REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S5E19 – Option Two

I think this may be the biggest twist that I have not really seen coming at all, in the entire history of this show.

So these guys were sort of like a mixture between Reavers and vampires. Very Whedonesque, at any rate.

Having just watched Avengers: Infinity War a few days ago, I wasn’t sure how much intensity and tragedy I could stand in this episode. So I guess I’m glad there wasn’t any terrible tragedy. Of course I feel bad for the nameless SHIELD agents who were killed by the very creepy scavenger claw guys, but when everyone was pinned down in various parts of the Lighthouse, it did kind of look like there might be some casualties among the main cast. (And BTW, showrunners and writers, here’s yet another plea from me: don’t kill off Coulson! Please don’t kill him off. He’s the best. Even if he does fail to listen through the whole menu of options when he really should have.)

Also, I’m now even more curious/dreading how Daisy and May’s efforts to save Coulson could really lead to our team “losing” the fight to save the world. I fully believe it’s a terrible idea to use that tech from Garrett – and that’s not even mentioning the blood or whatever from Daisy’s dead mom(!!). But how will it actually lead to the end of the world being inevitable? Was Future!Elena correct about that?

Speaking of Elena, I hate to see her and Mack on the outs. I agree with Mack (and Daisy) that Yo-Yo shouldn’t have killed Ruby out of a need for vengeance. On the other hand (sorry, Elena – not meant to be a joke), Ruby did need to be stopped. Perhaps an Icer and then some time in one of those SHIELD-issue, power-proof box thingies would have done the trick.

Deke’s relationship with the team continues to be interesting. Nice to see Fitz have something (almost) positive to say about him this episode. Heh. And of course Deke would do anything he can to keep his grandparents safe. Sure, he’s all about self-preservation, but it’s good that he’s also still learning and trying to be a useful part of the team. Loved his line in response to being called “the canary in the coal mine”. Also did we all notice that he still has some of the gravitonium in that little case thingy, that was supposed to be used to power the Zephyr in space? I imagine particular Chekov’s gun will come into play next week … maybe to stop General Talbot, the Destroyer of Worlds.

I mean, I feel for the guy. Imagine escaping the future Lighthouse only to be stuck in this situation. Plus he’s got an unstable element strapped to his back, and only one good arm.

Which, on that topic, did any of you all predict that before this episode? Because I sure didn’t. Wow. What an amazing, wide-ranging role for Adrian Pasdar this character has turned out to be. I hope he’s having a blast! I also am highly intrigued to see how the gravitonium will change a man so driven by duty and “fixing things” as Talbot. The fact that he was already broken by Hale’s torture will no doubt have an effect on how he deals with the two voices that will be fighting in his head now, too.

Next week: a confrontation between Talbot and the Confederacy alien – with Coulson there. That should be a sight to see.