“Lockup” is episode five of season four of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the previous episode, “Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire”, Robbie Reyes the Ghost Rider agreed to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. fairly willingly, and Daisy would appear to have been brought back into the fold again. Sort of, in both cases, for the Director has not been informed of this. However, at the end of the episode, Simmons saw Aida and realised immediately what she was – an Artificial Intelligence in a body. Fitz said that he had been keeping it secret from Simmons because of her regular lie detector tests. Simmons said that he next test was the next day, which could cause a whole host of problems. Not only does Simmons know what Aida is, but if anyone probes too deeply into how Daisy ‘forced’ Simmons to help her, it will quickly become obvious that this was only for show. Joseph Bauer was woken from the coma that Eli Morrow put him in by his wife, Lucy. This also means he’s been infected.
According to Coulson, lots of people were looking for the Darkhold. This episode opens with the Bauers entering a house belonging to the person who killed the last known owner of the book, and they find it there. The book appears blank when opened, and then words appear. Joseph sees it in German; Lucy English. German is Joseph’s first language and English is Lucy’s, so both are seeing the book in their native tongue. Which is worrying. It also appears that reading the book has an effect on the reader.
Coulson and Mack are in Bauer’s hospital room, talking to him, but he’s dying of the crazy infection. He tells them where he hid the Darkhold, but Lucy knows this too now, and he senses when she takes it, and then promptly dies. Coulson is also keeping the existence of the Darkhold secret from Director Mace.
Fitz and Simmons have created a cure for the infection, but Simmons isn’t happy. She’s not happy because her polygraph is today and she’s not good at lying, nor is she happy that Fitz kept secrets from her, even though this was because of the polygraph. She’s a bit conflicted. Mace also wants her help as he’s doing a live television debate with Senator Nadeer.
The decision is made to bring Robbie’s uncle into custody, although he isn’t terribly happy about being given orders. He’s not really a taking orders type of person. Coulson and May go to the prison, but Lucy and the other ghosts got there first and have already infected some of the staff. So the rest have to come into the prison to help.
Robbie comes along, because he’s the only person who affects the ghosts. However, the Ghost Rider only kills people who deserve it – and the prison is full of them. He’s going to have to try and control his inner demon. S.H.I.E.L.D. are in a facility filled with people infected by the ghosts and who are therefore crazy and people who don’t always have a high respect for law enforcement. Even worse, it seems the Watchdogs are recruiting from prison, so it’s just packed full of unfriendlies.
Coulson also wants May to talk about her experience with being dead in “Uprising” given that they have both now died, even if hers was intentional and not quite as traumatic.
Much of the episode takes place in the prison.