History Recap / AgentsOfSHIELDS3E9Closure

* XanatosGambit: Ward plays a simple one in the beginning. He needs Coulson alive so that he will [[BatmanGambit perform a few very specific actions]] (sending [=FitzSimmons=] to investigate an old portal research site, to start), so he kills Rosalind to drive Coulson to despair. Then he sends his mooks to kill Coulson, knowing they'll fail--but if they succeed, he gets his closure. Malick lambastes him for this (even though Coulson survived), as the grander plan is more important than Ward's petty revenge.

* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed. FitzSimmons is kidnapped. Mack is given leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Acting Director. Ward, Fitz, and Coulson go through the portal.

* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed. Ward, Fitz, and Coulson go through the portal. Mack is given leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Acting Director.

* YouAreInCommandNow: Coulson appoints Mack the Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. while he goes out on his personal mission of revenge.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: For whatever off-screen torture Simmons had to endure, she only came out with a scratch on her forehead.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Coulson really walks the line between black and white to the concern of his team.

* NotSoDifferent: Ward says this word for word about him and Coulson. He's none too happy on how right he is when Coulson tells him he kidnapped Thomas.
* RealityEnsues: Coulson skydives into the portal from above...and is launched up from the other side at the same speed, eventually tumbling down a cliff and hitting his head on a rock. Thankfully, a sandstorm makes sure Ward and his team don't see any of this.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Coulson takes Bobbi and Hunter on an off-books mission to assassinate Ward. Even when the mission starts to get mixed into Fitz-Simmons' capture by HYDRA and their plans to re-open the portal to the alien world, it's clear Coulson isn't thinking too clearly about anything other than taking Ward down.
* StartOfDarkness: Thomas confirms the infamous incident of the well was this for Grant. He never apologized or took responsibility for it, only that saying he would never let his little brother be hurt again.

* StopHelpingMe: [[invoked]] Thomas does ''not'' want his brother's "help". He points out that when Grant killed their parents to "protect" Thomas, their dad needed a walker to get around.

* VillainousBreakdown: Ward ''loses it'' after his phone call with SHIELD late in the episode, and takes out his anger on Fitz and Simmons.
* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed. Ward, Fitz, and Coulson go through the portal. Mack is given leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D.

* YouAreInCommandNow: Coulson appoints Mack the Acting Director of SHIELD while he goes out on his personal mission of revenge.
* XanatosGambit: Ward plays a simple one in the beginning. He needs Coulson alive so that he will [[BatmanGambit perform a few very specific actions]] (sending Fitzsimmons to investigate an old portal research site, to start), so he kills Rosalind to drive Coulson to despair. Then he sends his mooks to kill Coulson, knowing they'll fail--but if they succeed, he gets his closure. Malick lambastes him for this (even though Coulson survived), as the grander plan is more important than Ward's petty revenge.

** Maybe Ward lied about her?

** [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS1E21Ragtag Once again]], Ward has captured Fitz and Simmons, although he's even ''more'' unhinged this time around

* StopHelpingMe: Thomas does ''not'' want his brother's "help". He points out that when Grant killed their parents to "protect" Thomas, their dad needed a walker to get around.

* RealityEnsues: Coulson skydives into the portal from above...and winds up hitting his head on a rock on the other planet.

* TokenGoodTeammate / WhiteSheep: Apparently Thomas is the only member of the Ward household who's ''not'' an utterly awful human being.

** Immediately on the heels of sniping Rosalind, Ward sends HYDRA goons to kill Coulson, who [[{{Badass}} promptly defeats them all.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Several people pointing out that Coulson's ''telling'' Ward that they'd gotten a trace on his phone was really stupid.

* MoralityPet: Thomas manages to be the only person that Grand cares about--albeit in an ''extremely'' twisted way--despite the fact that Grant indeed was the one who pushed him down the well.

* CallBack: HYDRA goes back to the castle from "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS3E2PurposeInTheMachine Purpose in the Machine]]" to open the portal.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Malick dismisses S.H.I.E.L.D. as finished, ignoring Ward's warnings not to underestimate them.

* StopHelpingMe: Thomas '''does''' not want his brother's "help". He points out that when Grant killed their parents to "protect" Thomas, their dad needed a walker to get around.

* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed. Ward, Fitz, and Coulson go through the portal. Mack is given leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D.

* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed.

HYDRA makes personal strikes against S.H.I.E.L.D., as their plans to recover the banished Inhuman begin to be implemented. Members of the team make desperate decisions in the process.

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* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Rosalind is sniped in the neck by Ward during an intimate dinner with Coulson. Banks also meets his end when Giyera takes control of his gun and shoots him at the Distant Star facility.
* FreudianExcuse: Subverted. Coulson questions the original members of the Bus to further develop a profile on Ward and possible weaknesses. The questioning develops a profile of Ward that points to him using a hero complex to justify the cognitive dissonance of any horrible thing he does, in response to his abusive childhood and the "Well" incident. While Thomas Ward seems to confirm that analysis, Coulson and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. still won't forgive his crimes.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Coulson takes Bobbi and Hunter on an off-books mission to assassinate Ward. Even when the mission starts to get mixed into Fitz-Simmons' capture by HYDRA and their plans to re-open the portal to the alien world, it's clear Coulson isn't thinking too clearly about anything other than taking Ward down.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Price is sniped in the neck by Ward during an intimate dinner with Coulson. Banks also meets his end when Giyera takes control of his gun and shoots him at the Distant Star facility.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Coulson takes Bobbi and Hunter on an off-books mission to assassinate Ward. Even when the mission starts to get mixed into Fitz-Simmons' capture by HYDRA and their plans to re-open the portal to the alien world, it is clear Coulson is not thinking too clearly about anything other than killing Ward.

* FreudianExcuse: Subverted. Coulson questions the original members of the Bus to further develop a profile on Ward and possible weaknesses. The questioning develops a profile of Ward that points to him using a hero complex to justify the cognitive dissonance of any horrible thing he does, in response to his abusive childhood and the "Well" incident. While Thomas Ward seems to confirm that analysis, Coulson and the rest of Shield still won't forgive his crimes.

* WhamEpisode: Rosalind and Banks are killed.