Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Together or Not at All (5x07)

This show... is great. This episode was great. Fitz being around really helps!

Cons:

I will admit to being less than interested in all of the Kree family drama. Sure, it was a cool moment when Kasius killed his brother, but their speechifying and Kasius' daddy issues are just not doing it for me. I think the main problem is that we all sort of know that these characters won't be around for very much longer. If our gang of heroes is successful, this entire timeline won't even exist. So... why should I spend time developing a more nuanced opinion of the villain?

Enoch still seems too silly. He's completely invincible and it feels a bit like he could solve any of their problems whenever he wanted. The guy playing him is doing a great job, but he's just not connecting with me for some reason.

As this episode ends, our core cast of characters has been separated once again, after having only briefly been reunited. I understand why Mack and Yo-Yo decided to stay behind, but... come on. I wanted a little bit more time where the whole gang was actually together.

Pros:

So much epicness with Fitzsimmons and Daisy and their daring escape! It was an enormous amount of fun to watch these three work together and be total bad-asses. We get everything you could hope for - cool fight sequences, quippy dialogue, some nice worried lovers stuff, as Simmons is in pain because of her implant, and later Fitz actually gets shot. All of this stuff was just excellent.

Specifically, we see Fitzsimmons bicker about who proposed, we see them hold each other and turn off the gravity to float up an elevator shaft... it's all just so sweet and cheesy and them. I also love the reunion with everybody. When Coulson sees Daisy, he gives her a big hug, and then suddenly Fitz is there, and there's so much shocked disbelief and happiness. Very sweet. Fitz was actually really funny in this episode, too. I think my favorite moment was when he told Mack and Yo-Yo that he left some S.H.I.E.L.D. tech hidden on the station. When they find out it's hidden on deck three, where all the blood-sucking creatures are, they're disappointed, and Fitz, exasperated, points out that he traveled through time and space to find them, and he really doesn't think he's getting enough credit for that!

I've been a bit lukewarm on Deke all season, but he was pretty fun here. I like that he has motivations that are all his own, but deep down you know he's a good person. Working for the bad guys on occasion has been a survival method, nothing more. I'm excited to see where his character ends up.

I also really like Flint, the young kid who has just unlocked his Inhuman ability to manipulate rocks. He blames himself for the chaos on the station, as the Kree have been killing people looking for him. As the S.H.I.E.L.D. gang prepares to make their daring escape to the surface, he elects to stay behind because he has a responsibility to use his powers to help people. Aww! What a darling! I really like this kid, and I like the relationship forming between him and Mack and Yo-Yo. They're both so protective of him and it's really quite sweet.

I mentioned that Enoch still seems out of place, but I did like the stuff with May on the surface. Great reveal about Robin being there at the end as an old woman... I was not expecting that at all, and I think that could make for a really cool added element. I'm getting the feeling that this whole arc might be coming to an end in an episode or two, which I'm okay with. I've liked a lot of the stuff going on here, but I don't want the concept to overstay its welcome, either.

So... what else is there to say? Lots of Fitzsimmons cuteness, an adorable reunion for the gang, and now we're on to exciting things on the surface. This season has been doing a pretty good job, I must say!

8/10