History Awesome / AgentsOfSHIELDSeasonThree

** Daisy demonstrates [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority why she's in charge]]. First she comes up with a solid plan of attack on the Hydra base, getting them in by literally blasting her way through fifty feet of solid rock. She makes the sound tactical decision of sending Elena and Joey, the two less experienced members, together to back each other, while she and Lincoln split up. Then she fights her way through the base solo, hacks her way through Hydra's security systems effortlessly and finishes it off by dealing [[OneManArmy Giyera]] a OneHitKO.

* Outgunned, outnumbered, and under time constraints, Mack leads the team to rescue Phil and Fitz, destroy a Hydra base, and get every member of his team back home. Special credit goes to Mack, who didn't ask to be put in charge, but still managed to step up [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy in a major way.]]

** Using the same exoskeleton, he crushes a guy's skull

* Coulson diving from the Quinjet into the portal without even a ''second'' of hesitation.

[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3b250abd_dbc2_407c_b120_79debcb46e29.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:301:ComicBook/DaisyJohnson]]

* Everything about [[spoiler:Fitz and Daisy rescuing Simmons.]]
** Fitz diving into the Monolith portal to find Simmons. [[spoiler:Thanks to the flare he had sent through earlier, she was actually close to the portal exit point when he went in, and he managed to get her back.]]

** Daisy [[spoiler:uses her powers to open the Monolith and keep it open until Fitz is able to retrieve Simmons. This is ''really'' something awesome, because it causes her great pain to keep the portal open. The fact that she caused the Monolith to shatter into black sand is friggin' awesome too, because it looks like she shattered it by matching its natural frequency with the driving frequency she created]].
** The act becomes even more awesome in hindsight when you learn that [[spoiler:HYDRA was originally created to bring an Inhuman back through the Monolith, and had been trying for ''thousands of years''. Fitz and Daisy not only managed to bring Simmons back, but they did it in ''one day''.]]

* After [[spoiler:Coulson and Mack's attempt to turn Lincoln over to the ATCU to protect Daisy fails when Lincoln escapes]], Rosalind and Banks decide to take Daisy as a consolation prize. Cue Mack pointing a gun right between Banks eyes and saying that they'll have to GoThroughMe, and despite Rosalind saying it's NothingPersonal, Coulson vows that if they take Daisy, the ATCU will be going to war with S.H.I.E.L.D. ''And they'll lose.''

* Andrew [[spoiler:keeping the secret about him being Lash from even May]] is certainly an impressive feat.

* Coulson reminds everyone that being Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't just involve being a chessmaster when [[spoiler:immediately after Rosalind Price is killed,]] he takes down two HYDRA mooks in hand-to-hand, before improvising a flash bomb with a bottle of air freshener and a few candles and then killing three more mooks on his way out of the building, including a SuperWindowJump.

* Coulson [[spoiler:diving from the Quinjet into the portal without even a ''second'' of hesitation.]]

* The Inhumans in action: Lincoln blacking out the base with ease, Daisy's PreMortemOneLiner before taking out a couple of HYDRA {{Mooks}}, and Joey discovering [[spoiler:he's a walking bulletproof vest]].
* Coulson [[spoiler:killing Ward by crushing his heart after their brawl.]]
* Fitz [[spoiler:bringing down It!Will via blasting him with a flare gun.]]
* "It," aka the Inhuman HYDRA was founded to rescue, shows its bona fides as a true threat by [[spoiler:not only surviving everything Fitz shoots him with, but then possessing Ward's corpse, getting through the Monolith in what had to be seconds to spare, and escaping the compound while it was under missile attack with no one the wiser.]]
** Special mention has to go to the performance by [[spoiler:Brett Dalton, as even without saying a thing, everything about him is so different from Ward that it's clear what's going on the instant he appears onscreen.]]

