#aos 4x14

[queen-daya]

Leo Fitz in The Man Behind the Shield (4x14)

[secretsandlabrats]

Finally made it in the Framework episodes and the amount of Philinda we got in episode 14 was short but very sweet. I loved it a lot which is funny because how much we got in that episode alone. Here I go, episode 15, I’ll let you know when I’m in ruins or feeling anything that’s out of the ordinary, but really quickly I’m going to complain about episode 14.

I found it incredibly weird how Anton was caressing Adia’s face. It was truly weird to me because I was thrown off by it. That’s all I’m gonna say because that’s the only thing that made me feel some kind of way besides being in awe over the Philinda scenes close to the end of the episode.

[faithandbuffy]

so far aos season four has been some good plot with weird editing and lazy dialogue BUT episode 14 has just blown me away it’s an immediate classic

[ayankun]

.... I feel like there are a lot of little details in S4 that I have missed over the years and am finally seeing for the first time XD

Also, the way no one reacts to this joke, and that it's an insert shot cutting away from Coulson to this B roll ... makes it feel like possibly it might not have been included in the original cut and this voice over line was added way later. That's probably not the case but that's what it feels like lololol

(like, the line was probably in the script, bc it's calling back to Mack's line about the Bond-villain-style lair, but why cut to the team's reaction if this is the only shot available? It feels like it was not shot with this purpose in mind -- I know it's srs bsns mission but even just Daisy doing a little restrained smirk would have sold it)

[imminent-danger-came]

Mei: "We trusted you! All of us! How could you lead us into the fight without a real plan? Time and time again I've watched you put MK in danger leaving him to figure out EVERYTHING on his own. Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?"

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

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Mei: “Inaction is careless! If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing! I would watch my sword shatter into pieces a thousands times, so long as I used it to protect the ones I care about. If you're just gonna sit here and screw around, the maybe you don't deserve power.” Ao Lie: "And perhaps with greater caution you would still have your sword. I know a thing or two about disappointing people, about feeling powerless to protect them, but I do not sense that you are a disappointment! Even now, locked away in imminent danger your thoughts are to protect others!" Mei: "But how am I supposed to protect everyone if I don't have my sword?" Ao Lie: "A sword is powerless, without the hand that wields it."

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robed Demon)

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Mei: "How dare you! My friends are in danger because of you! And you're not even going to stick around to finish the job!?"

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

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Something something "I just wanted to protect the people I cared about—to be strong enough. I lost sight of why I was doing any of it." something something the people your trying to protect being put in danger anyways something something, Mei was so upset at Wukong in s3 because she felt SWK had failed at protecting the people he cared about, aka "If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing".

[thelifeofannabanana]

Oh my god this baby philinda flashback is KILLING ME. I love them so much.

“I’m good with my hands”

“Not how I remember it”

“I didn’t know you that well back then”

“You were undercover as my HUSBAND”

I’m dead 😂💕

(4x14)

[agentreeb]

Anyway Jemma doing this with Fitz and Alya

[ryder616]

Rewatching The Man Behind the Shield

Young Philinda retrieving 084s under the cover of the night in Soviet Russia, the Superior Bigot getting a thoroughly deserved trashing with both words and actions, a fun little spy chase across two continents, the built up of the LMD paranoia that will blow up in Self Control and Davis being Davis.

What’s not to love?

Well, maybe poor Mace having a terrible day. That’s not awesome.

The Superior Bigot is also a Superior Dick, pardon my French (/nudge Sousa), because all the cuttings and the beatings were absolutely unneccessary for Aida to learn of Mace’s regret. Not to mention that, given the situation he finds himself in, regretting the lack of superpowers could be entirely contextual. I mean, if he was sipping a mojito, soaking up the sun on a nice Mediterranean beach instead of being tortured in a cold concrete room, he might have had a different answer, you know?

The Way They Were:

Baby Coulson & Baby May own this episode. It’s nice to see Coulson without the weight of the world on his shoulders and the effects of the last two years living in the grey area. He’s a dork with no game speaking terrible Russian who strives for subtlety but can’t quite pull it off just yet, but also brave, competent and self-confident, if easily flustered by brazen specialists he finds attractive.

And then there’s pre-Bahrain May: cocky, thriving on danger, having a blast teasing her nerdy partner, even pranking him by making him sweat a little before she rescues him. On a mission she has asked to be assigned to because of course. It’s Coulson and she’s gonna keep him safe.

Stuff:

I think [the sparring match] might play out a little differently in real life. This sounds very meta, as Clark has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Unless your intention is to shred the most advanced human mind of this or any century, I suggest you think twice before forcefully removing him from the Framework. Programmed for over the top flattery, I see.🙄

[Looking over the Superior’s conspiracy board] This is why I don’t have Facebook. AoS, always ahead of the times.

Daisy is cute in her lesser beanie. I liked the one she was wearing early in the season better and nothing can beat the Superior Beanie, aka the purple one she was wearing in 1x18.

Melinda May had a bangs phase, which makes it 3 for 3 for the OG team’s women.

I don’t need you throwing off my game -- You have game? -- I have what some people refer to in certain parts of the world as game. -- It’s cute that you think that. Oh, that burns.😂

I’m placing you under arrest in the name of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ah, well, then I guess we’re done here. They’re all gonna handcuff each other, any minute now!

I know you’re not a bad person, Fitz, but this gear has been used for some really bad things. You’ve got to think about the implications of what you create. Mack’s caught a lot of flack for his criticism here but I daresay that it’s more about the recipient of his words than his actual words.

