REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Rewind"
Welcome back to our second character episode of the series, this time focusing on Fitz going back to the future to save his friends. Will this adventure be as interesting with a slightly disappointing twist like Simmons’ otherworldly experience? Of course it will be. Let’s get started.
It’s an interesting time to bring up the events of the previous season since ironically it’s the last things on anyone’s minds. Did anyone remember that Talbot was dead? You’d think I would. Considering every season is like a mini-reboot it’s not that much of a surprise. Still, SHIELD is in pieces again, and they remember to tell us that back on normal Earth.
Fortunately for me, I’m fascinated by single-character driven episodes, as long as they air sparingly. Putting someone on their own in a show that’s traditionally been an ensemble is a quick and easy way to provide a new narrative. As far as that goes, this feels like a pretty standard look at Fitz’s character after once again being kicked when he’s down. It looks like we’re getting to a point of him addressing the awful person he was in the Framework, which is getting me dreading the possible melodrama behind it in the future.
Still, I enjoy the determination of a character trying to do something noble like saving the world or rescue his friends. It has been especially established this season, but we get more time to think about it here. It got me so engulfed in the episode that I didn’t even notice that an hour passed. Plus, we all know how actions speak louder than words when it comes to enjoying a show.
And we get back to the return of Lance Hunter. When he first appeared in season two, I had to admit that it was one of my first disappointments of the show to see him as a regular. Then again, after dealing with three-and-a-half seasons with Ward and a season-and-a-half of Lincoln, Lance shockingly became a nonfactor. That’s a good thing since it makes him watchable and one of the few characters without a dour look on life. Yes, obviously I’d rather see Bobbi Morse, but his appearance is officially not a bad one.
At this point of the plot, I can’t help but think of this as a jumping the shark concept even for SHIELD’s standards. We’re getting alien time travelers from the future and an emphasis on prophecies. It’s weird since those things weren’t exactly new concepts for this universe. I guess it’s just that there was never quite a reliance on it to push a plot. Sure, we get to a desired end, but at what cost to the universe we’re in? Fortunately, we’re back to alien dystopia, so we don’t have to worry about that now.
Yes, we do get answers to how Fitz arrives to the future, even if we don’t get much else. Now I’m still curious as to how the postcard got there or how he became a pseudo-mercenary. I think that could warrant its own episode to be honest. But it’s fine that we know now how far they are in the future. Plus it was pretty cool seeing the helicarrier and the ICERs again.
In addition, that pretty much secures an episode close in the future involving the entire team together. We literally haven’t had that in months. I suppose that means we have to deal with some other BS about stopping the catastrophe from destroying the world. Why on Earth do they keep pushing it? At this point, I’m tired of the world. It did nothing for me.
In general moments, I enjoyed the previous episodes and their space adventures to this time, but even I can’t deny how easy it is to get swept up in Fitz’s story. It’s far from the most memorable episode of this season is all I will say, but it can still be a good change of pace.
