Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D sit at a panel. The two-hour season five premiere of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has taken the fan-favorite team of Marvel agents to outer space. (Randall Pugh/Flickr Creative Commons)
The two-hour season five premiere of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has taken the fan-favorite team of Marvel agents to outer space.
This isn’t the first time, though, that “S.H.I.E.L.D.” has explored the cosmos. Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) was stranded in an alien planet in season three and that season’s finale saw the evil inhuman Hive (Brett Dalton) and former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) both meet their end in a space explosion. Nonetheless, this is the first time that a majority of the season will be exclusively set outside of planet Earth, especially with the huge twist that (spoilers follow) season five is set approximately 90 years into the future.
The premiere starts right where season four ended–Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team enjoying a nice meal at their favorite diner. They get kidnapped by an alien disguised in human skin and a government suit and later wake up confused in a space outpost, 90 years in the future. Looking for answers that could lead them closer to home, Coulson, Daisy (Chloe Bennet), May (Ming-Na Wen), Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) and Mack (Henry Simmons) are met by two new additions to the show, the Han Solo-type Deke (Jeff Ward) and Tess (played by “The 100” alumnus Eve Harlow). Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) is nowhere present.
The space outpost is revealed to be one of the last remaining functional space stations, with humanity’s existence on the very brink of extinction. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” season five is essentially exploring a dystopian future where the Earth was literally obliterated after the upcoming events of 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Making a comeback to the show are the Kree, the space aliens responsible for the creation of the inhumans. They act as the false saviors of humanity, holding uncanny resemblance to last season’s Hydra-controlled government, in which Hydra had complete control over its people. There’s one instance in the premiere where Jemma tries to save a man who had been stabbed, only for her to be punished later for not letting the man die. Despite the show returning to its usual 8 p.m. slot, dark themes are still present and look to prevail as the season moves forward.
As usual, there are countless easter eggs and references to the recent and upcoming Marvel Studios’ movies. Even last season’s Ghost Rider gets a clear mention when the team asks Coulson about his past deal with Robbie Reyes. Deke’s costume and gear looks almost exactly like Star-Lord’s from “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the Kree will no doubt strike as oddly similar to Yondu’s character design from said movie.
The best way to describe the overall feel of the season, so far, is that it feels and looks like season one of “The 100,” with cooler effects and the signature “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” buddy-cop comradery that never gets old. Last season was one of the best, but this season might just take the trophy.
Rating: 5/5
Carlos Rosario Gonzalez is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at carlos.rosario_gonzales@uconn.edu.
