‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recap: ‘The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

When one thinks about the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, a great deal of fantastic memories come into mind. Because the MCU has brought joy to all of our hearts over the past twelve years by way of a bevy of incredible shows and movies and characters for that matter as well. And while it is easy to find incredible moments from this storied franchise to reflect upon, our love of it really does bring about an important question for certain, specifically; what is it that has allowed for the MCU to last as long as it has? Because a franchise this big should have run out of steam by now, but this one is still rolling and is still beloved and really its success can be contributed to one thing and one thing alone; it knows how to connect with its fan base. 
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Because every story in the MCU knows exactly when to drop the superhero guise and offer up some genuine humanity, by way of humor or touching moments and for proof that this is still going strong in this franchise, then look no further than last night’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For ‘The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D’ was a supremely emotional tale, one that saw our beloved new director suffer mightily after losing his parents. In fact, Mack was so distraught and broken over discovering that his folks were replaced by Chronicoms that he outright withdrew from this foreign world and hid within a cabin, drinking his days away while he licked his emotional wounds. And this was quite powerful to watch since it took the time to remind us that even the strongest heroes have their breaking point, and they too need to heal like the rest of us.

But while that did make for some powerful moments and some fine acting from Henry Simmons, there was mention of how this franchise knows how to have fun as well, and an important request from Deke, one that asked Mack to join him at a local bar, is where that came into play. Because Mack came to discover that while he was healing, Deke was quite busy with putting together a new group of agents, known as the ‘Deke Squad’, and their introduction and the revamping of the Lighthouse led to some of the most hilarious moments of the night. Because you can’t go wrong with Deke borrowing 80s musical hits to further his cause, nor can you go wrong with his ragtag band of agents bumbling and stumbling at every single turn and oddly enough, the fun didn’t end with Deke and his usual shenanigans. Because Sybil’s plot to return to glory also brought about some special moments in this episode as well. 

For this sly Chronicom basically built the Protector Robot from Chopping Mall, a movie that’s been referenced multiple times in this series, and her all out assault on the Lighthouse led to some incredibly gory homages to the film in question. In fact, it’s actually quite surprising that the network let some of that splatter through, but hey, no complaints. But more importantly, this attempt to take out the Deke Squad finally snapped Mack out of his funk and helped him to realize that people needed his help and his leadership, and that prompted him to help save the day and defeat Sybil once again, and for his efforts, he finally found peace and eventually, he was able to reunite with Yo-Yo and the rest of the team. Because at long last, the Zephyr was able to jump back to the 80s, and while that’s a wonderful thing for certain, since this team is always stronger together, it also means that Sybil was able to reclaim the power of the Time Stream. Which means more trouble is on the horizon for the team, and considering the fact that Nathaniel Malick is alive and well, it looks like the fight for the future is about to get all the more difficult.

In the end however, this really was quite the delightful episode. One that truly embodied everything you love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and this show for that matter as well and hands down, this was the most fun the show has offered up all season. Which is saying something in a season filled to the brim with dynamic storytelling. But the laughs just kept on coming in this one, and seeing Deke perform ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ was a true campy highlight, as was the perfect homage to Chopping Mall. Because Mack facing off against the mechanical monsters, he so loves, was just awesome. Plus, the Coulson/Max Headroom twist was a lovely little 80s surprise and it should be interesting to see what Simmons has in store for his new LMD. But while this was a fun and adventurous tale, the fight will only get harder from here and one has to wonder if this was the show’s final hurrah before things turn bleak and serious. Until next time.  

Also, just for fun, here is a side by side comparison of the Chronicom Killbot from last night’s episode and the Protector Series Robot/Killbot from ‘Chopping Mall’.

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' - 2020

'Chopping Mall' - 1986