* Bobbi and Hunter's HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:They're faced with a no-win situation: Either the American president acknowledges SHIELD exists and secures their freedom at the cost of potentially starting a war with Russia, the American President acknowledges SHIELD exists but disavows the organisation to secure US-Russian relations and leave them to their fate, or the president denies SHIELD exist and Hunter and Bobbi are framed for espionage and terrorism. No matter what, either they lose, SHIELD loses, or the United States loses, so what do they do? They allow themselves to be disavowed; the president is able to deny SHIELD's existence and maintain relations with Russia and their actions at least prompt the Russian Prime Minister to spare their lives, but they're now burnt, unable to work for any legitimate spy agency, and cursed to be followed and monitored for the rest of their lives. It's a huge sacrifice as it means they can't even say goodbye to their friends, but they did it with almost no hesitation to prevent potential war. Why? Because they ''are'' the Shield that protects people, and that's what they do.]]

* After talking about it since the beginning of Season 3, Mack [[spoiler:finally creates the shotgun axe -- well, it was a meat cleaver, but beggars can't be choosers.]]

* Malick's CurbStompBattle against Daisy [[spoiler:with a strength-enhancing exoskeleton]]. After almost a whole season of seeing him do nothing but planning and commanding, he finally jumps into action himself.
** [[spoiler:Using the same exoskeleton]], he crushes a guy's skull
* Despite being heavily beat up, Daisy managed to summon enough strength in the time Charles bought her to blast Malick with enough power to wreck [[spoiler:his exoskeleton]].

** How did Giyera escape from the containment cell aboard the Zephyr? [[spoiler:He snuck a buckle from outside the containment cell and used it to pry the cell doors open.]]
** [[spoiler:Special mention goes to him stopping Coulson's punch by controlling Coulson's prosthetic hand and then knocking him out.]]
** [[spoiler:Surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on board the Zephyr? No problem. He used his telekinesis to seize control of the Zephyr's controls, putting the entire command plane into a steep dive, then pulled up at the very last moment and knocking almost everyone out except May. Then when May called for help from Daisy and Lincoln, he walked over casually and dispatched her too, taking out the majority of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s command structure in one fell swoop. Dangerous? Without a doubt. Awesome? Absolutely.]]

** Joey and Elena work together seamlessly, with Joey using his powers for defense and Elena neutralizing whole squads in seconds. Despite both of them being relatively inexperienced compared to Daisy and Lincoln, they stay professional throughout the mission, even casually quipping about the number of guys they'll be fighting and the weirdness of the situation. Extra points for them being the ones to rescue the rest of the team, and Joey being the one to [[spoiler:kill Lucio]] (even if it did send him into a HeroicBSOD for the rest of the episode).
* Daisy shows that, most of the time, [[IAmNotLeftHanded she's holding back]]. Using a sustained blast, she [[spoiler:shakes apart the entire hangar on her way out of the base]]. She also [[spoiler:easily kills Malick with her powers]].

* Hive gets one for a stunning plan. [[spoiler:When the Secret Warriors stage their rescue, he doesn't try to stop them. He sneaks up on their leader, infects her, and then watches them fly away with a Trojan horse. He then uses Daisy to break up the Secret Warriors, kill Gideon Malick (liability who outlived his usefulness), steal the Kree tech sphere along with the terrigen, and then crash the Playground.]]
* [[spoiler:Gideon Malick]], of all people, gets one in this episode. After losing his [[spoiler:daughter]] to Hive, losing faith in the organization he was groomed from birth to believe in, being captured by rookie SHIELD Agents and [[TraumaCongaLine finally killed off in SHIELD custody]], things have never looked worse for him. Despite this, he manages to FaceDeathWithDignity when Hive's agent comes for him, ''and'' pulls off a major [[spoiler:posthumous]] TakingYouWithMe on [[spoiler:''Hydra''.]] Ladies and gentlemen....[[spoiler:Do not mess with [[PapaWolf Malick's family.]] ]]

* James gets another one when he's able to [[spoiler:''kill'' Lash]] through a [[InTheBack sneak attack]]! CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, thy name is James.

