Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Laws of Nature

"Laws of Nature" is the first episode of season three of the television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the forty-fifth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Vincent Misiano with a script written by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. It first aired on ABC on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 9:00 pm.

Synopsis
As Terrigen works its way through the world's ecosystem, new Inhumans are cropping up everyday. One such individuals is Jose "Joey" Gutierrez, who has the power to melt metal with his mind. Scared and out of control, Joey tries to get away from a Black Ops team that he believes are trying to kill him. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Alphonso Mackenzie and Daisy Johnson reach him first and succeed in transporting him to the group's new mobile command center. Daisy tries to keep him calm and explains to him that his life has now changed forever.

Director Phil Coulson is trying to get a bead on this opposing task force unit, which is linked to a woman named Rosalind Price. Price has apparently used dozens of aliases over her storied career and is linked to multiple intelligence agencies across the globe. With the help of Bobbi Morse, Coulson gets a line on Price and Lance Hunter and he go to intercept her. Price and her own team of agents are ready for them however, and the two intelligence heads engage in cagey banter aboard a train. They both come to find that a third party has been targeting Inhumans and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

Meanwhile, Leo Fitz has been desperately trying to find a way to rescue Jemma Simmons from whatever fate befell her when she was absorbed by the Monolith. He travels to Tangier, Morocco on the trail of a scroll whose origin is linked to the Monolith itself. After dealing with a group of Arab dealers, Fitz is called back to base. Opening the scroll, he finds that it contains but a single word in Hebrew - "Death".

Later, Mack and Daisy have orders to recover Lincoln Campbell, who has since been trying to eke out a civilian life working in a hospital. They go to collect him, but Lincoln has no interest in doing anything with S.H.I.E.L.D., and just wants to be left alone. Suddenly, a monstrous Inhuman invades the hospital and slaughtering staff members in an effort to find other Inhumans. Lincoln and Daisy fight the creature, thus exposing Lincoln's powers to his colleagues. The monster projects energy from its claws to tear a hole through a wall and escapes.

Elsewhere, Jemma Simmons is struggling to survive on an alien planet. Some growling creature pursues her, and she hides behind some rocks.

Notes & Trivia

 * Marvels' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.
 * "AOS: Laws of Nature" serves as a shortcut to this page.


 * This episode is rated TV-PG.


 * This episode is production code number 301.


 * Co-executive producer Monica Breen is credited as Monica Owusu-Breen in this episode.


 * Actor Jude Lanston is credited as Jude B. Lanston in this episode.

Story notes

 * The initial confrontation between Joey Gutierrez and the ACTU takes place in Washington, D.C., as confirmed by the license plate on the car that he melts.


 * Skye begins referring to herself as Daisy Johnson in this episode. Daisy is her birth name given to her by her father, and Johnson is the surname that her father used for a time. Mack always refers to her by her code name, Tremors.


 * Melinda May does not appear in this episode. She is on vacation, which is shown in greater detail in "Purpose in the Machine".


 * Grant Ward does not appear in this episode. He is shown trying to re-establish his own version of Hydra in "Purpose in the Machine".
 * Mack's affinity for an axe began with the season two finale, "S.O.S. (Part 2)", where he used it to fight Gordon and again to save Coulson's life by chopping off his Terrigen-infected hand. The axe can be seen on the wall in Coulson's office.


 * Phil Coulson refers to Melinda May as his "right hand" in this episode, which is a call-back to The Avengers when Nick Fury referred to Coulson as his "one good eye".


 * The Kree monolith has been on Earth for centuries. It was first discovered in the Yucatan. This is where the scroll container was originally discovered as well. Leo Fitz acquires the scroll from Yusef Hadad in Tangier, Morocco.


 * The planet that Jemma Simmons is stuck on is later identified as Maveth. This is also the Hebrew word written upon the scroll that Leo Fitz finds, which means "Death".

Appearances

 * This is the first appearance of the Advanced Threat Containment Unit (ACTU). As such it is also the first appearance of agents who work for it, including: Rosalind Price and Luther Banks.


 * This is the first appearance of Jose "Joey" Gutierrez. He will make recurring appearances throughout the season. He possess the power of Ferromagnetic manipulation.


 * This is the first appearance of Lash in his current for. Lash's human alter ego is another character, who has appeared previously on the show, but whose true identity is not revealed until later.


 * This is the second appearance of President Matthew Ellis, but his first appearance on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series. He previously appeared in the Iron Man 3 feature film in 2013.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Yusef Hadad.

Quotes

 * Leo Fitz: Okay, listen, because I'm only gonna say this once. I've already lost a friend. And it may sound strange, but to get her back I need to understand the properties of an ancient monolith. Now, I've learned it was buried in the Yucatan after being dragged around the Earth for a few hundred years. And originally found where there were artifacts, mostly worthless, except one. A scroll casing over a thousand years old. The casing holds a parchment which reportedly describes exactly what this monolith is, which is I want to know. Now, I tracked this scroll casing - not easy - through history to the Mosul Central Museum in Iraq, where it was taken by your extremist buddies when they ransacked the place this year. And, I'm ninety percent sure it's in this room. So. You can either hand it over in exchange for what's in there, or you can spill my guts in the sand and use the briefcase as a booster seat. Totally your call.

....
 * Phil Coulson: This new aircraft can stay in the air much longer than the old plane. Days, really. So, rapid response anywhere is...
 * Daisy Johnson: You love your new toy, don't you?
 * Phil Coulson: I very much love my new toy.

....
 * Daisy Johnson: We'll hafta to hit this thing with everything we've got.
 * Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie: I need a bigger gun, I guess. Or, my axe. Maybe a shotgun/axe combination of some sort.

....
 * Phil Coulson: Should we scan it? See if the computer can decipher what the...
 * Leo Fitz: It's Hebrew. It's just one word.
 * Phil Coulson: What does it mean?
 * Leo Fitz: Death.

....
 * Phil Coulson: May took off on vacation, and never came back, so I lost my right hand, too.

....
 * Phil Coulson: Mack, you should head downstairs, assist Skye with intake.
 * Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie: Daisy.
 * Phil Coulson: Dammit. Hard for us to get used to, huh?
 * Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie: No. Just you.

....
 * Rosalind Price: The laws of nature have changed. And until the laws of man change to reflect that, we can only do what we feel is right.
 * Phil Coulson: I agree... I think.

....
 * Phil Coulson: Wait. Is this still cagey banter, or are we being honest all of a sudden?