S06.E02: Window of Opportunity

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

While Fitz and Enoch struggle in space, Sarge and his team move forward with their mysterious mission on Earth.

[UNOSEZ]

Fitz was heroic... May was bad ass... Sarge was intimidating... New science guy was helpful... Mac & Yo-Yo being apart is sad... That Aussie/ Kiwi actress with sarge is a weirdo... Enoch is still the best.. Plus no Deke.. All in all good episode... Im scared they'll just jump into saving Fitz and the others won't have time to be sufficiently pissed at Jemma... I need ppl to be real angry with her

[Lady Calypso]

So, the adventures of Fitz and Enoch was great. It turns out that Fitz is not on drugs; he was just tricking the others into thinking he's an alien too. 

It is great to see pre-season 5 Fitz back. Season 5 Fitz was just so heavy in terms of angst and being dangerous, so it's good to get back to a more light-hearted Fitz, without the burden of The Doctor or anything else. I loved Fitz in all seasons but 5 so that might explain my eagerness to see more of this Fitz. Plus, Enoch is great. 

Sarge is such a ruthless guy. I am intrigued by him having Coulson's DNA. Does that mean this is actually him or some cloned version of him? I actually find myself hoping for the latter. I love that this guy feels different from our Coulson, but they're definitely playing with both ideas (Coulson's name ringing a bell, the DNA). But really, I want this to not be the real Coulson, especially since May isn't telling them exactly what happened. Maybe it's too hard or maybe there's more to his last day.

May was great. I loved her fighting the others in Sarge's crew. I'm positive the guy not eight feet tall will be the first to go out of their group. Him questioning his boss' actions doesn't bode well for him. I'm sure Sarge will remember that. The woman is the most interesting to me. I don't know any of their names.

Keller is solid still, but I think him and Elena aren't long for this world as a couple.

This episode was very evenly paced and still like this episode more than last season.

[SnoGirl]

Other than I felt like there were a ton of commercials, I liked the episode.

Fitz is my favorite character, so I’m glad we don’t have Captain Torture from last season. Just to be clear though, this is post LMD Fitz right? I wonder how dark we’ll see Fitz go. I like that he couldn’t abandon the aliens-that felt like old Fitz.

Loved all the stuff with May. So excited to see her kick ass again. Nothing stops her from getting to her goal that’s for sure. 

Liked how we didn’t even see Daisy or Jemma. Spreading out the story, I like it. That portal would be a real quick way to get everyone to space or back to earth real quick. I like when everyone is together so I already can’t wait for the reunion.

My favorite part was definitely Enoch! I am so happy he’s back. 

With all the time travel wimbly does this mean that Hunter is still guarding Robin and her mother? I think there’s a lot of characters on the show so I know we don’t need another, but I love Hunter and Fitz together. Wonder when Deke is going to pop back in. Probably when we least expect it. Would be hilarious if Hunter and Deke ended up together. His mind would be blown that he was hanging out with the spawn of FitzSimmons and not even know it.

[AimingforYoko]

I haven't had a "Aw, c'mon!" moment on this show in a while, but Fitz skedaddling just as Jemma comes out of warp definitely caused that reaction tonight. It wasn't an angry one (but it may turn into one of they drag this out too long.

[Enigma X]

NotCoulson and his group are just too over the top and unlikable for me. There is always at least one part of Shield each season that proves I can’t have nice things with this show.

[Raja]

Jocko is some kind of alien needing booster shots of his own atmosphere? The Fitz double cross really didn't move the space story forward any. All it did was have him call back to Dr. Leopold.

[thuganomics85]

Fitz and Enoch were great as always.  I do think it will be interesting if/when he finally does reunite with Simmons, because he doesn't carry with him the guilt and darkness over what he did for the majority of last season, and I imagine that will put both of them on different wavelengths.  Plus, I can only imagine what he will think once he hears about what he (or a version of him) did to Daisy.

Sarge is definitely a no nonsense guy and clearly isn't against shedding blood and killing innocent bystanders if need be, but he also doesn't seem to go out of the way to do so, like other members of his team.  He's just all business, its seems!  The rest of his squad are totally troublemakers, especially Butterfly/Brooke Williams, who seems to be nuttier than a Snickers bar.  Definitely think the guy who keeps questioning him won't be around for very long.

Heh, of course Mack already figured out something was going on between Yoyo and Keller.  And he doesn't seem that bothered by it... for now!

Man, Benson had no idea just how close he was to an ass kicking that would have hurt for a lifetime.  Do not cross Melinda May!  But he did discover that Sarge's DNA matches Coulson's by 100%.  Hmm..

[Jediknight]

The meta-commentary on the diamond industry was outstanding.  Nice job, Agents of SHIELD.

[Lantern7]

Still going along for the ride. I don't have much of a clue about Fitz and the timeline, or "Sarge" and his crew's agenda. I just nod and smile, and watch in awe as May kicks alien ass. The weird moving portal? Icing on the cake.

