#aosrewatch

Orientation kicks off the grimmest and darkest season of the show and, right off the bat, the team's circumstances are off the scale dire, to a degree they had never been in the previous season openers: forcibly transported to a strange, miserable place barely hours after saving the planet from Aida and her cadre of fascist androids, out of their time, with no resources and - as they will soon learn - the highest stakes to date.

So, naturally, it's hilarious 😂

Behind all the meta jokes and genuine comedy, however, the exhaustion is palpable. Mack's the most vocal - the man's had it and can you blame him*? - but everyone must be soldiering on by sheer stubbornness and survival instinct, because they can't have much else left in their tanks.

Is it any wonder they'll eventually crack?

For now, they crack jokes, and do what they do best, if with an extra measure of snark: work the problem as a team, trusting and relying on each other.

As the second half of the season will illustrate quite harshly, it's not something they should be taking for granted.

*yes, some people can. In fact, I’ve seen him being called whiny and unprofessional, when it’s been merely hours since his daughter vanished in his arms. Idehtw.

Too Legit To Quit:

Not one season has gone by without Mack being taken to a place where he had to re-evaluate his professional choices.

And here he is in the same place again: “I’m not comfortable at the pace at which we face new trials and tribulations” he tells Coulson, and it feels like an understatement because the pace has been nothing but brutal.

Mack had already quit at the end of S2, only to be roped back in by circumstances, and sounded pretty close to do it again after Bobbi and Hunter left.

Each time - and clearly against his better judgement - he decided to stay, for no other reason than he was needed.

In retrospect, it feels like it was the shape of things to come.

Or maybe it's just that being the responsible sort is often a bitch 😁

Take Your Daughter To Work Day:

Coulson has been grooming Daisy for his (then different) job since S1 (1x09) and already wanted to hand her the directorship at the end of S3** - he told her as much in 4x08.

Now that his internal clock is ticking a little faster and louder each day, he doesn't have the luxury to wait for her to get on the same page, or at least in walking distance of the same page - I mean, she had scoffed at the mere allusion in 4x08 - and is only looking for affirmations.

And Daisy, as is often the case, delivers, picking up where she left off last season.

There's this scene where she casually changes Coulson's orders (for the better), finishing with a somewhat sheepish "sir". And Coulson just grins with fatherly pride: there she is, my Team Captain, you can practically hear him.

Yes, there she is, Phil. But you didn't take into account how the knowledge of losing you - and so soon after she's barely started to recover from the whole Hive business and losing Lincoln - would unmoor her.

Nor that your unshakable faith in her isn't something she has for herself. For you, the idea that Daisy could destroy the world is silly. For her, it's a fear manifesting. She's feared her powers before, and she's feared herself, especially so after Hive.

And, of course, you couldn't have anticipated Fitzler, nor that in the aftermath her fellow former Bus Kids would desert her.

**and if directorship candidate at 27, with only months of experience as team leader and less than 3 years as an agent sounds a little premature, remember that her comics counterpart was level 10 at 17. In comparison, live action Daisy is a hopeless underachiever 😂

She's Got The Powers:

Daisy disintegrates a Vrellnexian in much the same way she will the shrikes. It's cool and terrifying, and really makes you wonder how much she must be restraining herself when she's fighting humans or humanoids.

By S7 she'll be comfortable enough to joke about it ("Yeah, yeah, make fun of the person who can literally turn you to dust" 7x11) but the road is still long and treacherous at this point in time.

Meanwhile, Elena has not yet learned how to bullet time, which she will sometime after S5 and gloriously show off in 6x12.

Home Is Not A Bunker:

By Thor, do I hate the Lighthouse, the dingy, underground bucket of misery 😡

The Playground had texture, (some) color, homeyness: a kitchen, the lounge with a comfy sofa to play games. What little we saw of the rooms, they felt more like college dorms than military bunks. The director's office had clutter. It all felt liveable and lived in.

The Lighthouse is just grey everywhere and all we see, once it's the present again, is empty hallways, utilitarian rooms and the occasional, impersonal bunk.

Appropriate for the overall mood of this season, and cheap for the slashed production budget, I bet, but I really wish the place had blown up, never to be seen again. Or that they had at least set some scenes in the above ground part, which looks like it could be pretty cozy.

