Amazon Prime Video | Breaking down 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' S05E04
In ‘A Life Earned’, ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ goes full dystopian as the team uncover secrets and the truth about life on the Lighthouse.
The calm before the storm, last week’s episode helped put the new world of the ‘Blues’ in context and readied audiences for this week’s instalment of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
‘A Life Earned’ was a welcome return to the driven and thrilling dynamic that fans have come to expect from the show and set the stage for the long-awaited return of a fan favourite (or two).
SPOILER ALERT!
We open with Kasius drawing Daisy’s blood as he disdainfully talks about how those aboard the Lighthouse refuse to worship him but instead, cling onto their Gods and fairy tales. One of these Gods is, of course, ‘Quake’ and the mythos of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been spun into a bedtime story for those who dare to dream (e.g. our dearly departed Virgil).
With Daisy in his custody, Kasius grows increasingly paranoid about the S.H.I.E.L.D. prophecy and, with the reluctant help of the telepathic and lie detecting Inhuman Ben (Myko Olivier), interrogates Daisy and Simmons about the true nature of their journey to the Lighthouse. Determined to keep the rest of the team hidden, Daisy spins a story about their voyage and Simmons corroborates it thanks to Ben’s telepathic powers. Ben later reveals to Daisy that he was able to read Kasius’ mind and saw the Kree overseer’s penultimate plan for the Lighthouse. When the night’s gala is over, Kasius plans to not only leave the space station but erase it, along with everyone on it.
On the other side of the Lighthouse, Grill (Pruitt Taylor Vince) coerces Yo-Yo and Mack into being his new bounty hunters. Their assigned target this week is a man named Gunner, who owes Grill a debt and is expecting a mysterious package. Unbeknownst to the pair, Gunner’s mysterious package is actually a baby and the revelation brings up Mack’s own anguish and grief after losing his own daughter twice.
Elsewhere in the station, May and Coulson have managed to sneak up to the high-security and mysterious Level 35 with the help of Deke. Expecting to find Kree technology and weaponry, they instead find a lab and the package (or baby) meant for Gunner. Deke fills May and Coulson, and audiences, in on the harsh reality of life on the Lighthouse and it’s a conversation that proves ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ has gone full dystopian. Babies are now being used as commodities because, on account of the population being sterilised through the food supply, it’s the only way you can have one – that is, if you’re deemed worthy enough by the Kree.
Speaking of the Kree, the trio are then cornered and May stays behind to slug it out with Sinara (Florence Faivre), only to wind up on the losing side. That’s the last viewers see of May for the rest of the episode and with her fate left up in the air, it seems like our beloved agents are being picked off one by one with each new episode. Was Mack onto something when he referenced the alien genre during the season premiere?
In the final moments of the hour, Kasius’ gala is underway and he welcomes his revered guests with the promise of a grand main event (‘Quake, Destroyer of Worlds’) before asking if there are any requests from the bidders. One masked buyer steps forward, with a voice changer in tow, and suggests that ‘Quake’ fight to the death instead of just exhibiting her powers. Fans, however, would be able to recognise that accent anywhere and upon removing his mask, our suspicions are confirmed and Fitz makes his grand return.
Full of revelations, ‘A Life Earned’ was a punchy bookend to some of the events and questions that were raised in the last few episodes. In the midst of telling Coulson his life story, Deke discloses that the voice of Virgil’s mysterious friend on Earth belongs to his supposed dead father. The revelation brings us a whole new set of questions, the big one being if we’ll ever get to see that long-overdue father and son reunion come to fruition, but knowing Deke and ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, there’s more to the story and it won’t be that easy.
The episode this week also finally addressed Mack’s state of mind after having to go through the trauma of losing his daughter for the second time. While the whole ‘loses his cool and beats up a guy’ approach was slightly lazy, it at least provided a segue and some much-needed insight into Mack’s current emotional state. The heart to heart between Mack and Yo-Yo was a moving scene that reminded audiences that, on top of their apocalyptic space adventure, the agents are still grappling with the very real after-effects of the Framework.
Next week’s episode, ‘Rewind’, will focus on Fitz’s journey to find the team and will also see the much-anticipated return of mercenary-turned-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) and based off the episode’s promo, it’s going to be a riot.
New episodes of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ are updated weekly on Amazon Prime Video.
