To kill or not to kill the father of the future leader of HYDRA before he creates the aforementioned leader, that is the question.
The team was split on whether or not to get rid of Freddy Malick as to prevent HYDRA, and therefore S.H.I.E.L.D., from being formed on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 2.
Both sides of the argument made valid points, but we have all consumed enough media to know that messing with the past can lead to dire consequences. Thankfully, they managed to escape 1931 partly unscathed.
I say partly because they managed to leave Enoch behind in 1931 while the rest of the team jetted off to another time period.
The consequences of this action are unknown, but given the lax nature of the last scene between Enoch and Ernest Koenig in the speakeasy, it might be safe to say that the timeline is safe, for now.
Enoch, this looks like the start of a marvelous friendship.
Ernest
Of course, they are going to have to get Enoch back somehow because they are not heartless enough to forget about him.
Since he is a Chronicom and a true survivor, odds are that they find him wherever, or whenever, they go next. Enoch will just have to wait for however many years it is between 1931 and their next destination.
All of this is just speculation, but we have come to know and love Enoch — and his friendship with Fitz — so it would be awful to lose him this easily.
Or maybe the next time we’ll see him, he will be with Fitz.
Oh Fitz, where are you? It does not feel like a final season without him because he has been an integral part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1.
His presence has been felt through the time jumps, as he is the one controlling them, but it would be much preferred if he reunited with the team sooner rather than later.
I have a feeling I might be writing about how much Fitz is missed a lot though as the episodes continue.
Daisy, Yo-Yo, and Deke were all for killing Freddy, while Coulson, Simmons, and Mack were against it.
It is tempting to know that you can erase so many of the world’s problems by eliminating the threat that would go on to cause them, but there is no telling what other issues may arise as a result.
Plus, the domino effect that would occur would also include Steve Rogers never becoming Captain America, and for that reason alone, Coulson, Simmons, and Mack were right for wanting to save Freddy.
Simmons: The compound is part of a formula that first appeared in Germany during World War II.
Ernest: During World War II? I think you’re half-cocked on the moonshine.
Simmons: It was synthesized by a German scientist named Abraham Erskine.
Coulson: I don’t like where this is going.
Simmons: And first used by a man named Johann Schmidt.
Daisy: The Red Skull.
Simmons: Freddy Malick is about to deliver the key ingredient used to create the Super Soldier serum.
Ernest: You give a name like that to your juice, it better have a hell of a kick.
Coulson: You have no idea.
The world is not perfect and it never will be. There will always be villains who threaten peace and stability, and with keeping Freddy alive, they knew the threat the world would face. By killing him, they had no idea what would become of it.
Daisy, however, ordered Deke to kill Freddy anyway, reminding us of who she was when she went by Skye.
Daisy has gone through many transformations during her time on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., usually marked by a different hairstyle.
Based on the last couple of episodes on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, Daisy seems to be taking on some of the traits from her past self.
Freddy: Faster! They’re gaining on us!
Mack: This boat won’t go any faster!
Freddy: You gotta give them the slip!
Deke: Yeah, and we gotta lose them too.
She has always been quick to jump the gun, but her stubbornness and drive to be right resurfaced when she argued that they should get rid of Freddy.
It’s hard to blame her though when she has been put through so much at the hands of HYDRA.
Mack was there to prevent Deke, who was a little too onboard with Daisy’s plan (is the show ever going to go there with Daisy and Deke?), from killing Freddy, but I am sure that this is not the last time we see Daisy argue for the team to change the past.
While the team was trying to get to Mack, Deke, and Freddy, May was trying to do the same, but Enoch, the good Chronicom he is, got in her way.
We all know that May is unbelievably strong, but anyone who dies and then comes back to life usually has to rest for a few days before they engage in an intense fighting sequence.
May is definitely not acting like her normal self, but at least she knows who the good guys are as we were worried that she turned bad after seeing the last scene of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 1.
And even though everyone knew something was off about her, they all, the audience included, expected for May to have an extreme reaction to seeing Coulson as an LMD.
May: You’re not Sarge.
Coulson: No, I’m not.
May: You’re not Coulson either.
Coulson: Well, yes and no. Aren’t you at all surprised? I mean, I was dead.
May: You still are.
But she continued to surprise us and was indifferent to the situation. She was not mad, happy, or sad, and her face held no expression. And just like that, she is also reminiscent of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 version of herself.
If this is the end of HYDRA’s presence on the final season, might we see the team encounter more previous villains as the episodes go on?
Since the writers knew this would be the show’s swan song, they are bound to play their greatest hits as a treat to the fans.
And that is why most — I won’t commit to saying all — final seasons of television shows that are made aware of their fate before making the last episodes are some of that show’s best.
I’m a doctor, not a dame.
Simmons
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is committed to leaving their fans with great memories and storylines that will forever be epic. They have started strong with the throwback to HYDRA, and I cannot wait to see where they go next.
If only that included Fitz as well.
What did you think Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fanatics?
Was it the right call to save Freddy? What is wrong with May? And where in time do you think the agents will end up next?
Let me know in the comments and do not forget that you can watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. online right here via TV Fanatic!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
Sarah Little is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.