The hangar entrance is insanely cool, though, no complaints there.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

(Fun fact: one Italian slang word for "making out" is "limonare", which can be literally translated as "lemoning" or "to lemon")

(Fun fact #2: cats detest citruses)

Mr. Lemons floated on-screen dressed like a second-hand Starlord and I should have known right there that we weren't meant to be 🤭

The self-serving scoundrel shtick of his early interactions with the team made up some for that poor first impression - I do enjoy the archetype - but things soon took a turn for the worst and then went downhill faster than an alpine skiing olympic medal, what with his admiration for amateur surgery, a knack for annoying my favorite character, incel-like gaming fantasies, and increasingly near-Gary Stu energy.

Look, Deke, it's you - it's definitely you - but it's also me. So, I will make an effort to at least take you seriously during this rewatch, and see if I can make lemonade.

Stuff:

Hey, Enoch. I had almost forgotten how creepy you came across in your debut. Nice pool.

Virgil, eh? Like the ancient Roman Poet who chaperones Dante in his travels through hell? AoS already referenced the Divine Comedy in S2, so I’m guessing the name was chosen on purpose. And take this part of the incipit: I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost (it sounds far cooler in Italian, I have to say). Fits the team’s circumstances here and even more so their desperate scrambling in the second half of the season, don’t you think?

I'd like to know, if you don't mind, what is happening here, please. Coulson is very polite for someone who was just kidnapped to Space Station Apocalypse.

Oh, my bad. I see a dirty-looking dude hovering over you with a crazy-looking gun. I acted on impulse. Only a few minutes in the future and Mack is already and completely Done™ 😂

I don't have many details, but I do know we're in space -- Yeah, that makes sense. That's the one thing we haven't done yet. 😂😂

Several dead bodies litter the place. Simmons: oh, goodie, a puzzle! Elena: 🤨😬

Coulson's 99 % sure we're in space -- Not again. Cheer up, Jemma. At least you're not alone this time, even if the place is severely lacking in brooding marooned astronauts.

How were we supposed to prepare for this, Mack? -- I don't know. I mean, we got to be prepared for everything, apparently. Look, not a day ago, I was trapped inside a computer-generated mind prison, and now... you know what? You know what, Coulson? I'm out. I'm out. We get through this, I am packing it in. Listen to you. Seriously thinking that you can quit... oh, man, are you in for a disappointment 😂

So, wait, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have a space division called S.P.E.A.R. or something? No, but it might have had a division or a sister agency called S.W.O.R.D., if Marvel Studios had let you use the name.

I always thought you guys had people hiding on the moon. Actually, it's you and Daisy who had people hiding on the moon. We just don't talk about it because their show was a bust 😁

Geez, Mack, how hard did you hit him? -- What do you mean? As hard as I possibly could. Look, I don't half-hit people. It's a punch. That's why it's called a punch.🤣🤣

[Virgil] said that we were coming here to serve a purpose -- As food? 🤣

Who doesn't check the other side of a postcard? You know, the part that may have words on it?

So, it is a human outpost -- Yeah, and, of course, it's being overrun by creatures that suck out your innards. I should've been a fireman. 🤣🤣🤣

Don't be crazy. You're not here to save me -- who then? -- Humanity. Gotta love the guy who says "don't be crazy", before saying something crazy.

Right? Ok, first, you can't make me wait almost twenty minutes (!) into the season premiere for my girl to appear and leave me in the dark to where the hell she's been and what her first take of the future was. We're really starting on the wrong foot, here, S5. And second, Daisy saving everybody by disintegrating the ugly monster and then asking for confirmation just in case she blew up somebody's pet is delightful. So, okay, we're still pals for now, S5, but the ice you're walking on is already thinning.

Ming-Na Wen had some kind of leg injury, so May gets one too, which sadly prevents her from trashing Mr. Lemons as he would have richly deserved, for being a jerk to her just now and for all his future transgressions. The first of many disappointments 🤭

So, is there anything you want to fill us in on, Coulson? 'Cause now's the time. As usual, my dear, you're onto something, and, as usual, it's worse than what you're imagining.

Maybe someone put us back in the Framework and this is a simulation. Believe me when I say, we're all gonna wish this was still the Framework.

Oh, please. We just got zapped through space by Stonehenge, and we're trying to rule out the involvement of a flame-headed demon from east L.A.? Science my ass. Careful, there. Dr. Dr. Simmons may take it personally.

Speaking of Simmons, who has managed for almost half an hour to not mention Fitz - and honestly, that is very impressive 🤭 - she becomes super defensive about her missing half, mistaking Daisy's concern for suspicion of his possible involvement in their predicament. Whatever reservations she may be harbouring about him in the Framework's aftermath, however, they'll disappear the moment they reunite.

