Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Orientation parts 1 and 2

December 3, 2017 9:23 PM - Season 5, Episode 1

Coulson and the team find themselves stranded on a mysterious ship in outer space, and that's just the beginning of the nightmare to come.
posted by rednikki (22 comments total)

It's not that the producers are using a basement as a stand in for space ship -- the characters are actually in a basement that's floating in space. But I'm enjoying it so far.

Also, there must have been no chance of an Infinity War tie in, so they tossed the team to a future time line that will presumably be erased by the end of the season.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 5:35 AM on December 4, 2017

I liked it. I was impressed with their willingness to blow up the Earth, even if it's going to have to be restored.
posted by mordax at 12:08 PM on December 4, 2017

I'm on board with this (so to speak) so far, though time-travel shenanigans always make me nervous because of how hard they are to really write well. (see also: the Flash)
posted by mstokes650 at 1:22 PM on December 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I thought this was a fun reset for the team, and the destruction of Earth is a neat touch. I assume they have to find another monolith to get back?
posted by tautological at 1:43 PM on December 4, 2017

The implication that Daisy destroyed the Earth breaks time travel continuity unless she is going to do so after they return from the future. Otherwise her disappearing from the present should mean that she was not here to blow it up, you maniacs!
posted by Marticus at 2:37 PM on December 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh so glad to have this back. Washed away the stench of Inhumans in one shot. Specifically, Mac's reactions. Taking down Virgil, his reaction to the idea of splitting up... so, so good.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 4:20 PM on December 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

I can't say it wasn't well done, but somehow I just didn't care. I don't know if it's aliens in general, the Kree specifically or something else. Maybe I'm just tired of the team not being on Earth and dealing with human-level threats and more spy-style shenanigans. I mean we had Gemma in space already (along with mystical cult baddies). We had trapped in the machine. I know SHIELD has always had a stronger pull to sci-fi than espionage, but I think I was hoping for more of a James Bond vibe this season than a Battlestar Galatica one.
posted by sardonyx at 4:35 PM on December 4, 2017

Me like. The setting is bit too fantastical for my tastes, but this is where the show is going/has been since last year, so might as well enjoy the ride, you know?

But WHERE'S FITZ?!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:19 AM on December 5, 2017

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I'd keep watching if they ever write Clark Gregg out of the show. The rest of the team is OK, I mean it's certainly better than Iron Fist (yay for a low bar!) or the Inhumans (even lower!), but... I dunno, I'm maybe burning out on super-ninja / punchy punchy superheroes? That was sort of a refreshing change with the Punisher (of all things), and the Gifted is giving me the fun team-power antics I want from the X-Men, at this point SHIELD is sort of feeling a little superfluous.
posted by Kyol at 8:36 AM on December 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

I think this season will have a lot for the non-ninja/kickpuncher team mates to do. Already we're seeing some pretty interesting Quake powers, although I bet there will still be lots of May action.

sardonyx, what if we get a post-apocalyptic Bond in space vibe? I agree that I'm not looking forward to introducing a whole alien culture and power structure. But the multiple distinct arcs of last season havfe me hoping this season will move at a similar clip. I think they already covered more plot in 2 eps than earlier seasons would have covered in 12.
posted by kittensofthenight at 2:50 PM on December 5, 2017

Did someone order a Moonraker? Moonraker? No one?
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 7:05 PM on December 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

The implication that Daisy destroyed the Earth breaks time travel continuity

It's worth remembering that the people who came to the conclusion that Daisy destroyed the Earth also believe that Sharknados were real.
posted by Uncle Ira at 8:18 AM on December 6, 2017 [11 favorites]

Previous seasons have started with Talking Heads montages, right?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:31 AM on December 6, 2017

kittensofthenight,

That would be a nice way to balance the sci-fi stuff, so I'd be up for it.

It's not likely that I'll abandon the show at this point, I mean I've stuck with it through the (very) bad and the good, so I'm invested in it at this point. It's just that if it's nothing more than bleak sci-fi, it's going to move further down my watch list than his has been over the past season or two.
posted by sardonyx at 2:08 PM on December 6, 2017

Fitz is still stuck in the present day, and the rest of the team was brought forward with the help of some kind of organization with substantial present-day staffing and resources. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw his side of the "I'm working on it" postcard, which hopefully entails more of a superspy gadget espionage vibe.
posted by Uncle Ira at 11:51 AM on December 7, 2017 [1 favorite]

You're probably right Uncle Ira, I just hoped to see a little of him in the the two hour premiere.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:19 PM on December 7, 2017

I would understand it, but still be slightly annoyed, if they minimize Simmons' involvement this season. I mean, ok, we had a whole season that felt like mostly her under a monochrome sky but still. But that's sort of what it feels like the Kree controller dude's quicksilver earworm is gonna end up doing, hey?

I'll be happy when they start getting settled into the story more than just showing a double-length "our guys are soooooo fucked!" episode, I guess.
posted by Kyol at 12:49 PM on December 7, 2017

One thing that I saw that hasn't been discussed is right at the start when the strange bald man was in the shower it looked like he had taken off his skin and was a really thin silhouette in the shower. I'm not deeply into the Marvel mythos, so maybe someone more informed might know of an alien species that fits the bill?
posted by Marticus at 2:49 PM on December 7, 2017

I'm 100% on board! Is it the season of Agents of SHIELD I was kind of hoping for after this premiere? No. If I were the showrunner, would I have taken it here? Nope. But at least they're doing things, instead of just retreading the same stuff to diminishing returns. I legitimately don't know what's going to happen next. I mean, I kind of expect we'll travel back in time and prevent the world from gettin' a'Quaked by the end of the season.

But after last season, they may go back and reset the whole thing by the mid-season break, and the second half of the season will be some sort of corridor-based version of the Kree-Skrull War, or they'll wind up in the flippin' Microverse hanging out with Acroyear and Bug or something.
posted by Shepherd at 5:19 PM on December 7, 2017 [2 favorites]

Still watching; didn't comment last season because of time constraints. I have really enjoyed these recent episodes! Reminds me a bit of the Year of Hell from Voyager. (Man, I loved that arc!)
posted by skye.dancer at 9:19 AM on December 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

Fun! It's a bit like the offspring of Doctor Who and Scooby Doo.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 4:20 PM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]

I gotta say that I am hooked so far. Very mysterious, different and weird.
Also, yeah, how does one girl break the world?
Aw, Gemma. I think her situation freaks me out most.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:06 PM on December 19, 2017 [1 favorite]