Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Emancipation
Season 3, Episode 20 Recap

9/19/2016

Image copyright Marvel Television and ABC Studios

Cap, Agent Carter: They were my heroes growing up. Both of them were there at the beginning of S.H.I.E.L.D. Now we may be there when it ends.
—Coulson to May, "Emancipation"

In memory of Dan Schmidt, the founder of Across the Airwaves, who sadly passed away this summer. The tribute episode for him can be found here.

Emancipation? What does Daisy have to be emancipated from? The people who love her and only want the best for her?" That would have been my reaction if I had known the title before watching the episode. Sometimes the title of an episode can give away too much or, usually in the case of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., make me really anxious about what it really means, especially when there's a double meaning.

If I had known the title, I surely would have thought that Daisy would be lost; not for good, but at least sometime into the next season. I'm sure the title was meant to do that to us, just as "Afterlife" made me think one of the team would not make it through the episode and "Providence" was indicative of the divine or of a plan, the more likely of the two. Both ended up being physical places, Providence a haven for the team after the devastating events of "Turn, Turn, Turn," and a stroke of luck (or Providence?) that they made it there.

The best titles in a series like this are suggestive rather than revelatory and give you a certain feeling whenever you think of them, remind you of all the love and loss. The finale of this season is "Ascension." If you haven't seen it yet, it should make you very nervous indeed. But what "Emancipation" referred to was what happened in the end. The end where the big, blue, dreadlocked meanie made a huge difference and proved he had a purpose, to be a savior, freeing Daisy from Hive and himself from being seen as just a monster. In the end, there was enough of Andrew left in the Inhuman to mourn his loss again.

I had a few minutes to get some extra pictures for this one. Not nearly enough, but it is what it is. I should have done this a long time ago.

Note: Comments in italics were added today. I thought I might point them out since they weren't part of the original comments I shared with Across the Airwaves.

ATA: "EMANCIPATION" TWEETS

Listen to Podcast Episode

For anyone who noticed I was very quiet about tonight's episode of #AgentsofSHIELD, I was just very busy watching. I was riveted. I had to send most tweets after it was over. Only two more episodes next week: Absolution and Ascension. Wait, what? Who's going to ascend? I hope that's the "death" that the commercial teased. I really don't want to lose anyone, but if someone we love is going to become more powerful, rise from the ashes like a phoenix maybe, then that's pretty darn cool. Now I'm remembering the ashes falling when Daisy was being beaten by Malick. I really wish it hadn't been a literal death, but rather a change; still, it was a beautifully-written and -performed end to the season. But that's for the next, and final, season 3 tweetcap.

Anyway, it's crazy how fast this season went by, and I could probably go on for ages, but it's time for the tweets.

Image copyright Marvel Television and ABC Studios

"Welcome to Level 7." Remember? When Coulson introduced himself to Ward? And he was hilarious about it, showing the personality we all fell in love with? "Sorry, that corner was really dark. I couldn't help myself." Ahhh, the good old days, before people were betraying and being betrayed left and right. Not to mean that these days are bad. Bad for the team, amazing for storytelling.


Image copyright Marvel Television and ABC Studios

Half the time I spell MacGyver wrong, even though it was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. So, I just decided to highlight it and click "define" and it came up in the dictionary. I had no idea! 😂

I actually had the wording originally as "the coolest guy in the room." Ran out of characters, though.

Originally that said, "Ooh, hell yeah May and Lincoln! I knew Linc wasn't a moron." That was a spoiler back then.

Image copyright Marvel Television and ABC Studios

Scenes like that always choke me up. It happens so quickly. Just a puddle of tears...on the inside, because I don't need my family to poke fun. And suddenly, months later, I'm thinking of "Now We're Free," the beautiful, poignant song at the end of Gladiator.

Glad to not know the name of the episode beforehand this time, because I was on edge the whole time about whether or not Daisy would be saved. It was lovely how Lash was the hero after all that death he caused.

Images copyright Marvel Television and ABC Studios

Wait a second, where's the hug? Where's the HUG?!!!!

"I need a Coulson/Daisy hug NOW!" Either left this tweet in drafts or I changed it so much (ex: Coulson became Phil, Daisy became Skye, hug became embrace, NOW became IMMEDIATELY, etc) that searching for it with the words I thought I used gives me nothing. Can't find any combination of it.

I know the death was teased for a while now, but it would still be nice if the commercials didn't keep hammering it into my brain. Let me at least hope that she might be wrong.

"I swear the Battlebots commerical said 'Fart Gregg.'" Looks like this one didn't get tweeted either. Probably the better for it. But I was giggling all night over this, so I probably told ATA about it.

Wow, what is left to say except that I really can't ask for more from this series? What will I do if someone I care about dies in the finale? (Coulson better be untouchable. Untouchable, I say! That fear will never go away.) There was so much in "Emancipation"' to quote and comment on that I was just writing one long draft all night and haven't even tweeted any of that yet. That means Across the Airwaves gets an exclusive! Of course, I will tweet them immediately after this, so...yeah.

Also, I really wish there had been posters this year since I left a space on my door.Yeah, I've said this before, but I guess I really, really wanted a poster. No matter. One day someone will create an amazing one and I will snatch it up. For now, I just got an awesome Coulson Lives poster to fill the void.

I didn't even know it existed until I was looking for things for my new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. shop. It was sold out on Amazon, and then I found it on eBay. A few days later, when I actually got around to adding it to the store, I noticed that there was just one left! I didn't realize this was a limited print run, so I snatched it up before one of the other 8 people watching could. *phew* I wasn't planning on buying it, but I wasn't about to missing out on this one, too. I should have bought it when we all first started crying "Coulson Lives! Fury Lies!"

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