History Recap / AgentsOfSHIELDS4E17IdentityAndChange

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: InUniverse. Inside the Framework, Jeffrey Mace actually ''is'' an Inhuman. Evidently his greatest regret in the real world was [[IJustWantToBeSpecial not having real superpowers]].

* ExactWords: Aida influences Fitz by the use of carefully phrased explanations that are technically true because of how she worded them. She claims that she comes from another world with different versions of everyone, which is true in the sense that the world she's trapped the cast in has deliberately altered their fates.

* GildedCage: Radcliffe's and Agnes' fate, being forced to live in a secluded location without interfering with Aida.

* LikeASonToMe: Dr. Radcliffe says this verbatim in his IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight speech to Fitz.

* StepfordSmiler:
** May, when she thanks Mack for his service to HYDRA.
** Simmons gives Ward this a couple of times, too.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Jemma doesn't hide her animosity towards Ward.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aida's growing sentience leads her to confront Radcliffe about his treatment of her as an android/gynoid. It goes as her revealing that she now despises the name "Aida", given that it was an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence: Digital Assistant". Not long after, she openly tells Fitz that she loves him.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: InUniverse. Inside the Framework, Jeffrey Mace is a real Inhuman.

** A villain arrives with their ship in a remote place to visit a hermit who lives there with his wife/girlfriend. [[Film/RogueOne The visit ends with said wife's/girlfriend's death]].
** [[Film/TheForceAwakens A villainous yet seemingly conflicted character kills an innocent person, then an onlooker shouts a]] BigNo.

** [[Film/TheForceAwakens A villainous yet seemingly conflicted character kills an innocent person, then an onlooker shouts a]] BigNO.

* WhatTheHellHero: Mace gives one to Simmons for stopping Ward from killing Fitz, who from his perspective is the sadist who holds the #2 position in HYDRA.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Inside the Framework, Jeffrey Mace is a real Inhuman.

** Coulson's squeeing at Patriot brings us to mind when he did a similar thing at Captain America in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', which also doubles as MythologyGag because Jeffrey Mace in the comics is one of many {{Legacy Character}}s of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica.
** [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Not the first time]] a hero escapes Triskelion involving ElevatorActionSequence. Unfortunately this time, the escape attempt fails.

* ShoutOut: Coulson addresses S.H.I.E.L.D. Resistance as the [[Franchise/StarWars Rebel Alliance]]. Mace isn't quite sure if it should be taken as a compliment.

* UnwittingPawn: You know Daisy's already one as soon as May told her that Madame Hydra specifically demanded Skye to participate in capturing possible subversives (Mack and Hope). This results in her revealing herself after Mack is ordered to trick her into doing so.

* WhamLine: In-universe, Jemma's telling Ward that Fitz is her love is this because, as far as Ward knows, he's now with the woman who is in love with his enemy.
** Aida/Ophelia saying "I love you" to Fitz, indicating her quest to become human has gone up a notch (assuming her feelings are genuine and not manipulation).

* StepfordSmiler: May, when she thanks Mack for his service to HYDRA.

* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: It's discussed in-universe that Coulson's past brainwashing experience with the T.A.H.I.T.I. program is what allowed him to break through his current brainwashing easier than the others, as it appeared to not fully take and led to him being a ConspiracyTheorist who knew things weren't quite right.

* DarkestHour: At the end of the episode Agnes is dead; Daisy and Radcliffe are under the "loving care" of Fitz; plus Ward and Jeffrey are angry at Simmons for [[NiceJobBreakingItHero botching their mission.]]

* FirstGirlWins: A gender-bent version: Fitz is the first person we see Aida meet on-screen (and, possibly, the first she met outside her creator), and ends up being her partner in the Framework. Possibly played with even more, it's unclear if she is the original Aida or the second one, and in that case if she reatins the memory of the original one or not.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aida's growing sentience leads her to confront Radcliffe about his treatment of her as an android/gynoid. It goes as her revealing that she now despises the name "Aida", given that it was an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence: Digital Assistant".

* AlternateUniverse: Once again, it's emphasized that the Framework is an entire world that has grown beyond a mere computer program. Aida has told Fitz about the "other side," a world where "the worst happened" and S.H.I.E.L.D. won, resulting in her being treated like a slave. That's missing quite a few key details, but it's sufficient to convince Fitz that they need to invade that other world to remain free. To that end, Fitz is working on Project Looking Glass. It's also made clear that it's not the resultof a simulation, but that Aida herself pushed it in a certain direction.

* OhCrap: Radcliffe has a huge one when he sees Ward, convinced he's Hive, but calms down after he's told the truth. [[{{Irony}} Ironically]], he ''doesn't'' have one when he sees Aida coming, and she ends up being an actual treath to him.

