Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 14: Watchdogs Recap With Spoilers

Mack is working with his brother, Ruben, on motorcycles back home in Naperville, Illinois. Ruben [...]

By Jamie Lovett

Agents of SHIELD - Watchdogs

Mack is working with his brother, Ruben, on motorcycles back home in Naperville, Illinois. Ruben complains that Mack, who he calls Alphie, is too tied up with work. He believes Mack works for an insurance company. Mack talks, in code, about how rough the job has been lately. Ruben is having his own problems, having just been laid off.

Mack and Ruben's parents left Ruben the house. Mack notes a particularly kitschy porcelain dog that he's surprised is still in the house. Mack is excited to hear that Ruben bought some steaks for lunch, and suggests Ruben consider going into cooking professionally. Mack turns on the TV to see to see a news report about a group called the Watchdogs. The leader rants into the camera about wanting information on the powered people being kept secret by the ATCU before they implode an ATCU facility.

Coulson calls Mack and tells him to get on the scene of the attack. Mack argues, saying this is supposed to be his week off, but Coulson insists, reminding Mack that he's down a couple of agents. Mack tells Ruben he has to go, making up a story about an accident that needs assessment on the interstate.

Coulson dispatches Daisy to meet up with Mack. He discusses the Watchdogs with Daisy and Fitz. Daisy says they've been active since the Battle of New York, and became more active after Sokovia, but it was just hate speech up until now.

Lincoln returns from his S.H.I.E.L.D. assessment. She asks if Lincoln should come on the mission, but Coulson says Lincoln is going to sit this one out.

On the scene, Fitz, Daisy and Mack investigate the wreckage. They spot a Watchdogs emblem tagged on the ground. The site was a storage facility for the ATCU, and somehow the Watchdogs found out about it. Fitz finds traces of Nitromene, a substance developed by Howard Stark after World War II that causes implosions. Mack says that's odd, noting that Nitromene isn't stable enough to use with a gel based weapon like what the Watchdogs were using, leading him to believe the Watchdogs have managed to improve the substance. Fitz says he has another substance that neutralizes Nitromene.

Daisy reports to Coulson. He says Nitromene is a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. history, and that he knows someone who was keen on enhancing the formula, Agent Felix Blake.

May finds Simmons firing a gun in the shooting range. Simmons says she hates guns, but would rather be prepared. She remembers how Will died for her, Fitz nearly did as well, and she let Lash lose to save herself. May tells her it wasn't her fault.

Mack, Daisy, and Fitz discuss the Watchdogs, wondering how they went from talking crap online to domestic terrorism. It could be Blake, but they're not sure. Daisy want to pick up one Watchdogs sympathizers that she's tracked online and interrogate him, but Mack believes this is a violation of civil liberties and refuses to go along with this plan. He says he made a promise to his brother anyway, and leaves.

Lincoln meets with Coulson. They're going to seek out some of Blake's safe houses that Blake doesn't know Coulson knows about. Lincoln asks about his evaluation, and Coulson says he wasn't happy with what he read in it, but wants to see it for himself.

Mack returns home to find Ruben has been drinking and is a little belligerent. Ruben reveals he's upside down on his mortgage. They argue about their parents and the house, and Ruben starts complaining about the system. Mack says Ruben sounds like the Watchdogs, and then Ruben quotes them directly. Ruben says he's just reading their stuff online, but Mack tells him to stay away.

May show Simmons everything she has on Lash. She's got a team searching him out. Simmons says she feels guilty all the time. May tells Simmons you don't make the guilt stop, you use it and channel it. Simmons wants to help. She says May is looking in the wrong place.

Lincoln and Couslon are on a plane going to search out Blake's safe houses. Coulson says Lincoln's evaluation says he's only there for Daisy, putting his loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. in question, and that he has control issues and fails to follow orders. Coulson says he thinks Lincoln could be a good agent, but he's the one person on the team that hasn't been personally vetted, so he's going to see if he has what it takes.

A Watchdog sympathizer driving through the street is stopped by Daisy. His name is Dallas, and Daisy lets herself into his truck. She shatters his window with her powers and says she's one of the "freaks" he's so worried about. Daisy uses her powers to intimidate Dallas into revealing where the Watchdogs are meeting.