We should split up -- Oh, hell, no [...] Haven't you ever seen an alien movie? -- Mack, it's the best way to cover the most ground. -- Okay, you see, you see, that's exactly what they say before they get picked off one by one, and you know who the first one will be. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 This will get a call back in 5x13, when once again Coulson will suggest splitting up and Daisy will agree, but only to troll Mack.

This has to be the coolest we've ever looked. Not exactly. But it's probably the most hilarious, although there's a scene in 7x09 that gives this one a run for its money. Unsurprisingly, I'm a big fan of Daisy's epic eye roll that you can miss in the dark, if you're not looking for it (spoiler: I'm always looking for it): my dad is a dork. Yes, and you love it 😁

"Water reclamation". You were right, Jemma -- I figured it out using magic. Told you she'd take it personally 😂

And here comes the Kree, who we had first met in S1 (the dead body harvested for the GH 325), then S2 (Vin-Tak, who wanted to eradicate "Skye") and S3 (the Reapers, who also wanted to eradicate Inhumans). Still waiting for a decent, non-genocidal, non-slaver, non-a*hole, live Kree to show up somewhere.

May's resigned "copy that" at the news they are, in fact, in space, is her version of Mack's long-winded distress earlier. Naturally, May's version is just two words.

You got a name? -- Deke. First time I thought he had said "Dick". Missed opportunity for a nomen omen situation there 😈🤭

No, no, wait. You stay here. I've got two good fighters down there once I get the restraints off. I'll be fine. We can't lose our leader again. We need answers [...] find out where the hell and what the hell... sir. This is the scene I was talking about a gazillion words above. I really love the delivery of the "where the hell and what the hell" bit. Equally notable but for different reasons the "we can't lose our leader again". Daisy's not prepared for the truth of it but, also, as is often the case in these matters, I believe she is quite correct: Coulson's impending death will do a number on everybody, contributing to the team's loss of cohesion.

May gets to check "piloting a spaceship" off her bucket list (something suggested all the way back in 1x08). Given how her day started and how it is proceeding, it's nothing to sneeze at.

I was starting to picture myself with two hooks. Since I had read the comics, I was extremely uncomfortable during Yo-Yo's torture when this aired, but I relaxed when it was over, thinking they had made their nod to her comics' story and that was it. Yes, I'm a fool.

Ok, since I used to be a med tech (aka I worked in a hospital lab), I have questions about why they have so many green and blue tubes there. I mean...green tops are heparin tubes so I guess you can use those for basic chemistry tests, so that might be usable for multiple things. But those blue tops? That’s sodium citrate and the only thing I know of we used those for were coagulation tests. Which require some specific equipment. Does Jemma plan to run that many PT/PTTs?? And on what???

LOOK I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT OK

And yes I remember those anticoagulants by heart still

The repeating title card is :chef’s kiss:

Daisy very quickly realizes she’s looping

91 km now

I’m wondering if there was something cut here by the way Sousa says, “See?” to Simmons as if we are missing some part of a conversation they had

My guess would be Jemma was all “You can go rest in your bunk you know Agent Sousa” and he’s like “Nope, gotta make sure Daisy rests” and Jemma’s like “...do you though?” and Sousa’s all “Yep. She will not do it on her own. Trust me.”

Maybe there’s enough for a fic plot in there

Ok, we’re now on loop #3

Daisy also very quickly realizes that she’s waking Sousa up with her boots and is very quiet so he can get some sleep

Awwww

I kind of wish I knew what May was sensing from Daisy right about now

I love love that Robo Coulson is so over this

The way he says “This guy” KILLS ME

So Coulson knows of 87 loops, but we know in this case Daisy didn’t wake him for 2 loops this time...we’re going to be doing some mathing soon lads

Also we just covered loops #4 and #5 since the ep started

Coulson says this is loop #90 which matches up still

And loop #6 for us now

Daisy was kind of loud there but didn’t wake up Sousa sooo...idk

79 km now

I love that Daisy realizes that to solve faster she needs the entire team

This must be loop #7 because Deke now says they are 65 km from the vortex

“It’s kind of hard to access” YOU DON’T SAY

And now people know about Jemma’s implant which...FINALLY

Phlebotinum is an amazing word bless

Making yourself cough like that seems like a rough day of filming 

And directing

Deke’s face when Nana is dead though :(

Loop #8

It was sabotage!!!

