'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s' Body Count: 4 Inhumans, 1 Human

Warning: Spoilers ahead for this week’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Lash and Ward both continue their respective reigns of terror on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent May makes her first appearance back at headquarters, and Simmons is ready to open up to Fitz. One wonders what Season 1 would have been like if they had kept up the pace that the show is doing now, because this is how an action-adventure series from Marvel should look.

The Plot

Alisha (the multiplying Ginger Ninjas from last season) tries to recruit some old Inhuman friends for S.H.I.E.L.D., but Lash kills them, including one of Alisha’s multiples. They find a tracking virus on the victim’s computer that leads Coulson and their new partners the A.T.C.U. to Dwight Frye (Chad Lindberg), who’s helping Lash find more Inhumans. Lash kills Frye as he’s being taken away by the A.T.C.U., and Daisy discovers he has an alternate, human form. Meanwhile, Ward exposes Hunter and May within Hydra and kills Andrew in retribution.

Related: Get Caught Up With Our ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recaps

Hello and Goodbye

Alisha (played by Alicia Vela-Bailey) would be a welcome addition to Secret Warriors, and — since she is also Adrianne Palicki’s stunt double — her schedule’s probably wide open. And there’s room in the cast with the surprising death of Andrew. Or is there? The classic TV rule of thumb is “If there’s no body, they’re not dead.” Maybe Alexander botched the job and burned the store down so nobody would know? What do you think? Alive or dead?

May/Dismember Romances

In favor of the Andrew’s Dead camp: his line, “Meet me after my class tomorrow.” Anytime somebody postpones a reconciliation, it’s almost certain they’ll be killed. How great was it to see May back at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, though? It’s clear Coulson’s hurting without her. May needs to come back pronto — if for nothing else than to dispense fashion advice. She’s right about Coulson looking better without a tie; maybe she could convince Daisy to give up the terrible jacket?

“It’s Time I Told You the Truth… About Everything”

On the one hand, it’s a pacing thing. Jemma can’t reveal everything about her time on the alien world because there’s Daisy and Mack’s story and the Hydra story and the Phil and Rosalind flirting story (CoulPrice? PhiLind? Phrosalind?) — it’s not The FitzSimmons Show (how great would it be if it were, though?). On the other hand, team members keeping secrets from each other is the worst kind of contrivance; it’s frustrating for the audience and feels like those old Three’s Company episodes where a simple, ten-second explanation would have unraveled the entire episode.

Lash’s Secret Identity

“Who is the alien?” stories, by contrast, are always a winner. While it’s very unlikely that Lash is any of the core members of S.H.I.E.L.D. (though perhaps he has something to do with Jemma’s trip through the monolith — possibly even some sort of mirror-universe version of her?), it’s definitely going to make working with the A.T.C.U. harder. It’s likely that it’s somebody we already know or that we’ll meet soon. Who do you think is giving off a Lash-y vibe?

The Dragon Lady

What if Lash is Rosalind Price? They certainly suggested it this episode (so that’s probably not it). Hopefully not, though. Her and Coulson’s back-and-forth are becoming the high points of Agents, and Daisy’s jealousy makes it all the more fun. Even if they don’t get together as a couple, she would make a great permanent addition to the cast as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sort-of-evil stepmother.

Who Revenges the Revengers?

May wants revenge for Ward’s betrayal; Hunter wants revenge for Bobbi’s torture; Ward wants revenge for the death of Kara. It’s a beautiful triangle of hatred there at the end of the episode when May is ready to surrender and Hunter blows it by trying to kill Ward and possibly dooming Andrew to a fiery death. When Agents gets to combine personal grudges with the spy stuff and the superhero stuff, that’s when it’s at its best. Hopefully, Ward gets Hydra involved in the Inhumans game soon.

Line of the Night

“Do you really have a laser finger?” They’re not going to make us wait until the season finale to see Coulson’s laser finger, are they?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.