- "The world has changed, but you're not this man. You're one of the good guys. You help people. Look inside. This isn't you."
"You say that I'm not myself. I don't know who I am."
"It isn't your fault, any of it."
"But you're wrong. I know exactly who I am." - ―Holden Radcliffe and The Doctor
Identity and Change is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the second episode of the Agents of HYDRA pod.
Synopsis[]
As Daisy and Simmons struggle to discover an escape route to the real world, the identity of the Inhuman leader of the Resistance is revealed.
Plot[]
Daisy Johnson manages to convince Phil Coulson of the fallacy of the Framework and brings him to her apartment, where Jemma Simmons awaits them and Coulson apologizes to Simmons for reporting her as a subversive. Afterwards, by further discussing, Johnson and Simmons learn that Holden Radcliffe is also present in the Framework. Since he can help them to escape the alternate reality after they way out was sabotaged by Aida, Johnson decides to return to the Triskelion in order to know his whereabouts while Coulson and Simmons go to a meeting point in order to be taken into the S.H.I.E.L.D. resistance base.
In the Framework, Alphonso Mackenzie lives a peaceful life with his 10-year-old daughter Hope Mackenzie, who shares his passion for mechanics, though the pair are worried that HYDRA will track down a drone that Hope has recently salvaged. While they are waiting to take the bus, a HYDRA squad arrives and arrests a potential Inhuman.
At the Triskelion, Madame Hydra and The Doctor discuss the manhunt for Simmons, with the Doctor taking the lead on it. Meanwhile, Johnson manages to find Radcliffe's location while Grant Ward is worried that their true allegiance could be discovered. Before they can leave, Melinda May summons Johnson to a mission, so Johnson asks Ward to give Simmons the intel about Radcliffe. Johnson and May go to a meeting room where the Doctor tasks them with the capture of Simmons.
Simmons and Coulson are brought to the Playground where they meet the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader: the Patriot. Shortly after, Ward returns to the Playground as well and gives Simmons the information about Radcliffe, though Ward is very suspicious of Simmons' true purpose. Ward, Coulson and Simmons decide to take a Quinjet in order to go to Ogygia, the island where Radcliffe lives.
Johnson and May join a HYDRA team in order to arrest subversives. To Johnson's astonishment, they storm Mackenzie's house and take him as well as his daughter to the Triskelion for questioning. May uses Mackenzie and his love for his daughter in order to trick Johnson into admitting her true allegiance to S.H.I.E.L.D.. Johnson is subsequently arrested and locked in a Triskelion's cell.
Ward, Simmons and Coulson land on Ogygia, where they quickly find Radcliffe. While Ward is totally ignorant of the real situation and does not understand what is being said, Simmons and Coulson confront the fallen scientist about what happened in the Framework and demand his assistance in order to exit the alternate reality. However, the conversations is interrupted when Madame Hydra and the Doctor arrive with a squad of HYDRA agents, looking for subversives. They quickly find Agnes Kitsworth, Radcliffe's girlfriend, and threaten to kill her. Despite Radcliffe's efforts to confront Madame Hydra about the fallacy of the Framework and to have the Doctor remembering some episodes of his real life like his relationship with Simmons, the Doctor remains insensitive to his argument and kills Kitsworth.
A battle engages between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA as Simmons scream in horror at the sight of her boyfriend killing an innocent woman in cold blood. Ward, Coulson and Simmons manage to escape Ogygia while Radcliffe is taken into HYDRA's custody and imprisoned at the Triskelion. Back at the Playground, Patriot confronts Simmons about the fact that she kept Ward from shooting the Doctor while he had the chance, but Simmons breaks down and leaves the room, traumatized by the events she witnessed.
At the Triskelion, Mackenzie and his daughter are released, but Mackenzie cannot stand that he helped HYDRA imprison Johnson and chooses to join the S.H.I.E.L.D. resistance. In the meantime, the Doctor visits Johnson in her cell and prepares to interrogate and torture her.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
- Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
- Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson
- Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz/The Doctor
- Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons
- Henry Simmons as Alphonso Mackenzie
- John Hannah as Holden Radcliffe
Guest Stars:
- Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward
- Mallory Jansen as Aida/Ophelia/Madame Hydra / Agnes Kitsworth
- Jordan Rivera as Hope Mackenzie
- Jason O'Mara as Jeffrey Mace/Patriot
- Patrick Cavanaugh as Burrows
- Stella Frances Gregg as Amy
- David Lee Landry as HYDRA Special Agent
- David Weiss as Serious Man
- Randall J. Bacon as Lead HYDRA Agent
- Brandon Walter as Person in Line
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- Washington, D.C. (Framework)
- Playground (Framework)
- Ogygia (Framework)
- Cambridge, Massachusetts (mentioned)
- Ivanov Oil Platform (mentioned)
Events[]
- Chase of Jemma Simmons
- Murder of Agnes Kitsworth
- Cambridge Incident (mentioned)
- Rescue in Bahrain (mentioned)
- Rescue in Bahrain (mentioned)
- World War II (mentioned)
- Rescue of Jemma Simmons (mentioned)
Items[]
- Framework
- D.W.A.R.F.s
- Patriot Suit
- Phil Coulson's Prosthetic Hand (mentioned)
- Project Looking Glass (mentioned)
- GH.325 (indirectly mentioned)
Vehicles[]
- Quinjet
- Zephyr One
- Harley-Davidson (mentioned)
Sentient Species[]
- Humans
- Inhumans
- Life-Model Decoys (mentioned)
Creatures[]
- Cats (mentioned)
Organizations[]
- HYDRA
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Project T.A.H.I.T.I. (mentioned)
- Washington Gazette
- Strategic Scientific Reserve (logo)
Mentioned[]
- Katya Belyakov
- Katya Belyakov
- Holden Radcliffe (photograph)
- Grant Ward
- Billy Koenig
- Cooke
- Skye
- Yo-Yo Rodriguez
- Hive
- Anton Ivanov
- Melinda May LMD
- Phil Coulson LMD
- Jeffrey Mace LMD
- Alphonso Mackenzie LMD
- Leo Fitz LMD
- Chopping Mall
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Starting from this episode, the introductive sequence "Previously, on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D...." is presented by Daisy Johnson, instead of Phil Coulson.
