It seemed unlikely that Mace would be the only casualty of the Framework, but while Tuesday's loss isn't a mortal one, it hurts almost more. Mack opts to stay in the Framework on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be with his daughter, Hope. Will he ever return? There has to be a way to bring Hope to the real world, and I don't just mean that metaphorically.
Sure, Mack is opting to live in an oppressive Hydra regime, but he is in the resistance now. That should make life more bearable. He also gets to hang with Tripp, and the good version of Ward! The three of them will make an excellent mini team. Maybe they'll even run into the Framework version of Bobbi and Hunter. That'd be fun. Of all the team members and their various Framework "fixes," it does make sense that Mack would be the one who chose it over the real world. He's not a killer, or stuck in a boring job. He's just a happy father. To him, someone's life is in the balance. The Framework is real to him, and Hope is more important than anything else. Even if she's just a bit of code, this choice makes sense.
I don't think this is the last we will ever see of Mack. We haven't seen the last of Aida's 3D people printer of Mack's shotgun ax, mark my words. Also, Yo-Yo is waiting for him in the real world. That relationship has to count for something. Daisy has to break the news that Mack isn't right behind her to Elena, and it is very upsetting.
Hopefully the team will figure out a way to reconcile the two worlds, or be able to bring Hope (and Tripp and Ward) back to the real world. That, or the Framework will be destroyed, and Mack will have to deal with that loss all over again. This arc has already begun to lay a heavy emotional toll on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team, and while I'm hoping that Mack's choice will lead to a win, it might be wise to prepare for the worst.
