Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Stolen (7x10)

I've got to admit, I get a little lots in the weeds with this whole Inhumans plot, and I feel like it's less connected to the things about the season that I've actually enjoyed up to this point?

Cons:

Like, I'm sorry, but so much screen-time was used on Gordon and on time-streams and on Nathaniel Malick, and I just don't really give a crap. It feels so disconnected from everything. The most compelling part here is Daisy's family connection, to Kora and to Jiaying, and that gets less screen-time than a young version of a future-villain (John Garrett) who doesn't have any emotional resonance in the story anymore. I don't have a problem with any of the pieces here, but the combination/balance felt off, if that makes sense.

Actor availability aside, every episode that I watch, I keep thinking how much richer it would be if Fitz were there. Iain is the most talented actor on the show, and he brings a real dynamism to many of the other characters, and as much as I've been having fun with this season, I definitely do miss him in a very real way. This episode, since it was so time-heavy on elements that didn't interest me, I feel like I missed him more than ever.

Pros:

The emotional, character-driven stuff is where this show really soars, so it's no surprise that those parts of the episode were my favorite.

Daisy and Jiaying's relationship, the way they can't be honest with each other, the way they talk about Daisy's mom, without Jiaying realizing the truth, and later she finds it out, her horror at the thought of hurting Daisy... these parallel narratives where the timelines are breaking down, where Kora might have been dead in the timeline where Daisy and Jiaying originally met... It's this story of a woman who tries to be a mother and fails at it, not once but twice. And yet it's still horrifying and tragic when she dies, when Daisy has to fight to avenge her mother, who she has just lost for the second time, without ever really having the chance to know her.

And there are so many other amazing elements in this episode. You've got Elena showing off her new power upgrades in a really fun slow-mo scene, you've got Mack being a good leader but also letting go of the reins and stepping back on his protectiveness.

Also... Daisy and Daniel are cute. I discussed this a lot in discussing last week's excellent installment, but it bears repeating. They really are cute. And Simmons picking up on it was everything I could have asked for.

Speaking of Simmons, we get some growing tension here as Daisy reveals how freaked out Simmons was when she remembered whatever she's been blocking. She and Deke have a conversation about assumptions, about her blind faith that Fitz has been steering the jumps the whole time. What if that's not the case? What if Fitz is dead and it just hurts too much to think about it? I love me some good Fitzsimmons angst, but the part about this scene that really moved me was Deke's reaction. He was so horrified at the thought that Fitz might be dead. Deke's loyalty to his grandparents is really quite touching, even though it's been played for laughs a lot of the time.

This review is kind of short, I do apologize, but like I said, my attention was just not grabbed by the main shenanigans going on, for the most part. The ending is compelling - we've got Simmons kidnapped, the plane hijacked... escalating stakes for sure. It looks like next week we'll see Kora team up with the rest of the gang, which could be... interesting, I guess? We've only got three episodes left. I hope I feel happy at the end of the day!

7/10