"The Inside Man" is the twelfth episode of the
third season of the American television series ''
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, an ...
'' Based on the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
organization
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
, it follows
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they hunt for a
Hydra impostor. It is set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU) and acknowledges
the franchise's films. The episode was written by
Craig Titley, and directed by
John Terlesky
John Todd Terlesky (born May 30, 1961) is an American actor, film director, television director and screenwriter. As an actor, he is best known for playing Deathstalker in the 1987 film ''Deathstalker II'', and Mike in '' Chopping Mall'' (1986) ...
.
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Iron Man'' (2008), '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...
reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...
,
Brett Dalton,
Chloe Bennet
Chloé Wang (; born April 18, 1992), known professionally as Chloe Bennet, is an American actress and singer. She starred as Daisy Johnson/Quake in the ABC superhero drama series '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020).
Early life ...
,
Iain De Caestecker,
Elizabeth Henstridge
Elizabeth Frances Henstridge (born 11 September 1987) is an English actress, model and director. She is best known for starring as Jemma Simmons in the ABC superhero action drama series '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), set wi ...
,
Nick Blood
Nick Blood (born 20 March 1982) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Lance Hunter in Marvel's ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ''Kieran in '' Trollied''.
Early life
Blood was born in Aylesbury, England. He joined his local drama clu ...
,
Adrianne Palicki
Adrianne Lee Palicki ( ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her starring roles as Tyra Collette in the NBC sports drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011), as Barbara "Bobbi" Morse/Mockingbird ...
, and
Luke Mitchell
Luke Mitchell (born 17 April 1985) is an Australian actor and model. He attended the Film and Television Studio International and won the role of Chris Knight in ''Neighbours''. He joined the cast of '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as the ...
.
"The Inside Man" originally aired on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
on March 15, 2016, and according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, was watched by 2.94 million viewers.
Plot
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
approaches
Glenn Talbot
Major (later Colonel) Glenn Talbot is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #61 (November 1964).
He is ...
, who has been ignoring his efforts to contact him, to prepare for an international symposium in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, to discuss how to deal with the
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
. Keeping an eye on them,
Melinda May
Melinda Qiaolian May, also known as The Cavalry, is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeare ...
and
Lincoln Campbell
''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics ...
intervene when
Carl Creel unexpectedly appears, overpowering him, but Talbot reveals that Creel's
Hydra brainwashing has been undone, and he is now Talbot's bodyguard.
Jemma Simmons
Jemma Anne Simmons is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the 2013 pilot episode ...
tests Creel's blood and discovers that mixing it with that of an inactive Inhuman prevents Terrigen from affecting the blood, meaning that Creel's blood could be used to synthesize a "vaccine" to remove the alien gene from dormant Inhumans. This causes an argument between Lincoln, who supports the idea of the vaccine, and
Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson, also known as Quake, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, the character first appeared in '' Secret War'' #2 ...
, who believes Terrigenesis is the birthright of all Inhumans, good or evil. Daisy and Lincoln later reconcile and have sex.
Despite
Lance Hunter
Lancelot "Lance" Hunter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Captain Britain Weekly'' #19 (February 16, 1977) and was created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Herb Trim ...
's vociferous protests, Coulson agrees to let Creel accompany him and Talbot to the symposium the next day, with Coulson acting as an expert in Inhuman biology. May, Hunter and
Bobbi Morse, will be working to find out if any of the other delegates are working with
Gideon Malick
''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics D ...
, as Coulson suspects, by going into their separate suites. Russian delegate
Anton Petrov suggests setting up a sanctuary state for Inhumans, an idea that most of the delegates support, though some fear that the Inhumans could unite against the human race, while Coulson suspects Malick could collect Inhumans from the proposed sanctuary to rebuild his army. Breaking into the Australian delegate's room, Morse learns that she has a captive Inhuman named Eden Fesi. Hunter notices Creel leaving his guard post outside and follows him to a truck, where he discovers armed Hydra agents guarding an
Advanced Threat Containment Unit (ATCU) stasis chamber, which contains Talbot's son, George. It is revealed that Malick had kidnapped George to blackmail Talbot, who interrupts the symposium to accuse Coulson of being a Hydra infiltrator. Malick manages to convince the delegates to believe in his deeds based on his past reputation, and he double-crosses Talbot, and tries to have him and Coulson killed. Creel rescues them, while Hunter, May, and Morse defeat the Hydra agents. May rescues George, to Talbot's relief, while other agents retrieve Fesi from Australian custody, and Hunter and Morse are sent to pursue Malick.
The ancient Inhuman ensures that
Giyera and
Lucio
Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name ''Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio.
Lucio is also an Italian surname.
Given name
* Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazilian ...
are loyal to him, and sends them to abduct five humans, whom he kills gruesomely, absorbing their life force to restore
Grant Ward's body to full strength. In an end tag, Hunter and Morse stow away on Malick's private jet as he leaves with Petrov.
Production
Development
In February 2016, Marvel announced that the twelfth episode of the season would be titled "The Inside Man", to be written by executive producer
Craig Titley, with
John Terlesky
John Todd Terlesky (born May 30, 1961) is an American actor, film director, television director and screenwriter. As an actor, he is best known for playing Deathstalker in the 1987 film ''Deathstalker II'', and Mike in '' Chopping Mall'' (1986) ...
directing.
