Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Inescapable (6x06)

This episode was a GIFT. My thirst is finally slaked. Fitzsimmons for the win!!

Cons:

Hmmm... I don't have a lot to complain about in this episode particularly, but I do question how quickly Enoch betrayed his people. I don't really want to watch Fitzsimmons create time paradoxes, so I guess I'm glad that plot thread was abandoned so quickly.... but at the same time, it was abandoned so quickly. And we didn't even really get to see these two brilliant scientists try to figure it out. I guess I was just a little bummed out that I didn't see something I was expecting to see. But only slightly.

My only other complaint is just that this episode isn't twice as long. Because it was seriously so great.

Pros:

The writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have figured out that their best recurring story element is Fitzsimmons angst. We've seen it play out over the course of their whole relationship. Let them get a taste of happiness, then torture them for a while, separate them, reunite them, etc. etc. etc. It's brilliant because it works, because the writing is tight and the chemistry is there, and both actors are excellent at performing desperate yearning.

This episode went that one step further, by actually shining a light on the incredible amount of trauma both Fitz and Simmons have been through, in their own lives, and in the context of their relationship. Yes, it's obviously gratifying to watch them save each other again and again, but it also takes a serious toll. Watching these two yell at each other and scream their love and their fear and their rage felt extremely cathartic. I hope that we move away from plot threads that separate Fitzsimmons, because they've always worked better as a duo.

There are too many great comedy moments to mention, but I'll list a few.

- The moment when Fitz says to their captor: "she's seven!" about little Simmons, and Simmons replies, indignant - "and a half," and Fitz makes a little hushing gesture at her. So cute. I want to see Fitz as a dad.

- Evil Fitz from the Framework, and creepy Simmons as a manifestation of all her pain, just going at it while Fitz and Simmons stare on in fascinated horror. That was just perfection.

- Simmons telling Fitz, right at the very end as Enoch is about to teleport them away: "oh yeah, I almost forgot, you're a grandfather."

But then there's also the potent, tender tragedy of this episode. I'm so happy that they chose to really delve in to the ramifications of Fitz's death in the finale last season. Because this Fitz hasn't married Simmons, and hasn't been through a really horrible series of events with her. This Fitz didn't even know Coulson was sick. I love the pain of Fitz seeing how his own death affected his team. Obviously Simmons' pain is a given, but seeing Daisy react to it, and especially seeing how broken up Mack is over losing Fitz... ouch. We've seen that Mack is having trouble processing Coulson's death, but now we see that Fitz dying hit him even harder, and it's making me really eager for them to reunite.

Fitz proposing to Simmons, then later realizing that he missed his own wedding, was really hard to watch. I like that this was a difficult thing for Fitz to swallow. Yes, they still love each other and they're still in this for life, but the trauma of their separation, all the things that Simmons went through that Fitz can't connect with... that's not something that can be brushed aside, and I loved seeing them deal with it.

Finally, I just want to give a shout-out to that final scene with Daisy and Mack. It was so heartwarming to see Mack get the good news that Fitz is still alive. Also, we now know that Enoch's home planet was destroyed by Evil!Coulson and crew, so that adds an interesting element to things. It was also hilarious when Daisy stepped on Mack's dramatic moment.

I think that's all I've got to say about this episode. There were so many amazing Fitzsimmons moments to love. I'm sure I'll be going back to this episode again and again to watch them be all cute and precious and perfect together. I can't wait to see what's next!

9.5/10