REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "No Regrets"
For the life of me, I cannot think of an episode 18 of the past four seasons that I’ve enjoyed. Nor can I think of one that hasn’t been just one hour of buildup. After watching the fourth one, I can conclude…that the circumstances are pretty much the same. Fortunately, there are more than enough positive developments and shout-outs to save it from misery.
Dear lord, this episode is still so miserable. I was tired of the evil Fitz plot from the start, but without a clear end in sight, it has never been so unappealing. Perhaps it was also the added letdown of meeting his father that was just so dull on top of the torturing Daisy and the totally into Hydra mode. There’s evil evil, and then there’s dull evil, evil with no real purpose except to be there. I can buy AIDA being evil because that’s the natural progression for all A.I.s, but I can’t buy Fitz doing the same. Anyone willing to explain that to me? Anyone?
Not to mention the other inevitably sad but predictable motions of Mack’s daughter who does not exist and Mace dying. I will admit liking the parallel of Mace’s death matching the fake image of him being a hero in the real world. That was nice, even though he is really the only one who was obviously not going to make it through this season. The story surrounding Mack’s daughter is, however, less predictable in where it could go, but this situation can only end in tears. The number of tears will depend on how long they drag this out the next few episodes.
However, the episode did have a few more positive developments than a usual episode 18 has. May is turning a new leaf. Fitz has some albeit brushed-aside regrets from, you know, killing someone, as you do. Daisy even learned of a backdoor escape to the Framework, so escaping isn’t even an impossible deus ex machina anymore. These are feasible ways for them to win without giving away what happens, and it shouldn’t have taken them four seasons to figure out how to do that.
The other positive quality is, of course, the multiple shout-outs and callbacks to the season. This is probably the first episode to take full advantage of their status as a parallel world in a way that I honestly didn’t think they’d do. This ranges from minor references to Hydra’s brainwashing schemes to some interesting appearances (I’ll get to that in a second). Even if you aren’t in love with the return of Bakshi or the fact that this is the second time they’ve mentioned a guy with lion paws for hands without showing him, there is a reassuring element to a show remembering how far it’s come with even small callbacks from any point in the show.
The biggest by far is undoubtedly the return of Antoine Triplett who unceremoniously perished back in season two. I won’t lie, I did not expect them to do this despite the fact that yes, I thought it would be a perfect inclusion. Even if it’s just for this episode, it’s the most legitimate reference to people who have been fans of the show who want to see something impossible occur, though I guess Ward should count for that. If he does continue for more than one episode, which they should if they’re making me sit through Ward being a thing, I eagerly await a possible interaction with Daisy.
Speaking of Daisy, the episode did another thing I hoped for but didn’t expect in getting her powers back through re-Terrigenesis, if you will. Combine that with May’s change of heart and you’ve got yourself a pretty good last ten minutes. At the very least, it provides us with what is sure to be an interesting escape for next week’s episode. At the most, it changes the structure of how the team deals with things in the future, because that’s what you do when you bring in superpowers.
At the end of the day, this is all still buildup, nothing more and nothing less. There is growing tension with the Fitz problem, and there is one closer way to solving the problem by introducing a way to escape. The episode’s only point of existence is to introduce those elements before we get into the real plot. Even if Mace dies, Trip lives, and Daisy gets her powers back, that concept of buildup is something that it cannot lose.
On the bright side, it can still be relatively enjoyable. This is usually the point of the plot where the story starts to slump, and yet I’m pleasantly surprised with “No Regrets.” Overall, this third of the season seems to be pretty cohesive which gives me some hope for the ending. It’s far from the best episode of even this season, but there is certainly fewer miserable elements than this episode should have. I guess that’s a win.
