The agents had a bit of a shock last episode when they caught a glimpse of who is working with Malick when they hacked into a building's security camera. They had suspicions that there was someone else at the top of HYDRA and now they know. The inevitable confrontation won't be an easy one for them. With Hive gaining more strength, Malick is discovering his days within HYDRA may be limited.
Warning: Spoilers for season 3, episode 16 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "Paradise Lost," will be discussed below.
Daisy and Lincoln Get Answers About the Ancient Inhuman and the Kree
Daisy and Lincoln visit a recluse Inhuman who hasn't been allowed to go through Terrigenesis. He and Lincoln have a strained past, but they need to talk to him because he may have information on the ancient HYDRA being (Hive). In order to get James to talk, Lincoln brought a Terrigenesis crystal. James has a Kree sphere. He tells them about the first Inhuman who was to lead the Kree army. Other Inhumans banded with humans in order to banish him.
Lincoln Has a Dark Past
Lincoln ends up not giving James the crystal. Angered, James tells Daisy how Lincoln almost murdered his last girlfriend. After they leave, Daisy insists Lincoln comes clean with his past if they are to move forward with their relationship. It turns out he drank a lot and had a temper. One day he got in a car accident with his girlfriend, and she almost died. Gordon, the teleporting Inhuman, was watching, and this was when Lincoln was brought to Afterlife (the Inhuman sanctuary).
Malick's Past and Sacrifice
Through flashbacks, we see the moment Gideon Malick's father died. Daniel Whitehall wanted Malick and his brother to visit him in jail. Whitehall didn't agree with Malick's father's idea of worshiping the ancient being and sending volunteers to where he was banished. It turned out during the ritual in selecting a Traveler to Maveth, Malick's father rigged it so he knew he wouldn't be chosen. He was essentially a coward. When the Inner Circle was called for the next ceremony, Malick followed in his father's footsteps in order to ensure he wouldn't be chosen either. This resulted in his brother being chosen to give up his life.
In the present, Malick expresses his concerns to his daughter that Hive may be working behind his back. His contact with an Inhuman (last episode) allowed him to see his death. He's worried Hive doesn't need him anymore, and this is compounded when he arrives at the family estate and he calls the Inner Circle to meet. When Malick is confronted about his cowardice or betrayal, Hive kills Malick's daughter. He still needs Malick and she is a sacrifice for his actions.
More is Revealed on Hive and His Motives
The agents try to make sense of Ward's return. They're pretty sure that he's been possessed by "it." They know he must have Ward's memories and wonder why he hasn't come after them. Fitz is able to do some analysis on the remains of Hive's previous attack on a company's board of directors. There are tiny organisms that attacked and "it" likely controls them.
When Hive called the Inner Circle to Malick's estate, they were angered and wondered by Grant Ward was there. Hive then reveals himself by transforming and showing a head full of tentacles. After making his position clear to the Inner Circle and to Malick, they're informed that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plane has been captured.
It's Time for the Secret Warriors Initiative
One of the side missions Daisy and S.H.I.E.L.D. has been working on is locating Inhumans as part of the Secret Warriors Initiative, which she would lead. With the other agents captured by HYDRA, Daisy and Lincoln will have to gather the others in order to save them. This would likely include Joey and Slingshot. We have seen mention of other Inhumans but haven't seen their potential explored. Would they change their mind and let James go through Terrigenesis? The other question is whether or not they'll try to get Andrew/Lash to help them take on Hive and HYDRA.
Thoughts
It's great to see the agents finally discovering Grant Ward's fate. Seeing their former colleague back from the dead is having a psychological impact on certain members. Coulson is still struggling with the fact he crossed a line when he decided to kill Ward. Fitz is also a little bothered because he shot Will/Hive and also had a strong connection to Ward before he turned evil. May has her connection to Ward as well and is looking forward to confronting him. She commented to Coulson that he "didn't kill him hard enough."
The revelations on Malick's past makes us realize he's not as formidable an enemy as we were lead to believe. The fact he feared for his life takes him down a couple notches. It was surprising to see his daughter get killed by Hive. As she was introduced to the show, it seemed she would have a bigger role within HYDRA and with Hive. Seeing Hive access Malick's brother's memories makes you wonder what would happen if Ward's memories and personality was brought to the front and center.
We got a cool fight scene with May and Mr. Giyera, the telekinetic Inhuman. It's always good to see characters get their backstories fleshed out, like with Malick and Lincoln. With the agents captured, the show is setting up a big high-powered fight. There's still Daisy's vision of future with an agent dying. We have a lot to look forward to over the next six episodes as the season heads towards its conclusion.