** And how they finally take care of Hive: [[spoiler:they might not be able to kill him, but they ''can'' freeze him and leave him trapped and useless in the [[CallBack same suspension gel that the ATCU was using to contain inhumans earlier in the season]].]] The plan goes so perfectly that the heroes can only stand there in awe of what they've just accomplished.
* Hive's backup plan deserves mention, he manages to completely turn the tables [[spoiler:from him being the prisoner to a considerable number of SHIELD agents being turned into primitives and trapping the others, while using SHIELD's equipment to further his plan.]]

* Lincoln [[spoiler:giving his life to fly the Quinjet carrying the warhead and Hive into the atmosphere, saving humanity and preventing Daisy from sacrificing herself]].
* You gotta give Hive credit for [[spoiler:facing death with dignity. Once he realizes that there's no way out, he calmly accepts his end, even becoming reflective and talking about it with Lincoln, almost like they're friends]].
* Post-TimeSkip, we have Daisy [[spoiler:evading SHIELD by using her power to ''fly'' (or at least, leap a tall building InASingleBound)]].

** The act becomes even more awesome in hindsight when you learn that [[spoiler:HYRDA was originally created to bring an Inhuman back through the Monolith, and had been trying for ''thousands of years''. Fitz and Daisy not only managed to bring Simmons back, but they did it in ''one day''.]]

[[caption-width-right:301:ComicBook/Daisy Johnson]]

[[caption-width-right:301:ComicBook/Quake]]

[[caption-width-right:301:Comic Book/Quake]]

* Hive ''finally'' getting his ass handed to him in combat by Lash, the one Inhuman designed to combat him. Bonus points for Lash starting things off by shoving Hive off a ledge.
** Bonus points for Lash wiping Hive's usual expression of neutral amusement off his face and giving him an expression of worry when Lash resists his special attack.

** And how they finally take care of Hive: [[spoiler:they might not be able to kill him, but they ''can'' freeze him and leave him trapped and useless in a box.]] The plan goes so perfectly that the heroes can only stand there in awe of what they've just accomplished.

** And how they finally take care of Hive: [[spoiler:they might not be able to kill him, but they ''can'' freeze him and leave him trapped and useless in a box.]]

* Coulson shows that he's able to learn from his enemies, first showing the upgrades he made to his prosthetic hand inspired by Ratcliffe's assistant, then by using the hologram trick Blake tried on him to distract Hive (who, unlike Coulson, does ''not'' see through it). The latter ends with him gloating and gloriously trolling Hive, quoting ''Film/ANewHope''.

* While the scene is relatively subdued, Talbot taking all of the intelligence that Malick gave to Coulson and using it to launch dozens of simultaneous strikes against HYDRA bases across the globe. The ATCU is no longer a RedshirtArmy.

* "It," aka the Inhuman HYDRA was founded to rescue, shows its bonafides as a true threat by [[spoiler:not only surviving everything Fitz shoots him with, but then possessing Ward's corpse, getting through the Monolith in what had to be seconds to spare, and escaping the compound while it was under missile attack with no one the wiser.]]

* Bobbi casually saying "Copy that." before beating up a dozen HYDRA goons to secure the portal room.

* Coulson [[spoiler:diving from the Quinjet into the portal. It hits a bit of [[Videogame/{{Portal}} speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out]] problem and [[RealityEnsues he knocks himself out on a rock]]]].

** It's also worth noting that the CG for Hive's face is some of the most gorgeous ever put on television, falling ''well'' under VisualEffectsOfAwesome, even if it's only for a few seconds.

-->-- Phil Coulson lets Gideon Malick know of some [[Characters/MCUThor previous]] [[Characters/MCULoki acquaintances]], "The Team".

-->--Phil Coulson lets Gideon Malick know of some [[Characters/MCUThor previous]] [[Characters/MCULoki acquaintances]], "The Team".