Daisy calls Mack with the location. They agree to meet there. Ruben shows up and offers lunch, but Mack says he has to go.

Simmons explains to May that Lash is possibly being driven by biological imperatives, like seeking out victims, base instinct stuff. May needs to think less like a spy and more like a doctor. May says she plans on killing Andrew when they catch up with him. Simmons suggests the Creel vaccine might work on Andrew, since he hasn't finished his transition. May says no, and tells Simmons not to give her hope.

Daisy, Fitz, and Mack move in on the Watchdogs meeting place. Fitz sends a DWARF in to check it out. They hear Blake's voice.

Lincoln and Coulson investigate one of Blake's safe houses in Atlanta and receives a message from Daisy about Blake. He tells Daisy to observe only.

Ruben shows up at the Watchdogs location. He witnesses Mack's team taking out some Watchdogs. Some of the Watchdogs mistakenly believe that Mack is the one using Daisy's powers. Mack scrubs the mission and goes after Ruben, but Daisy moves in after Blake anyway.

Coulson and Lincoln find Blake at the safe house.

A Watchdog hits Fitz with one of the Nitromene gel bombs. Daisy knocks out the Watchdog. She tries to neutralize the Nitromene, but it doesn't work. Fitz thinks it must not be working because of the enhancements.

Blake and Coulson discuss S.H.I.E.L.D.'s role in the ATCU. Blake says there never was a S.H.I.E.L.D. He says he signed up to protect mankind from freaks, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. uses them. S.H.I.E.L.D. brought the Chitauri, the Avengers created Ultron, now Inhumans and Coulson himself. Coulson wonders why Blake is stalling.

Daisy puts the Watchdog and Fitz in a containment chamber. Daisy uses her powers to interrogate the Watchdog. The Nitromene is suspended. Fitz thinks they can use liquid nitrogen to freeze it off.

Blake tells Coulson that the Watchdogs are nationwide. Blake and Coulson go back and forth over ethics and truth vs. fear and hate. Coulson points out that Lincoln is an Inhuman, and then orders Lincoln to kill Blake. Lincoln says there has to be another way, but when Coulson insists, Lincoln zaps him, but this Blake is just a hologram.

Daisy freezes the Nitromene and it seems to neutralize the bomb.

Coulson says he knew it was a hologram and he knows Lincoln wans't aiming to kill with his blast, but he says Lincoln made the right call.

Mack finds his brother at home. Ruben is angry and they argue about the Inhumans and everything else. Ruben calls Mack a liar and walks away.

Coulson and Lincoln realize that Blake was baiting them for an Inhuman target.

The Watchdogs tells Daisy and Fitz about how they mistook Mack for the Inhuman and sent people to take him out.

Ruben and Mack continue their argument in the garage as the Watchdogs pull up. Ruben says they're not Inhumans, but Mack says the Watchdogs don't care. Mack grabs a shotgun and they make a plan to head for the backdoor and run into the woods. Mack takes out one of the Watchdogs. Mack gives the Watchdog's rifle to Ruben. Mack fights a Watchdog while Ruben holds another one at bay with the gun. Mack knocks the one out. They find two more waiting outside the backdoor. The Watchdog from upstairs sneaks up on them and shoots Mack. Make grabs a cleaver and chops the Watchdog down. He then tapes the cleaver to the end of a gun to make a shotgun axe, which he uses to take out the other two Watchdogs before passing out.

Later, Mack is taken out on a gurney. Daisy tells Ruben that Mack will be okay, but Ruben is in a state of shock. Ruben calls Mack "Alphie," and when Daisy says they call him Mack, Ruben says that's what Mack used to call him. Daisy says she should have been there for Mack, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. may give Ruben a call.

Daisy tells Coulson that the ATCU attack was a diversion. They found surveillance footage of Malick stealing something from the facility. Hydra is now funding the Watchdogs.

Blake, in a wheelchair, meets with Giyera and asks for weapons to hunt down "these freaks." The van Giyera arrived in contains a missile.

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