Purpose in the Machine

"This Monolith has been studied for centuries. Well, Randolph's actually been on the planet for those centuries. And he's traveled through space in a portal. And he's also an alien, So, he's got a lot going for him."

- Phil Coulson to Bobbi Morse

"Purpose in the Machine" is the second episode of Season Three of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. It was written by DJ Doyle and directed by Kevin Tancharoen. It is the forty-sixth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 6, 2015.

Synopsis
Fitz and the team enlist the aid of an Asgardian to unlock the secrets of the ancient Monolith that swallowed Simmons, and Agent May is at a crossroads in her personal and professional life.

Starring

 * Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson
 * Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May
 * Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
 * Chloe Bennet as Agent Daisy Johnson
 * Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz
 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons
 * Nick Blood as Agent Lance Hunter
 * Adrianne Palicki as Agent Bobbi Morse
 * Henry Simmons as Agent Alphonso Mackenzie
 * Luke Mitchell (credit only)

Guest Starring

 * Peter MacNicol as Professor Elliot Randolph
 * James Hong as William May
 * Alex Hyde-White as Lord Thornally
 * Spencer Treat Clark as Werner von Strucker
 * Blair Underwood as Dr. Andrew Garner
 * Daz Crawford as Kebo

Co-Starring

 * Daniel J. Wolfe as Lord Manzini
 * Piers Stubbs as Younger Lord

Uncredited

 * Darius Cottrell as Moe
 * Mark Casimir Dyniewicz as 1830's Nobleman
 * Ashley Caple as Alexander's Friend on Yacht
 * Riley Go as Young Melinda May
 * Unknown Actor as Carmine

Locations

 * Playground
 * Norway
 * Ibiza, Spain
 * Sun City, Arizona
 * Grant Ward's HYDRA Warehouse
 * West Virginia
 * Culver University
 * Maveth
 * Gloucestershire, England
 * HYDRA Castle
 * Morocco (mentioned)
 * Novi Grad, Sokovia (mentioned)
 * Honolulu, Hawaii (mentioned)
 * Maui, Hawaii (mentioned)
 * France (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Afterlife (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)

Events

 * Rescue of Jemma Simmons
 * Grant Ward's Campaign
 * Kidnapping of Werner von Strucker
 * Battle of Sokovia (mentioned)

Items

 * Phil Coulson's Prosthetic Hand
 * Monolith
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. Lanyard
 * Bifrost Bridge (mentioned)

Vehicles

 * Zephyr One
 * Quinjet
 * Containment Module

Sentient Species

 * Humans
 * Inhumans
 * Asgardians
 * Kree (mentioned)

Organizations

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Caterpillars (mentioned)
 * HYDRA
 * Advanced Threat Containment Unit (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Joey Gutierrez
 * Lian May
 * Lash
 * Jiaying
 * Wolfgang von Strucker

Behind the Scenes

 * Randolph refers to Bobbi as "Amazon woman". Adrianne Palicki, who plays Bobbi had previously played the Amazon warrior Wonder Woman in the pilot for a Wonder Woman TV series which was never made.

Episode Connections

 * Andrew Garner refers to the team Daisy Johnson is trying to build as the "Secret Warriors".

Goofs

 * When May and her dad are sitting on the couch talking, the candles behind them change from lit to unlit, the lit again.