100th episode | MARVEL'S Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (S05E12)
We made it, True Believers! And ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ went big for its landmark 100th episode.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been with Coulson and Co. for one-hundred hours of television. It seems like just yesterday that the Marvel Television flagship premiered and introduced the world to a cast of unknowns. Five years later, Marvel has turned said cast of unknowns into a very special family of agents.
The titular Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now Marvel legends in their own right and over the last one-hundred episodes, we’ve fallen in love and had our hearts broken by Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz, Simmons, Mack, Yo-Yo, Hunter, Bobbi, Trip, Lincoln – and yes, even Ward. Fans have endured the HYDRA uprising, been stuck at the bottom of the ocean, travelled to a dystopian future, been trapped inside a virtual-reality fascist state, and travelled to distant galaxies in a spy-fi show that has been far bigger than anyone could have ever dreamed.
Sure, the show has had some bumps along the way, but there’s not denying that ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ is now at its strongest – there’s a reason it’s the highest-rated television show in Marvel history. The show gets a lot of undeserved flack for not explicitly tying into the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but truth be told, they never really needed the movie tie-ins and they’re better off without them.
Yes, it was nice to have Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, and Jaimie Alexander reprise their roles from the films but ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ was only really able to shine when it no longer had to worry about its older siblings. As the show’s progressed, ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ has found its voice; and it’s built its own universe of characters and mythology. Unlike in the beginning, fans no longer need a movie tie-in to tune in, they’re just as invested and passionate about the show’s own characters who are now some of the most beloved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Deemed a love letter to the show’s “small but active fan base”, ‘The Real Deal’ was exactly that. It was evident right from the episode’s opening credits when every variation of the show’s logo played and reminded us of the show’s journey thus far. And what a journey it’s been.
SPOILER ALERT!
First things first: the Kree orb explosion from last episode has had some very interesting consequences. In a cold open that calls back to the show’s pilot, Fitz’s D.W.A.R.F.s are scanning the explosion’s aftermath when we see a creepy nun, bloody paw prints, and... Lash?
Turns out, blowing up three monoliths at the same time can create a portal opening to a new dimension. And not just any dimension, either. The rift opens into something Fitz can only describe as a “fear dimension”; and it has the power to reach inside their minds and manifest their deepest fears. Deke and Daisy see this when a Kree warrior from the Lighthouse suddenly appears but upon being shot, he disappears into smoke. One of the stranger effects of the new dimension is that a forest has somehow manifested on one of the base’s lower levels – until Deke mentions that, as someone who grew up in an insulated space station, it’s his idea of hell.
It doesn’t take Fitz long to find a solution and he figures that Deke’s gravity-belt buckle can provide enough force to seal the rift. The only catch is, whoever volunteers to seal the rift could either get sucked into another dimension or killed by the manifestation of their fear. Coulson, of course, volunteers and he finally tells the rest of the team about the deal he made with the Ghost Rider. The Spirit of Vengeance’s price for taking on its power was that it burned through the “alien voodoo” that was keeping Coulson alive. The dead tissue from his chest wound where Loki stabbed him is spreading and at some point, his heart is just going to stop beating.
Understandably, the rest of the team are devastated. Daisy is particularly upset because the team were just in a future where they had the technology to save him, but Coulson says he didn’t want to be greedy. He’s already had a second chance at life and made a difference in a few people’s lives; he’s made his peace with his impending death and is now ready to hand S.H.I.E.L.D. over to her. But as Coulson explains to May, just because he’s accepted his eventual death; it doesn’t mean he’s in any hurry to get there. It’s a touching sequence as Coulson has a moment with two of the most important women in his life and – oh, man – there are tears. Kudos to both Clark Gregg and Chloe Bennet for delivering what has to be the most emotional scene of the season. As Bennet screams “you were what I believed in” and “there’s no S.H.I.E.L.D. without you”, it was bittersweet that the show finally decided to embrace Coulson and Daisy’s unspoken father-daughter bond during such a gut-wrenching sequence.
Coulson suits up and enters the lower levels of the base. But instead of creepy nuns and monsters; he finds himself face to face with Mike Peterson, before his Deathlok modifications (J. August Richards). The fake Peterson tries to convince Coulson that everything that’s happened over the course of the show has all been a delusion as he lies on the operating table – and this is when the nostalgia hits hard. As fake Peterson starts to go through a list of things that Coulson never got a chance to do, there’s flash-cuts to the show’s history: vacation on a white beach with blue water (Project T.A.H.I.T.I.), travel to the stars (the Lighthouse), to own his own plane (The Bus), a car that flies (L.O.L.A.), to have his own team (May, Fitz, Simmons, Mack and Yo-Yo), to have a family (the team), the brilliant students he never got the chance to mentor (Fitz and Simmons), and the daughter he never had (Daisy).
Coulson buys into it for a second before the real Peterson, Deathlok himself, arrives to help out his former boss. Turns out, Coulson secretly sent Deke out to rally the troops earlier in the episode; and in addition to Deathlok, Agent Davis (Max Osinski) also makes his return. With a blast from his cyborg enhancements, Deathlok destroys the manifestation of himself and also takes on Lash, Hive, and the Vrellnexians; while Coulson sets off Fitz’s gravity device, closing the rift – for now. It’s only a band-aid solution so it’ll be interesting to see how the team permanently close the rift and if the dimension comes back into play later on in the season.
But now to the much-hyped event of the 100th episode - a Fitzsimmons wedding! Turns out, Coulson had another mission for Deke this episode – to collect supplies – and it couldn’t have been a better ending to such a momentous episode. The wedding is, of course, cute as all hell and (surprisingly) goes off without a hitch. But this wouldn’t be ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ if there wasn’t some sort of twist; and during the wedding ceremony, Deke reveals that Simmons’ wedding ring is identical to his grandmother’s. So yeah, Deke is their grandson and he’s none the wiser.
All in all, ‘The Real Deal’ was an emotional episode filled with glorious Easter eggs. The return of Mike Peterson/Deathlok and some nice ‘Avengers’ references brought the show full circle in its own special way. Mike Peterson debuted in the pilot episode; and as the show’s first comic-to-screen superhero adaptation, it was only fitting that he returned in the 100th episode to help out the team. Additionally, there wouldn’t even be a ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ if Loki didn’t kill Coulson. And there’s a shot of a pawn shop window, where Deke bought Simmons’ wedding dress, with the following Easter eggs: Iron Man and Hulk masks, a Grumpy Cat mug, an axe, a cello, and Hawkeye and Thor action figures. Deke’s also seen with a red, white and blue popsicle – was that the show paying homage to Coulson’s fanboy crush on Captain America? Fake Peterson also name-dropped Loki and Tony Stark later in the episode. As minor as they were, it was a nice reminder that the shows and movies share continuity with each other without it feeling forced.
The series also took a much-needed break from the General Hale/Destroyer of Worlds arc to allow fans to spend some quality time with Coulson and Co. By containing the episode’s storyline to focus on just the team, it reminded us why the world needs S.H.I.E.L.D. and why the show’s endured.
Jeff Ward continues shines as the team’s new comic relief. While the rest of them deal with their latest troubles; Deke’s figuring out payphones, spraying air freshener on his tongue, and acting like a newborn dork. After seeing his take-no-prisoners attitude on the Lighthouse, there’s something freeing about seeing him down on Earth. From his love of Zima and ice-cream, to his fear of forests and nature – Deke continues to be the most colourful character from the space arc.
New episodes of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ are updated weekly on Amazon Prime Video.
