What I’m Watching: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 4, Episode 14 “The Man Behind the Shield” (B-)

I’ll admit that things are getting very confusing here, and with all these android replicas of characters showing up, it’s hard to keep track of who is really who, and it could create seasons-long issues of people not really being who they say they are, negating developments that are crucial to the storyline. The conclusion of this episode is that we have two agents – Fitz and Simmons – who are actually who they claim to be, and their fellow agents and assumed allies – Coulson, Daisy, Mac, and Mace – have all been replaced by androids. It’s not clear at all how Radcliffe is able to manufacture exactly replicas of people at such a quick and regular pace, and what’s most interesting about it is that they believe that they are who they’re programmed to be, and only when Radcliffe needs them to follow some programmed directive do they do something that might open their eyes to consider that they may not be who they think they are. My head is spinning writing this, but I’m more concerned that it’s not going to hold up once it’s all over at some point. Keeping the originals alive is obviously important for the continuity of the show and its ability to pick back up once order is restored, but it doesn’t make nearly as much sense for Radcliffe since they will inevitably escape or be rescued. I’m not sure whether the Superior has actually been taken out or not, but until we get more clarification on who is who, I don’t think anything else really matters.