Seriously, even without factoring in Avengers: Endgame, I should just accept there's little connection to AoS, and just settle for trying to figure out shit there. So, basically, before Fitz "landed" in the future, he had his own space adventure? And Simmons is looking for him because the original version is dead, and there's no longer a need for him to go to the future? I feel that if I ask Enoch, he'd just smile and pat me on the head.

As for the antagonist . .. speculation with a spoiler from a recent MCU movie:

Spoiler

Skrulls? That would be my first guess, but Captain Marvel portrayed them as sympathetic . . . and given how the Kree are shown to be utter assholes, I shouldn't be surprised. Even if the mid-Nineties Skrull refugees were good guys, a lot could change in two decades.

[paigow]

If these aliens are so smart, why not land in an ore processing plant where P.E.G. are readily available? Or a mine / quarry??? 

[Raja]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

If these aliens are so smart, why not land in an ore processing plant where P.E.G. are readily available? Or a mine / quarry??? 

That wasn't their mission. The Sarge is working around the problem of losing the gear needed when his technical specialist got stuck in the wall crossing over.

As it seems different worlds put value on different objects along with using slightly different terms even if they all speak English they still have to search 

[Loandbehold]

May was awesome kicking all kinds of ass. But, when she got caught by the portal, I can't be sure, but I believe I saw her mouthing: I hate you Instant Hole 

So, does ACME service the entire galaxy?

[GustavMahler]

Color me confused, but if Coulson actually died, wasn’t his body brought back from Tahiti? Was there no service and memorial for him? No viewing? They are all acting like May simply came back and said he died and that’s that.....She says that she was there when he died, so did she just drop his body in the nearest dumpster?

[shrewd.buddha]

12 hours ago, GustavMahler said:

She says that she was there when he died, so did she just drop his body in the nearest dumpster?

I also wondered why no one suggested checking to see that Coulson's presumably dead body was wherever May left it. The avoidance of mentioning what happened in the past few months feels forced and unnatural.

I don't know ... I gave this episode a shot but I may not be on board for yet another season of "WtF is happening ?" - - and waiting for TPTB to piece things together over six or more episodes. Maybe I'm not one of those people who think not knowing what's happening is half the fun.

While I do sympathize with AoS not getting to sit at the big kids table of the MCU, I still think there could be much better storytelling than this. Even if they cannot afford to have SkyeDaisy use her abilities, they could at least make some effort at some sci-fi tech-y gadgets for the SHIELD agents.
...And perhaps an occasional win instead of an entire season arc of losses and near-misses that culminates in a barely survived finale that requires a major sacrifice. Let AoS be the smart ones sometimes.  

Edited May 19, 2019 by shrewd.buddha

[MisterGlass]

In a way Coulson's wake was held before he left for Tahiti.  He may have wanted a simple cremation.  On the other hand, part of me wonders if we are seeing the post-snap timeline, and Coulson was snapped.  Their new physicist said he lost someone recently last episode.

I enjoyed this one more than the first now that I have a little grasp on what's going on.  I'm really glad to have Fitz and Enoch back.  They're a fun duo.

The old Fringe fan in me wants to call him Coulsonate or Fauxlson.

22 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

That portal would be a real quick way to get everyone to space or back to earth real quick.

I wonder if it has a distance limitation, or some kind of line of sight requirement.  They were parked relatively close to the jewelry store, and they seem to have been looking at the distance with binoculars before the robbery.  I love how used the changes in orientation, and flipping the panel down onto the ground to block entry. 

[blueray]

Good episode. I was happy to see May beat (for the most part) the alien team. I was kind of hoping for a prince bride moment where she had completely taken them out and had the scene with evil-coulson. But it wasn't quite like that, still good though. I'm thinking he's Coulson but from an alternate reality but had very different experiences. He hesitated because May said his real name which the crew doesn't know as it was stated he doesn't talk about his past. To make him a Skull feels like a cope out as we've had him (and other characters) be copied some many times that it wouldn't be very interesting. Of course the fact that the one is an alien implies that they didn't start on an alterante "earth" so it could just be one reality.

I loved seeing Fitz act like he did in earlier seasons and him be the hero. I do hope he joins with Jemma and crew soon. I can see that being there way out of the region. And they could drop the engineers off at another planet.

[AnimeMania]

Ha ha, I just really noticed what the title of the episode was, that is really clever.

[Mellowyellow]

On 5/18/2019 at 12:26 PM, AimingforYoko said:

I haven't had a "Aw, c'mon!" moment on this show in a while, but Fitz skedaddling just as Jemma comes out of warp definitely caused that reaction tonight. It wasn't an angry one (but it may turn into one of they drag this out too long.

My husband agrees with you and that was his exact reaction the moment it happened. 

Loved May kicking ass.

I'm really happy they switched things up and made Mack director. He's perfect for the job. Level headed and sane with the right amount of EQ.

All the yaaaays to them for bringing Enoch back!

Loathe the weirdo crazy lady but it'll be so satisfying when she dies. 

[mxc90]

At the end, Benson tells Mack he poured a drink for him because he will need it. After they viewed the footage, Benson ends up drinking it.

