Episode two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s final season begins as our heroes keep an eye on Wilfred Malick (Darren Barnet, Never Have I Ever). This brings up the important question of whether or not they should prevent the Chronicoms from killing Malick, as he is pivotal to the creation of Hydra. It’s a classic dilemma: if you could kill Hitler before he came to power, would you? Time travel is fictional, so there’s no right answer. But at least in the case of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it can be argued that since the Chronicoms are targeting Wilfred, they know the negative consequences of killing him.
The agents do eventually decide to spare Malick, but not before getting into an entertaining shootout with the Chronicoms. It’s nothing too complex, but I did enjoy seeing Coulson (Clark Gregg, Captain Marvel) do a drive-by with a tommy gun. There is also a notable fight scene between May (Ming-Na Wen, The Mandalorian) and Enoch (Joel Stoffer, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). It’s definitely not the best fight of the series. Something about it feels a little clunky. That could be because May is fighting a robot. On the other hand, May gets to play rougher because Enoch is a machine, which is sort of satisfying.
Unfortunately for Enoch, the agents have to leave him in 1931 because he can’t catch up with the Zephyr before their time window closes. Fortunately, as a Chronicom, Enoch does not age and therefore will have no problem waiting for his friends to return.
The following episode takes place at Area 51 in 1955. This once again provides the show an opportunity for some pointed commentary on the era. But the real opportunity is including a throwback to Agent Carter, ABC’s short-lived companion series to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While the titular character does not show up, Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj, Emergence) does. In case you don’t remember, Sousa was Carter’s former partner and one-time love interest, though some of this might have changed due to Avengers: Endgame. Either way, it’s nice seeing a familiar face.
Disguised as Carter is Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge, Christmas at the Plaza). She and Coulson go undercover to root out the Chronicoms from Area 51. This leads to some humorous interactions with the scientists as the duo try to get an emotional response from each of them. These efforts include getting them riled up about old pop culture and saying the word “moist.”
The agents do eventually find the Chronicoms and foil their plot, but their business is not over yet. We will follow Sousa next week in what looks like an entertaining noir-inspired episode.
