Agents Of SHIELD Season 4 Episode 10: The Patriot Recap With Spoilers

01/17/2017 11:00 pm EST

Director Mace gives a speech in Sunbury, Pennsylvania and officially gives Quake status as a public SHIELD agent. He claims that Quake was undercover to fight the Watchdogs. A woman named Michelle Caldwell recounts being saved by Quake. General Talbot is also there and he and Burrows are passing a metal briefcase on a handcuff back and forth. Coulson notices that an agent is missing from his post on a rooftop. Quake notices the glare of a sniper scope. She shouts for everyone to get down and covers Caldwell. Mace blocks the shot with his podium then tosses it in the air before the explosive round triggers. Coulson and Mack escape with the director while Quake goes after the sniper.

Simmons is upset to find that Fitz has SHIELD scientists studying AIDA's head. Talbot and May show up at the base and fill Simmons in on what happened. Talbot takes command and orders May to interrogate the assassin.

At Radcliffe's home, he is begging Fitz to let him study AIDA and figure out what went wrong. Fitz says that's not going to happen and cautions him to stay away from headquarters for a few days. Once Fitz is gone, Radcliffe drops the façade and speaks with AIDA. Radcliffe needs a way to keep an eye on the May LMD at SHIELD HQ.

The assassin is Yuri Zaikin and ex-Hydra agent whom SHIELD believed to have died during the battle at the Fridge. Quake consults with May. Yuri reveals the sniper shot was only the first phase of their plan.

Mace, Burrows, Mack, and Coulson discuss the assassination attempt. They try to dial into headquarters, but they get no signal. Suddenly, an explosion hit and Burrows, along with that metal briefcase, are sucked out of the Quinjet as it goes down. On the ground, Coulson, Mace, and Mack have survived but the pilot is dead. They realize whoever is planning this assassination knows SHIELD's protocol and planned for them to fly to safety after the sniper attempt. Mace insists on finding Burrows before trying to move on.

AIDA and Radcliffe have the real May hooked up to some kind of virtual reality coma. Radcliffe is upset with AIDA for killing a SHIELD agent. Radcliffe believes he's improved on AIDA's programming by not letting May know that she's an LMD or that she has a mission. He's hoping that this longer game involves less violence, but AIDA reminds him that the real May is already prone to violence.

Quake, Simmons, "May," and Talbot discuss the Quinjet's interference. May volunteers to take control of the Zephyr One and is given higher clearance in order to do it. Simmons wants to investigate Mace's files for clues, but Talbot insists that he'll take care of it and sends Simmons to come up with a way of finding the Quinjet. Talbot sends them all away when he gets a call fro the President. Talbot tells the President that Agent Burrows had the package, and they hope that Mace got it.

Out in the field, Coulson lets Mace know that he knows Mace is only after the briefcase that Burrows had. They hear a truck driving around that is blocking communications. It looks like Hydra tech, but they assume it is ex-Hydra working for the Watchdogs. Mace insists they keep looking for the case.

Fitz arrives at headquarters and updates Simmons on Radcliffe. Fitz tries to convince Simmons that they could make the LMD program worthwhile with her help, She doesn't want to discuss it, but Fitz makes it clear that he only wants to do it to protect her.

The program that is suppose to keep May calm and sedated causes her to wake up. She gets out of her machine, but AIDA finds her. Radcliffe walks in and tells her to stop. May says she knew the program wasn't real. Radcliffe tells AIDA to sedate May and she does. Radcliffe and AIDA prepare to restrain May again.

May and Quake get into Lola. May remembers being allowed to drive Lola once for a mission in Madrid when Coulson had a mustache. May says she feels like something is off. An agent informs them they found a crash site, but no Quinjet.

The Watchdogs have Burrows' body and his case. They use a machete to cut the case off of Burrows. Mace, Mack, and Coulson move in.

Talbot interrogates Yuri. Yuri says they used probability to plan the attack. Talbot checks in with FtizSimmons, who are having trouble tracking Mace, Coulson, and Mack. Simmons stumbles onto "Project Patriot," a part of Mace's file that only a handful of people have access to, including Burrows and Talbot.

Coulson and Mack move in and take out some of the Watchdogs. Mace uses the distraction to retrieve the briefcase. Mace runs off into the woods. He opens the case. There are two syringes labeled "Project Patriot" inside. A Watchdog shatters both and shoots Mace. He is no longer invulnerable. Mack and Coulson arrive and realize Mace isn't an Inhuman. He gets his powers from the drug, which is specially crafted for Mace's DNA.

Talbot tells FitzSimmons that they needed an enhanced person to be director of SHIELD. They couldn't find a worthy candidate, so they made way. Simmons assumes they've restarted Erskine's program (the one that gave Captain America his powers), but Talbot says there is no program, just Mace. They did it using a modified version of the formula that turned Quake's father into Mr. Hyde.

Mace defends himself, saying he was only following orders. Mace and Coulson help Mace over to a ranger station in hopes of finding a first aid kit. Another truck of Watchdogs arrives.

FitzSimmons and Talbot realize they have to break Yuri. Simmons brings a set of torture tools to Yuri's holding cell and threatens to use Hydra torture techniques on him. She then opens a cooler with AIDA's head inside and claims it was the last Hydra agent she interrogated.

FitzSimmons calls "May" and Quake and fills them in on what they learn, informing them that the Quinjet went down in West Virginia.

Coulson decides to have Mace suit up in his costume and see if he can fake having powers. He tells the Hydra agents hired by the Watchdogs that Nadeer wants the case and that it has a cure for Inhumans that is very valuable. He offers it to them, but he is the only one who can open the case. Meanwhile, Mack sneaks around the other side and blows up the comm-jamming truck. Coulson comes out to shield Mace. Now they just have to survive long enough for SHIELD to extract them. Quake and May arrive and help take out the remaining Watchdogs.

Radcliffe realizes that May woke because she's a warrior and rejected their conflict-free simulation.

Fitz secretly continues trying to figure out what broke AIDA. He downloads her software onto his phone.

Coulson and Talbot argue over Project Patriot. Talbot says he was tasked with finding the next Captain America, and he delivered a Patriot. Mace asks to speak to Coulson privately. Mace shows his Vienna photo to Coulson. It turns out he wasn't saving the woman on the ground, but he had just tripped and landed on her. He tried to deflect, but everyone thought he was just being modest and suddenly everyone was treating him like the man he always wanted to be. Then Talbot came to him and offered him a chance to help end Inhuman prejudice, something Mace really believes is worthwhile. Mace offers to resign and reinstate Coulson as director. Coulson declines the offer. Coulson says Mace is good at what he does and he wants to keep him in that role as the face, but as far as operations go, Coulson is calling the shots.

"May" examines a wound on her back from the fight with the Watchdogs and can see her metallic insides. Quake offers to help with the wound, but May lies about it being minor.