Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Collision Course (Part II) (6x09)

Wow, that really... wrapped everything up, didn't it? I'm very curious as to where things are going to go from here.

Cons:

In most regards, I admire this apparent clean-slate approach. Fitzsimmons are back home. Izel, Jaco, Pax, and probably Sarge as well, are all dead. The threat has been eliminated. Snowflake is set up for a potential future story-line. That's kind of daring, and definitely unexpected. But it also really bothers me that we only found out about this terrible feud between Izel and Sarge in last week's episode, and now apparently... that's over and done with? Like... how unsatisfying is that? Why spend time developing this mystery if we're going to end it here? The answer is... we're not? Probably? I am confident that the show will eventually answer the question of why Sarge looks just like Coulson. But I'm not sure how I feel about this soft reset, if it means leaving so many mysteries unfulfilled. This is especially true give Pax and Jaco both dying, just when I was starting to get their names straight.

I love Deke a lot, but his romance with Snowflake really doesn't work for me. It's being played for comedy most of the time, but then abruptly there will be a moment where it seems like they want me as a viewer to be taking it seriously in some way. Is this supposed to represent the emotional resolution of Deke's long unrequited crush on Daisy? Because if so, it really doesn't work.

Pros:

Lots of great action! I loved all the scenes of our heroes finding out creative solutions to problems. This entire episode, despite not being 100% perfect, is high-energy and gripping to watch.

Specifically, the reunion is absolutely everything I could have hoped for. There's real comedy in Deke's reaction to Fitz, and Fitz having no idea who this random guy is. And Mack hugs him too tight, which is another comedy beat. But there's real emotion underlying this. The ensemble cast has genuine affection for one another, so when all of these characters reunite, it feels earned and satisfying to see. I'm in love with Fitz being completely bewildered by his grandson, but he also doesn't have the resentment that he did the first time around, so maybe they can form a more genuine bond this time. Who knows.

Yo-Yo and Mack. I'm so happy they've reunited. I almost put something about them in the "cons" section because in retrospect, their whole arc for this half-season has felt kind of pointless. Mack pushed her away because of his anxieties about being the Director, but we didn't even get to see that. We only saw the aftermath of it, and the resolution. But even though in some ways this story arc feels incomplete, it's still a relief to have the universe restored to balance. It's also cute how Daisy plays the role of wing-man and encourages Mack to repair the damage. Now let's find Daisy some love that actually sticks around and doesn't turn evil or die. She deserves it.

That ending scene, where May came into the room and shot Sarge multiple times was... chilling. A part of me thinks it wasn't really May? I don't know. Just a theory. But if it was, then... damn. I thought that was super intense. May has been suffering all season, as the visage of her dead lover runs around being evil. It would make sense for her to snap, but in a very Melinda-May-type-way, she is also making a pragmatic decision here. Sarge is a clear threat, and now he's been seemingly eliminated. I definitely did not see this coming, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

I'm also wicked nervous about Davis. He apparently just passes out and sleeps through the party at the end. But that seems really creepy and we don't get any solid answers as to what might be going on. Davis isn't the most well developed character at this point, but I still strangely find myself caring about him quite a bit. Please be okay, Davis!

That's where I'll wrap up this review for now. I'm kind of nervous about the way this episode went down, because so many of the danging plot threads were ended abruptly. But I'm also excited about what this might mean for the remainder of the season!

8/10