- "Why am I here? What do you want?"
"My pal Sibyl ran the numbers, and every outcome where we don't come out on top has one thing in common."
"Fitz." - ―Jemma Simmons and Nathaniel Malick
Stolen is the tenth episode of the seventh season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Synopsis[]
After Enoch's sacrifice propelled them out of the time storm, the team arrives back in 1983 where Nathaniel and Kora are hard at work building an army of hand-selected anarchist Inhumans at Afterlife. When the agents split up to cover more ground, Daisy is tasked with protecting Jiaying and is compelled to confront her mother for the first time since her death; while the others quickly learn they'll need to face yet another supercharged former enemy in order to stop Malick.
Plot[]
John Garrett is approached by Nathaniel Malick while playing darts
At The Krazy Kanoe, John Garrett is playing darts. After a few moments, he is joined by Nathaniel Malick, who challenges him and begins to reveal information he knows about him. Malick goes on to say that Garrett's relationship will sour seven year from the current time period. Garrett will get real ugly in the Balkans, and he will lie there with his guts out. Garrett will call for an extract, but Malick reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. refuses. Garrett will survive, but he and S.H.I.E.L.D. are over after that. Which pushes right into the loving arms of HYDRA. Skeptical, the man questions Malick and he tells him information about his future. Understandably, the man doubts this information but once Malick shows off his quake ability, he becomes interested.
At the Lighthouse, the team settles in. Alphonso Mackenzie meets up with Roxy Glass, who is now officially a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. after getting into the academy. She mentions that the rest of her team is enrolled as well and hopes that they will be reunited at the Triskelion after they graduate. After she leaves, Phil Coulson notes that they should not be aware of the Triskelion in 1983. Which proves to be more evidence of the timeline being messed up. Mackenzie urges Coulson to let him know what he's thinking and help lead. Coulson tells him it is time for the team to help Jiaying in her fight against Malick.
Elsewhere in the Lighthouse, Daisy Johnson, Jemma Simmons and Daniel Sousa get settled into a lab. Sousa offers to take Johnson's bag to the bunks, which tips off Simmons that there's something up between them. When she mentions it, Johnson quickly changes the subject. Instead, she brings up what happened to Simmons after she remembered the information about Enoch, an event Simmons wouldn't remember because it was erased by the time loop. Johnson questions why Simmons was so distraught, which seems to affect Simmons, though she still has no answers for her.
Mackenzie assembles the team to discuss their plan and asks Simmons to locate Jiaying and bring her in. Melinda May begins to tell Johnson about her sister, Kora, but before she can, Gordon teleports in with Jiaying. Panicked, Jiaying tells the team that Malick is hunting them.
At Afterlife, Malick shows Garrett around and prepares him to use the Time Stream and meet Sibyl. Garrett is still skeptical, but is convinced by the promise of immortality. He puts his hands into a device and begins seeing his future.
Daisy Johnson learns about her sister
Back at the Lighthouse, Jiaying tries to urge the team to help her and her people. Johnson explains to her that Malick has been stealing Inhumans’ powers and that is how he got his. Yo-Yo Rodriguez then offers to get in and save the captive Inhumans. She explains to Jiaying that she has her powers again, thanks to her. The team decides it is too risky to send Rodriguez in because if she gets caught, Malick would have her powers. Coulson decides it should be him because he is recyclable. Gordon offers to teleport him in and, after some debate, the team agrees. Jiaying tries to go as well but the team won't allow her and Gordon agrees. Eventually Jiaying agrees to stay but tells them they have to bring back her daughter, a plea that brings new information to light for Johnson.
Later, Johnson confronts May and questions why she was not told about her sister. May warns Johnson about Kora, explaining that she already tried to kill Jiaying. Frustrated, Johnson questions why Jiaying never mentioned having another kid when she met her in the future. May explains Kora's suicide attempt and the fact that she may not have been alive in the future. This leads Johnson to spiral, thinking about how Kora's death may have been what led Jiaying to leave Afterlife and meet her dad, Calvin Zabo, in the process. Mackenzie reels her back in and explains that Johnson needs to sit this one out in order to keep everyone safe.
At Afterlife, Li is being drained by a machine that is transferring his powers into another soldier named Durant. Malick instructs Kora to kill Li and she uses her powers to do so. Malick then tells Garrett he is going to get his power as soon as they take it from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Rodriguez, Mackenzie, Coulson and Gordon make their way to Afterlife in the Quinjet. Gordon handles an I.C.E.R. before Mackenzie takes it away from him.