But also Daisy died so we’re starting over memory-wise

Loop #9

48 km

Daisy legit forgot about her boots waking Sousa up too ha

Loop #10

And this time we wake up Coulson again

41 km

Enoch, Deke, and Jemma standing there is so freaking hilarious

Jemma is so done even though she doesn’t remember any of this hahaha

Loop #11

This is the one where we try to get Elena out and helping

Loop #12

Phlebotinum!

Sousa finally woke up on his own I guess

That smile when he says, “Reminds me of my SSR days” like

He lives for this chaos he just doesn’t want to admit it

Also look at him being a smart agent here

And let’s talk about the trust Sousa has in Daisy for a sec

He not just immediately believes her about the time loops, but he immediately understands what she is saying about what is happening. Thus he knows this isn’t really a sacrifice play because he’ll come back AND he’ll have saved her the trouble of forgetting. But also, he trusts her so implicitly that he’s willing to risk his life for her. 

It’s beautiful y’all

And poor Daisy has to add watching Sousa die to her list of traumas cool cool cool

Although that does give me writing ideas...

Loop #13

Daisy immediately pops up to ensure herself that Sousa is still there napping away and like

I legit thought this was going to be the peak Dousy moment in this episode when she stops and just watches him breathing for a bit hahaha

She does not want to leave him there either and then the way she says, “We’re making progress” then adds a kind of soft “thanks to Sousa” like

Daisy is going through some stuff here

Coulson is going through some stuff too

Clark Gregg is killllllling this

And Coulson realizes that Enoch is the problem

“Oh dear” ENOCH HAHAHAHA

Loop #14

“Why do you care?” “Because you don’t”

Ummmmm MY HEART

But Daisy is not just accepting that he’s willing to die for her, she wants to know why now

Which obviously we will circle back to in a few loops or so

See, Jemma says she has to be awake to remove them implant...I guess the difference before was that Enoch wasn’t removing it?

Idk that makes no sense

Loop #15

Send in Sousa to distract Enoch

That “Hello!!” omg Sousa no

Sousa is surprisingly bad at this

Sousa’s muffled “Sorry” KILLS ME

As does Daisy’s face

Loop #16

Appeal to Enoch’s sense of irony

Loop #17

Have Jemma countermand her previous order

Loop #18

Bring in the whole gang

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS KILLS ME

“Where’d he get all those weapons?”

Poor dead Deke

Them realizing it doesn’t matter because they’ll all come back

The way May looks like she’s relaxing

Sousa’s feet framing Daisy’s face

Legit this is amazing and I love it

Loop #19

“Actually, I can take a loop” 

WE LOVE TO SEE IT

“It all phases me, just maybe not my face”

Ummmmm sir

Your face

While lovely it definitely gives you away

The saddest thing to me about this is that Daisy can’t seem to understand why he’s always willing to help and wants to watch over her. It’s like she still doesn’t think she’s worthy of being treated like this.

“Some of my favorite people are people like you” I CRY

Whew there’s a lot to parse here. 

First of all, I think Daisy actually really likes that Sousa is seemingly not phased by anything (or at least, not super bothered by it) because her life is always going to be chaotic that’s just facts

Second, in this very short time of knowing her, Sousa definitely has her pegged. He knows that she craves other people, but is also probably a bit scared to want to be around other people. He knows she’s hopelessly stubborn, but that’s because she cares so much. And he knows that she needs someone to have her back no matter what, because she won’t have her own.

Of course, there’s also a personal element here as indicated by the next part of their conversation. 

Also of note, when Daisy is pressing with the questions, wanting to know why he’s always there for her, she’s leaning forward while he sits back. 

Now though, when the question is a bit more personal, she sits back in a very protective stance. I think she’s a little scared of what he’ll say to her question. Because she realizes that she likes him. A lot. And what if he’s just like a generally good guy and this has nothing to do with her?

But of course, it has everything to do with her as indicated by what Sousa says next. “Not for everyone. It helps if they’re fun to be around, and if they say what they mean, and if they have that super power where they can rock things around which is very impressive.”

And Daisy’s immediate response?? SHE SMILES. Like...this is what she needs and what she wants but what she’s been too afraid to go after. And here it is just falling in her lap.

Now that everything is out in the open, they are both leaning towards each other...

Also I love that she says, “That’s awfully specific” and he doesn’t shy away from her. He just agrees with her. They both know what that really means.

