'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: Fight the Future
Warning: This recap for the “Spacetime” episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. contains spoilers.
The show is picking up steam as we head into the last few episodes of the season. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. knows that Ward’s back, it’s a race to figure out what he is while he puts his plans to consume the world into motion. We also delve back into the weirdness of precognition and manage to bring a little science to the mysteries of psychic powers.
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The Plot
An Inhuman with the power to grant others visions of the future (usually their death) draws the attention of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. Daisy gets a vision as Hydra kidnaps Charles (Bjorn Johnson) and is determined to change her destiny. Hydra takes over a cybernetics corporation and Coulson tries to send May on the mission instead of Daisy, but Andrew returns and May must stay behind to say goodbye. Daisy is forced to go in and faces off with Gideon in an exo-suit. She stops Gideon, but not before he kills Charles. Daisy promises to look after his daughter.
On the Nature of Love
Is this the last time we’ll see Blair Underwood as Andrew? We’ll certainly be seeing Lash again, but has May’s husband finally been consumed by his Inhuman side? If so, this was a heartbreaking send-off. Despite all the awfulness, he says, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” His time with May means so much for him that he wouldn’t give it up even as his life is ending. It’s definitely not the right call, but it’s certainly the most romantic one and one that makes May’s life that much harder.
On the Nature of Temporal Mechanics
According to the excellent primer on the nature of time given by Fitz, it seems that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, time is not immutable. Unlike, say, DC’s The Flash, where time travelers spawn new timelines by their actions, here, looks at the future remain unchanged. They can certainly be misinterpreted — it was ash not snow, Coulson’s gun pointed at Daisy, but he was aiming behind her — but if we see a thing, it’ll come true. While precognition isn’t uncommon in the MCU, we probably won’t see much actual time travel anytime soon — most of Marvel’s time-travelers are mutants, which are all currently owned by Fox.
On the Nature of Power
It almost felt like the end of The Wizard of Oz. Ward asks Gideon what he wants and he says power and Ward all but says, “But you’ve had power all along! Just click your heels…” Ward is right to prod: Gideon already has everything he wants. He’s become fantastically wealthy and powerful by going through the motions of bringing this demon back, but now that he’s here? He’s like the dog who chases cars and finally catches one. Will he be on the side of Team S.H.I.E.L.D. before this is all over?
On the Nature of Action
It’s hard to keep the actions sequences interesting by the third season of a show. We’ve seen all the fights and there are only so many new ideas you can introduce. The last truly thrilling action scene on Agents was the first time we saw Giyera face off with Bobbi and her new boomerang nightsticks. This time, rather than add new toys, the show opts for showing us the ultimate fight replay: A pre-play. Daisy runs through the scene over and over with May and the team as stand-ins, then we get to see the actual fight later in the episode. It’s a brilliant way to freshen up the same old punchy-kicky.
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Inside Mathematics Moment
Fitz’s explanation of time — where we perceive time like a flat person sees a line on a cube — owes a lot to Edwin Abbott’s Flatland, a mathematical parable about dimensions. Edwin Abbott is also the name of the shop owner (Wolfgang Bodison) who places the phone call asking for Daisy.
S.H.I.E.L.D.ed Thoughts
* Do you think the reason Lash was created was to do away with Demon Ward? Andrew’s final transition is suspiciously timed close to Ward coming into his full powers.
* Aw, he called her Skye instead of Daisy. Whenever Coulson does that, it feels like the show becomes one of those affable old black and white sitcoms — Leave It to Beaver or The Andy Griffith Show — for just a minute and we see a dad’s love for his daughter.
Related: ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’: Clark Gregg Talks Hydra and #Coulsalind
* Line of the Night: “I never saw the original Terminator.” “You’re off the team.” Nobody does deadpan snark with a dash of humanity like Clark Gregg.
* Move of the Night: “I think we’re supposed to hold hands now.” A quiet FitzSimmons moment in the midst of chaos. Beautiful.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
