Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Window of Opportunity (6x02)

Wow, I'm actually pretty excited about how this is shaping up! I do want to apologize for the late review; I've been out of town. Let's dive right in!

Cons:

I mentioned my qualms about Coulson 2.0 in last week's review, and I stick by them here. It could be really cool, but it could also end up being pointless. I really liked getting to know this gang of bad guys this week, but the fact that their leader is wearing Coulson's face isn't really adding anything to the experience for me, other than the fact that it's making May sad.

I don't feel much of a connection to Keller yet. We need to like him if he's going to be in Yo-Yo's life, but so far he's just kind of bland. We get some humanizing moments with him as he grieves for another agent who was killed, but right now he's just kind of... there. I'll try to reserve judgment on this as well.

Pros:

As I mentioned, I really liked meeting the new gang of bad guys. I'm still getting all of their names straight, but their personalities are distinct and memorable. I particularly like Pax - he's got a reasonable vibe to him, and I'm wondering if he's going to be the character that helps give some humanity to these villains. The team works well off of each other, sort of like a dark mirror of S.H.I.E.L.D., and it's undeniably compelling to see this group dynamic play out, even if it is in service of evil goals. And what are those goals? I'm surprised by how much I enjoy the mystery of the situation as well.

On S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side of things, we've got May coming face to face with Coulson's doppelganger for the first time, which was appropriately intense. We learn that May was there until the bitter end with Coulson, and so is completely sure about his death. I feel so bad for her. It's nice that they got to have that time together, but of course now May is having to suffer through a lot of psychological trauma because of it. Her advice to Yo-Yo, which last week was to go for it with Keller, is now more cautious. She knows the extreme pain that can come from getting involved with someone while working such a dangerous, unpredictable job.

I like Dr. Benson. He's another character we're only just starting to know, but his grumpiness is endearing, and he's charismatic enough to be more than just a vehicle for plot exposition. I like how he lays out the strangeness of these characters' lives, as he contemplates the many potential explanations there could be for Coulson to be walking around. LMD? Apparently not. Another resurrection? May is sure that's not it. And yet we know that the name "Coulson" is ringing a bell with this strange doppelganger... what could it all mean? And what do these people even want?

Daisy, Simmons, and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are almost entirely absent this week, appearing only at the very end as Simmons has sent them further into deep space without the team's permission. This echoes last week's episode, where we only saw Fitz at the very end, in the episode tag. Now we get a full subplot with Fitz and Enoch, to see what they've been up to. Predictably, it was the highlight of the episode for me.

I love Enoch. He's such a weird character, and I don't think he really clicked for me when I was watching last season. But here, I like this odd mix of loyalty and practicality. He wants to help Fitz for the fate of the universe, but he also clearly respects him and wants to do right by him. There's this great moment where Fitz talks about how he couldn't live with himself if he let innocent people die, and Enoch seems completely nonchalant about the prospect. Fitz is a little startled, maybe a little afraid. He knows Enoch is on his side, but there's something powerful and frightening about having an ally that seems to take a totally amoral approach to the world.

Obviously it's super adorable and great that Fitz is singularly focused on getting back to Simmons. However, that doesn't mean that he'll abandon all principles while he's at it. As he tells Enoch, he wants to be able to look Jemma in the eye when he gets back to her, and that means he can't go around hurting people. That ending scene, where we see Fitz and Enoch leave just as Simmons and Daisy arrive, was so heartbreaking. They really are star-crossed lovers, in a literal sense.

That's all I've got for the time being. I hope that the Fitzsimmons reunion isn't too far away. I'm loving this season so far, but I don't want it to be too dragged out!

9/10