MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - "Among Us Hide..." - The stakes get even higher as Hunter and May continue to go after Ward and Hydra, and Daisy and Coulson begin to suspect that the ATCU may be keeping a big secret from S.H.I.E.L.D., on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eddy Chen) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: Among Us Hide… (Season 3 Episode 6) | Tell-Tale TV MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - "Among Us Hide..." - The stakes get even higher as Hunter and May continue to go after Ward and Hydra, and Daisy and Coulson begin to suspect that the ATCU may be keeping a big secret from S.H.I.E.L.D., on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eddy Chen)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: Among Us Hide… (Season 3 Episode 6)

Samantha Coley Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Reviews

I have to say I’m more than a little disappointed in the latest plot twist provided by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. What otherwise would have come off as a fantastic episode filled with our favorite heroes and villains doing what they do best, is tainted by a heavy racist undertone that I just can’t ignore.

This week picks up where we left off two weeks ago before Jemma’s incredible retelling of her trip to space. We learn that Andrew, portrayed by Blair Underwood, is in fact, not dead, as I predicted. However, by the end of the episode we are made to believe that he’s Lash, the Inhuman running around killing other Inhumans.  

Now I wish I could say I expected better from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but this isn’t the first time they’ve disfigured and dehumanized a person of color just for a plot twist. In Season 2, Raina, played by Ruth Negga, was transformed into a strange looking spiked creature and she couldn’t control it. Her clairvoyant powers had nothing to do with her physical transformation, so I still don’t understand why she had to be turned into a monster. And given that she was killed last season, I probably never will.

What they’ve done with Andrew is slightly different, but in no way is it less disturbing. When he’s brought into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s medical facility we get to hear his side of the story, he says he survived thanks to Coulson. This is the version of events that I want to believe. However, when Bobbi and May track down the other person who survived the explosion, Werner von Strucker, the kid Ward sent to kill Andrew, we get a different story. Strucker tells May that Andrew shifted into another creature, something that frightened him and killed the other two Hydra agents.

Strucker: What is he?
May: I don’t know.

We are made to believe that the creature he becomes is the one we’ve known so far as Lash. If this flashback turns out to be true then it’s a genuine disappointment. Andrew has shown an inherent goodness to help people; making him a murderous monster for the sake of shock value just isn’t good storytelling.

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It’s possible that Andrew is an Inhuman, but not Lash. It’s possible that Strucker is hiding his own secret, and Andrew is the convenient scapegoat caught in the middle. It’s possible that they’re setting us up to believe one thing, only to reveal a deeper twist later. They did it in Season 1 with the misdirection from Ward to May and who was really working with Hydra. It would be a great twist to see Andrew become a different Inhuman, and if he maintains his goodness I could even try to forgive this shock-based plot twist. However, given Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s track record of villainizing and dehumanizing characters of color, (Raina, Jiaying, Mike Peterson, and now, Andrew) I don’t have much hope.

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Other thoughts:

  • May and Bobbi working in the field again is a beautiful thing to behold. These two make a great team, and it’s great to see them kicking ass and taking names again.
  • Hunter’s immaturity is less humorous this week and more annoying.
  • Fitz continues to be the purest of hearts, resolute in his decision to help Jemma find Will.
  • We finally get a glimpse into the inner workings of the ATCU and apparently they’re keeping the Inhumans they find alive in a warehouse, in stasis units. Coulson gets the information directly from Rosalind herself, and it appears that they could be heading towards a romance plot with these two. Daisy obtains the information by spying on them, and she’s not happy about it. This development looks to drive the wedge between Coulson and Daisy deeper and I’m looking forward to the breaking point when they finally clash over it face-to-face.

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.