Line #64 Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS1E21Ragtag


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agents-of-shield-ragtag_7311.jpg]]
2
3	Ward's betrayal and HYDRA's shocking secrets are revealed as Coulson's team goes undercover on a mission that leaves no one unscathed.
4
5	----
6	!!Tropes:
7
8	* AbusiveParents: Ward's. After Ward tried to burn down their home with his older brother inside, they pressed charges while his brother wanted him tried as an adult. Later, after Ward's been broken out, Garrett assures Ward that they won't come looking for him, simply being glad he's gone.
9	* ApplianceDefenestration: After discovering that all of Cybertek's records are on hard copy, Coulson tells Skye to expect a "large file transfer". Then he and May throw the file cabinet with all the records on Project Deathlok out a window.
10	* ArsonMurderAndAdmiration: Literally. Garrett hired Ward for HYDRA because of his attempt to [[KillItWithFire kill his brother with fire]].
11	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
12	** Coulson is going to stop HYDRA and make sure Ward and Garrett pay for what they've done. Also, he wants his plane back.
13	** Fitz gives a list of technical reasons why the I.C.E.R. is a better weapon, and ends by saying it has a much cooler name. Even better, Coulson repeats it and then looks annoyed.
14	* ArtifactTitle: The title of the show is acknowledged as such in-universe. Coulson finally admits that his team is not one of "agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but [[RogueAgent vigilantes]] who are [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight trying to do the right thing]].
15	* BaitAndSwitchGunshot: Comes into play when Ward was supposed to shoot his dog Buddy.
16	* BaitTheDog:
17	** When Ward corners Fitz-Simmons after being ordered to kill them, we see a flashback of Ward's PetTheDog moment. Then, Ward admits that he does care about them... [[RedemptionRejection and pulls the switch to dump both of them in the ocean.]]
18	** Garrett orders that Deathlok be given a video transmission of his son, apparently letting Mike see what he wants. Mike later comments the image was of his son ''in a cell'', revealing that HYDRA has captured him.
19	* BatmanGambit: Garrett and Quinn have Deathlok assassinate a drug kingpin who has been linked to HYDRA in broad daylight, allowing him to be caught on camera. This allows Quinn to later sell the super-soldier project to the US military, using Deathlok's hit as a "freebie" to butter them up.
20	* BondOneLiner: Fitz gets one after using the EMP Joy-buzzer to disable Garrett's life support. Garrett survived, but it's the thought that counts.
21	-->'''Fitz:''' Looks like the joke's on you.
22	* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Triplett borrows his grandfather's spy gear from the Howling Commandos because Team Coulson has nothing else. This stuff is older than any of them, and it still works!
23	* BreakTheCutie: Fitz finally realizes that Ward is in fact evil, in the worst possible way.
24	* CallBack:
25	** Coulson and May infiltrate Cybertek, first mentioned in "[[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS1E13TRACKS T.R.A.C.K.S.]]". They're revealed to be behind the dendrotoxin grenade used in that episode, which was adapted from the team's own dendrotoxin weapons.
26	** A Hydra operative at the end of the episode is wielding the Berserker Staff from "[[Recap/AgentsofSHIELDS1E8TheWell The Well]]".
27	* CallForward:
28	** At one point in the flashback Garrett says "Speak up son, I'm not a mind reader", referencing his supervillain moniker in the future.
29	** Raina tells Ward that she and Skye have something in common. These forms the central arc of the second season.
30	** When Skye says she wishes she could kick ass like Maye does, Maye replies "I'm up most mornings at 5." Next season, Skye will TookALevelInBadass.
31	* CatchphraseInterruptus: Garrett's GH resurrection kicks in in the middle of his "If the job was easy, it wouldn't be any fun!"
32	* ChekhovsGun:
33	** Set up but not fired in the case of Fitz and Triplett's walkie-talkies.
34	** Fired in the case of the joy-buzzer EMP, which almost kills Garrett.
