'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: 'A Life Earned'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK... 

​I distinctly remember that shortly after the season four finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that many of my fellow nerds and I enjoyed quite a few discussions about the power of the Framework storyline and how supremely dark the show had become by bringing this particular plot thread to life and really, how it was likely impossible to top said storyline when it comes to the sheer darkness that it brought about. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong when it came to that.
 
Because season five has managed to completely ramp up the darkness, and really, things have managed to go from bad to worse for the team when you think about it. After all, the Agents are trapped in the future, on an Earth that has been destroyed by Daisy’s powers (or so we are led to believe) and the team is without any kind of support, weaponry or knowledge to get themselves out of this mess, plus, Daisy and Jemma are now under the thumb of the vicious and conniving Kasius and really at this point…are these intrepid heroes ever going to get a break? Well, last night’s episode of the show, ‘A Life Earned’ took the time to answer that question with an ambiguous…kinda?
 
I mean, on the plus side, we at least learned that Deke is playing every card that he has in his hand in order to survive and that he is looking to save lives because he’s right. By taking Daisy out of the equation a lot of people are going to see another day, and it was nice to see him help Coulson and May figure out what was happening on Level 35. Speaking of that, Level 35 allowed for us to learn that there is at least some hope for humanity, in that the Kree are breeding Inhuman friendly babies to be raised within the facility and one can never go wrong with the knowledge that they will be given to good families that are determined to see them grow up healthy and happy, as was evidenced by the family that received an infant in this tale.
 
But that’s really where the joy in this episode comes to an end. Because any breaks the team enjoyed were quickly wiped away by some disturbing revelations. First and foremost, there’s the sheer fact that Daisy is likely to be auctioned off to the highest bidder since Kasius is certain he can now retire from his current position with the money he will earn from her sale and to make matters worse…he plans to destroy what’s left of Earth and the vast vestiges of mankind after he leaves as well. Plus, the icing on the cake? At this point we don’t know if May’s okay after her run in with Kasius’ lackey…
 
So, when you take all that, and combine it with Mack’s powerful storyline, wherein he’s basically told he’s unworthy of having a child, something that rips at his soul considering the fact it’s only been a short time since everyone was inside the Framework, we’re left with quite the bleak story once again. However, there may be some hope to be found in the midst of all of this mess. Because in the closing moments of this episode, we came to discover that Fitz has arrived in this awful place at long last, and while it seems as though his evil persona from the Framework is front and center once again, I get the feeling it’s all a ruse to help save the day. Either way, it should be fascinating to learn how Fitz made it to this timeline come next week, and if he holds the key to getting everyone home. Until then. 

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