‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recap: ‘Inescapable’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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If there’s one thing I think every fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can agree upon, it’s that the series is at its absolute best when it throws caution to the wind and tries something bold with the story it is presenting. That could entail allowing for the cast members to just let loose and have fun with a lighthearted script, or it could mean the show is going to feature a story arc that allows for these talented actors to play vastly different iterations of their characters, as was the case during the Framework storyline. But the bottom line is that when the show signals that it’s going to basically ‘see what happens’ with a particular story, everyone benefits from it and it just so happens that last night’s episode of the series, turned out to be quite the delight, thanks to its use of this particular formula.
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Which honestly ended up being quite the surprise. Because at first glance, ‘Inescapable’, seemed as though it was going to be a more romantic story since it brought forth the long-awaited reunion of Fitz and Simmons, in the most harrowing way imaginable of course. Because this dynamic duo were trapped in a virtual environment by the Chronicoms, one where they shared a mind and they were expected to use this place to uncover the secrets of time travel, and while this strange world did indeed allow for Jemma and Leo to rekindle their love for one another by way of sweet moments and a second proposal for Jemma, once Fitz-Simmons got down to business on the whole time travel conundrum, things took a turn for the unconventional.

After all, the human mind is a confusing place, one filled with insecurities and worries, and it didn’t take long for those little quirks/problems to manifest, bringing about all kinds of complications for our two nerdy lovebirds as they navigated their insecurities and fears and memories. And while seeing Jemma transform into a child to hide the truth from Fitz about the whole, other Fitz dying thing, and watching them interact together in their younger years at college and S.H.I.E.L.D. was all delightful in its own right, this episode found a way to get a little heavy, by showing us the aftermath of alternate Fitz’s death from last season. A moment that prompted Fitz Prime to face the fact that in a weird way, he was already married to Simmons and this memory also forced him to deal with the revelation that his leader and mentor was gone and oddly enough, the darker moments didn’t end there.

Because their fears came to life in this strange place as well, since Evil Fitz from the Framework made a cameo here in an effort to take control of the situation, and we also came to learn that a twisted version of Jemma, one that is in essence the compendium of her fears and insecurities, exists in her mind, and she was happy to unleash her fury on the duo and well, dark or no, this sequence of events is where the episode shined because it was simply off the wall in every way imaginable. For elements of horror and comedy and drama all mixed together here in seamless fashion. And while this adventure came to an end in happy fashion since Enoch redeemed himself and rescued the duo, and Evil Fitz and Ringu-Jemma also fell in love, I don’t think any of us are going to forget this sequence of events anytime soon. Especially when it comes to Evil Jemma.

I mean come on, she literally tore Fitz’s heart out of his chest, and she ATE Mack! That’s hardcore and if that kind of darkness is residing deep within Jemma, woe to the idiot that brings it out of her. But all wisecracks aside, I really loved this episode. Because we haven’t had a true Fitz-Simmons episode for ages, and turning Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge loose in this tale was a pure stroke of genius because they delivered magnificent performances through and through, and I don’t care in the slightest that the show basically took a break from the overall plot for season six, because this was a true treat since this one made me laugh, and tear up and everything in-between, and I intend to hang onto the wonder of this one for as long as possible, since it won’t be long before the heavier stuff returns to the forefront of this season’s storytelling. Until next time.  

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