“Uprising” is episode three of season four of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the previous episode, “Meet the New Boss”, the new boss was revealed to be Jeffrey Mace. With S.H.I.E.L.D. becoming public again, Coulson didn’t want to be the public face of the organisation, and asked for, basically, a hero to take over. Captain America is still missing after the events of Civil War and Mace was the person chosen. Mace is, in the comic books, the Patriot – and has also been one of the heroes who became Captain America. In the comic books he was described as simply being a human in peak condition; in this series he referred to himself as an Inhuman. So perhaps he has powers now.
It turns out that the Ghost Rider was not looking for the weapon that Daisy was tracking, instead simply getting rid of the gangs. When he learned that the gangs were starting to operate together, he eventually did contact Daisy again – after first capturing her – and agree to her suggestion that they work together. He thinks that he might be the connection making the groups work together. Whatever the ghosts (they are perhaps not actually dead) are have affected Agent May as well; she is being carted off somewhere on a Quinjet, as what she is seeing is essentially driving her insane.
This episode opens in Miami, Florida, where Yoyo is currently in a club. Her friend has dialled Mack on Yoyo’s phone when all the lights go out and the phone goes dead. This looks just like a local power outage – then a helicopter crashes out of the sky. Everything within an area has been affected. A video is released claiming to be from the Inhuman Resistance, protesting against the registration of Inhumans, and that they will blackout multiple cities until this is stopped.
Simmons is speaking to the people supposedly trying to help May, but the latter don’t seem to be getting anywhere. Those already affected by the ghost’s touch are all dying, and if May isn’t cured soon, she will be dead too. Mace gives the go ahead for Simmons to try something, which involves Dr Radcliffe. Which means the latter has to hide Aida before S.H.I.E.L.D. arrive. Coulson is told to fly to Miami instead of to May, along with Mack and Fitz, to try and find the source of the blackouts. Especially as Miami is still blacked out.
Only one Inhuman – Lincoln, and he’s dead – had the power to affect electricity on this level, so Fitz thinks it’s being done by EMPs instead. Coulson thinks there’s something off about the whole thing; EMPs are not exactly easy to find and the whole attack reeks of a false flag operation.
Daisy and the Ghost Rider – Robbie Reyes – are working together, and Reyes plans for them to go and see his uncle, who used to work at Momentum. Before being sent to prison anyway. As they are at a petrol station, they hear that London has been hit as well, and Reyes is saying it would be bad if LA was hit too. Which it promptly is. All the cities being hit – and they’re being hit worldwide – are ones that S.H.I.E.L.D. had rehoused Inhumans in. Thinks are getting worse in the affected cities, as the blackouts continue and fear of Inhumans is stoked. A new player also rears their head.