On the Zephyr, Deke Shaw continues to work on the time drive when Simmons interrupts. Simmons is clearly troubled and Shaw notices. Simmons tosses out the idea that the Time Drive may never have been communicating with Leo Fitz. Shaw questions why Fitz would not be helping and Simmons does not answer. Shaw, now understanding what she is thinking, tells her not to think that. Simmons argues that maybe she blocked her memories because it was too painful to remember. Shaw, confident that Fitz is still alive, says they are going to fix the drive and get back to him. Simmons seems unconvinced.
The Quinjet lands and Gordon teleports Coulson and himself in. After a moment, Gordon is shot in the back with the Chronicom Rifle. Malick and a gang of his goons come around the corner. Coulson realizes he knew they were coming because they have the timestream.
Now a prisoner, Coulson tries to explain Sibyl's plan to have her Chronicoms take over Earth. Unwilling to listen, Malick explains that he is not bound by the rules of HYDRA and instead he is introducing anarchy. He says that it is a very tempting offer for those they offer the idea of anarchy to.
Malick then takes Coulson into a room where Gordon and Garrett are hooked up to the same machine. Coulson tries to talk Malick out of doing this but it predictably does not work. Garrett is excited to see Coulson, which makes Coulson question who he is. Garrett reveals to him that he has seen his future, in which Coulson kills him. Coulson realizes it is Garrett, who goes on to mention how he watched Coulson die multiple times and specifically brings up the Loki incident.
At the Lighthouse, Sousa catches up with Johnson. He questions her about Jiaying and she gives him the whole story. Sousa urges Johnson to talk to Jiaying. When Johnson tries to explain that it could wreck the timeline, Sousa tells her the timeline is already “screwed.” He eventually convinces her to talk to Jiaying.
On the Quinjet, Rodriguez tries to reach Coulson with no response. Her and Mackenzie argue a bit over who is going in to help but eventually Mackenzie convinces her it is too dangerous for her to go.
John Garrett and Nathaniel Malick teleport away
Inside, Garrett continues to drain Gordon's powers. Coulson tries to appeal to Kora now, but again, it is to no avail. Garrett begins to panic over the potential side effects this procedure could have. As he freaks out and tries to escape he teleports out of the room. Now excited, he rushes back into the room. Malick asks him if he thinks he can control it and teleport him to a specific location. Confident, Garrett says he can and the two disappear.
In the Lighthouse, Johnson and Sousa meet with Jiaying. Johnson tried to convince her to trust them but is still trying not to give any information. Sousa forces the issue and tells Jiaying that Johnson has been to Afterlife and she has abilities. After a demonstration, Jiaying suddenly becomes a lot more trusting. She puts it together that Malick stole her powers. Jiaying begins to open up about Kora and Johnson tries to learn more about the sister she never knew she had. Johnson eventually brings up her troubled relationship with her mother, but does not tell Jiaying who she is. In another part of the Lighthouse, Garrett and Malick teleport in. While there, Garrett finds a T-shirt for the Deke Squad. Malick informs him that his job is not done and they need to split up. Garrett is completely on board.
In a cell, Coulson breaks free of his handcuffs and begins to get ready to break through the door. A drained Gordon tries to explain to him that he won't be able to break the door down and teleports them both out instead. Having used the last of his energy, Gordon dies on the ground in front of Coulson.
May comes across Garrett as he searches the Lighthouse. Garrett immediately recognizes her and tells her who he is. She questions how he got there and he explains that Malick told him how and that he is around somewhere too. Without wasting another second, May proceeds to throw one punch after another until Garrett teleports away. May then informs Johnson and the others that Garrett and Malick are in the Lighthouse. As Johnson tries to get away with Jiaying, they come across Malick.
Mackenzie finds Coulson inside Afterlife and the two locate the room where the inhumans are being held. Mackenzie calls Rodriguez in and the two of them take out the guard and rescue the inhumans.
Daisy Johnson mourns Jiaying
Back at the Lighthouse, Johnson and Malick are in a standoff. Jiaying questions what he has done with Kora and he lets the cat out of the bag that Johnson is in fact her daughter. Jiaying is clearly affected by this given what Johnson told her about her mother earlier. Malick explains the whole story and Johnson becomes increasingly angered and quakes Malick, knocking him back. Malick fires back and hits Johnson much harder. As he makes his way to her, Jiaying grabs him and begins to drain his life. He breaks free and warns her to stay back. She makes another move and Malick kills her with a quake. Enraged, Johnson begins to quake everything and Malick backpedals before being shot in the arm by May, who chases him away. Johnson stops quaking and falls back.