Casting
In February 2016, Marvel revealed that main cast members
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Iron Man'' (2008), '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...
,
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...
,
Brett Dalton,
Chloe Bennet
Chloé Wang (; born April 18, 1992), known professionally as Chloe Bennet, is an American actress and singer. She starred as Daisy Johnson/Quake in the ABC superhero drama series '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020).
Early life ...
,
Iain De Caestecker,
Elizabeth Henstridge
Elizabeth Frances Henstridge (born 11 September 1987) is an English actress, model and director. She is best known for starring as Jemma Simmons in the ABC superhero action drama series '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), set wi ...
,
Nick Blood
Nick Blood (born 20 March 1982) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Lance Hunter in Marvel's ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ''Kieran in '' Trollied''.
Early life
Blood was born in Aylesbury, England. He joined his local drama clu ...
,
Adrianne Palicki
Adrianne Lee Palicki ( ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her starring roles as Tyra Collette in the NBC sports drama series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011), as Barbara "Bobbi" Morse/Mockingbird ...
,
Henry Simmons, and
Luke Mitchell
Luke Mitchell (born 17 April 1985) is an Australian actor and model. He attended the Film and Television Studio International and won the role of Chris Knight in ''Neighbours''. He joined the cast of '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as the ...
would star as
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
,
Melinda May
Melinda Qiaolian May, also known as The Cavalry, is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeare ...
,
Hive
A hive may refer to a beehive, an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species live and raise their young.
Hive or hives may also refer to:
Arts
* ''Hive'' (game), an abstract-strategy board game published in 2001
* "Hive" (song), a 201 ...
,
Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson, also known as Quake, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, the character first appeared in '' Secret War'' #2 ...
,
Leo Fitz
Leopold James Fitz is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the pilot episode of '' ...
,
Jemma Simmons
Jemma Anne Simmons is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the 2013 pilot episode ...
,
Lance Hunter
Lancelot "Lance" Hunter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Captain Britain Weekly'' #19 (February 16, 1977) and was created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Herb Trim ...
,
Bobbi Morse,
Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, and
Lincoln Campbell
''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics ...
, respectively.
It was also revealed that the episode's guest cast would include
Powers Boothe
Powers Allen Boothe (June 1, 1948 – May 14, 2017) was an American actor. He won an Emmy in 1980 for his portrayal of Jim Jones in '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones''. He also played saloon owner Cy Tolliver on '' Deadwood'', "C ...
as
Gideon Malick
''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics D ...
,
Mark Dacascos
Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in '' Hawaii Five-0' ...
as
Giyera,
Adrian Pasdar as Brigadier General
Glenn Talbot
Major (later Colonel) Glenn Talbot is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #61 (November 1964).
He is ...
, Raquel Gardner as
Carla Talbot,
Brian Patrick Wade
Brian Patrick Wade (born June 9, 1978) is an American actor and physical trainer, best known for his television roles as Capt. Craig Schwetje in the mini-series '' Generation Kill'', as Kurt (Penny's former love interest) in ''The Big Bang Theo ...
as
Carl Creel,
Ravil Isyanov
Ravil Akhmedullovich Isyanov (russian: Равиль Ахмедуллович Исьянов; 20 August 1962 – 29 September 2021) was a Russian actor who appeared in over 70 film and television roles, primarily in the United States. He was most ...
as
Anton Petrov, Melissa Bickerton as Ellen King, Bayo Akinfemi as Nathi Zuma, Alexandra Chun as Xiao Chen, Tohoru Masamune as Haruto Yakimura and Gabriel Salvador as
Lucio
Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name ''Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio.
Lucio is also an Italian surname.
Given name
* Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazilian ...
.
Bickerton, Akinfemi, Chun, and Masamune did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Boothe, Dacascos, Pasdar, Gardner, Wade, and Salvador reprise their roles from earlier in the series.
Despite being credited, Henry Simmons did not ultimately appear.
Filming
The sequence in which Dalton as the Inhuman Hive, possessing
Grant Ward, is naked and covered in goo, was inspired by images of people covered in honey that reminded the showrunners of a birth.
Dalton was given two weeks notice to prepare for the scene, particularly to get in the best shape he could. The goo used was made from
methylcellulose
Methyl cellulose (or methylcellulose) is a compound derived from cellulose. It is sold under a variety of trade names and is used as a thickener and emulsifier in various food and cosmetic products, and also as a bulk-forming laxative. Like cell ...
,
and "they had vats of it and they had different viscosity for different ones, so there were three ones. There was one that was really slippery, one that was kind of thick," Dalton explained.
Broadcast
"The Inside Man" was first aired in the United States on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
on March 15, 2016.
Reception
Ratings
In the United States the episode received a 1.0/3 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 1.0 percent of all households, and 3 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 2.94 million viewers.
References
External links
"The Inside Man"at
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inside Man, The
2016 American television episodes
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 3) episodes
Television episodes directed by John Terlesky
Television episodes written by Craig Titley