Violet recaps the Agents of SHIELD mid-Season finale, Season 4 Episode 8, titled The Laws of Inferno Dynamics, where the team tries to take down Eli once and for all! Following the recap, both Violet and Josh share their thoughts about the episode.
- His thoughts on The Laws of Inferno Dynamics, Episode 408 of Agents of SHIELD
- Her thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 8: The Laws of Inferno Dynamics
A man runs into a warehouse to report to Eli that cops and SHIELD are everywhere. The man complains that he hasn’t been paid yet, so Eli uses his carbon-manipulating powers to cause diamonds to form inside him, killing him, as he spits them out. The rest of Eli’s security team decides not to complain.
A reporter outside has a conference call with Mace, who will only say that there’s an escaped fugitive on the loose. Coulson, May, and Mace discuss their next moves. Mace is surprised to learn that Aida is an android. He agrees that Aida should be on the mission, and gives Coulson the green light on his suggested assault team.
While May goes to Dr. Radcliffe’s office to pick up Aida, Coulson heads out with his team to Eli’s location. FitzSimmons keep an eye on the situation from the Zephyr. Robbie, Daisy, and Yo-Yo are able to enter on one side of the building. But first, Yo-Yo uses her powers for a quick look inside. However, upon doing so, she sets off an explosion and barely gets out on time.
Meanwhile, Mace lectures Dr. Radcliffe about Aida, as well as asks him questions about her and the Darkhold book.
Back at the SHIELD van, Mack tends to Yo-Yo, while Coulson and Daisy take a look at the surveillance footage. Robbie has gone inside the warehouse on his own, and takes down one of Eli’s men. FitzSimmons also observe the footage, and see that Eli has created a giant battery for himself filled with quantum energy. Robbie goes inside it. Fitz recognizes a trap that Eli has set inside of it. Eli approaches just then and tells Robbie not to touch it, and to go home. Robbie says he will — once Eli’s dead. Robbie begins to turn into Ghost Rider, but Eli uses his powers to pierce through him with a carbon spike.
The SHIELD team on the ground meets up with FitzSimmons, who explain that Eli’s trap is both a fail safe and fuel core. They realize that Eli has worked his way through the periodic table all the way to Plutonium. If Robbie messes with the fail safe, it will cause a nuclear explosion.
Robbie tells Eli that he became the Ghost Rider because of him. He then asks Eli why he became a killer. Eli seems to think that the others at Momentum Labs got what they deserved for looking down on him. However, Eli is pleased that he is now becoming a god. Robbie threatens him and begins to turn into Ghost Rider, but Eli pierces him with another carbon spike, and says that whatever happens next is on him.
Mace delivers Aida, Dr. Radcliffe, and May to Coulson. Fitz checks out Daisy’s sleeves, and confirms that she’s not the one causing the seismic activity in the area. Simmons informs Fitz that Aida and the others have arrived, and Daisy is curious to know what Mace did that FitzSimmons don’t trust him.
It seems that Mace’s plan is to send Yo-Yo back in for the core, but Mack doesn’t think that’s such a good idea. Mace and Coulson step aside to speak privately, leaving Mack and Yo-Yo to speak alone as well.
Simmons informs Daisy about what happened to her and about the Inhuman she examined. Suddenly, Daisy feels an earthquake coming. Fitz realizes that the quakes are being caused by Eli when he manipulates elements, because the elements have to come from somewhere, and he is stealing them.
Mace expresses his frustrations with Coulson, and Coulson fires right back about Mace’s association with Senator Nadeer. Daisy comes in just then and asks about the Inhuman that Senator Nadeer has locked away, and why he would want to work with her. Mace reveals that Nadeer had photos of Daisy and Robbie at the prison, and that she was going to go public. Coulson understands that Mace was trying to protect SHIELD, and says they need to become a team so that they can stop Eli from blowing up the city.
Eli shows off to Robbie that he can create water, and that the next step in the evolution of his powers is to create life. Just then, two of Eli’s men bring Coulson in. Eli is surprised to see Coulson still alive. Downstairs, Daisy takes care of Eli’s men that are there, while Dr. Radcliffe, Aida, and FitzSimmons set up shop directly beneath the bomb.
