Earth is in danger. SHIELD has been trying to prevent Earth’s destruction while fighting off a remanent of HYDRA. To make things worse, the arrival of aliens didn’t make things any easier. Let’s not forget there’s a certain someone who is dying and refuses to try to prevent it. Finally, there’s also the matter of how certain events from Avengers: Infinity War tie into the current story.
Warning: There will definitely be spoilers for Season 5, Episode 20 of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, “The One Who Will Save Us All,” below.
Kneel Before Zo…General Talbot
Is Talbot the one who will “save” them all? He infused himself with all of the Gravitonium SHIELD had and was able to easily fight off the alien marauders that invaded the Lighthouse. With his new powers, he levitated himself and Coulson and boarded the alien warship. They are soon captured and declared prisoners.
Coulson tries negotiating with the alien leader. Qovas says they already made a deal with HYDRA, who groveled and kneeled at his feet. Talbot steps in says there’s a misunderstanding, they’re on his ship. When he forcefully repeats himself, a guard prepares to deal with him. Talbot uses his powers to compress the alien within himself. The others soon kneel for Talbot.
Coulson soon discovers that General Hale is onboard the ship as well. Hale admits what she did to Talbot was wrong.
Daisy Vs. Yo-Yo
Daisy arrives from her mission in retrieving John Garrett’s last remaining Centipede device in order to save Coulson’s life. Yo-Yo meets her and demands to know where she was. She says Coulson is now missing because she went off on her own, and the rules don’t apply to her. Daisy reminds Yo-Yo she’s the last one to give her a lecture [after killing Ruby]. Yo-Yo wants to know what Daisy has in her bag. When Daisy tells her it’s none of her business, Yo-Yo uses her powers to run up and open the bag. Seeing the skeletal remains of Daisy’s mother, she asks what’s wrong with her. Daisy responds with a solid punch.
The two start fighting, Yo-Yo says people died because of Daisy. When Daisy reacts with a slight tremor in her hands, Yo-Yo takes this as a cue to use her own powers. She runs up and delivers several blows to Daisy’s body at super-speed. Daisy retaliates with a quake-blast that slams Yo-Yo against the wall.
There’s a gunshot. May asks the two if they’re finished. They picked up the fleeing alien ship, re-entering the atmosphere. They’re almost finished prepping the Zephyr-One with artificial gravity to make a trip to space. As they leave, Yo-Yo yells out that Daisy is going to get them all killed. May responds, “We’re going to help Coulson; either find a way to pitch in or don’t be here when we get back.”
Every Alien’s Crazy About A Sharped Dressed Man
Talbot demands to meet with all the members of the Confederacy. He’s given a new outfit and has his hair and beard trimmed because the meetings are sacred. Talbot and Qovas teleport to the meeting room. With all six alien races present, they refuse to renegotiate new terms of protection for Earth. Talbot informs them they’ve only been working with weaklings. They now face Earth’s Mightiest Hero.
The Confederacy believes Talbot is a charlatan. They don’t believe one person could harness the power of all the Gravitonium. He’s not even a member of the Confederacy so there’s no reason to listen to him. Talbot suggests they add him, but they refuse, saying it’s no place for humans. When Talbot asks who is the wisest of them, he uses the Gravitonium to absorb him. Now there’s a spot for him in the Confederacy.
***Avengers: Infinity War Connection***
All the members leave the meeting room except for Talbot, Quovas, and a Kree. The alien identifies himself as the master of the house of Kasius and tells Talbot he’s impressed with him. He informs Talbot of the real threat to Earth that they were going to help with, but time has run out. Thanos and his forces have started an assault. Thanos is power, and Talbot would lose if he faces him. Although there could still be a way to defeat him.
Talbot returns to the ship and tells Coulson and Hale and tells them they’re on their own. In order to save Earth, they have to make him invincible. He was told [by the elder Kasius] there are untapped deposits of Gravitonium under Earth’s surface. He wants to be Earth’s shield.
Coulson has been concerned with Talbot’s mental state and says they should talk about this. Talbot assumes Coulson wants it all for himself. When Talbot mentions Kasius’ name, he tells him he’s being played. To this, Talbot says Coulson is lying. Kasius is honorable. It’s not open to debate. Coulson is either with him or against him. He orders and forces Coulson to kneel.
The Standoff
The Zephyr-One is ready for takeoff. They approach the alien ship while cloaked. They’re detected and because it was cloaked, Talbot knows it’s SHIELD. He tells Coulson this is mutiny and accuses him of calling them behind his back. Coulson denies it, but when Talbot asks Hale, she lies and says she told Coulson not to do it.
May and Daisy arrive to find Talbot levitating Coulson in the air. He tells Daisy if she quakes, he dies. May tries telling him they’re there to rescue them. Talbot scoffs at this and says he’s the one who’s going to save them. He then thinks Daisy can’t be trusted, but Hale jumps in and says she trusts her. Daisy tried to help Ruby before she was killed. Talbot replies Ruby was a weak child.
Coulson tries convincing Talbot to take a breath and relax. Hale takes the opportunity to use the HYDRA brainwashing and tell Talbot it’s best if he complies. It appears to be working, but then he crunches Hale with his powers. Daisy blasts Talbot and barely moves him. May pulls her gun on him but has no choice but to drop it. Talbot tells the alien guards they are now prisoners of war. He tells Coulson that he was always the enemy. Now he has the clarity of mind to see it.
Thoughts
Two tie-ins to Avengers: Infinity War, two weeks in a row. It was great to see that the actual threat the Confederacy was going to protect Earth from was Thanos. Obviously they never really planned to do anything to try to stop him. They merely wanted the Gravitonium on Earth. Kasius even tells the rest of the Confederacy that while Earth belongs to Thanos, there are still gifts for them. Why is he taking Daisy? We’ll have to wait to find out.
If you’ve watched Avengers: Infinity War, you know there’s another major development that needs to be seen immediately. I’ll avoid specifics, but since it wasn’t seen this week, it needs to be seen and felt in the next episode. This will be a major continuity problem if it’s not addressed.
While the interaction between Daisy and Deke this week wasn’t crucial to the overall plot, it was great to see Deke trying to push how he feels towards her. Back in her room, she mentioned “some creep is putting lemons on her bed.” This goes back to when Deke told Mack and Coulson the tradition of saving for an orange to give as a sign of affection. She also confesses she still in love with Lincoln. She doesn’t want to get close to anyone because when they do, they die.
Two more episodes to go this season. There still hasn’t been any news of the show getting renewed or if it’s ending.
What the Heck is going on?!? 