Elsewhere, Sousa and Simmons make their way through the base when Garrett teleports in and grabs Simmons. Sousa fires off several shots as Garrett, but it's too late. Garrett teleports away, taking Simmons with him.
In Afterlife, Coulson finds Kora. where he explains that her team is gone, keeping a gun on her at all times. She explains that she wanted to go with him and meet her sister. Before she can say any more, Coulson ices her.
On the Quinjet, May video calls the team to let them know that Malick killed Jiaying and was not interested in her powers. Coulson comes on board with an unconscious Kora and the rest of the inhuman hostages on board as well.
Nathaniel Malick threatens Jemma Simmons
Sousa informs May that they took Simmons as she sees and alerts them that the hangar doors on the Zephyr open up. Malick regroups with Garrett and Simmons now in tow, on board the Zephyr. May tries to radio Shaw but he is working on the timedrive with his headphones on and does not immediately hear the radio. The Zephyr lifts off, giving him a jolt which leads him to take off the headphones. He then hears the radio and asks May where they are going. She explains to him that the Zephyr has been hijacked as Garrett pilots the Zephyr away from the Lighthouse.
Later, Malick threatens Simmons as she tries to get out of her bind. She questions why she is here and Malick explains that Sibyl has played out their situation and in every instance in which they do not come out on top, Fitz is the common thread. He plans to use her to get to him.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
- Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
- Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake
- Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons
- Henry Simmons as Alphonso Mackenzie
- Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Yo-Yo Rodriguez
- Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw
Guest Stars:
- Enver Gjokaj as Agent Daniel Sousa
- Dichen Lachman as Jiaying
- Thomas E. Sullivan as Nathaniel Malick
- James Paxton as John Garrett
- Dianne Doan as Kora
- Tipper Newton as Agent Roxy Glass
- Byron Mann as Li
- Fin Argus as Gordon
- Gabriel Sousa as Durant
- John Lee Ames as Doctor Grady
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- New York City, New York
- Lake Ontario, New York
- Afterlife, Nepal
- River's End, New York (mentioned)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy (mentioned)
- Triskelion (mentioned)
- Balkan Mountains (mentioned)
Events[]
- Chronicom Colonization of Earth
- Rescue in Afterlife
- Kidnapping of Jemma Simmons
- Ambush at the Lighthouse (mentioned)
- Assassination of Wilfred Malick (mentioned)
- Attack on Afterlife (mentioned)
- Kidnapping of Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa (mentioned)
- Hijacking and Retaking of the Iliad (indirectly mentioned)
- Battle at Cybertek (mentioned)
- Attack on the Helicarrier (indirectly mentioned)
Items[]
- Yo-Yo Rodriguez's Prosthetic Arms
- Daniel Sousa's Prosthetic Leg
- Cerebral Fusion Machine
- I.C.E.R.
- Chronicom Rifle
- Time Stream
- Tuxford Beer
- Bulletproof Vest
- D.I.A.N.A. (mentioned)
- Electrochron Displacement Mechanism (mentioned)
- Peruvian 0-8-4 (mentioned)
- Scepter (mentioned)
Concepts[]
Vehicles[]
Sentient Species[]
- Humans
- Inhumans
- Life-Model Decoys
- Chronicoms (mentioned)
Creatures[]
To be added
Organizations[]
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Nathaniel Malick's Crew
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- HYDRA (mentioned)
- HYDRA (mentioned)
- Project Insight (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- Leo Fitz
- John Mackenzie / John Mackenzie (indirectly mentioned)
- Lilla Mackenzie / Lilla Mackenzie (indirectly mentioned)
- Sibyl
- Kora
- Jiaying
- Calvin Zabo
- Daniel Whitehall
- Enoch
- Wilfred Malick
- Phil Coulson
- Loki
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Peggy Carter (indirectly mentioned)
- Terrigenesis
- Abraham Lincoln
- Robin Hood
- Twisted Sister
- Dallas
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Crying Shame | The I Spy Club |
|
Trivia[]
- The title refers to numerous things: the fact that Nathaniel Malick has perfected a way to steal powers from Inhumans and transfer them to his people and also most likely the ending where Jemma Simmons is stolen from the team.
- Due to being in 1983, Deke Shaw is shown to possess the same type of Walkman that Star-Lord owns.
- This is the first episode of the seventh season in which no Chronicoms appeared.
- This episode reunites Dollhouse co-stars Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman. Dollhouse was also created by Joss Whedon and both Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen wrote episodes of the show.