Coulson pleads with Eli to let Robbie out. He also reveals to Eli that he’s not creating, he’s stealing, and every time he does so, it causes a seismic rift. The earthquakes continue, though Daisy tries to absorb them as best she can, while Aida works on creating a portal to the other dimension. Coulson encourages Robbie to fight to get out of the box.
Coulson gives the word for his team to attack, and May, Mace, Yo-Yo, and Mack come in to fight. Robbie goes Ghost Rider, and Coulson throws him a chain, which he grabs onto, as Coulson tries to pull him out of the box. However, Eli has been knocked into the box, so Robbie lets go of the chain, and begins to burn Eli alive. The bomb explodes just as the interdimensional portal swallows it up, including Robbie and Eli.
Downstairs, Aida has been shot by one of Eli’s men. She tells Simmons that she won’t bleed out, but that Dr. Radcliffe did program her to feel pain. Exhausted, Daisy says she has to get out of there, runs outside, uses her powers to fly straight up into the air, then falls to the ground, using her powers to cushion her fall at the last second. Reporters notice Quake, and run over to her, bomarding her with questions. Mace comes to her rescue, telling the reporters that Agent Johnson was not responsible for the damage done there, and that she saved them all.
Later, Daisy tells Coulson they should get Robbie’s car over to Gabe, but Coulson says he wouldn’t count out Robbie just yet, considering that the last Ghost Rider was able to return. He also tells Daisy that they can work something out if she doesn’t want to be an agent again. Daisy seems to have missed being at SHIELD though, and likes that the face of SHIELD is an Inhuman.
Mack catches up to Yo-Yo before she leaves, and kisses her. Everyone goes into the common room and watches the news report, which says that Quake was working undercover for SHIELD all along. Simmons presents Daisy with her official lanyard. Mace and Dr. Radcliffe speak off to the side, and Mace says he’ll keep Radcliffe’s program alive — but all of his work on the LMD project will take place at SHIELD HQ under SHIELD supervision.
Meanwhile, Agent Nathanson is at Dr. Radcliffe’s place, collecting his things. He notices a door open and looks inside, alarmed. Aida approaches him, apologizes, then breaks his neck. Later, Aida goes back into the room that Agent Nathanson discovered. May is inside, unconscious, bleeding, and Aida begins cleaning her. However, we see that at that moment, “May” and Coulson are at SHIELD HQ, drinking together. The LMD May says she is right where she belongs. Coulson doesn’t appear to suspect anything is amiss.
Her Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 8: The Laws of Inferno Dynamics
Whaaaat, May is an LMD?? Did not see that one coming. The question is, when did the LMD May swap in for the real May? It had to have been when May went to pick up Aida at Dr. Radcliffe’s office. That’s the only time they had the opportunity to be alone — this episode, at least. It’s possible that May could have been an LMD for even longer. But how long? Whatever the case, the May that we see at the very end of the episode, enjoying a drink with Coulson, seemed pretty real. Real enough that no one noticed anything was off, not even Coulson, who knows her better than anyone else. I feel like the LMD May is more lifelike than Aida, who although she seems quite lifelike, actually seems a bit robotic, as well. This could be because the LMD May is based on an actual person, rather than Aida, who I don’t believe was based on anyone in particular. It also helps that May herself has a low-key personality, so she would be a person that others would be least likely to notice that had been swapped out for an LMD.
Anyway, it looks like the Ghost Rider story has wrapped up, at least for the season, considering that the first part of the season was subtitled “Ghost Rider” and this next part coming up is subtitled “LMD.” But, like Coulson, I’m sure that’s not the last we’ve seen of Robbie Reyes. I hope we see him again later on this season. I was really enjoying his character and the actor who plays him, Gabriel Luna.
How long until someone figures out that May is an LMD? How many more LMDs will Aida make? Will she be unable to do so now that she’ll be under SHIELD supervision, or will she be able to find a way? I can’t wait to see what happens next!
His Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 8: The Laws of Inferno Dynamics
COMING SOON
Scenes from Agents of SHIELD, Season 4 Episode 9: Broken Promises
Preview of Season 4 Episode 9 of Agents of SHIELD
