Agents of SHIELD 7x05

[jedi_of_urth]

Agents of SHIELD 7x05

A little peak behind the curtain here, I usually watch AoS the night it airs and then immediately do the recap, then throughout the week I may expand on a few thoughts or add a section I realize slipped my mind in the immediate aftermath. Sometimes, like last episode, after the first draft I even have a set of thoughts I know need more thoughts so will add them in once thoughts settle and percolate for a bit.

This week is being done under very different circumstances. I started the review on Wednesday night, but didn't get very far and by the time I get back to it a few days later, I need a refresher on what I wanted to address. So I'm pulling out a review style I haven't done in a while and doing the review during a rewatch, Fortunately, I really liked this episode, so it's a good episode to have this happen with.

Although, before I start, I do want to ponder a bit on why I liked this episode so much. I mostly liked the 30s eps and was meh about the 50s; I can't make a final statement about this stop yet as a lot will depend on how things pay off in the next episode. And I actually think that's part of what works about this episode, it's paced like the first half of a two-parter. There's a lot going on, but it's also important in that structure to put in a lot of character material so that those pieces can be used in the following ep. I've felt like so much of this season wasn't bothering with the character pieces, instead just coasting on us already knowing and being attached to them; except Simmons is effectively a different character if just from time and her being the one with knowledge, that's Coulsoid not Coulson (and we didn't have Coulson last season anyway), and May's not exactly herself either, plus Deke tends to change personalities every few episodes, so we needed to spend time with the characters as people rather than just as players in the action. Of course there's plenty of action going on, but it's better for us to feel like we're in this with them rather than just watching them. This episode may not have entirely caught up on that, but it took a good step.

-I feel like for a lot of this episode Coulsoid is a bit more Coulson, or at least Phil-nocchio. Some of that may be that he gets to act off May, and so he loses some of the distance he has from the others since he's usually more of an authority figure. I also think Sousa is part of it, there may not be the familiarity there is with May, but even separated by several decades, they're more alike than they are different. And since it does lack the familiarity, Coulsoid isn't expected to be anything, he just gets to be whoever he is now, which is mostly Coulson.

-You know, I always loved Daniel, but right now he's a man after my own heart, trying to figure out how this time travel stuff can work and if it's a loop or divergent timelines. There are a lot of points in this episode where I love that they added Daniel to the team, because having him as an outsider brings a lot to this. The main team have been through so much together and are family at this point, so they take a lot of faith and trust that Daniel doesn't have, so he can point out how poorly explained or through through this is.

I also wonder how much he's worked out/been told about the team dynamics. Clearly he doesn't know when they come from, so they probably haven't told him much, and I doubt he knows Deke is Simmons' grandson, but what's he guessing about the Coulsoid (probably doesn't know Coulson's an android either), May and Daisy, especially when Daisy calls him dad?

-So in all the setup for this time trek they're on, FitzSimmons decided not to throw in some outfits for each decade they might go to (and they would obviously be able to fit Coulsoid since they made his body), but they did pack a fully coordinated track suit for Deke, including the shoes?

Also, after my comment last week, I'm really glad we got a scene with Simmons and Deke this time that really reflected their relationship instead of focusing on some plot detail. And it lead to a revealed plot point...or at least part of one. I've decided that if Jemma is also an LMD she'll be SIMmons, but I'm not sure yet that that's exactly what she is; but the neck light does evoke thoughts of cylons. For now I'm thinking some kind augmentation; but with my track record I'm probably wrong. I'm also not sure how to read her during a lot of the scene, because I thought she had some kind of reaction to Deke bringing up his mom but I'm not sure what it was. It might have been foreshadowing that there aren't going to be any FitzSimmons babies, or it might indicate that they had a kid during their time gap, I'm not sure yet.

-I think the return to the Lighthouse would have been more powerful if it had been more than a week since the team left it (also I could have sworn s5 said the Lighthouse was established later than this). Or maybe it's that I still don't really like the set so I don't get a coming home vibe from it. I can imagine that if they'd gone to the Playground I would have been a lot more emotional about it; or maybe if we were with Simmons and it was coming back after being away for a long time and last she'd seen it there were dead bodies everywhere after the Chronicoms invaded.

And yeah, the scene between Mack and Yoyo is cute, and I appreciate that it continues Yoyo's feelings of loss while her powers aren't working.

-May's 'contact high' is somewhat amusing, but also worrying (May has never been portrayed as a lightweight, so getting pretty drunk off other people is disturbing). Plus, given some of my thoughts regarding Simmons, I think it puts someone messing with May's own emotions back on the table. It actually brings a couple other things back on the table too, but we'll get to it.