35	* {{Cliffhanger}}: Fitz-Simmons are locked in a storage compartment and dumped into the ocean by Ward, while the rest of the team is surrounded by a half-dozen Centipede super-soldiers and a HYDRA agent with the Berserker Staff.
36	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Fitz and Simmons are supposed to be feeding a description of the I.C.E.R. to Coulson and May, but lapse into an argument in the middle of it, leaving the latter pair confused as they argue incomprehensibly over the radio.
37	* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: Garrett is the first Deathlok, an EmergencyTransformation taken after he was badly wounded by an IED. In the present, his organs are failing and the Centipede serum is just barely keeping him alive. He's healed after he takes the only sample of the distilled GH serum made by Raina.
38	* DefiantCaptive: Fitz-Simmons after they are captured by Ward and Garrett. Fitz does most of the defying, first by firing off the EMP that nearly kills Garrett, then by informing the room full of HYDRA soldiers that he's far from sorry and would gladly do the same again given the chance. Later, their continued attempts to escape and/or reason with Ward follow this trope.
39	* DrowningPit: Fitz-Simmons are ejected from the Bus in a container into the ocean. Unless it's airtight and buoyant, it'll rapidly become one of these.
40	* DuctTapeForEverything: Garrett claims that after an IED blew a hole in his side he stuffed his intestines back in, closed the wound with duct tape, and then walked out of the hot zone.
41	* ElevatorActionSequence: [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Offscreen, sadly]]. In Cybertek, Coulson and May get into an elevator with a Mook. Once the doors close, we hear a ([[CurbStompBattle brief]]) scuffle, and when the doors open again the Mook is unconscious.
42	* EmergencyTransformation: After Fitz blows out his life support, Garrett has no choice but to take the only GH sample to avoid death.
43	* EvilMentor: Garrett demonstrates himself to be one for young Ward, of the TrainingFromHell SinkOrSwimMentor variety. He abandons Ward deep in the Wyoming wilderness with a few changes of clothes and a dog, says he'll be back in a few months.
44	* {{Foil}}: The Coulson-to-Garrett foil is made even more apparent here. When Skye curses herself for being weak and not being able to let Ward die, Coulson assures her that the compassion she showed makes her strong. In contrast Garrett drills into Ward's head that any feelings, emotions, or sentiments are weaknesses.
45	* GetARoom: Skye suggests Coulson and Triplett do that later when they're [[{{Squee}} mutually fanboying over the old S.H.I.E.L.D. spy gear]].
46	* GotMeDoingIt: Coulson inadvertently slips into a brief imitation of a Scottish accent while repeating Fitz's description of the I.C.E.R.
47	* HandshakeSubstitute: Tripp goes to fist-bump Fitz as he leaves, but Fitz doesn't quite get it right, squeezing Tripp's fist instead.
48	* HistoryRepeats: Ian Quinn tries to sell his organization's [[SuperSoldier super-soldiers]] to the US military, [[MonsterProtectionRacket justifying their necessity based on threats they themselves caused]]. [[Film/IronMan3 Does this sound familiar?]]
49	* HopeSpot: Fitz tries to IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight (without the fight) with Ward and the flashback shows young Ward letting the dog go. But then... (see ShootTheDog)
50	* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: Ward is forced to shoot his dog, Buddy, by Garrett before heading off to join S.H.I.E.L.D. This dog has been his sole companion for years in the wilderness when he had nothing else. It's a "kill your weakness" exercise. He shoots into the air, which sends the retriever running to... retrieve. [[DoubleSubverted Then the dog gets shot by a sniper rifle anyway]].
51	* IHaveYourWife: This episode shows that not only ''can'' HYDRA get to Mike's son whenever they want, as Mike grilled Skye on last episode, they already ''have'' captured him. Mike is "rewarded" by getting to see streamed video of his son in a cell.
52	* ImprovisedZipline: How Coulson and May escape Cybertek.
53	* ImStandingRightHere: Simmons has trouble remembering that Coulson and May can hear ''everything'' she's saying over the radio. Including things that are more "about them" than "to them".