And they both like it

Legit here I was chanting KISS KISS KISS but I thought it was a missed moment

I am so happy I was wrong

So the new plan is to misdirect Enoch by having Sousa go in to take the implant out, but really Sousa is leading Enoch into a fight with him, Mack, May, and Elena and like what a squad

But also this was a super plan, and I wonder if Coulson was involved or if this was Daisy/Sousa original

Either option seems likely

“Next time, same thing but faster” 

Daisy is really good at following instructions y’all

Loop #20

Daisy asks for help and Sousa immediately agrees to help and THAT IS WHAT DID IT FOR DAISY JOHNSON FRIENDS

Like...I know she’s feeling under the gun for time because Coulson said same thing but faster

But also, peak romance is someone just wanting to help her no questions asked which, given her history makes complete sense

She needs a constant, someone who will be there for her no matter what

I feel like this started in some ways with Lincoln. He was just so sweet and helpful to her. And granted he had his own demons to deal with, but in the end he was willing to give up everything to save the world and Daisy herself.

But he also showed Daisy that she could expect love and support and she was worthy of that (even if she doubted it later)

So here’s this guy, who’s just smart and kind and good and clearly into her

So, knowing that this could be one of her lasts chance to do this and realizing that at any rate he’ll totally forget about it anyway, she makes a move

And like this kiss?? It’s hot y’all

You can tell Daisy just like lol Imma kiss him, but then they are both caught in this moment and go back for me

But also he definitely led for that second kiss 

“That was nice” like hahahaha amazing undersell Daisy

And then she traces his collarbone like whoa I need to fan myself for a bit

“Now we need to drop a space robot”

I can’t tell what Sousa is more confused by- that statement or the kiss itself

Imagine being Sousa though. You just got woken up by this beautiful woman who asks for you help then kisses you when you say “Sure thing.”

He’s truly living the dream

Oh also we’re 11 km from the vortex now

It turns out Enoch is the answer to all our problems

But also we have to kill him in the process :(

And then poor Simmons has a breakdown over leaving Alya presumably, but also she’s a better mom than me because after 3 years in space with one of my little super geniuses I’d be more than ready for a vacay idk

I love my kids but they are...a lot

And finally, Loop #21

I guess Daisy left Sousa to sleep for this loop

<1 km from the vortex too eek

Enoch immediately understands what is happening :(

I love that Enoch has reached the point where he feels like this entire crew is his family and would sacrifice themselves for him

Enoch didn’t feel lonely until he had friends :((

This whole thing is breaking my heart...not just Enoch in the process of dying, but Coulson actually talking about his deaths and Daisy having to try and process all this

“Yet, this is the nature of families. I have seen it countless times on countless worlds. People arrive so we celebrate, and people leave us, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between, but the cycle is always there. No one escapes it. Not even me.”

This really got to me. My family has changed a lot through the years. People have come and gone. Babies have been born. People have died. And nothing I do can change this cycle. Sometimes it makes me happy; sometimes it hurts. But nothing I do can change that process, and that’s not always easy for me to accept.

I think Daisy and Coulson are having a moment here too, where Daisy is telling both Coulson and Enoch that even though they are not human, that doesn’t make them any less alive to the people who love them

RIP Enoch, you were the bestest Chronicom to ever robot

And of course we get one last buzzkill with Nathaniel and Kora

Queen Kora you deserve better

Ok first some timeloop math. We saw 21 loops on screen, but loop #5 was loop #90 for Coulson. So if we figure Daisy died say...every 10-15 ish time loops and it took her 2 or 3 to wake Coulson up, we can probably add an additional 25 time loops or so. So we’re probably looking at around 130 loops roughly.

Of course this begs the question, did Daisy decide to kiss Sousa more than once? It’s possible. I kind of like to think she did. 

First of all, mad props to Joel for nailing that death scene. He was absolutely incredible. And clearly this episode rates 1000000000/10 on the Dousy scale because like...everything. The talk, the kiss, the sacrifice...amazing. I was 95% sure I was getting ending Dousy after this. This episode also gets 50000/10 on the Teamwork! scale because our team did so well and were strongest when they worked together. And of course Enoch gets a 10000000000000000/10 on the Good Chronicom scale because he legit was the bestest Chronicom that could ever not-live.

Since we’re in a timeloop and not in a particular time period, I’m going with the Dousy-est of songs, “peace” by Taylor Swift.