-->'''Kebo:''' "I've taken down men three times your size, girl. What makes you think you can beat me?"
-->'''Bobbi:''' "[[PreAssKickingOneLiner Experience]]. ''[electrocutes him]''

* Grant Ward got quite the showing in this episode. He starts by [[OneManArmy cutting through Malick's men like they were paper]], successfully extracts the location of Strucker's vault from them, and manages to get there - by himself - despite being presumably hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D. ''and'' Malick. Malick is so impressed, he genuinely offers to work with Ward right then and there.

* Coulson reminds everyone that being Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't just involve being a chessmaster when [[spoiler: immediately after Rosalind Price is killed,]] he takes down two HYDRA mooks in hand-to-hand, before improvising a flash bomb with a bottle of air freshener and a few candles and then killing three more mooks on his way out of the building, including a SuperWindowJump.

* Despite knowing exactly how far Ward is willing to go - and ''not'' knowing how far Malick might be - Simmons faces them with open defiance, meeting Ward's attempts at intimidation with verbal barbs. Even when he moves onto outright torture, she doesn't crack.
--> '''Simmons:''' I'm not afraid of you.
--> '''Simmons:''' Please just ''shut up''.
--> '''Simmons:''' You really are the king idiot.

* Coulson [[spoiler: diving from the Quinjet into the portal. It hits a bit of [[Videogame/{{Portal}} speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out]] problem and [[RealityEnsues he knocks himself out on a rock]]]].

* Lash makes his first human kills--and his first kills, ''period'', since HYDRA intercepted him from the ATCU. TheDogBitesBack, indeed.

* After talking about it since the beginning of Season 3, Mack [[spoiler: finally creates the shotgun axe -- well, it was a meat cleaver, but beggars can't be choosers.]]

* Malick's CurbStompBattle against Daisy [[spoiler: with a strength-enhancing exoskeleton]]. After almost a whole season of seeing him do nothing but planning and commanding, he finally jumps into action himself.
** [[spoiler: Using the same exoskeleton]], he crushes a guy's skull
* Despite being heavily beat up, Daisy managed to summon enough strength in the time Charles bought her to blast Malick with enough power to wreck [[spoiler: his exoskeleton]].

** How did Giyera escape from the containment cell aboard the Zephyr? [[spoiler: He snuck a buckle from outside the containment cell and used it to pry the cell doors open.]]
** [[spoiler: Special mention goes to him stopping Coulson's punch by controlling Coulson's prosthetic hand and then knocking him out.]]
** [[spoiler: Surrounded by SHIELD agents on board the Zephyr? No problem. He used his telekinesis to seize control of the Zephyr's controls, putting the entire command plane into a steep dive, then pulled up at the very last moment and knocking almost everyone out except May. Then when May called for help from Daisy and Lincoln, he walked over casually and dispatched her too, taking out the majority of SHIELD's command structure in one fell swoop. Dangerous? Without a doubt. Awesome? Absolutely.]]

** Joey and Elena work together seamlessly, with Joey using his powers for defense and Elena neutralizing whole squads in seconds. Despite both of them being relatively inexperienced compared to Daisy and Lincoln, they stay professional throughout the mission, even casually quipping about the number of guys they'll be fighting and the weirdness of the situation. Extra points for them being the ones to rescue the rest of the team, and Joey being the one to [[spoiler: kill Lucio]] (even if it did send him into a HeroicBSOD for the rest of the episode).
* Daisy shows that, most of the time, [[IAmNotLeftHanded she's holding back]]. Using a sustained blast, she [[spoiler: shakes apart the entire hangar on her way out of the base]]. She also [[spoiler: easily kills Malick with her powers]].

