Grant Ward/Hive’s plans continue to blossom. Now that he is no longer working with Gideon Malick, his focus has shifted to changing the world. With more Inhumans added to his army and Dr. Radcliffe doing his bidding, it’s time to start the experiments.
Warning: Spoilers for season 3, episode 19 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “Failed Experiments,” will be discussed below.
Hive’s Origin Revealed
We know Hive has been around for a long time. His days as human are shown in a flashback. Thousands of years ago, he was a simple hunter. Some members of the Kree alien race arrived on Earth to transform his DNA using their blood. These Kree were known as Reapers and transformed several humans into Inhumans through Terregenesis. Hive was later kicked off Earth when the others saw his strong connection to the Inhumans. The paranoia among them lead to a civil war.
Lincoln Wants to Test the Anti-Hive Toxin
Simmons and Fitz have been trying to come up with a toxin for the Inhumans to fight off Hive’s parasites. Simmons thinks she might have found a way to cure their DNA. Lincoln, in a desperate attempt to save Daisy, volunteers to test the toxin. The problem is, the toxin could destroy the test subject’s immune system. To Lincoln, it’s a risk worth taking. Upon hearing Simmons’ thoughts, Coulson shuts down the test. Later, Lincoln enters the lab and injects himself. He barely survives the toxin in his system. Analyzing a tissue sample from his brain, Simmons discovers it didn’t work.
Experimenting to Turn Humans into Inhumans
Radcliffe conducts experiments on some human volunteers. The idea is to change the test subjects’ DNA and put them through Terregenesis at the same time. Hive is concerned over S.H.I.E.L.D.’s influence over Daisy and how it might affect his plans. Daisy is certain she can convince her friends from S.H.I.E.L.D. to go through the Kree experiment.
When the experiment fails, leaving the volunteers in a puddle of human goo, Hive is not happy. He’s ready to kill Radcliffe for his failure, but the doctor tells him it’s because he needs Kree blood to make it work. He was afraid to mention it earlier and was hoping it wouldn’t be a problem. Radcliffe is adamant he can make the experiment work and is determined to help change the world.
Hive Summons the Kree
Since they need Kree blood to make the experiment work, Hive summons the Kree. The problem is, the Kree coming are Reapers. Using the sphere James had, they arrive, ready to kill anyone that gets in their way. Hive tasks Daisy with getting some Kree blood.
Daisy vs. Mack and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Daisy fights a Kree and manages to take him down. Radcliffe begins to drain his body just as Mack arrives. Daisy tells Mack she wants to help save him by turning him into an Inhuman. When he doesn’t agree with her way of thinking, she tells him to just leave. Mack refuses and tries to make Daisy realize a part of her is fighting Hive’s control. He claims she allowed herself to be seen on camera, knowing their facial recognition software would give away their location in the town. Mack destroys the Kree body, and Daisy is angry. He won’t fight her, and she begins to brutally attack him until she’s shot by a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. They order an emergency evacuation to take Mack away. Hive arrives to tend to Daisy and express his disappointment.
Thoughts
We’ve seen a Kree body before. Seeing live ones in action was unexpected. There’s been some debate in the news whether or not Marvel Studios will move forward with an Inhumans movie, but the show is exploring different aspects to their history and make up. The Kree arriving gave us another chance to see Hive in action. After defeating a Kree, Hive displayed how easily he could survive a huge blast by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. This brings the question of whether or not Hive can be stopped.
Lincoln made a risky choice in testing the toxin on himself. The question is, will his immune system recover? The news that the toxin failed is a huge blow against their morale. The chances of curing Daisy, protecting other Inhumans, and defeating Hive aren’t looking too good.
The Kree Reapers may be gone, but Daisy was quick to point out she has some Kree blood in her system. You have to wonder how much or pure of a sample it is since a small portion was used to save her back in the first season. This is something Hive should have known through Ward’s memories. He could’ve saved some time by using her blood instead of summoning the Reapers. Although if using Daisy’s blood means draining it from her body, that won’t be a good thing for her.
It almost looked like Mack was going to be the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that dies this season. Then again, from the vision Daisy had, the death seems like it’s supposed to occur out in space. We’ll have to keep watching to find out what happens next.
Let us know what you thought of the episode.