Skye wakes in a healing center of sorts, with Lincoln, her “transitioner.” He gives her a tour of the place, called Afterlife, and gives her the rundown. She is going through Terragenesis, thousands of years of evolution happening in an instant.. Afterlife is meant to make the transition quick and painless. They call the place Afterlife because nobody knows where they are. They are in some kind of zen compound set high in remote mountains. It is beautiful but extremely isolated. Gordon is the only one who knows where they are, and the only one who can make contact with the outside world. There are “elders” he reports to, but Lincoln insists this is meant to kept them safe.
Afterlife is meant as a way station, someplace those who have gone through the mist can come when they need a safe place to stay. A lot of the other people there are giving Skye dirty looks. Most of the people there are waiting to be chosen. They carry the genetic marker, but it only happens once every few years that someone can go through the mist. Essentially, Skye jumped the line. She spends a lot of time whining about how she didn’t want any of this, and only called Gordon so he could help reverse it. Lincoln assures her that it is irreversible, but she can learn to control it. I feel like we have had that conversation a lot.
Lincoln promises that she is protected. But as the two bond over powers and popcorn, he lets slip that another person is there going through transition. Skye figures it out and charges through the compound until she finds the “unused” transition room. Reina resides in there, and she is miserable. She hates her transition even more than Skye, and Lincoln admits she is having a tough time with it. Skye is furious to see her there, and starts to quake. The quaking seems specific to Reina, and she invites it, ready to be put out of her misery. Jiaying comes in and essentially breaks up the fight. She begs Skye to stay, promises she will work directly with her, train her, look after her. While she considers it, Lincoln takes her back to her room to rest.
Gordon takes Jiaying to visit Cal, still in his own room in an unknown location. He is desperate to see his daughter. She thanks him for finding “their daughter,” but still won’t let him see her.
Coulson and Hunter are essentially fugitives. They return to the retreat and see surveillance video of Skye being abducted by Gordon. Coulson is guilt-ridden: he lost Skye and SHIELD in one day. He decides to lean into the skid and sets off the alarm, bringing Gonzalez’s SHIELD to the retreat. Coulson promises Hunter that reinforcements are on the way, but SHIELD breaks in with a battering ram within an hour. They use holograms to trick the agents so they can ice them, steal their uniforms, and try to take the plane. They are captured, but before the plane can take off, Deathlok shows up, beats the hell out of the other agents, and flies Coulson and Hunter out of there. Unfortunately, Coulson can only come up with one way to find Skye – he is going to have to find Grant Ward.
At SHIELD proper, Simmons seems ready to help Bobbi break into the toolkit. Fitz is offended by this, and wants out. Bobbi respects his decision and, as if to prove they aren’t being kept prisoner, says he is free to leave after being debriefed. But the squabble Fitz and Simmons have is all for show. He leaves, and Simmons claims that, without Coulson’s DNA, there is no way into the toolkit. But that is because she slipped Fitz the real toolkit. She also slipped him a sandwich, which makes her the best friend ever.
You can check out the promo for episode 2.17 of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” along with a new promo photo of J. August Richards as Deathlok below. Titled “Melinda,” the episode is officially described as follows:
“The story of Melinda May’s transformation into “The Cavalry” is revealed as she finds herself at a crossroads in the war between Coulson and Gonzales. As Skye learns more about her true heritage from Lincoln, the truth about the Inhumans will send her in a new direction.”
Written by DJ Doyle and directed by Garry A. Brown, “Melinda” is set to air April 14. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” airs Tuesdays at 9 P.M. EST on ABC.