[ACW]

On 5/19/2019 at 10:11 AM, blueray said:

Of course the fact that the one is an alien implies that they didn't start on an alterante "earth" so it could just be one reality.

I'm assuming that he just comes from an extremely polluted alternate "earth", where people had evolved to need (or just prefer) to breath air laced with oil smoke.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/18/2019 at 8:41 PM, shrewd.buddha said:

While I do sympathize with AoS not getting to sit at the big kids table of the MCU, I still think there could be much better storytelling than this. Even if they cannot afford to have SkyeDaisy use her abilities, they could at least make some effort at some sci-fi tech-y gadgets for the SHIELD agents.

In that regard, in a world with Iron Man Suits, flying cars and Vibranium, why does May fight people, especially dudes twice her size with only her fists? I know they are going for super tough but it also makes her look kind of dumb.

On 5/19/2019 at 11:58 AM, Mellowyellow said:

I'm really happy they switched things up and made Mack director. He's perfect for the job. Level headed and sane with the right amount of EQ.

He also has the right haircut for an African-American SHIELD director. Although just to be on the safe side, he should wear safety goggles at all times.

Also if you build a spaceship with a double door airlock system, why would you even have a second door that has no airlock?

Edited May 22, 2019 by Kel Varnsen

[tennisgurl]

So glad that Enoch and pre Doctor/Fitz hybrid Fitz are still around and that Fitz was just hiding out pretending to be an alien! I love any version of Fitz, even scary Doctor Fitz, but I am really happy to see a more heroic Fitz again. Him saving the alien engineers was really great, it felt very Fitz classic. It will be really interesting when he meets up with everyone else and finds out what the other Fitz got up to, especially Daisy. Will their friendship be salvageable, considering this Fitz never did any of those things to her? Until then, I love Enoch and the two of them have a cool dynamic. 

Good solid episode, I like that they are spacing things out and giving the various plots some room to breath. Sarge and his people seem interesting enough, he is a very pragmatic leader, and while he a certainly a bad guy, he isnt needlessly sadistic or evil, and only seems to kill people when he needs to, like when he fired a warning shot at that guard at the shipping yard. The member of his crew that stands out most is Aurelia from Spartacus, who is clearly several kinds of fruit loops. So is he a clone? Maybe an alternate universe Coulson? His name apparently sounds familiar, so I assume there is a connection? Are we going to find Earth versions of all of his people? Greg is doing a great job at making him feel like a different person than Coulson, without trying super hard or resorting to gimmicks like funny accents or anything. 

May kicking ass and Mack being a good leader are always great things to see. Poor May, this is going to be so hard on her. 

[Raja]

 I am thinking that "Sarge" just like here, even if not used in the US military anymore, is a sergeant and field leader for some other boss. And not pulling out weapons to take on Agent May might have to do with Sarge's team talking about recruiting replacements. Melinda just passed her audition and their first option would be to try to turn her rather than kill her at the next encounter.

[paigow]

On 5/21/2019 at 10:08 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Also if you build a spaceship with a double door airlock system, why would you even have a second door that has no airlock?

Like the Enterprise D cargo bay/ shuttle bay? Just a force field....

[Terrafamilia]

On 5/21/2019 at 9:08 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Also if you build a spaceship with a double door airlock system, why would you even have a second door that has no airlock?

One is for when you need an airlock and the other is for when you don't?

[Quark]

Good episode, although it would have been nice to see more Daisy and Gemma.

[AKA...CJ86]

Not feeling the main story with Not Coulson but he has an interesting group of rogues, but I'm here for Fitz and Enoch's Misadventures in Space.

And of course, Simmons and co arrive just as Fitz leaves.

[VCRTracking]

Melinda Fucking May! I'm so glad this show is back so I can see Ming Na kick ass.

 Sarge picking a different pair of shades than the one Coulson would have picked was a nice touch.

I'm glad Mack already knows about Yo-Yo and Keller, but man my heart hurts.

"Eye shadow girl" needs to die.  Soon.

I hope we see more "portable hole" gags in the future!

Glad to see Fitz back and being his heroic pre-season 5 self. He and Enoch's interactions are great.

Fitz repeating "Cool" was definitely a reference to Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine Nine right?

Jemma just missing Fitz was maddeningly frustrating(as the writers intended).

Edited May 31, 2019 by VCRTracking

[sinkwriter]

Finally getting around to seeing this season!

On 5/17/2019 at 8:30 PM, UNOSEZ said:

Im scared they'll just jump into saving Fitz and the others won't have time to be sufficiently pissed at Jemma... I need ppl to be real angry with her

On the one hand, I can see why they'd be pissed at her. On the other hand, I think it would be highly hypocritical of anyone to judge her for making that call. Especially because if the tables were turned and it were Daisy trying to find and save Coulson, I believe wholeheartedly that Daisy would do anything she could to get him back. Anything. She's certainly pissed off the entire crew in past seasons for going rogue and making choices on her own that affected everyone else. So I don't think she should get to be too pissed at Simmons.