Review: 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D' Orientation Parts 1 and 2

Casey Duby ’21 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
The season four finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D showed us Coulson in space, and I’ve been groaning ever since. The second half of season four – sans Ghost Rider – was the best the show has ever been, and that was because it was about the characters, not simply the most shocking turn of events. But as soon as they put Coulson in outer space – and tried to play it cool with a casual and extremely corny one-liner – I was sure AOS’ best days were over.
I was only somewhat right. The first fifteen minutes of the season five premiere were straight laughs, and the characters were playfully self-aware. This mostly came from Mack (Henry Simmons) who answered the question of why they were in space. He said, “Because it’s the only thing we haven’t done yet.” We knew this already, but it was somewhat comforting to hear them acknowledge it. They later encountered the dilemma of whether or not to split up and cover more ground – cut to the team huddled closely together and walking slowly and fearfully forward. The immediate acknowledgment that the creators of the show knew this turn was a little outlandish, and that they were going to have some fun with it, made me much more open to everything that happened next.
The few humans left are now subservient to the Cree, in a post-apocalyptic sort of scenario. In this brand new universe, we meet a couple funny and interesting potential allies- and enemies – and learn how the aliens are able to keep the humans in their place. There are all kinds of scary new tech, like the markers that go straight through the wrist that the Cree use to keep tabs on every single human, and whatever it was that the Cree leader put in Simmons’ (Elizabeth Henstridge) ear that seemed to make her deaf to every voice but his. These devices are spooky, but I’m excited to see how the characters will inevitably figure out how to make them work to their advantage.
The Framework is still alive and well, even in the future and also in space. Deke (Jeff Ward), the first real ally the team has found, is discovered to be selling time in the Framework as if it’s a kind of drug. Daisy (Chloe Bennet) discovers this and is adamant about the danger in this. It replaces hope with complacency, and it seems just real enough to make people forget their world for a while. This is obviously true, as the Cree know about this operation that Deke is running, and are allowing it to continue unobstructed. The possibilities of the Framework are certainly endless, and I’m excited to see the kind of role it will play in this season (maybe another return of Grant Ward? Fingers crossed).
That said, I was engaged throughout the entire two-episode premiere, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a very entertaining show if you don’t let yourself think too hard about it. If you’re planning on watching the new season, know that over-the-top arcs are a necessary evil of superhero content, and enjoy the truly great characters the show has created.