‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recap: ‘Collision Course (Part I)’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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

Thus far, season six of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been quite the refreshing affair. For the plot now moves at a breakneck pace, and the story is engaging every single step of the way and really, I would venture to say that’s attributed to the fact that this particular season is far shorter than the others that have come before it, allowing for the show to barrel ahead and not waste a single moment of screen time. And well, the benefits of this little change up continue to make themselves apparent since last week’s episode, ‘Collision Course (Part I)’, ended up being filled to the brim with unexpected surprises and juicy plot points.
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If anything, it’s best we talk about the biggest surprises first, since this particular tale finally revealed the identity of the ‘monster’ that Sarge has been chasing and it just so happens to be; Izel. Yes, the friendly alien that freed Fitz and Simmons from Kitson’s evil clutches is Sarge’s number one nemesis and what made this reveal so impressive is the sheer fact that she isn’t at all what we expected. Because the way Sarge set it up, the ‘monster’ was some hulking demon-like creature here to consume our world. But instead, Izel is about as normal in appearance as they come, she just so happens to be able to control the Shrike and use them in stealthy fashion and really, when all is said, while this reveal and everything else Mac learned about her in this tale was fascinating, we honestly still don’t know what her intentions are for Earth at this point.

Which brings us to the other wave of surprises in this tale, which involved Sarge. Because Mack came to realize that there was a good chance that Sarge was going to try and double cross S.H.I.E.L.D. despite making an honest deal with Mack. So, rather than risk major trouble, he worked out a new deal wherein May and Daisy and Deke accompanied Sarge and Snowflake on their attack run and well, it’s a good thing that Mack changed things up. Because the doppelgänger did indeed have an agenda of his own, one that involved blowing up two-hundred miles of the heartland in order to put a stop to Izel and unfortunately for the team, he’s close to succeeding in his twisted plan since he left the escort team alone to join the boys on Zephyr-1 and Deke only has precious minutes left to disarm the bomb in the truck before it blows. Which means Mack is going to have to make a decision real soon on how to handle this mess, since Izel was preparing to land in the closing moments of this tale, and Deke, might not stop the bomb in time…

Yet, while this episode ends on one intense cliffhanger, this episode still found a way to have some serious fun along the way. After all, having Daisy spend some quality time with Sarge made for some delightfully hilarious moments, because hearing her call him an ‘Ass-Thing’ is about as funny as it gets. Plus, all the banter between Fitz and Simmons was a true delight since Fitz found himself to be an inadequate second fiancé and let’s be honest, the true highlight of the episode comedy wise was Deke and Snowflake’s romantic interlude, because that was just out of left field. Because I really thought she was going to filet him like a fish and I guess the plus side here, is that Deke is finally getting over his crush on Daisy.

If anything, I really enjoyed this episode. It did a fine job of moving the plot along, it answered some burning questions and it set the stage for an explosive finale. But, all of that aside, I have to be honest, I’m really starting to wonder who the villain is here exactly. I mean don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot wrong with how Izel operates, but the way Sarge is handing this mess, really has me wondering if his intentions are noble after all, or if this is just two wildly unhinged villains doing their thing on our planet and it’s about settling a score over saving lives. I suppose we will find out as time goes on, and I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest, if tonight’s ‘Part II’ helps us to understand what both of these shady characters are up to. Until next time.       

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