“Divide and Conquer” is episode three of season one of Marvel’s Inhumans.
This episode opens at the Declan Research Facility, Santa Barbara, California. A man is walking to a car outside when another runs up to him, telling the man, Dr. Declan (Henry Ian Cusick, Kane from The 100), that he’s going to want to see something. Declan is shown a video on a tablet of Black Bolt blowing away a police car in the previous episode, “Those Who Would Destroy Us”. The man tells Declan that the person in the video may be Inhuman, and he’s currently at the O’ahu County Correctional Facility. Declan says that he needs to get there.
In the correctional facility, a prisoner is escorted to a phone and told that his lawyer wants to talk to him. It’s actually Declan on the phone and he tells the prisoner, Sammy, that he only said he was Sammy’s lawyer to get him on the phone. He knows Sammy’s case file and, if Sammy does what Declan asks, Declan will help him. Sammy asks what Declan needs him to do.
Black Bolt is remembering his youth, prior to him getting his powers. His father, King Agon, tells him that being king involves sacrifice and responsibility. The young Black Bolt thinks that being king sounds very boring. The young Maximus is there as well. Black Bolt doesn’t see the attraction of being king of Attilan and all of its, 1,400, people. Maximus speaks up, telling their father that he wants to be king. Agon says it doesn’t work that way. So Maximus wants to confirm that if Black Bolt dies, Maximus will be king. Which paints a clearer picture of Maximus’s actions in the present – he is not doing this for anyone but himself and his desire for power.
Outside the prison, a captain Pena is speaking to the press about Black Bolt. Although he isn’t saying much. Louise is there as well and she goes to the captain after the press conference is over. He tells her that he has nothing further to say to the press; she brings out her ID and says she isn’t press. Pena asks if she works for the billionaire who wants to build a hotel on the Moon. Louise tells him base, not hotel. The hotel will come later. She wants to know if the prisoner showed unusual powers. Pena is not helpful. Louise wants to talk to Black Bolt. Pena tells her that’s too bad.
Inside the prison, one of the guards asks Pena if Black Bolt is the guy who hospitalised the cops, and wants to know if he should be put in solitary. The captain wants Black Bolt put into gen pop. He thinks that if Black Bolt is rat6tled hard enough by their other ‘guest’ he may be more inclined to talk. Which might be true, but not in the way that Pena wants.
Medusa is at Waikiki Beach and she realises she needs money. So she goes to an ATM and demands it give her money, as she is the Queen of Attilan. This does not work. Not even when Medusa adds ‘Please’ to her demand.
Gorgon is with his new friends who are armed with crossbows and guns. He tells them that the fighters coming are like nothing they have ever seen. Two of the men did two tours in the military; Gorgon says that they used to be soldiers then. He’s told that once a soldier, always a soldier. Gorgon continues; Maximus will be sending his most elite. Fighters Gorgon trained, So they’re good. And that the others will be like tiny ants around superior beings. The man asks if they can be killed; Gorgon says every living thing can be killed. If they aren’t bulletproof, then a fight’s a fight. Gorgon gives them a final chance to leave; if they stay they have to do what he says. Gorgon fights for his cousin, his people, his king. The Hawaiian tells Gorgon that they had a king once. Until the mainlanders came and decided they were a state. He will fight for Gorgon’s king to honour his own.
Crystal is in her room when Maximus enters. He wants to know if she has considered his offer. Which is to speak for him, or an accident could befall Lockjaw. Crystal doesn’t trust Maximus – rightfully so. He claims that he doesn’t want to kill the others, doesn’t want to kill anyone. He will only do it if it becomes the only option – i.e., if they don’t bow down before him. Maximus has words that he wants Crystal to say before the genetic council to make clear she supports him. She points out that she doesn’t. Maximus says that if she does, their family will know that there is no use fighting and will come home. Crystal agrees to do it, but tells Maximus that if he goes back on his word, she will kill him. Maximus replies that it’s better Crystal is doing it out of her own free will rather than him forcing her. If someone does something because you threaten to hurt those they love, that’s not free will. Maximus is practically a walking stereotype.
After leaving Crystal, Maximus contacts Auran. Medusa did kill Auran in the previous episode, but it looks like Auran has healing powers because it didn’t take. Maximus wants to know if she’s found Black Bolt yet. She hasn’t; Maximus asks why it’s talking so long and Auran points out that the Earth is bigger than the Moon. Maximus knows where Gorgon is, as Gorgon threatened him and left his comlink open. Auran replies that he will be expecting them and Maximus agrees – but wants her to take Gorgon down anyway. Maximus is going to send backup. And Mordis. Auran is not happy about the later but Maximus is confident she can handle Mordis.
Maximus asks Bronaja how bad an idea it is to open a door. Bronaja says it depends what’s on the other side. Which is Mordis. Bronaja gets no sight of the future; he tells Maximus that he has no control. Yet. Maximus orders the door opened and on the other side is an individual covered from head to toe. He has glowing eyes under a mask and what sounds like an electronically modulated voice. On Earth, four other Inhumans transport down to Auran’s location, followed by Mordis. He tells her that he doesn’t want to be there any more than she wants him – but Maximus has promised Mordis freedom.
In the jungle, Karnak stumbles across a building where a man is growing plants. The man tells Karnak he made a mistake. Karnak replies that he doesn’t make mistakes. Then another person behind Karnak holds a machete to his throat. In jail, the guard tells Black Bolt that his brother-in-law was one of the cops Black Bolt put in hospital. And Sammy offers to share a cell. Medusa is at the Royal Estates, and gets into a house when a car leaves. Inside, she gets food, clothes to blend in, and then sees a headline about Black Bolt.
Karnak is tied up and two men and a woman are discussing what to do with him. The woman says that tying Karnak up is kidnapping; the first man that Karnak saw says they are squatting on public land with more than an acre of ganja. Karnak could ruin everything. Karnak has stumbled across some, small-time and amateur, drug producers. The second man tells the first to look at Karnak’s tattoos; he’s clearly not a cop. Karnak tries using his power again, which appears to be predictive in nature – and it fails.
In prison, Sammy, whose cell Black Bolt has been put in, asks if Black Bolt is going to talk to him. Black Bolt indicates he can’t talk. Sammy asks if Black Bolt was experimented on or bitten by a radioactive bug. Or woke up one morning covered in a funky rock-like crust. That gets Black Bolt’s attention. Sammy says he wants to warn Black Bolt that people like him are disappearing from all over, and Sammy, if he was Black Bolt, would leave any way he could.
So, some of the Inhumans are making some decidedly irregular friends. Of everyone seen so far, Mordis could be the most interesting; he hasn’t spoken much but at least it sounds as if he has some sense of humour. Captain Pena’s decision to put Black Bolt in gen pop clearly didn’t consider what the average inmate would think of someone who hospitalised some cops. And who is Dr. Declan and what is his interest in Inhumans? Some more is seen of Block Bolt and Maximus’s past; Maximus has craved power for a long, long time.