Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: All Roads Lead... (5x18)

Yikes. I know I've been saying all along that Ruby and Hale aren't all that interesting to me, but this week I might just have to go back on that.

Cons:

In some ways, my newfound appreciation for Ruby is a bad thing, because just as I was finally getting sucked in to her story, she died. And I don't really know what to make of that. Hale, I have no sympathy for whatsoever. If I'm supposed to care about her and feel bad for her in her grief over her daughter, then... I don't know what to say. Because I don't.

Pros:

Honestly, this episode was super intense though. We learn more about what exactly Gravitonium does to a person, and it's... awful. Apparently everybody who has been absorbed by the Gravitonium is still sort of... in there, or at least their consciousness is. We see that this drives Ruby mad for the brief moments she has it inside of her. Even worse, as she tries to touch Von Strucker's face, she crushes his skull by accident. It's really hard to watch. The poor thing is crying and screaming and clearly just so scared and in so much pain. But as Hale and Daisy both try and talk her through this, Yo-Yo makes a very different call. She sees before her the Destroyer of Worlds, and she strikes out, using her powers even though it hurts her terribly to do so.

This is such an intense thing for this show to do. Obviously, Yo-Yo thinks what she's doing is going to save the world. But it's also quite possible that her motivations were less than pure, and I don't blame her for wanting revenge on Ruby for cutting her arms off. The Gravitonium left Ruby's body as she died. Where did it go? What does this mean for the future? Somehow I don't think it will be as easy as Elena wants to think it is.

Daisy was probably the most intriguing aspect of this episode for me. For one, she refuses to give Coulson his command back, even though that's what she said she wanted the whole time he was missing. She really seems to be settling into her role as a leader, which gives me hope for a future where Coulson is no longer around. I also find her connection with Ruby to be tragic and so, so fitting. She sees this young girl, not quite sure of her place, trying to live up to her family name, with new and unfamiliar powers... no wonder Daisy feels an affinity for Ruby. And what the hell is Daisy going to do with her wayward team members? Fitzsimmons and Yo-Yo are going to have to pay for what they did. Obviously Daisy is still traumatized over what Fitz did, and now Elena has just killed Ruby.

Coulson and May are breaking my heart in the best way. Coulson hasn't been able to express his feelings to May since she told him she loved him in the last episode. He's being all sheepish and it's just so Coulson. One thing that I dearly love about this show is that I genuinely don't know what's going to happen from here. Does Coulson actually die? Do we see the future play out in the same way we've already seen it? What exactly is going to break the loop, if anything?

I have to give a shout-out to poor Deke, who is extremely bad at hiding his feelings for Daisy. What I love about this crush is that Daisy not only doesn't seem to feel the same, she also doesn't seem to feel anything for Deke. Deke says that Daisy hates him, but that's not entirely true. That would imply that Daisy thinks about him enough for such a strong emotion. This is another situation where I honestly don't know where the show is going. Is there hope for the two of them as a romantic pairing? Seems unlikely, but I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Talbot and Coulson's friendship is something that I never expected to care about as much as I do. Talbot attempts to kidnap Robin, as apparently he has been programmed to do, but luckily Coulson and Mack are able to stop that from happening. The confrontation between Coulson and Talbot was fraught with so much delicious history and tension between them. Talbot fights against his programming in the face of a man who he respects, reminding me of Bucky and Steve in The Winter Soldier. I had a visceral reaction when Talbot pointed the gun at himself - I actually flinched, afraid he was going to die. I hadn't been aware that he meant that much to me until that moment. Good television will do that to you!

I'm saving the best for last, of course: Fitzsimmons were adorable this week, as they always seem to be. This episode manages to show the somewhat sinister side of a love as deep and abiding as theirs. They discuss the fact that they have a choice to make - they can save the world by refusing to repair the machine that will allow Ruby to become the Destroyer... but if they do so, they will die. Fitz tells Simmons that he can't choose anything over her, not even the world, and Simmons says she feels the same. That is intense. We also get Fitz flinching every time Ruby messes with Simmons, and we see Simmons freaking out when Ruby punches Fitz repeatedly to warn him off of delaying their progress. Their love is a precious, deadly thing to behold.

I love not knowing what's coming next. Hale is still causing problems in her annoying way, but there are so many pieces of the puzzle that are close to coming together. I'm eagerly anticipating the final picture when it's finally revealed!

8.5/10