The Magical Place

The Magical Place is the eleventh episode of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Synopsis
Coulson uncovers vital information about the mystery of his death, but, with Centipede out for blood, this knowledge may come at the cost of one of  the team!

Plot
Victoria Hand was assigned to lead S.H.I.E.L.D.'s efforts to rescue Phil Coulson while his captors Centipede Project tortured him to learn the secret of his resurrection. Believing Skye to be untrustworthy, and after seeking Melinda May's input, Hand had Skye removed from the Bus. S.H.I.E.L.D. captured Mr. Vanchat, a black market dealer and an associate of Raina's. Ward managed to get Mr. Vanchat to supply S.H.I.E.L.D. with information on her. Skye set out on her own investigation. She impersonated May and coerced Lloyd Rathman, a businessman of questionable dealings, to assist her into hacking into secure files.

Coulson was initially tortured by Edison Po, who told him that the Clairvoyant couldn't glean the information they wanted because the Clairvoyant had been unable to sense Coulson since his resurrection. The Clairvoyant decided that Po's methods were ineffective and killed him, after which Raina took over Coulson's interrogation. She used a scanning device to compel him to remember aspects of his being brought back to life. Coulson experienced flashbacks in which a reluctant Dr. Streiten and others operated on him. During the flashbacks, Coulson's skull cap was removed and his brain was being directly stimulated by a robotic apparatus, while Coulson begged to be allowed to die.

After Coulson's team rescued him, he confronted Streiten, who told Coulson he had been dead for days, not minutes, and was resurrected at the orders of Director Nick Fury. Streiten revealed that after his revival, Coulson had lost the will to live, and that the doctors manipulated Coulson's brain to give him false memories and restore his will to live.

Meanwhile, Mike Peterson was alive, albeit badly burned, missing the lower half of his right leg, and had had an explosive surveillance eye implanted in him by someone working for the Clairvoyant.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
 * Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May
 * Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward
 * Chloe Bennet as Skye
 * Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz
 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons

Guest Stars:
 * Saffron Burrows as Agent Victoria Hand
 * Rob Huebel as Lloyd Rathman
 * J. August Richards as Michael Peterson
 * Ruth Negga as Raina
 * Cullen Douglas as Edison Po
 * Ron Glass as Dr. Streiten
 * Aiden Turner as Vanchat
 * Felisha Terrell as Emily Deville
 * Samantha Cutaran as Karine
 * Imelda Corcoran as Dr. Goodman
 * Darren Dupree Washington as Interrogating Agent
 * David Lim as Waiter
 * Christopher Rocha as Tow Truck Driver
 * Justin Gant as PD Guard #1
 * Wayne Alon Scott as PD Guard #2
 * Matt Mullins as Centipede Soldier 2
 * Adam Lytle as Centipede Soldier 3
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (uncredited stock-footage cameo)

Locations

 * Los Angeles, California
 * Mojave Desert
 * The Guest House
 * Tahiti
 * Bethesda, Maryland
 * Key Largo, Florida (mentioned)
 * Cayman Islands (mentioned)
 * Sydney, Australia (mentioned)
 * Geneva, Switzerland (mentioned)
 * New York City, New York (mentioned)
 * The Fridge (mentioned)
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters (mentioned)

Items

 * Flash Bomb
 * D.W.A.R.F.s
 * Holocom
 * Tracking Bracelet
 * Theta Brain-Wave Frequency Machine
 * Memory Overwriting Machine
 * Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant
 * Night-Night Bracelet
 * Night-Night Pistol (mentioned)

Vehicles

 * The Bus
 * The Cage
 * Lola
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV
 * Lloyd Rathman's

Organizations

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * HYDRA
 * Centipede Project
 * Centipede Soldiers

Mentioned

 * Agent Jasper Sitwell
 * Ace Peterson
 * Robert Coulson
 * The Clairvoyant
 * Director Nick Fury (mentioned & archive footage)
 * Commander Maria Hill
 * Chan Ho Yin
 * Akela Amador
 * Audrey Nathan
 * David Rathman
 * President Matthew Ellis
 * Julie Coulson
 * Doctor Nugent

Trivia

 * The method the Clairvoyant uses to kill Edison Po is similar to the Sonic Taser used by Obadiah Stane in Iron Man.
 * Leo Fitz references the catchphrase "Embrace the Change", used to promote the Secret Invasion event in the comics.
 * Skye being called "Doctor Nugent" by Jemma Simmons when she phoned after being expelled from the team is most likely a reference to Alice Nugent.