-Did SHIELD start using the Swordfish bar because of Malick or is that just coincidence, especially since Koenig knew Freddie ran off with the bad guys back in 31? I'm willing to buy Koenig got out of the bar business either when it didn't have be a speakeasy or around WW2 so he wouldn't have been the one to see Freddie Malick stopping in with SHIELD from time to time; but the questions remain. Also, I can't help but feel some part of the Koenig line is going to play a role in solving this down the road; maybe Sam and Billy (maybe even LT) are with Fitz.

-Bringing in Project Insight does put up some serious stakes since we already know the power of what it does. Although I'm not quite sure 70s computers could run it, at least not very quickly; they are being helped by Chronicoms, so I'll let it slide for now. Also there's a decent chance this is going to prompt another Steve rant at some point, you've been warned.

-Having May come on to Stoner as a means of getting information makes me really uncomfortable. We've rarely seen her flirt as an investigation tactic, but I don't think that's my hangup exactly. I think it's tied to her state of mind currently; whether or not I think this is something she might do under normal circumstances (and while we've only seen it happen occasionally she clearly can), right now she's both emotionally not there and able to use secret means of analysis. Also Stoner seems a little poorly written; the use of the word privilege is too modern, and they also imply that he's attended a number of workplace conduct seminars and is just parroting back what he knows he should say which would suggest he messes up somewhat regularly.

-First time through I missed Daisy saying that Nathaniel was supposed to die in 1970, which makes sense with Freddie's expected death and corrects one problem I was having since I did remember the Malick brothers being younger in their earlier appearance but Nate was supposed to have gone off to be Hive on Planet Day for Night at the time. One can therefore assume that someone else went through the monolith at that time because Freddie still had the get out of going stone.

-If I had written this in the immediate aftermath of first watch you would have gotten me while I was puzzling through how Freddie recognized Coulsoid but hadn't known Deke back in the 50s. And think I can allow it on a few criteria, Freddie did still spend a fair amount of time with Coulsoid, the Chronicoms had probably pointed him out and reminded him why he should know that guy from the 30s, and having already run into Deke he knew it could happen. Still, Coulsoid probably should have had a fake name ready, but apparently only May can come up with those.

-On one hand I find Daniel's 'SHIELD takes hostages now' comment a bit off as I'm fairly sure it happened in Agent Carter a time or two. But mostly I find it a fascinating comment, because it shows how different his life was before joining this team. Not because in his time SHIELD didn't take hostages exactly, but because they were a legit if super secret agency and he's been thrust into a SHIELD cell that's had to operate like terrorists a lot over the last few years and now are ghosts in time where backup truly isn't coming and they only get one shot (probably, we'll get to it) at fixing this.

-There are few plot holes here I feel the need to point out. One I noted last episode, that in the 1930s adventure they only got a jump window warning with 15 minutes to go, but now they seem to just know how long they have in a given time (which does make them not telling Enoch to meet up with them a little better since they actually knew he wouldn't have time instead of guessing). Also, these Chronicoms didn't disintegrate when they were defeated, what's up with that? Then, why was Yoyo the only one making an effort to get off the plane before the jump, and how did Coulsoid get to the bay right after her?

-The scene with Sousa and Deke is really well handles. You can tell that Daniel's frustration has been building all episode, the team keeps trying to put positive spins on things, but all he can see is how wrong this mission seems to be going. He's willing to work with these people, but he doesn't know them and it's just one new thing after another with them that he's trying to roll with the punches but it's getting to be too much. Plus, Peggy's in danger and that's definitely not helping his state of mind.

And I'm a lot on Daniel's side, I'm suspicious of this plan (especially since the scene had just gotten done reminding us that there's something going on with Simmons), these people have a lot of secrets that he's not in on and damn it I want to know how time travel works just as much. That doesn't mean it's not cute to have Deke defending his grandma or that he doesn't have a point that they're all in the same boat (Deke really especially, he's lost his home time and now is cut off from his adopted time). None of them got a say in ending up here, they just have to figure out how to deal with it.

-It's really not fair of Coulsoid to talk about feelings with May right now. She really can't tell him if things between them can be like they were, because she's so cut off from all her feelings right now (not that I think this story really knows how to portray her as emotionless). He clearly wants her to say that she accepts him as her Phil, even if it's the old version where they're partners instead of in love (although really, how much of their history together doesn't have them at least partly in love?), but now is not a good time for this discussion.

-A. Why isn't the quinjet cloaked as they fly up to Malick's place? B. Who's flying? May is literally the only one we know is a pilot, I'll accept Mack, Enoch probably has the ability somewhere in his software, Simmons might have had time. But we're dealing with Yoyo and Deke; they did establish last season that piloting is largely automatic and Deke has some simulator knowledge, so I guess it's him?

-The handling of Deke shooting Malick isn't well handled in my book. He was reluctant but willing in the 30s, then he gave Daisy a speech about not expecting him to be a killer. So while I can see where the choice would come from, now that he sees who Freddie became, that Deke would make that choice needed more done with it. Also, Yoyo's reaction doesn't seem right; it's not as if she hasn't made that kind of call before so her being a bit judgy feels wrong.

