How's that for the old bait and switch? Gideon Malick may have foreseen his own death at the hands of the Inhuman he "rescued" from another planet, but instead Hive killed Malick's daughter on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to "teach him the meaning of sacrifice." That could mean that the future is not written in stone, but it also revealed a few more of Hive's tricks.
Stephanie's death came after we learned Malick's big Hydra secret. As it turns out, Gideon has a brother named Nathaniel who died on Maveth as one of Hydra's sacrifices to Hive, and it was all Gideon's fault. After discovering that their father kept a notched white stone in the bag to avoid being chosen as "the traveler," the boys decided together to toss the stone and leave their fates to chance. However, Gideon was tempted by the same comfort as his father, retrieved the stone, and lost his brother to the blue planet in the process.
The other thing we didn't know is that Hive is carrying the consciences of every being he has ever killed, not just the ones that he is currently inhabiting. We sort of knew this from Fitz's confrontation with Fake Will on Maveth. It was implied again during Tuesday's episode that Hive has not only the image of Ward, but his memories as well. I'll keep that in mind for whenever he faces off against May, Coulson, Daisy, and Fitz. That's even worse news for Simmons, because he can also channel Will. For this episode, that meant that he could appeal to Gideon as his late brother Nathaniel just before killing his daughter. Rough.
It must have been confusing for Hive to embody the mind of Gideon's brother, don't you think? Particularly if Nate Malick resents his brother for allowing him to become Hive's sacrifice. Talk about inner conflict. I also wonder if this was why Gideon was so bent on bringing Hive to Earth. Surely he didn't expect to speak to his brother again, but perhaps he wanted to avenge his death.
Ward also gave us a glimpse of Hive's "true form" — which includes several tentacles coming out of the back of his head. We're all agreed that his new nickname is "Squid-Ward" now, correct? Am I wrong, or did Hive reveal himself to be not only a squid head but a bit of a heteronormative misogynist as well? Why'd he have to kiss Stephanie Malick to death — he didn't kiss any of the men to death. No fair! Add that to his growing list of crimes, I suppose.
Image: Justin Lubin/ABC
