Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Out of the Past

Mack: "Let's make some waves."

This season knows what it wants to do. The episodes have been produced with care and attention to detail, and this episode was the best example of that so far. But where are we heading?

"Out of the Past" aimed for noir, and it totally delivered on that front. It was a blast to watch from that perspective, but I have to be honest that, while the gimmick was very well done, the episode just didn't have much else going for it. Sousa is now part of the team (yay!) and that is all. I love that the writers took their time to come up with a plausible reason for Sousa to join the team, but something was missing for me. Not that this was a bad episode, but what it had in style, it lacked in substance. It was still very fun to watch, though, I surely can't complain about that.

We did find out what is going on with May. For a moment, I thought "Oh, she is bipolar now," but that is not it at all: she has become an empath, she feels whatever someone she touches is feeling. What a curious turn for May, who started this series emotionally closed off. I'm still not sure how this fits her character arc, but I'm interested in finding out. When she touched ChroniCoulson, she felt nothing, a good reminder that, no matter how good a copy the LMD is, the real Coulson is dead.

In the field, Yo-Yo and Deke went out as a duo, which I believe was a first for them. They had a valid discussion about not keeping the timeline intact. So far, I was in very much agreement with Mack that they should stick to the mission and preserve the timeline... but after Yo-Yo and Deke shared their thoughts, I started to wonder. Deke himself is from a future that was undone (or is part of timeline they left behind), so why shouldn't they shake things up now? Why was the mission in season five to change the future, and why is the mission now to guarantee it stays the same, bad parts of history included? Sure, they don't know what they'll come back to if they create waves, but they also don't know if the changes they made in season five created a better future. Maybe the entire universe will be destroyed, instead of just the Earth. Who knows? If you don't know, why not risk it? I'm looking forward to what Deke and Yo-Yo will do next, because jumping from time to time has been fun, but it will get old quickly if there are not bigger consequences in store.

It does seem, however, that some changes are on the menu, since that Chronicom guy (do we know his name?) stayed behind to pull some strings. Maybe Coulson should have stayed behind with Enoch too, to prevent the Chronicoms from doing whatever it is they plan to.

Intel and Assets

- We got another title card.

- Poor, poor Enoch. How dare the agents just leave him like that in the past to wait another how many years for them to come back? Bad team, no biscuit.

- The Chronis knew that Coulson would be on the train and that his package was fake. How?

- Other than to give us a familiar villain face, why would the Chronicom still be wearing the face of that man from the '30s?

- The scientist whose face was taken by a Chronicom was supposed to deliver a gadget to Sousa, who would deliver it to Howard Stark.

- I missed Fitz in this one. It just looked like the perfect episode for him.

- Simmons looked adorable. Also, the fact that May was able to feel her feelings, but not Coulson's, confirms that Simmons is herself, and not an LMD.

- Fun behind of scenes story: Chloe Bennet and Elizabeth Henstridge were excited about shooting in the Roosevelt Hotel. They thought it would be a glamorous night of shooting, with fancy costumes and all... only to find out they would dress as morticians. (:

Quotes

Enoch: "You are a paying customer. I am a bartender. It is your right to share and have me listen to your personal tale of misery."

Deke: "We were just in the '30s and they were really stylish, but it was... so sexist and racist. But the '50s, though, are still pretty sexist and racist."

Yo-Yo: "We're the Agents of Status Quo."

Coulson: "If you escalate, we will escalate."

Sousa: "A lovely lady like you would light up the silver screen, no doubt."
Lady: "You think so?"
Sousa: "I do. Just one little piece of advice."
Lady: "Yes..."
Sousa: "You need to work on your acting."

Deke (re: Hydra guy): "It seems like your man here screwed up pretty bad, which is surprising considering the square jaws, broad shoulders, lack of any... smile, you wouldn't think he'd be so incompetent."

Mack: "It's easier to let a bad man live than to let a good man die."
Coulson: "That's catchy, and I wish I had said it."

Deke: "Kept my looks. I go hard on the vegetables."

Another good one. Three out of four gadgets.
--
Lamounier

Note: I'm very sorry for the lateness of this review. I haven't been able to watch the show on a regular basis. I'll try my best to catch up, though.

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