-This has bugged me for years, but the landing bay at the Lighthouse is ridiculous. It cannot be just an opening in the lake or where does the water go? If there's some kind of retaining wall around the top that a certain amount of water fills to keep it hidden and then it can be cycled through the base's systems, it cannot be a continuous flow down into the hole.

-Then there's something that's bugged me all episode (probably a bit in previous ones but it became an issue here), why aren't they using ICERs? Not polluting the timeline only works to some extent, If Mack wanted Malick brought in, they should have had ICERs instead of bullet guns, then Deke wouldn't have killed Freddie. If Coulsoid and May had them, they might have shot their way out. I don't know that it would have helped Daisy and Daniel, the problem was not paying enough attention and joking around wasting time, but they probably still should have had them.

-Then we come to the Chronicoms' plan. First off, I was convinced watching it that the Chronicoms had picked up little Coulson and May, and quite frankly I still think that might be true (and if it's not I might still write fic about it) because there's a lot they could do with that. But also, didn't the team's plan imply that there would be time to evacuate the base before it flooded? Now, I can still get Mack not being willing to take the risk, the Chronicoms might well have someone standing by to shoot them if the plan didn't work, or have rigged it so they won't be able to escape. But them drowning wouldn't be guaranteed either, since May and Coulsoid are already there and could likely rescue them.

Also, in the moment I felt like Coulsoid should have used that android strength of his and been able to, say, jump on the rocket and punch it off course. Again, understandable that he wouldn't risk May by creating a fire fight that didn't need to happen, but these are pretty high stakes they're playing with. And does he still have the shield arm? It's not like it isn't still mechanical.

-I'm less interested in what's going to happen to the plane crew than I am where Daisy and Daniel are headed in terms of the main cliffhangers. But I still expect to be most invested in whatever is next for Coulsoid and May being captured, though Daniel may give them a run for their money, especially if Peggy is part of things.

Speaking of, how is all of this happening on Peggy's watch? She's still head of SHIELD at this point, and will be for quite a while longer, with no mention that that isn't the case in this timeline. Seems weird enough that they could get a kill list containing several children past Stoner, but Peggy? What does she even know about what's going on here? I thought for a while that Stoner might have gotten caught in Hydra's web by the time we come to the 76 scenes (started off good and well intentioned, it just didn't last) but that didn't get revealed when May scanned him), which could explain how this was kept so far off the books, but it's still just a guess so far.


It didn't really come up on second watch, but on first watch I was having some thoughts on where the show might be going with Daisy and Daniel. Those feelings were slightly confused as it seemed to be leaning shippy, and I didn't hate the idea. They were acting off each other well in this ep (Enver Gjokaj is just a fantastic actor though, might actually be too good for this show) and their scenes and banter were actually kind of fun; but my Daniel/Peggy loyalty doesn't exactly like it either, and I don't think I'll buy the show trying to make them a romance on the time scale we're working with on the show this season (especially taking Peggy into the equation; and Agent Carter is almost a higher degree of canon than AoS since the movies did give Jarvis a cameo...in the same movie they disregarded the point of the series that Peggy is fine and dandy without Steve, but it did allow that one element that started on the show to bleed back to movie level canon. Look, there's a reason why even though I liked most of Endgame I walked out angry until I reminded myself that on later viewings I'd just stop it after the funeral. My short form review of Endgame has always been: fuck you, Steve Rogers).

...where was I? My burning hatred of Cap after Endgame (and that we're clearly supposed to be happy with it) tends to distract me.

Moving back to Simmons, I have a few new theories. Firstly, knowing there's intent for us to see something big is up with her brings back those plotholes from last season I've mentioned repeatedly. I've pondered since the extra people disappeared between seasons whether it's possible those were more robots, now I'm almost wondering if they were other versions of FitzSimmons from different time loops. That seems less likely, but when dealing with time travel my mind loves to do some wild theories. At some point I did come to an answer to my statement of why they needed a chunk of the monolith when the Zephyr already had time travel, that what they took was put into the then-present Zephyr so that in the future it could become the upgraded version they're using this season. And maybe that was where the other people went after getting the team back to the cool plane, but I really want a canon answer more than I want to keep doing wild time travel theories to cover what look like plotholes. But multiple time loops would explain why Simmons was so confident that May would be okay.

I kind of want to do a ramble on why I still kind of expect there to be mini-Coulson and May hostages, partly because I kind of think mini-May might help big-May regain some of her own feelings (and I still don't like that plot decision, I swear this had better be worth it in the end) and partly just because I would love to see what big-May and Coulson would tell the mini versions about the other kid they were captured with. But while I think it deserves more that that quick bit, I don't feel enough drive to do it.

No change on Coulson Swap Watch; just that this episode treated him more like Coulson and I'm not sure how to count that.