The team may have an android problem on their hands.
The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may have a Life Model Decoy problem on their hands.
In ET’s exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday’s new episode, Director Mace (Jason O'Mara) has assembled the team to debrief on the “serious threat” that the mysterious Darkhold still poses to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the world at large.
While Coulson (Clark Gregg) is on a mission to hand over the supernatural book to “an agent who specializes in making items like this disappear,” Mace assigns Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Dr. Radcliffe (John Hannah) to erase the hard drive of Radcliffe’s android assistant, Aida (Mallory Jansen), after she read the Darkhold in order to help save Los Angeles from Eli Morrow’s (José Zúñiga) destruction.
“We can’t risk having any of its contents in her memory,” Coulson warns. “It’s too dangerous.”
The scientists are hesitant, considering Aida just helped them save thousands -- maybe millions -- of citizens from an unprecedented nuclear attack, however Mack (Henry Simmons), steps in as the voice of reason, as usual.
“First of all, that thing is not a ‘she.’ That’s a damn robot,” he tells the team. “And second of all, what’s the matter with you two chuckleheads? Have either one of you seen a movie in the last 30 years? The robots always attack.”
Radcliffe argues that Aida is technically an android, but ultimately agrees to replace her hard drive: “Better safe than sorry, as they say.”
However, the truly unsettling detail of the scene is revealed as Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) remains silent, a small smile forming. Or is it Agent May? S.H.I.E.L.D. fans will remember that in the show’s fall finale, it was revealed that Aida has been keeping the real May captive -- as an undetected replacement walks among the team -- leaving us to wonder if a hyper-intelligent Life Model Decoy just overheard all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plans. Yikes!
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.