“Watchdogs” is episode fourteen of season three of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the previous episode, “Parting Shot”, Bobbi and Hunter had been disavowed in order to stop them from being executed by the Russians and to protect S.H.I.E.L.D., after saving the Russian President’s life from Gideon Malick’s plot resulted in several members of his government being killed – even though said members had been the ones plotting to kill him.
This episode opens with Mack back home in Naperville, Illinois with his brother. He’s not happy about the recent changes, but he can’t tell his brother directly, as Mack supposedly works for an insurance company. Then, there’s a news report – an ATCU facility has been destroyed by ‘The Watchdogs’ – a hate group that has been growing online, demanding to know about the Inhumans. They have some impressive weaponry for concerned citizens, as the facility is imploded. Mack is the closest agent to the incident. To make matters worse, Mack’s brother sympathises with the Watchdogs. Then they both get caught in the crossfire.
The explosive (implosive?) used was developed by Stark Industries post-World War II, and a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Felix Blake, used to obsess about improving it, as it was highly explosive. After leaving the hospital where he was after Deathlok broke his back in “End of the Beginning”, he’s disappeared.
Lincoln has gone through his S.H.I.E.L.D. evaluation, and Coulson isn’t totally happy with the results of it, so he gets Lincoln to accompany him as they search Blake’s safe houses for clues so that he can psee for himself about whether Lincoln has got what it takes. Blake himself is disgusted with what S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU are now doing, and what has been going on with the mounting destruction caused by alien threats – and those who are supposed to be stopping it. Coulson thinks that Blake, and the Watchdogs, are being subsidised by Malick and HYDRA.
May and Simmons are looking for Lash/Andrew. Simmons is feeling guilty about releasing Lash in “Maveth” in order to save her own life.