Danny Hale reviews the eighteenth episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5…
Well, that was certainly nerveracking; ‘All Roads Lead…’ saw the culmination of Ruby’s increasing arrogance as the Destroyer of Worlds is finally completed while Talbot struggles with his own inner demons and HYDRA brainwashing.
The opening sequence did an incredible job of setting the tone for the episode; Talbot ominously moving throughout the base, arming himself with a gun and interacting with Mack all created an immensely foreboding atmosphere. I watched, caught between the fear of what Talbot may do under suggestion and also heart-breaking pity for the man. Talbot has been an adversary on this show, an ally and often provided light comic relief but Adrian Pasdar always retains a strong sense of humanity and realness keeping Talbot grounded and sympathetic. I found the scene with Polly and Robin discovering the General in their room very uncomfortable to watch; I was sure Talbot was going to shoot Polly and kidnap Robin. To then see the sloppy, realistic physical struggle between this terrified mother and a compromised Glenn made the whole scene more disturbing. Thankfully, Polly seems to have survived to tell the tale and Talbot won’t have her blood on his hands. His final standoff with Coulson was incredibly well done, bolstered by the strong chemistry established between Phil and Glenn but to then see Talbot turn the gun on himself flipped my stomach. I found it devastating to watch; given the circumstances I fully believed Glenn would pull the trigger and while Mack managed to ice him in time Talbot is going to have a long, long recovery ahead.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though this week, there were some genuinely hilarious moments with Deke. Now that his crush is public, his every interaction with new boss Quake has an added adorable element of attempted chivalry which is wonderfully lost on Daisy. His little bro session with Mack and Coulson was equally amazing; his innocence is ridiculously endearing and I loved seeing the two providing him with relationship advice, even if it meant encouraging him to leave a lemon on Daisy’s bed. This also gave us a brief moment to touch base with both Mack and Coulson who are attempting to work through their own relationship woes. But all of this was trumped by seeing Deke later in the episode nonchalantly clutching a lemon. It’s all so adorable.
I was so freaking happy to see Daisy and May take the offensive together; I’ve been craving a good May fight for weeks now and ‘All Roads Lead…’ did not disappoint. What an awesome sequence seeing the two drop from the zephyr and breach Hale’s base only to immediately enter a fast and incredibly satisfying action scene. Honestly, seeing Daisy with her powers restored taking on Hale’s men really made me appreciate how far she has come and makes me yearn to see her on the big screen. The two quickly come face to face with Hale and I loved her instant surrender and honesty. Hale genuinely sees the big picture and while her main concern is ensuring Ruby’s safety she also understands that she has lost control of her daughter.
Ruby really showcased just how brutal she is this week and she genuinely made me fear for Fitz and Simmons’ safety. She has a frightening numbness to violence and tunnel vision when it comes to obtaining the power of the gravitonium. To see her undergo the infusion process she has so long desired was intense; you could see the palpable fear in her eyes and the immediate regret. We very quickly see Ruby for the child she actually is and her terrified, pained screams were so jarring from what we have seen from her that I actually found myself pitying her in what should have been an act of perfect, poetic justice. Then, in an incredibly grim way to go, the new super-powered Ruby unwillingly collapses Alex’ skull in on itself causing her to break down and succumb to the voices in her head. Her immediate and vehement regret about her decision was frightening and did a great job of making the gravitonium a far more terrifying substance and with just 8% absorbed Ruby clearly gained a number of abilities. The whole sequence played out incredibly well and I was quite literally on the edge of my seat. Yo-Yo’s arrival, the hatred in her eyes when she sees Ruby and her subsequent murder of the girl was a dark, brave and thrilling choice. How is Mack going to feel about Yo-Yo once he finds out? How will Yo-Yo feel? Does she really believe she has saved the world? Are her actions ever going to be justifiable? Worse, this act has now ensured Hale is opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. and any hope of working together have now truly vanished. Also, did Daisy unwillingly absorb some of the Gravitonium after it left Ruby’s body? Yo-Yo may have in fact urged on the very future she is trying to avoid.
I am horribly caught between needing to see the last episodes so I can know how this plays out and also complete denial that there is only a few weeks left of this season. The overall plot of season 5 has been a complete rollercoaster and from the beginning I knew it would be rewarded on a re-watch. With the likely imminent arrival of Qovas things are about to kick into gear; with Ruby now removed from the board Qovas is likely to take centre stage as our team’s big bad promising for a very exciting culmination to the season.
Danny Hale
