SPOILERS! | 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' S05E06
Welcome back, true believers! With its first instalment for 2018, ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ isn’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
Written by Brent Fletcher, the cast and crew have been hinting at what fans might be able to expect from ‘Fun & Games’ and in true ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ fashion, the episode more than delivered. The show’s very own Clark Gregg also made his directorial debut in this episode, so let's take a closer look!
SPOILER ALERT!
The episode opens with Flint being ominously taken by the Kree, who claim they’ve “been looking for him” and cuts to Tess announcing that the “Blues have come to harvest the children”. This explains why Flint was taken as it was explained in ‘A Life Earned’ that the Kree have been using Inhuman DNA to breed children.
Right where we left off last episode, Enoch and Fitz are undercover at Kasius’ gala. Under an alias, Boshtok the Marauder, Fitz spots Simmons and quickly makes his way over to her before launching into a grand speech about how their love is stronger than any curse. Ever the romantic, he ends his speech with a marriage proposal but as poor Fitz is unaware, Simmons’ has been rendered deaf by Kasius. It’s a heartbreaking and frustrating sequence that reiterates the ‘Fitzsimmons are cursed’ motif that’s been looming over the pair, and avid shippers, from day dot.
To coincide with Kasius’ gala, the annual Kree ‘harvest’ is underway on the lower levels of the Lighthouse. Under the false promise of riches and a better life, all of the eighteen year olds on the ship are forced to go through Terrigenesis. Flint, of course, is the only one to be affected by the Terrigen Mist and as his cocoon starts to form, Yoyo tearfully says that she “can’t watch this” and walks away. As the only other Inhuman on the team besides Daisy, she knows just how terrifying the process itself can be without a pack of “hyenas” watching and as he’s about to emerge from his cocoon, Yoyo uses her speedster powers to whisk him away.
To keep up his alias, Fitz taps into the same darkness we saw him embrace in the Framework as he disdainfully talks about humans and how wretchedly useless they are. Thankfully, Kasius buys the act and the gala’s true events commence. In the underground fighting ring, Ben is pitted against none other than a hobbling-May and with his telepathic powers, he’s able to foresee every single one of her moves. Coupled with her knee injury, it’s not looking too good for May and the pair go back and forth, delivering one blow after another. May is defeated and Fitz cuts in, to save her from a deadly blow, and suggests that the “ancient has been” be taken to the surface and devoured by the roaches instead.
Downstairs, Yoyo is recounting her first experience with her Inhuman powers to help Flint through his own transition. It’s a charming story that injects some much-needed light-heartedness into the episode (side note: there are no tacos in the future) but naturally, Grill overhears the entire story and smugly says that Kasius will be thrilled to hear about another Inhuman living aboard the Lighthouse.
Speaking of Kasius, he sentences Ben to death for helping Daisy and Simmons corroborate their stories in ‘A Life Earned’ and the telepathic Inhuman is killed by Sinara’s flying orbs. How many times is the show going to have Daisy witness the death of someone she cares about and be the ‘cause’ of said death?
We cut back to Grill as he grills (no pun intended) Coulson, Yoyo and Mack about who they really are. Coulson confesses that they’re from the past and here to save the future and for a moment, Grill is stunned…before bursting out in laughter. Stating that only idiots believe in the prophecy, he threatens the four as the rocks around them start to hover off the ground. As Grill starts to make good on his threats, Flint’s unable to control his fledgling powers and he hurls a giant rock towards Grill – killing him. Terrified, Flint wants to flee the scene but Coulson convinces him to stay put with Yoyo as him and Mack go find Tess. Earlier in the episode, Tess went off on her own to organise a trawler run/getaway vehicle for Flint but this is ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and by the time we find her, Tess is hanging from the ceiling with a “bring the inhuman” sign taped to her chest.
Back in Kasius’ quarters, Daisy and Simmons are reunited and it’s a serene and reflective moment amidst the bustle and violence of the episode (and season). The heart-to-heart between the two women reinforces their bond and just how fantastic they are together. It’s a beloved pairing and dynamic that audiences, unfortunately, haven’t been able to see much of in the shows later seasons and despite it being the quietest moment of the episode, there’s no denying that it was the high point. There’s just something about seeing these two women confide in one another and give each other strength before having to face the big bad Lighthouse again. With one last “us against the world”, Daisy and Simmons are forced to go their separate ways again.
As she’s leaving the room, Simmons locks eyes with Fitz once again but the pair are interrupted yet again before they can have their grand reunion. Enoch finds Fitz and says that they have a problem. Someone more feared and wealthier than Boshtok the Marauder has come to purchase the ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ – Kasius’ brother. In a desperate attempt to impress his brother, and gain his father’s approval, Kasius agrees to have Sinara fight Daisy to the death.
The gala’s main event finally commences and it’s the fight we’ve all been waiting for. Daisy always gets the best fight scenes (side note: the one-take fight scene she has in ‘The Dirty Half Dozen’ is still the series’ best action sequence) and her fight with Sinara is no exception, it’s an impressive display of her powers and abilities as a field agent. Despite her Quake powers, the writers of the show have always had Daisy use them as a last resort and it’s a testament to how far she’s come from her ‘hacktivist’ roots in the beginning.
She manages to knock Sinara out and sends a nod towards Fitz and Simmons up on the viewing balcony. Fitz pulls out a gun and Simmons pulls out a knife, slitting Kasius’ throat in the process, and Daisy uses her Quake powers to elevate herself up to the balcony. But before she can deliver a blast, Kasius’ brother turns on her inhibitor and she drops back down to the ground. Fitz and Simmons manage to jump down into the fighting arena and finally get to have their grand reunion. Remember when Fitz proposed to Simmons and she didn’t hear a single word? Great minds do think alike because, after the escape, she proposes to him. Our cursed lovebirds are engaged!
‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ continues to go from strength to strength and creatively, the show is the strongest it’s ever been. So much of this episode felt like a comic book come to life and it’s a testament to Gregg’s directing skills and fanboy-disposition.
While it was another great episode, there were two scenes that were bothersome. Firstly, it’s no secret that the show is now darker than it was in its earlier seasons, but Tess’ death felt lazy. It’s a shame that she was cut out of the show so early on because it felt like she had more to offer than just being the thread that connected the team to Virgil and Flint. Secondly, while it was understandable that they had been waiting all episode, it felt a bit strange that Fitzsimmons just decided to stand there and declare their love for one another while another member of their team, Daisy, was lying unconscious on the floor.
In our review of ‘A Life Spent’, I mentioned that it would be nice to see a mentor-mentee relationship between Flint and Daisy but I’m glad that the storyline has instead been reserved for Yoyo. Natalia Cordova-Buckley is a powerful actress (refer back to 'World’s End' if you need a reminder) and with her promotion to a series regular this season, it’s great to see her get her moment to shine and remind audiences just how compassionate (and fun) Yoyo is.
With May banished to the surface of the Earth, next week’s episode will see the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on a mission to save her from the roaches and escape the Lighthouse.
With every new episode, we’re one week closer to ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ highly-anticipated 100th episode. The cast hinted that a “significant event” would take place during the big episode and fans immediately speculated that it would be a Fitzsimmons proposal. But with Fitzsimmons getting engaged in ‘Fun & Games’, one can only wonder (and madly speculate) just what the episode’s big event really is.
New episodes of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ are updated weekly on Amazon Prime Video.