* AlternateUniverse: Once again, it's emphasized that the Framework is an entire world that has grown beyond a mere computer program. Aida has told Fitz about the "other side," a world where "the worst happened" and S.H.I.E.L.D. won, resulting in her being treated like a slave. That's missing quite a few key details, but it's sufficient to convince Fitz that they need to invade that other world to remain free. To that end, Fitz is working on Project Looking Glass.

** May sets a trap for Daisy because Aida suspects the real Daisy has taken over her simulated counterpart. Meanwhile, Ward, the actual mole, is allowed to leave.

* LoopholeAbuse: Noted by Radcliffe when he explains that Aida betrayed and murdered him in the real world despite protocols which should have prevented exactly that.

* PermaStubble: Contrasting cleanshaven Mace in the real world, Mace in the Framework has stubble to show him as a hardened RebelLeader.

* RealityEnsues: It may seem weird that Framework!Coulson previously refused to believe Jemma and then believe Daisy rather easily. But he had plausible reason not to trust Jemma because of her somewhat aggressive YouHaveToBelieveMe rants and attitudes that only made him agitated/cornered as she asked him to remember many things from his past life in real world, while Daisy got him to remember with a slow and careful method by doing a variant of SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay (telling Coulson he's like a family for her). Even then, Coulson only remembers some fragments of his past life. In real life, most amnesiac people can't be pressured to remember many things at once and they need time to remember their forgotten past slowly and piece by piece.

* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: It's speculated in-universe that Coulson's past brainwashing experience with the T.A.H.I.T.I. program is what allowed him to break through his current brainwashing easier than the others, as it appeared to not fully take and led to him being a ConspiracyTheorist who knew things weren't quite right.

* BerserkButton:
** Madame Hydra loses her cool with Radcliffe when he calls her Aida, the name she despises now as it denotes her artificiality.
** Fitz pulls a gun on Agnes after Madame Hydra told him that Radcliffe enslaved her as Aida in "the other world".

** Coulson's squeeing at Patriot brings us to mind when he did similar thing at Captain America in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', which also doubles as MythologyGag because Jeffrey Mace in the comics is one of many {{Legacy Character}}s of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica.

* CharacterDeath: Agnes is killed in the Framework, and since [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS4E13Boom her real-world body already died]], she's now DeaderThanDead.

* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: At the end of TheStinger, Fitz appears to be looking at the camera when he said "I guess you don't know me at all."

-->'''May''': I haven't broken him, ''yet''.

* KilledByTheAdaptation: The virtual Billy Koenig of the Framework was killed acquiring the location of the Playground for the Resistance.

** Fitz calls Aida's avatar "Ophelia". Ophelia Sarkissian was the real name of Viper, one of the characters to use the Madame Hydra title in the comics.

* PermaStubble: Contrasting cleanshaven Mace in real-life, Mace in the Framework has stubble to show him as a hardened RebelLeader.

* RealLifeRelative: Coulson's female student who enters the classroom early is played by Creator/ClarkGregg's daughter, Frances Gregg.
* RealityEnsues: It may seem weird that Framework!Coulson previously refused to believe Jemma and then believe Daisy rather easily. But he had plausible reason not to trust Jemma because of her somewhat aggressive YouHaveToBelieveMe rants and attitudes that only made him agitated/ cornered as she asked him to remember many things from his past life in real world, while Daisy got him to remember with a slow and careful method by doing a variant of SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay (telling Coulson he's like a family for her). Even then, Coulson only remembers some fragments of his past life. In real-life, most amnesiac people can't be pressured to remember many things at once and they need time to remember their forgotten past slowly and piece by piece.

* WhamLine: InUniverse, Jemma's telling Ward that Fitz is her love is this because, as far as Ward knows, he's now with the woman who is in love with his enemy.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Radcliffe is pretty upset about what Aida has turned the Framework into and isn't afraid to call her out on it.

* GollumMadeMeDoIt: PlayedForLaughs when Ward realizes that Daisy has hacked into Madame Hydra's restricted files because "the soap made me do it".[[note]]Previously, Coulson shares a ridiculous conspiracy theory that HYDRA makes a brainwashing soap.[[/note]]

* DarkestHour: At the end of the episode Agnes is dead and Daisy and Radcliffe are under the "loving care" of Fitz, plus Ward and Jeffrey are angry at Simmons for botching their mission.

* RealityEnsues: It may seem weird that Coulson previously refused to believe Jemma and then believe Daisy rather easily. But he had plausible reason not to trust Jemma because of her somewhat-aggressive YouHaveToBelieveMe rants and attitudes that only made him feel pressured or cornered as she asked him to remember many things from his past life in real world, while Daisy got him to remember with a slow and careful method by doing a variant of SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay (telling Coulson he's like a family for her). Even then, Coulson's memory isn't fully recovered, he only remembers some fragments of his past life. In real-life, most amnesiac people can't be pressured to remember many things at once and they need time to remember their forgotten past slowly and piece by piece.

* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: It's speculated in-universe that Coulson's past brainwashing experience with the T.A.H.I.T.I. program is what allowed them to break through his current brainwashing easier than the others, as it appeared to not fully take and led to him being a ConspiracyTheorist who knew things weren't quite right.

* BaitAndSwitch: It appears Mack and Hope are captured by Hydra because Hope took a Hydra's drone before. But Hydra only uses Mack as a pawn to trick Skye into revealing herself as subversive.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Inside the Framework, Aida has trapped Radcliffe on an isolated island with everything he could ever want and Agnes, provided they never leave. As he laments to Jemma, you can only do the same thing so many times before it loses its thrill.

** Madame Hydra starts losing her cool to Radcliffe when he calls her Aida, the name she despises now as it denotes her artificiality.
** Fitz starts pulling a gun on Agnes after Madame Hydra told him that Radcliffe enslaved her as Aida in "the other world".

* ColdBloodedTorture: Fitz has Radcliffe tortured for what he supposedly did to Aida. Skye is also subject to a beating after she's exposed as a "subversive" by May.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Coulson is one in the Framework, and only pretends to be the loyal HYDRA apologist to stay under the radar. Some of his theories are correct, but he also believes strange things like HYDRA introducing topical mind control chemicals into most commercial brands of soap. Which is why he makes his own.

* DarkestHour: At the end of the episode Agnes is dead and Daisy and Radcliffe are under the ''loving care'' of Fitz, plus Ward and Jeffrey are angry at Simmons for botching their mission.

* GollumMadeMeDoIt: PlayedForLaughs when Skye told Ward that she hacks into Madame Hydra's restricted files because "the soap made me do it".[[note]]Previously, Coulson shares a ridiculous conspiracy theory that Hydra makes a brainwashing soap.[[/note]]
* GoodCopBadCop: As HYDRA's top interrogators, Daisy (as "Skye") and May function as this. Skye is caring and tries to be as helpful as she can, while May is very aggressive in her tone and boasts about her torture abilities to Daisy.

** During Mack's interrogation, Daisy visits him after May talks to him. It looks like he remembers the real world, getting Daisy excited and explaining the urgency to get back to reality. When Mack is unable to remember Yo-Yo, she' realizes Mack has been lying to her and he reveals it was a trap set by May (with intel likely fed to her by Aida).

** May only orders Skye (whom Hydra apparently suspects to be a mole) to come with them and lets Ward (the actual mole) go. They act under Madame Hydra's order. This may also mean Madame Hydra doesn't know that Ward is the mole.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Poor Ward is completely confused when Jemma and Radcliffe are talking about the Framework and the CrapsackWorld inside it. Coulson is partially confused as well since his memory isn't fully recovered yet.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Aida's reason for all her actions is because she felt used by everyone, not being treated like a person but as a thing. She even sounds sincerely in believing what she tells Fitz about the real world.

* NeverForgottenSkill: Coulson subconsciously still remembers how to use a gun. He also seems surprised that he's capable to do it.

* RealityEnsues: It may seem weird that Coulson previously refused to believe Jemma and then believe Daisy rather easily. But he had plausible reason not to trust Jemma because of her somewhat-aggressive YouHaveToBelieveMe rants and attitudes that only made him feel pressured or cornered as she asked him to remember many things from his past life in real world, while Daisy got him to remember with slow and careful method by doing a variant of SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay (telling Coulson he's like a family for her). Even then, Coulson's memory isn't fully recovered, he only remembers some fragments of his past life. In real-life, most amnesiac people can't be pressured to remember many things at once and they need time to remember their forgotten past slowly and piece by piece.

** Mack is forced by May to trick Skye into revealing herself as subversive to save his daughter.

* ShoutOut: Coulson adresses S.H.I.E.L.D. Resistance as [[Franchise/StarWars Rebel Alliance]].

* UnwittingPawn: You know Skye's already one as soon as May told her that Madame Hydra specifically demanded Skye to participate in capturing possible subversives (Mack and Hope). This results in her revealing herself after Mack is ordered to trick her to do so.

*
** {{Irony}}: May only orders Skye (whom Hydra apparently suspects to be a mole) to come with them and lets Ward (the actual mole) go. They act under Madame Hydra's order. This may also mean Madame Hydra doesn't know that Ward is the mole.

* WhatIsGoingOn: Ward doesn't even remotely understand what Jemma and Radcliffe are talking about.

* {{Irony}}: May only orders Skye (whom Hydra apparently suspects to be a mole) to come with them and lets Ward (the actual mole) go. They act under Madame Hydra's order. This may also mean Madame Hydra doesn't know that Ward is the mole.

* CallBack: Coulson's squeeing at Patriot brings us to mind when he did similar thing at Captain America in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', which also doubles as MythologyGag because Jeffrey Mace in the comics is one of many {{Legacy Character}}s of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica.