Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Episode 2.19 Recap, The Dirty Half Dozen

Coulson, now “captured” by Gonzalez, reveals that Hydra has been experimenting on enhanced people at a secret Arctic Circle base. He wants Gonzalez’s help in taking down the site. Gonzalez doesn’t trust Coulson, and Coulson alludes to trusting Gonzalez despite something that Gonzalez has in the cargo hold of his ship. He also promises to open Fury’s box if he will help. Gonzalez puts it to a vote: he and Bobbi are in; Weaver and Oliver are out. The final vote goes to May, who takes Coulson aside first. She is mad at him for not telling her about Theta protocol. He reminds her that she isn’t director; she tells him that he isn’t either. That stings, and Coulson realizes May is more upset that he was meeting with Andrew in secret. He promises it was just for counseling for the alien writing thing. May accepts this and votes to go along with the plan. Bobbi is shocked that Gonzalez voted to go along with Coulson’s plan, but he points out that since Coulson planned on using “his” men, it didn’t bother him. Bobbi is unsettled by this division.

Cal is back at Shangri-la and really putting his worst foot forward. Jiaying sends him to his room, though she eventually apologizes for trying to banish him and agrees to let him stay. Skye is extremely concerned because Lincoln never made the trip back with them. Gordon goes to collect him, but finds him in Hydra custody and barely escapes with his life. He won’t try it again. Raina saw that happen to him; she also saw Skye save Lincoln. Gordon doesn’t have to drop her at the Hydra base; he has to drop her off at SHIELD, which he does. Everyone is surprised and pleased to see her.

Agent 33 (or Kara now) is staying back on the plane, giving her a full check to make sure Whitehall didn’t damage her physically in addition to the brainwashing. She is in love with Ward, and he wants her to get back all the memories and training that Hydra erased. Simmons asks to go in the field with Coulson, under the guise of offering medical expertise to Mike, since she is the only one who knows how his wiring works. He agrees, but Simmons is planning on blowing Ward up the first chance she gets.

As much as everyone hates the idea, Ward is back on the team, if just for this mission, and he addresses the “elephant” in the room. He is a little too defensive about his actions (you know, the killing) but he does apologize, mainly for breaking up the team. No one buys it, and Coulson brings them back around to the mission. The idea is to rescue Lincoln and Mike, who are the only enhanced people still alive in the Hydra prison. Then they will dismantle the missiles so the planes can fly in and bomb the base hell.

Coulson’s plane shows up on Hydra’s radar and they shoot it down. This was part of the plan: the team escapes in a smaller plane, which May flies/drops like a piece of wreckage. Safely on the ground, the team breaks into the base, killing Hydra agents as necessary. Bakshi greets them, and he is totally compliant to Ward, his handler. He gives them directions around the place, and the teams split up.

Ward, Bakshi, Simmons, and Skye head towards the cells, where they find Mike in bad shape – he has had an eye and a leg removed. They get him onto a stretcher, then Skye goes looking for Lincoln. While she does that, Simmons attempts to put one of the disintegrating bombs on Ward. Bakshi immediately steps in to protect his handler, and he ends up the one disintegrated. Ward is offended because he and Simmons are on the same team. He holds his gun to her head, and she is fully prepared for death. Instead, he just says, “I’m disappointed” and leaves.

Skye has found Lincoln on an operating table, flatlining. She uses her powers to basically defibrillate his heart. He is in bad condition, but he is alive. Simmons meets Skye and informs her that Ward and Bakshi are not coming with them.

Fitz has broken into the computer system and disarms the missiles. With that done, May calls Gonzalez and tells him to send the air strike. Coulson is busy copying something from the Hydra computers onto a flash drive, which doesn’t sit well with May.

The entire team makes it back to base. Hydra dismantled Mike’s leg, and it will take months at a special facility to rebuild it. Simmons informs everyone that Bakshi “didn’t make it out.” She does not go into specifics. Ward calls Coulson and tells him he thought it was in his best interest to get out. He knew the team wouldn’t forgive him and he doesn’t believe he deserves their forgiveness. But Kara does. He tried to fix her, but there is not enough good left inside me. She deserves better and hopes SHIELD can get her back.

Gonzalez admits to Bobbi that the main reason he went along with Coulson’s plan is so they could get some enhanced people on the base. He wants to learn about them. He makes no secret that he plans to hold Skye there, and Bobbi doesn’t like this at all. Coulson shows up and hands him the box, unlocked. “It’s yours until Fury comes back – oops, spoiler alert!” he tells him, then leaves to take a call – from Maria Hill. Coulson’s true plan in invading the Hydra base was to find Loki’s scepter. The files he took shows it in the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia. He thinks List is heading for it. He didn’t tell Gonzalez about it because he puts everything to a vote – something that surprises Hill. She asks about Theta protocol and Coulson says it is ready: “Time to bring in the Avengers.” Cue an “exclusive preview” of the new Avengers movie. (Ah, isn’t synergy grand?)

Back in Shangri-la, Jiaying has agreed to let Cal stay, at least for a little while, but she wants to know more about Raina. She then visits Raina, who admits she told Skye how to save Lincoln. Jiaying gently warns her that decisions based on or using gifts will be made by Jiaying, which Raina doesn’t take kindly to. She not-so-subtly hints at overthrowing Jiaying. But then she has a vision, in which she sees “men made of metal tearing this world apart.” Go see Avengers: Age of Ultron in theaters this weekend!

You can check out the promo for Episode 2.20 of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” in the player below. Titled “Scars,” the episode is officially described as folllows:

“Skye is torn between her loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. and her connection to the Inhumans as tensions rise between the groups — and Coulson reveals a secret he’s been hiding from even those closest to him.”

Written by Rafe Judkins & Lauren LeFranc and directed by Bobby Roth, “Scars” is set to air on May 5. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” airs Tuesdays at 9 P.M. EST on ABC.