Warning: major spoilers ahead for Episode 20 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, "Farewell, Cruel World!"
The final stretch of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 has stuck our not-so-merry band of agents in a digital framework constructed by the artificial intelligence entity A.I.D.A. The framework version of Fitz turned out to be a very, very bad guy. He's spent the last several episodes hunting the heroes while working very closely with Madame Hydra herself, a.k.a. A.I.D.A. He's done some pretty abominable things, but there was always the hope that he'd be himself again if Jemma could just pull him out of the framework. Well, Jemma (with an assist from Radcliffe) did get him out in "Farewell, Cruel World," but it was quickly clear that the Fitz who made it out was not the same Fitz who went in. The question now is if he can possibly come back from what he's done.
Pulling Fitz out of the framework did fortunately remind him of who he really was prior to being warped by A.I.D.A.; unfortunately, the guilt of what he did as her minion hit Fitz all at once, and he almost immediately started to break down. Even as Coulson tried to assure him that his despicable acts don't really count because they happened in the digital world to digital people, Fitz was remembering how he murdered Agnes and how his instructions led to the death of Director Mace. A.I.D.A. then turned up in her brand new human body and tried to appeal to Fitz, who was at such a low point that he seemed to consider what she offered.
Fitz' lapse blocked May from taking the shot that would have put A.I.D.A. down, and it gave A.I.D.A. enough time to grab him and zap them both away. Now that Fitz is off with A.I.D.A. and in such an emotionally distraught place, he may be vulnerable enough to agree to help her now that she has perfected the art of uploading consciousnesses into real human bodies. He may convince himself that A.I.D.A.'s methods of manufacturing bodies could help him somehow restore Agnes and Mace. Maybe he even sees a way to bring his father back. Fitz was clearly quite confused, and spending time with A.I.D.A. certainly won't help.
Our boy Fitz is obviously a brilliant engineer, but we've seen him make some short-sighted decisions when he's acting on his emotions before, and he didn't really look like he was in a mindset that would allow him to think all of his decisions through by the end of "Farewell, Cruel World." If A.I.D.A. can somehow play on Fitz' guilt, confusion, and exhaustion to get him to help her, the rest of the agents are undoubtedly in for big trouble, especially now that most of them are back in the real world, where consequences (and bystanders) are quite real.
Normally, I'd suggest that Jemma would be able to bring him back to himself, but it's entirely possible that she could make him even worse until he gets himself under control again. His attachment to her got in the way of his recovery after the events of the devastating Season 1 finale, and "Farewell, Cruel World" featured framework Fitz shooting Jemma in the leg and preparing to execute her. He could feel even more guilty when he sees her, and that could set him back even further. The Fitzsimmons love story has taken a big blow in the framework; if both manage to survive the end of Season 4, they're probably in for some suffering together and apart.
We'll have to wait and see. Iain De Caestecker has been phenomenal as Fitz in the framework arc, so we can bet that the final episodes of Season 4 will be an emotional rollercoaster for everybody involved. Tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET to see what's next for Fitz and Co. on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well.