You can’t bluff, Phil. You’ve got nine different tells...eyes darting all over the place. [...] You should try sunglasses. Phil Coulson’s sunglasses origin story!

Don’t worry. I’m good with my hands. -- Not how I remember it. The bra story that sparked a thousand fics. 😄

I was programmed to observe human behaviour. Yours is...different. The d-word you’re looking for is despicable.

Four guys at once. Should be fun. The exhuberance of youth 😉 (2x04).

What are you gonna say to [the Russian soldiers], anyway? -- There’s a biohazard contamination. Bio always works. But here, it doesn’t! “Bio always works” was on my wishlist of “like father, like daughter” callbacks. Alas.

[The dead soldiers] were my comrades. They were my brothers. I had to dig up their bodies just to pay my respects. Wait, isn’t that backwards?

Conspiracy theories... from the man who literally mounted a conspiracy to have men in masks kill Inhumans. Yep, he’s a hypocrite. One of his lesser offenses, truth be told.

You claim to fight for others, for humanity. I think you lost yours a long time ago. And to answer your question, I do have one regret. That I don’t have superpowers of my own that I could use to kick your ass. Mace’s ability to keep it together in torturous captivity is quite impressive, especially considering he’s not a trained spy.

A bazooka to take down a wall when you’ve got Quake right there? 🤨 I guess Mack needs his fun, too.

I’ve waited a long time for a face to face. And you’re going to regret it. For a shorter time.

All of these things you've done, all of the energy spent, the hatred. And you know what the funny thing about it is? I have no idea who the hell you are. I've been on hundreds of missions in my time.This one you're so upset about, I was sent to retrieve an object. If I'm being honest, I don't even remember what it was. As far as I'm concerned, you're just another red shirt like so many others who tried unsuccessfully to stop me from saving the world. 'Cause that's what I do. So... cool origin story, bro, but this means nothing to me. This remains one of the most satisfying verbal takedowns in the show and it couldn’t have happened to a more contemptible guy.

I’ve been waiting a long time for a face to face. Ok, ground rules: let’s not have Daisy repeat the bad guy’s words. Please?

This isn't about admiration or forgiveness. -- The butcher does not seek forgiveness from the animals he slaughters. -- Have you ever read “Animal Farm”? Literary humor, too? 😍

What, you’re gonna go take on a killer android? -- I’ll take Davis. -- Concern only slightly lessened. -- Thanks. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

We've been running all over this place. It's a bloody labyrinth. -- Pray we don't run into the Goblin King. Is everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. a nerd? Because I’d like that.

Comms have been wonky, going in and out [...] we’ve been trying to reach you [...] -- Finally. I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere [...] -- The timetable of this mission is bothering me. Uh-oh. My foreshadowing sense is tingling.

There’s occasionally some confusion about the LMD detection report. The number of LMDs detected refers to the total of LMDs that went through the door (“compile all report totals”), not the people in the picture. It’s four because it’s counting the FitzBot who went through earlier.

[checking the partially buried Ivanov] Scans indicate low levels of life function. Good. Pity, actually. Sometimes I’m a little appalled by Daisy’s lack of killer instinct.😁

This guy is really not my type. -- Already start asking questions? -- Oh, yeah. He's a shrink. Well, thank you AoS. Now I’m heartbroken about Andrew all over again.

[queen-of-love-and-beauty]

This might be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think 4x14 proved that Coulson was madly in love with May.

The flashbacks show that there was some flirting and attraction between them, but it was mostly sexual. They were at their prime, they obviously were dating and hooking up with people. It makes sense for them to be attracted to each other.

I think when Coulson was talking to the Russian agents, rambling about how he wants to ask May out but is worried it might not go well, he wasn’t lying. He was trying to distract the men but he meant what he was saying.

We know Coulson chose duty over family and a house with a white picket fence. I’m sure some of that has to do with losing his father at a young age and not wanting to bring a child into this world just to leave them defenseless. And we know May was dating by the time she was level 3. Maybe she expressed clear interest that she wanted a marriage and a family and that added to the fact that Coulson never flat out asked her out.

That scene in the car with him telling her to let him know if it doesn’t work out with Andrew was too wishi-washy for Phil Coulson. Plus, thanks to the Tahiti flashback we know he thought about actually asking her out and didn’t. I’m not saying they weren’t interested in each other, but I also don’t think it was one of those things where May got married and Coulson was in the corner crying cause he missed his chance. Plus, Season 2 proves he was good friends with Andrew and his friendship with May just got stronger before Bahrain ruined it all.

The fact that Coulson and May found their way back to each other after so many year and so much suffering is why I ship them. Their relationship at this point isn’t about getting married and making babies and doing all those standard things society expects you to do. Their connection is about friendship, pure love, and showing the other that they aren’t broken and unlovable, no matter how much they have been through.

[mspirations]

Daisy Johnson “ The Man Behind the Shield ” - 4x14

Nike In-Season 5 Training Shoes in Black/White

Thanks for identifying:

Fashion of Comics

[marvelsaos]

Top 10 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Villains (as voted by my followers)    1▸AIDA (83.2%)

“And what do you get out of all of this?" "What everyone else has. A choice.“

[ohmyfuturelove]

LMD!fitz: *mentions he’s thought about marriage* previous episode: *grabs hold of the hand an engagement ring would go on & stares at it*

[ishenwulf]

Daisy Johnson + Abilities

[fitzsimmonssource]

[decaestecker-source]

[souffle-girl-in-space]

“Wrongs have been committed. Now we make them right. Together.”

4x14 - The Man Behind The SHIELD