54	* IsThisThingStillOn: While feeding lines to Coulson and May over the radio, Fitz and Simmons get into an argument about the former pair looking too old to play the part. Simmons starts to mention May's approximate age, then gets reminded that the radio is still transmitting and switches to a more flattering number.
55	* JustFollowingOrders: Why Ward ejects Fitz-Simmons into a random spot several dozen feet into the drink. He admits that he does care about them, but he views that as a weakness in himself that needs to be eliminated.
56	* KickTheDog: A somewhat literal version when Garrett orders Ward to kill Buddy. Especially since it was originally Garret's dog.
57	* KillItWithFire: Ward was in juvenile prison for setting fire to his family home while his older brother was still inside. Ward claims he didn't know about the latter, but both Garrett and the audience know that's not true (and even if it was true, Ward likely wouldn't have ''cared'').
58	* LastSecondWordSwap: Simmons when describing May's age:
59	-->'''Simmons:''' May looks barely a day over ''[Fitz motions to the still-transmitting radio]'' THIRTY! You're gorgeous!
60	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Inspecting their new tech, Skye wonders out loud if they get it from the back of a comicbook.
61	* LiteralMetaphor: Coulson tells Skye to expect a "large file transfer". He and May then drop a filing cabinet out a window.
62	* LoveIsAWeakness: This was Garret's lesson to Ward. Later, Ward admits that he ''does'' care about Fitz and Simmons, but calls it "weakness" right before ejecting them out of the plane.
63	* MythologyGag:
64	** The Deathlok program started in 1990. The comic-book Deathlok originally came back to the "present" of the mid-Seventies from a dystopian 1990, and the second Deathlok character/comic book premiered in 1990.
65	** The labels "Brand Corporation Security" and "Metrobank Correspondence" can be seen on drawers in the Cybertek archives. Both Brand and Metrobank are subsidiaries of the infamous Roxxon Corporation, as is Cybertek.
66	* NerdGlasses: Coulson and May wear these as part of their disguise when visiting Cybertek.
67	* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Raina is able to recreate the GH serum from the samples Garrett collected, but only enough for one dose. Since Garrett uses it to save his own life before it can be brought in for mass-production (and the only source of the raw materials is currently buried under a mountain), there's no way to make more.
68	* NotSoDifferentRemark:
69	** Raina claims this applies to her and Mike, but he [[KirkSummation blows her off]] pointing out he has a bomb in his head and HYDRA has his son.
70	** Raina says to Ward that what she's discovered about Skye's genetics suggests she and Skye have something in common.
71	* OffWithHisHead: Garrett mentions [[SuperSoldier Deathlok]] punching [[AssholeVictim the drug lord mentioned in the episode]]'s head clean off his body. Also counts as a villainous OffscreenMomentOfAwesome.
72	* OhCrap: The general reaction of Coulson and company when they find themselves in a basement with a half-dozen Centipede super-soldiers and a HYDRA agent carrying the Berserker Staff.
73	* OlderThanTheyLook: Lampshaded with May. Fitz grumbles that he and Simmons should have gone in undercover instead of Coulson and May since they're younger. Simmons shushes him, reminding him that May barely looks a day over... "[[ImStandingRightHere thirty. You're gorgeous.]]"
74	* OneWordTitle
75	* PetTheDog: In a near-literal example, Garrett orders Ward to kill the dog who had been his companion for years, and the only one he had for his first six months. Instead of complying, Ward fires into the air, sending the dog off to retrieve. It's later implied that the dog died anyway, as in a flashback shown seconds later it is seen in sniper crosshairs, although it is not clear if Ward's the one pulling the trigger.
76	* ProperlyParanoid: It seems absurd that a company on the cutting edge of technology uses ''filing cabinets'', then you realize how much trouble a hacker would have trying to access them.
77	* RecruitmentByRescue: Garrett recruits Ward by offering to get him out of being tried as an adult for attempted murder and arson. When he accepts, soldiers bust in to get them out.
