Agents of SHIELD (7×11) Brand New Day Review

For our review of the last episode of Agents of SHIELD, click here.

Synopsis: With help from Kora on the inside, Sibyl and Nathaniel continue their fight to shape a dark new future for S.H.I.E.L.D., managing to stay one step ahead of the agents along the way. (IMDb)

If it wasn’t already clear that Agents of SHIELD was chugging along down a new timeline, it is now and it would definitely explain a lot (the episode title should give you all the information you need). If the last sequence is of any indication, the endgame is set (pun intended). Everybody is looking towards the end and whether it will actually be the end for some of these characters remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the episode also features a return of sorts for a character that we have been missing for quite a long time while a particular bond was tested big time.

Brand New Day started with those left at the Lighthouse watching the hijacked zephyr disappear from radar (it was clearly in space by then and above the tracking satellites). Daisy was not exactly in a good place and showed it right away once the others returned from Afterlife, quaking Kora who allegedly just wanted to help. It was all too easy so something else was obviously going on. Kora wanted to help restore the timeline by killing all the future bad people, however, SHIELD didn’t exactly work that way. To try and counteract Sibyl’s plan, Daisy tried to be unpredictable so she aimed to set out on the quinjet to go after the zephyr. She also convinced Sousa to join along while Mack sensed something wrong but also decided to join. Meanwhile, Deke’s Die Hard plan was cut short. Nathaniel Malick scoured through Simmons’ memories for any clues on where to find Fitz though it would prove to be difficult (the many flashbacks were definitely nice to watch and they would lead to some of the time they spent together near the end of last season).

May’s talk with Kora led her to knock out the Lighthouse power grid which was the plan all along so Sibyl could get in. Coulson and his newfound abilities kept up with her (while she reaped havoc). It was up to May to bring the good out of Kora. The latter continued to push her agenda with her next target being Ward but SHIELD was still against it. They were convinced that he could change and be good. May appeared to get through after showing her Jiaying’s body despite suggesting otherwise. Their time was cut short after she was rescued by Garrett. Meanwhile in space, Mack and Daisy contemplated their future (interpreting it differently) before sharing a big brother/little sister moment involving Sousa (who later got the talk). On the zephyr, no one could use the device to extract the implant out of Simmons so Nathaniel Malick decided to go in there himself. He entered the Chromicon mind palace technology thing, going deeper and deeper (triggering more current flashbacks) and getting frustrated as he got no further to the truth (ending with when she said goodbye to him). In fact, he pushed so deep that Fitz appeared to be gone from her memory altogether.

Coulson discovered that Sibyl was looking for the locations of all the SHIELD bases while Nathaniel Malick called upon an army of Chromicon hunters whose ships fired on all the SHIELD bases, effectively destroying them. Meanwhile, Mack told Sousa about Daisy’s nickname which he found hilarious. What wasn’t hilarious was when they watched those ships fire as they were about to dock onto the zephyr.

The last scene was of Kora back on the zephyr as Nathaniel Malick was happy to see her. There was something different about her this time but they still made out.

The only possible solution at this point appears to be moving on or going back in time again with Fitz’s help to stop the destruction of SHIELD. Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker were phenomenal here. It would be sad to see them and everyone else go. They should get a spinoff.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.