Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 just keeps on getting better and better, doesn’t it?
The majority of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 5 felt like the climax of an action film, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very last minute and leaving you craving more.
Tensions rose to an extreme as Sousa was still reeling from being taken out of his time, and the agents were confronted with an old problem that came forty years too early.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the MCU, and it is partly responsible for elevating Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from a semi-interesting show to an outstanding corner of television that only got better with time.
In the film, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and others discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA, which, in turn, affected Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. of course, and Project Insight was at the center of it all.
Sousa: Any idea how HYDRA got Insight so early?
Coulson: Got a feeling it’s the Chronicoms.
Sousa: Are you sure? Or is that just a trout in the milk? Trout in the milk? Is that…mmhm. Must be old-timey speak.
Coulson: We call it circumstantial evidence, so yes. But I like it.
Like the episode based in the ’70s explained, Project Insight neutralized people who were deemed to be potential threats, and it all came from the brains of HYDRA.
But that was not supposed to happen until 2014. Thanks to the Chronicoms, the timeline was pushed way up.
And just like that, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is utilizing the second Captain America movie once again to strengthen their show and build upon its fantastic storytelling.
Project Insight was also a great way to name drop a few noteworthy individuals from the MCU, like Bruce Banner and Nick Fury.
I think I speak for most Marvel fans when I say that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. dropping in easter eggs brings a certain sense of joy and nostalgia to the show that is greatly enjoyed.
The Marvel show has strayed a lot from the films the past couple of seasons, so I welcome the reminder that it is still very much in the universe of the Avengers.
And incorporating Project Insight into the storyline was a genius way to remind us of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s roots.
Even with the destruction of Project Insight, the Chronicoms still pulled out on top.
While the agents have not had a lot of wins so far in their battle against the Chronicoms, the ending of this hour was maybe the hardest blow they have suffered.
Mack gave up their position to the Chronicoms to save his parents, Coulson and May were caught at the Lighthouse, and Daisy and Sousa have been kidnapped by Nathaniel Malick.
Yo-Yo: I was wondering why you brought me here. I’m hardly even fit for recon. What if we run into complications Mack?
Mack: You’re damn fine at what you do, with or without your powers. They don’t define you.
Yo-Yo: Then why do you call me Yo-Yo?
Mack: Because you always bounce back.
Now that they have seemingly hit rock bottom, things can only go up from here, right?
Suffering so many losses is important. With any hero’s journey, they must fall before they can succeed because it raises the stakes. At least, that’s what many screenwriting professors have told me.
There is also reason to worry about Simmons as she is starting to forget. And oh yea, she has some sort of device in the back of her neck.
The story of Simmons, Fitz, and Enoch and how they came to upgrade the Zephyr is one that is still a mystery.
There are many blanks that need to be filled, and the writers sure are taking their sweet time divulging that information to us, aren’t they?
Come with me if you want to continue to exist.
Enoch
Fitz and Simmons’ story has sort of taken a backseat to the other time-traveling stories that have demanded the team’s attention, but now is the time for it to step into the spotlight.
How long did it take them to build the ship? What is in Simmons’ neck? Why has she been acting strange since she showed up with the Zephyr at the end of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 Episode 13? And where is Fitz?
I am not going to lie; I was worried that the final season would not be very good if Fitz were not featured as frequently as normal. Thankfully, I was wrong.
His presence is still felt through Simmons and Deke, and there is still the promise of his return. So, we do not lack entirely in the Fitz department.
You ever see a James Bond movie Mack? An underground base full of men in jumpsuits, always a bad deal.
Yo-Yo
While the return of Fitz coming sooner rather than later would make long-time viewers happy, the show has not suffered because of it.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is as fast-paced and enthralling as ever, even without Leopold Fitz.
With that all being said and with the anticipation we felt waiting for his return, imagine how iconic it is going to be when Fitz finally shows his face again.
As the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were trying to stop HYDRA from killing millions of people, Sousa was struggling to adjust in the 1970s.
Not only was the fashion befuddling to him, but the technology was also a source of confusion to a man out of time. Recent events caught up to Sousa, and he unfairly took all of his anger out on Simmons.
It’s hard to blame him for his outburst when he has, in only a short period, “died” and traveled 20 years into the future. But it still was not right to lash out as he did.
Daisy: What happened to blending in?
Sousa: I just don’t understand the functional appeal of those…elephant pants.
Daisy: You mean the bell-bottoms?
Sousa: Sure. How do people in your time function with all the extra fabric around their feet?
Coulson: I got news for you. This isn’t actually our time period.
Daisy: Well, fortunately there’s unfashionable squares in every decade, so you are set.
Sousa does have Daisy and Coulson to help him adjust to his new circumstances.
Sousa and Daisy are striking up an interesting relationship, which is sure to be explored more now that they have been kidnapped by Nathaniel Malick, who is inspired by Daniel Whitehall’s theory of the transference of enhanced abilities.
Deke has been struggling with defining his moral code since he was ordered by Daisy to kill Freddy Malick on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 2.
Well, his struggles finally came to a head when he decided to shoot Freddy before the launch of Project Insight in 1976.
The question of whether or not it was a good call is up for debate, but no one can doubt that Deke was doing what he thought was right.
Sousa: I was taken out of my life for this!
Deke: Yeah, we all were! We all were.
Deke has grown into a character who is actively trying to be motivated by selfless acts. He truly thought that killing Freddy would help the world, especially since Freddy was supposed to die in 1970.
As seen with his heartwarming scenes with Simmons, Deke is trying to be a better person. But we will have to wait and see if there are consequences for his actions.
What did you think Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fanatics?
Do you sympathize with Sousa? How sad are you that May can’t feel anything for herself?
And how fantastic was that opening sequence?
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.