78	* RedemptionRejection: Fitz desperately pleads with Ward that it's not too late, and he still has some good in him. Ward replies by ejecting Fitz and Simmons from the airplane.
79	* TheReveal:
80	** Garrett is revealed to be the original Deathlok with cybernetics from the '90s. This colors the entire Centipede project as Garrett's efforts to keep himself alive; Raina even comments that he's simply afraid to die.
81	** We know Skye was an 0-8-4 of some type, and that [[EverybodysDeadDave everyone in her village was slaughtered, as well as most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team sent in to investigate]]. Raina tells a story she heard where the people were killed by two "monsters": Skye's ''parents''. Raina also claims to have some similarity to Skye, but this isn't elaborated upon.
82	* RockBeatsLaser: In the Cybertek raid, this sort of thing works both for and against the S.H.I.E.L.D. team:
83	** Skye uses an old Howling Commando computer scanner, which she loves because its method of scanning is so obsolete that nobody even deploys countermeasures anymore.
84	** On the other side, Cybertek's files are ''completely'' hack-proof because they use the pre-computer system with a room full of filing cabinets.
85	* ShoePhone: The old Howling Commandos gear is disguised as everyday objects so they'll be easy to sneak past customs and such while undercover. This allows Fitz to sneak the EMP buzzer onto the Bus. When Ward catches him with it, he assumes it's a gag. Then Fitz uses it to disable Garrett's implants.
86	* ShootTheDog: After the HopeSpot, the running dog in the flashback is in the crosshairs of Ward's sniper rifle and in the present he drops [=FitzSimmons=] out of the Bus, into the ocean.
87	* ShoutOut: When Quinn is trying to convince the military to buy super-soldiers from him, he uses the phrase [[Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan "Better, stronger, faster"]] to describe them.
88	* TheSpartanWay: Garrett leaves Ward in the middle of the woods with nothing but a bag of clothes and a hunting dog, effectively telling him "I'll be back in a couple of months. Figure it out." He doesn't come back for ''six'' months.
89	* {{Squee}}: Coulson and Triplett gush about the old spy gear so much, Skye suggests they {{get a room}}.
90	* StartOfDarkness:
91	** This episode goes into Ward's background and his recruitment by Garrett.
92	** Garrett explains how he lost his loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D.: he was critically injured on a mission and felt they didn't try hard enough to help him out. He patched himself up and later went on to become the first Deathlok.
93	* TakeAThirdOption: When a teenage Ward was left alone in the wilderness with no survival equipment, for the first several weeks he thought his only options were to die or try to survive with sticks and rocks. Eventually he realized he could ''steal'' supplies from cabins in the area.
94	* TranquilFury: What May describes as her current state in reaction to Ward's betrayal. Unlike throwing a tantrum like Fitz did, she plans to hold onto that anger and hatred until she can unleash it on Ward.
95	* VillainousBreakdown: Garrett's fading health makes it harder for him to keep up his friendly, chatty demeanor. His ordering Fitz-Simmons killed is also apparently out of spite, considering how eager Garrett was to forcibly recruit Fitz in [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS1E17TurnTurnTurn "Turn Turn Turn"]].
96	* VillainousFriendship: While Ward is mad at Garrett for using him as a bargaining chip, he clearly still genuinely cares about him. He's positively distressed when Fitz messes up his life support with the EMP.
97	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: For all the bad things Quinn may have done, it turns out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was the only organization that ever had anything on him and their reputation has been ruined by the HYDRA uprising and their new classification as a terrorist organization. In fact, Quinn was a vocal critic of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''before'' ever having any kind of run-in with them, which only works in his favor at this point. He becomes the one to peddle superweapons to the U.S. military.
98	* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Ward calls Garrett "John" for the first time in this episode.
99	* YouSeeImDying: Garrett reveals his failing health to Ward.

Context Recap / AgentsOfSHIELDS1E21Ragtag