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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 710 of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’
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More often than not, whenever a television series explores a particular concept involving the human condition in great detail, a show rarely revisits it. Simply because, it’s a good old-fashioned case of been there, done that and it is best that said series move onto other aspects of everyday life in order to keep things interesting for the audience. But when a television series is coming to its end, all bets are off, and if by chance the writers’ room feels the need to revisit concepts they’ve explored, one more time, they absolutely will take that opportunity because what do they have to lose? After all, it’s not like the show can be cancelled again, so why not go for it and dig deeper? And it just so happens that this particular line of thinking came into play when the writers’ room of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started to craft last night’s episode.

For ‘Stolen’ is an episode that wasted no time in diving back into the notion of facing one’s past and why this made a return to the series makes sense for certain. Because there are a great many characters on this show that have some serious skeletons in their respective closets. So, having them face down their pain is a healthy thing, since it can bring them the peace they so desperately seek before the saga comes to a close. And well, our first clue that this was coming, came about when the decision was made to bring Jiaying to the Lighthouse, in the hopes of keeping her safe. Because there was no way that Daisy wouldn’t take the opportunity to confront someone that had such a profound impact upon her life and despite her best efforts early on in this tale, to not mess with the timeline, with a little prodding and help from Sousa, she finally decided it was high time to confront her mother.

A move that had mixed results for certain. For while Daisy was able to keep her identity a secret (initially), all while saying what she needed to say about the pain that her mother caused her in life, the revelation that she had a sister she knew nothing about, complicated her attempts to properly close the door on yesterday. But while she didn’t get flawless closure in that moment, it was quite powerful and beautiful to see Daisy be brave in this manner and make an attempt to heal, something that did pay off in the end in heartbreaking fashion. Something that came about by way of the other blast from the past in this particular tale; a mister John Garrett. Yes, that’s right, the cocky and powerhouse agent that we met so long ago, and saw come to an end at the hands of Phil Coulson when S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, found his way into the story as well. 

Because Malick thought it was best to make use of Garrett’s confidence and ego to execute the next part of Sibyl’s plan to rule the Earth. Which meant that Garrett needed to be gifted with Inhuman powers, a move that cost Gordo his life and led to some delightfully twisted interactions with Phil Coulson as well, the kind that does leave you hoping that these two foes will square off once again before the show comes to a close. But all that aside, since Garrett was gifted Gordo’s powers, at long last Malick was able to infiltrate the Lighthouse, wherein he took the time to reveal the truth about Daisy to Jiaying before brutally killing her. Which will definitely have a great impact on Daisy going forward, in so many ways. Because while she did get some measure of closure, she’s full of fury and out for revenge and that will not bode well for Malick. But in the here and the now, that surprise end for Jiaying did reveal the fact that Gordo was Malick’s Inhuman target all along, all so that Nathaniel could get his hands, on Jemma Simmons. 

Because every single projection that Sibyl laid out in regard to the success of their plans, saw failure at the hands of Leo Fitz. Which means that Jemma is the key to stopping the Chronicoms, and it should be interesting to see how she is going to hold onto the secret of Fitz’s location with only her grandson as her ally and well, when all is said and done, this really was another spectacular episode. In large part because it was refreshing to see Daisy finally get some kind of closure in regard to her painful past. But also, because, it moved at a breakneck speed and offered up some genuinely delightful and fun moments, especially the ones involving John Garrett. Something that was further enhanced by the wonderful decision to cast the late Bill Paxton's son, James Paxton, to play the part. A move that provided some genuine respect to what Bill did for the role, and James did a phenomenal job of carrying on his father's legacy. But now that this one is in the books, the time has come to turn our attention to a seriously important episode. For not only will next week's tale feature a grand fight to keep Fitz safe from the Chronicoms, but it is also the penultimate episode for the series. Meaning that it will also set the stage for the series finale of a story that has meant so much, to so many of us. Until next time.  

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