* Hive gets one for a stunning plan. [[spoiler: When the Secret Warriors stage their rescue, he doesn't try to stop them. He sneaks up on their leader, infects her, and then watches them fly away with a Trojan horse. He then uses Daisy to break up the Secret Warriors, kill Gideon Malick (liability who outlived his usefulness), steal the Kree tech sphere along with the terrigen, and then crash the Playground.]]
* [[spoiler: Gideon Malick]], of all people, gets one in this episode. After losing his [[spoiler: daughter]] to Hive, losing faith in the organization he was groomed from birth to believe in, being captured by rookie SHIELD Agents and [[TraumaCongaLine finally killed off in SHIELD custody]], things have never looked worse for him. Despite this, he manages to FaceDeathWithDignity when Hive's agent comes for him, ''and'' pulls off a major [[spoiler: posthumous]] TakingYouWithMe on [[spoiler: ''Hydra''.]] Ladies and gentlemen....[[spoiler: Do not mess with [[PapaWolf Malick's family.]] ]]

* James gets another one when he's able to [[spoiler: ''kill'' Lash]] through a [[InTheBack sneak attack]]! CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, thy name is James.

** And how they finally take care of Hive: [[spoiler: they might not be able to kill him, but they ''can'' freeze him and leave him trapped and useless in a box.]]
* Hive's backup plan deserves mention, he manages to completely turn the tables [[spoiler: from him being the prisoner to a considerable number of SHIELD agents being turned into primitives and trapping the others, while using SHIELD's equipment to further his plan.]]

* You gotta give Hive credit for [[spoiler: facing death with dignity. Once he realizes that there's no way out, he calmly accepts his end, even becoming reflective and talking about it with Lincoln, almost like they're friends]].

* Jemma Simmons is no longer a mere LabRat either. She's spent six months, alone, on an alien planet on the other side of the galaxy, running from something that apparently tracks her blood. She appears to have nothing but the clothes on her back from when she was sucked into the Monolith, and she isn't known for her field agent skills. That's some serious [[Main/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]] shit right there.

* Despite being heavily beat up, Daisy managed to summon enough strength in the time Charles bought her to blast Malick with enough power to wreck [[spoiler: his exoskeleton]]

** Daisy demonstrates [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority why she's in charge]]. First she comes up with a solid plan of attack on the Hydra base, getting them in by literally blasting her way through fifty feet of solid rock. She makes the sound tactical decision of sending Elena and Joey, the two less experienced members together to back each other, while she and Lincoln split up. Then she fights her way through the base solo, hacks her way through Hydra's security systems effortlessly and finishes it off by dealing [[OneManArmy Giyera]] a OneHitKO.
** Lincoln gets a chance to show the [[TookALevelInBadass benefits that SHIELD training gives you]] by similarly soloing his way through the base, seamlessly blending his powers and martial arts to take out every HYDRA solider in the way, and finally being the one to capture Gideon Malick.
** Joey and Elena work together seamlessly, with Joey using his powers for defense and Elena neutralising whole squads in seconds. Despite both of them being relatively inexperienced compared to Daisy and Lincoln, they stay professional throughout the mission, even casually quipping about the number of guys they'll be fighting and the weirdness of the situation. Extra points for them being the ones to rescue the rest of the team, and Joey being the one to [[spoiler: kill Lucio]] (even if it did send him into a HeroicBSOD for the rest of the episode).
* Daisy shows that, most of the time, she's holding back. Using a sustained blast, she [[spoiler: shakes apart the entire hangar on her way out of the base]]. She also [[spoiler: easily kills Malick with her powers]].

-->'''Malick:''' This God has outlived--\\

* Hive gets one for a stunning plan. [[spoiler: When the Secret Warriors stage their rescue, he doesn't try to stop them. He sneaks up on their leader, infects her, and then watches them fly away with a Trojan horse. He then uses Daisy to break up the Secret Warriors, kill Gideon Malick (liability who outlived his usefulness), steal the Kree tech sphere along with the terrigen and then crash the Playground.]]

-->--Phil Coulson lets Gideon Malick know of some [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor previous]] [[ComicBook/{{Loki}} acquaintances]], "The Team".