‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recap: ‘As I Have Always Been’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 709 of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
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For the most part, comic book movies and shows tend to steer clear of real-world story concepts and understandably so. After all, we’re here for the action and adventure, and we want to enjoy thrills and chills and laughs along the way, as our favorite heroes accomplish incredible feats. But once in a while, some of these stories do indeed deal with issues that everyday folks face in their lives and oddly enough, real-life concepts are something that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is starting to explore in great detail in its final season. Because last week’s episode took the time to address PTSD and the lasting power of trauma by way of Yo-Yo’s desperate quest to reclaim her powers, and rather than treat that as a one-off, the writers’ room decided it was high time to dive into other real-world fears and concerns.
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Because this week’s episode had some things to say in regard to death, and how we view it and fear it and that made ‘As I Have Always Been’ quite the powerful and poignant tale. One that managed to catch the audience by surprise with its more relatable themes, since early on, this felt like a pretty by the numbers science fiction tale. Because initially, the story was focused upon the problem at hand for the team. Specifically, that they were trapped in a time loop and only Daisy and Coulson were aware of it. A harsh reality that motivated the both of them to work hard to try and break the loop at every turn with minimal success. Mainly because their efforts were complicated by the fact that Enoch was programmed to hurt anyone that went near Jemma’s implant. Something that Coulson and Daisy believed to be the key to breaking the loop.

Which they were right about, and eventually they were able to get the implant out, without Enoch’s interference and come to a heartbreaking solution to their ugly little problem. But what started our voyage into more realistic territory, is the sheer fact that we had to watch the team suffer and die often, and the sheer horror of that, is something that was not lost upon Phil Coulson. Because he’d seen it happen too many times during the loops and it was eating at him every single step of the way, and his monologue on the pain it brought him was incredibly relatable. For Phil basically spoke to our shared fear of death and how much the thought of losing those we love hurts, and while that kind of commentary is simple in nature, it’s bold and daring for a comic book themed show because these kinds of matters are never spoken to in this universe and it served as the setup for the most powerful moment of the night.

Because in order to save Zephyr-1 and everyone aboard, Enoch had to provide the team with the Chronicom equivalent of his heart, which meant the end for this beloved character and well, his farewell scene led to some absolutely powerful and poignant moments. Wherein he and Daisy and Coulson discussed the finer points of one’s final moments, and the fear that one faces in regard to what awaits us beyond the silence of our end, and the pain our passing causes to those we leave behind. And while watching Enoch slip away was heartbreaking for certain, what he had to say about cherishing every moment with those that matter the most to us was beautiful for certain and eased some of the pain of his goodbye. But make no mistake about it, this was a heart wrenching moment, one that once again explored some powerful notions and one that signaled that the series is indeed moving into darker territory for its remaining episodes.

For Enoch did mention that there is going to be more loss along the way and perhaps that was the point of diving into these notions now. So that we can prepare ourselves for the tough moments to come. Because we’ve spent seven years with these heroes, and they’ve found a special place in our hearts and saying farewell to fictional characters is difficult for fans. Which means it is best we cherish these moments now before the story takes us to some rough places and really in the end, this was quite the incredible episode for certain. Because it truly was moving in every sense of the word and credit for that needs to go to first time director Elizabeth Henstridge. Since she brought the best out of her castmates while delivering a powerful performance herself and well, in the end, this is it my fellow nerds and geeks. We’re in the endgame now for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it only gets tougher from here since there is likely going to be more sacrifice and pain for this team as they give their all to save the world, one last time.  

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