History Recap / AgentsOfSHIELDS2E7TheWritingOnTheWall

* BadassBeard: Now that Ward is out of prison, his beard is very tidily groomed. He wears it well.

* NotSoDifferent: As Fitz and Mack discuss memory-wiping, they talk about how all the old memories are still ''there'' and can potentially be re-accessed. As Fitz considers this, the look on his face suggests that he sees parallels with his own brain problems.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In his memory-scan flashback, Coulson wonders aloud "What have we done?" when observing the memory wipe process on one of the subjects.

Coulson's compulsion to carve the alien glyphs is getting worse, just as SHIELD discovers a series of murders involving the same symbols. Meanwhile, May leads a team of agents to track down and bring in Ward after he escapes the transfer to his brother's custody.

* BookEnds: At the beginning of the episode, Coulson drops the needle on a vinyl record and starts carving the wall. At the end of the episode, Ward drops the needle on a vinyl record and starts preparing for the next stage of his plans.
* ContinuityNod

** Skye references the fact that TAHITI was meant to revive a fallen Avenger, which Coulson discovered back in Season 1.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Ward's mention of Baron Von Strucker suggests that he's higher ranked than Whitehall.

* IChooseToStay: Coulson offers to give Agent Klein his old life back, but Cameron decides that he likes his new life as Hank Thompson, family man. But he does say that SHIELD can call on him any time they need a welder.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In his memory scan flashback, Coulson wonders aloud "What have we done?" when observing the memory wipe process on one of the subjects.

** Coulson gives the TAHITI patient, Hank Thompson, his SHIELD file that explains his background before his memory was rewritten. The file lists the name "Cameron Klein", a SHIELD technician in the comics, whose grandfather (Stanley) was rescued by Captain America and the Howling Commandos.

* NeverForgottenSkill: Hank stops a knife that Sebastian throws at him by catching the blade in both hands. He looks surprised for a moment before throwing it at the rope holding up Coulson, freeing him. Apparently, that was a skill he learned back as Agent Klein of SHIELD.
* NotSoDifferent: As Fitz and Mack discuss memory-wiping, they talk about how all the old memories are still ''there'' and can potentially be reaccessed. As Fitz considers this, the look on his face suggests that he sees parallels with his own brain problems.

* BiggerBad: Ward's mention of Baron Von Strucker suggests that he's higher ranked than Whitehall.

** Ward mentions [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Baron Von]] [[Film/TheAvengersAgeOfUltron Strucker]] while talking to Bakshi.

Coulson's episodes of carving the alien glyphs is getting worse, just as SHIELD discovers a series of murders involving the same symbols. Meanwhile, May leads a team of agents to track down and bring in Ward after he escapes the transfer to his brother's custody.

Coulson's episodes of carving the alien glyphs is getting worse, just as SHIELD discovers a series of murders involving the same symbols. Meanwhile, May leads a team of agents to track down and bring in Ward after he escapes the transfer to his brother's custody

* ExactWords: Ward offers to get Bakshi a face-to-face meeting with Coulson. He does so by killing his entourage and hogtying him so that May can take him back to the Playground as a prisoner.

* ExactWords: Ward offers to get Bakshi a face-to-face meeting with Coulson. He does so by hogtying him so that May can take him back to the Playground as a prisoner.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: This is revealed to be the source behind the GH serum insanity. Anyone exposed to it gains some of the alien's GeneticMemory, which comes in the form of a blueprint to an unknown city. However, their minds cannot properly process the image, causing them to compulsively scrawl a top-down representation of the city in a desperate attempt to decipher its meaning. Hank Thompson, unlike the other test subjects, was able to use welding skills to instinctively create the pattern in all three dimensions as intended, sparing him the insanity. Coulson and Sebastian, upon seeing his work, immediately understand and are cured of the compulsion.