Sarge: "Some lives have already been taken."
Sarge is right, everyone else is wrong and that's all there is to this episode.
Okay, not really. While most of the things that happened on Earth only served to show that Sarge was right and the agents are bloody stupid sometimes, there was a touching goodbye on Space, as well as a suspicious new character added to the mix.
Two shrikes, one module
Sarge is captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and everyone in the HQ is taken aback by the presence of the man who wears Coulson's face but isn't him. The episode doesn't dedicate enough time to flesh out Daisy's perspective and feelings on this situation; instead, the focus lies on Mack. The current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a little shaken around Sarge and for good reason. Not only that he looks just like the Director Mack succeeded, Sarge is also a team captain and a strong one at that. It's the clash of two leaders and it's clear who is the most experienced one. Mack is not one to die off gently, though, and he tries through different angles to get to Sarge. The problem is that Sarge is ahead of him every single time.
Even though S.H.I.E.L.D.'s approach of not killing people is admirable, sometimes it's, plain and simple, the worst decision ever. May and Yo-Yo saw with their own eyes what happens to those possessed by the Shrike and yet S.H.I.E.L.D. decided that trying to save them was worth the risk. Worse, they put two hosts of the Shrike inside the same containment module and they didn't even take Sarge's magical knives with them in case things went south. Why so dumb, agents?
Fitz and Simmons return to Kitson
I didn't expect Fitz, Simmons and Enoch to land on Kitson again. Last episode, I had the impression that Enoch had an escape route, but it turned out he had none. The teleportation device randomly sent them to Kitson and then it was conveniently stolen before they could set it to Earth. At first, this appeared to be a major stalling maneuver to keep Fitzsimmons away from Earth for another episode. If that had been the case, I would not have complained because that was a fun side-mission. I burst out laughing with the shot of Fitz and Simmons about to be beheaded and Simmons exclaiming that that could not be it. After all their epic adventures, their demise would be a ridiculous death by guillotine? "No one would believe it."
Their salvation came in the form of a woman named Izel, who turned the guillotine game in their favor. She didn't save them randomly, though; she chose them because she wants their help to go to Earth and search for valuable artifacts that were stolen from her. It's not clear if she is talking about the Monoliths, but that seems to be the case. Whatever it is, Izel's interest in Earth can't be for nothing and, just like that, Fitzsimmons' second visit to Kitson was not a throwaway side plot anymore: it could be tied to the season's major arc. Is Izel the monster that Sarge wants to defeat? Some people on the internet pointed out that it seems unlikely that a creature so powerful wouldn't have a ride to Earth, but that seems like the exact type of villain the Whedons would write (think of Buffy's Glory, for instance).
After Fitzsimmons and Izel find a ship to take them to Earth, Enoch decides it's time to say his goodbyes. I didn't see this coming, but it makes perfect sense. Enoch has an incredible sense of duty. His mission with Earth and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has ended. The destruction of the Earth has been averted and now Enoch can focus on his people. It's a logical step taken by our beloved Chronicom, and the fact that he is alive means that they can reintroduce him into the story whenever it makes sense. Goodbye, Enoch, you will be very much missed.
Intel and Assets
- Deke didn't know that Fitz had died and that there was a second Fitz out there. He was understandably upset for being kept out of the loop, but I liked that Mack stated that he was the one who left them.
- Deke spelled out that there is indeed a multiverse.
- Jaco had seven brothers and was the smallest of his family. His must have been a planet of the giants.
- Jaco can breathe fire. That was a cool twist, although another instance of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent being reckless.
- Izel's hair is red, an indication that she could be just a red herring?
- The stuff on Kitson was mostly light and fun, but showing the decapitated head of the alien dude was a dark little moment.
- Enoch's fake laugh cracked me up.
- Ghost Rider, Aida and now the Shrike were powerful enough to break out of the containment module. Am I forgetting anyone else?
Quotes
Mack: "There is only one God."
Sarge: "Oh, I see. This is that kind of planet. One God controlling everything. Benevolent, right? To make you feel all warm inside when times get tough?"
Mack (to Sarge): "Must be strange looking at the real deal when you're just a knockoff."
"Toldja" had its moments, but it could have been better. Two and a half out of four death games.
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Lamounier
[Note: I apologize for the super late review. I will be posting one review a day this week until the season finale.]
In regards to the point about Izel's need for a ship it does seem highly questionable to me that she would be in this position (especially with stuff we find out later in the season because there's some lack of logic and plot holes there). Also the fact that her and FitzSimmons only ended up hooking up because some drunk guy happened to steal their teleport device is some seriously contrived writing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely prefer Daisy's blonde/purple highlight look more now that it's back in her usual style of being evenly parted on both sides. And with the jacket jean combo it looks especially slick.
The Kitson stuff was weird. And they brought in Anthony Michael Hall just for that? Bless his heart, maybe he's having a tough time finding work.
ReplyDeleteI do not like Sarge.