Insert episode reference here
(This review contains
spoilers!)
Um.
You know, I love Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s one of the best things currently on TV
as far as I’m concerned (not that I watch that much TV but still). But sometimes
it feels less like a show and more like my weekly kick to the balls. I don’t
know what it is, but every season the writers figure out a new way to just make
everything as horrible as possible for the characters, and conversely for the
audience.
The pain train was back in action
again this week as we creep ever closer to the season finale, with this episode
being quite possibly the hardest thing to watch since Ward killed Rosalind back
in Season 3. Daisy’s located the exit to the framework, and all that’s left to
do is gather up everybody and take them through the exit.
But of course, things don’t go
according to plan. Simmons runs off on a solo mission to try and convince Fitz
that he’s a better person in the real world. How does she do this? Why, by
confronting his father, of course! Their discussion unsurprisingly doesn’t go
well, leaving Simmons with no choice but to kill him. Fitz is none too happy
about this, leading him on a mindless pursuit to finish her off once and for
all.
Just a little side-note, is it too
much to ask for Fitz and Simmons to just be happy for once? At this point I’d
probably give a 10/10 to an episode that’s just them buying an apartment and
making sandwiches or something. These two have been put through the wringer
over the last four years, and while it makes for amazing TV, at this point I
think the ultimate twist the writers could pull is having nothing bad happen to
them for a week.
Speaking of twists, this episode’s
lengthy third act was filled to the brim with them. Upon finding the exit,
Daisy discovers she needs to hold it open with her Quake powers in order for
everyone to exit. Coulson and May leave with few problems (although Coulson
makes a fun reference to his role in Avengers
after being shot), but things start to get messy once Fitz and Radcliffe arrive
on the scene. Simmons finally gets to confront her kinda-sorta-ex-boyfriend (I
don’t think there’s a word for the situation they’re in), but it quickly
becomes apparent that Framework Fitz won’t change regardless of what anyone
tells him. The good news is that Radcliffe came with him, and he forcefully
shoves Fitz into the portal, with Simmons following close behind.
I love how Radcliffe went from an
entertaining comic relief at the end of Season 3 to such a major player in Season
4. His entire anti-hero storyline has been brilliant to watch, and that his
relationship with Fitz is what solved the Framework Fitz problem in the end is
an incredibly satisfying way to wrap up his storyline. Considering we still
have two episodes to go I’m guessing we’re not finished with him yet, but at
this point I feel that his story could end here and I’d be wholly pleased with
it.
Simmons follows Fitz shortly after,
leaving just Daisy and Mack behind. But of course things continue to go wrong.
Mack decides he’d rather live in a HYDRA-ruled virtual reality than a real one
where he doesn’t have his daughter. While she tries to convince him, he actually
stays behind. Again, we have two episodes left (and Mack is in the preview for
next week) so I don’t think he’s staying in the Framework for long, but knowing
S.H.I.E.L.D, right now there’s no way
of guessing how this story’s going to go.
And while all this is going on, the
Quinjet Daisy and Simmons is on is under heavy fire, Fitz is losing it over
what he did in the Framework and Aida’s finally succeeded in creating a human
body in the real world for herself. Aida meets up with Coulson, May and Fitz,
before teleporting away with Fitz…somehow. Maybe she gave herself Inhuman
powers in this new body?
This felt less like an episode and
more like a heart exercise. S.H.I.E.L.D has
never been shy to absolutely put these characters through the wringer, and this
episode was a fantastic example of this. Between Simmons’ reaction to finally
meeting her Framework boyfriend, Mack’s decision to stay, and literally everything
involved with Fitz, this episode was murder for a long-time fan who easily gets
attached to characters like myself, and I absolutely consider that to be worthy
of a high score.
FINAL SCORE
9/10
Amazing
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