wants to support him on this mission. But she is seeing the person he is becoming and knows that it's a much bigger task than she can handle by herself. It's a big deal that she returns to headquarters in order to inform Coulson about the situation. However, that was just a way for her to come into contact with Andrew again. The details about why they are no longer together are very vague. And yet, they are also suppose to be crucial to the end game of this episode.
Hunter is afforded a chance to take out Ward. The two come face-to-face and a gunfight ensues. May is able to provide backup but Coulson and his team are too far out to do any good in the moment. Of course, Ward won't go down so easily. He has set up precautions in order to ensure his survival. His plan with Andrew comes into fruition. He plans on escaping by forcing May to stand down in exchange for Andrew's life. It's a moment that feels like it should be important to the character. Andrew was her husband who she reconnected with over the hiatus between the seasons. And yet, that didn't make him a meaningful character on the show. He simply popped up every now and again to offer an assessment for the various traumas the regular characters experienced. At one point, Coulson even proclaims how replaceable Andrew is on the team. That basically foreshadowed his death in a very big and pointed way. It all happened to showcase just how far Hunter was willing to go to get to Ward. Andrew is dead because of it and Ward still got away. Sure, he's injured but that won't be enough for May to get over what Hunter just did. It's still hard to care though because the character dynamic just wasn't there to make this feel like a critical loss to the show.
Some more thoughts:
- "Devils You Know" was written by Paul Zbyszewski and directed by Ron Underwood.
- Fitz discovers Simmons' notes detailing her plans to get back to the planet she spent the last six months trapped on. No explanation is given as to why she wants to return except a very cryptic tease of how she was changed on the planet. This story is going to need to produce answers soon.
- It was strange that this was the first time it was seen that the Inhuman who can make copies of herself is working with S.H.I.E.L.D. - until Coulson gave the reasoning that she just volunteered for the mission to protect her friends.
- Daisy notices the banter between Coulson and Rosalind as well. This is clearly heading somewhere. Constance Zimmer is good in the role but this story needs to start doing something big and revelatory.
- Ward was injured during his big escape which means he will need to be treated soon - which could set back his plan to rebuild Hydra.
- Mack is also hurt during the big confrontation with Lash. So, it seems Daisy and May are the only sane agents capable of going out into the field with support from S.H.I.E.L.D.
