Is Sarge dead, and why did Melinda May kill him?
Or is he…and did she?

It’s an episode that will make a lot of fans dizzy. It reveals some horrible secrets about Izel…and a bigger one about someone else.

SPOILERS BELOW

The current season featured a massive story that might have made some SHIELD fans dizzy, with half the crew in space and the other half battling invaders led by a man who looks like someone they knew.
Now things are coming into focus.

It’s revealed that Izel (Karolina Wydra) is a very powerful alien. She has the ability to possess bodies at will. It was used when she possessed Davis (Maximillian Osinski), then May. That’s why she shot Sarge, claiming it had to be done, and then not remembering what she had done. It’s not long before Izel possesses nearly everyone, and it’s a terrifying scene. Seeing SHIELD fall into a cloud of mistrust may remind people of The Thing or Invasion of the Body Snatchers (quite appropriate).

It’s a pity Izel acts too smug, probably because of her powers. Enoch’s personality is more interesting than hers.

She tops it off with killing Davis just after she leaves his body. Seeing him fall while the crew stands helplessly was a very painful scene to watch, and fans will miss him.

Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons discover the bullets didn’t kill Sarge at all, but Simmons decides to keep it from everyone else. While Sarge is unconscious, he sees visions of a woman who he lost. The hair suggests it’s Izel, but it’s not certain. When he finally wakes up, it isn’t long until she finds him while she’s in Mack’s body.

Then there’s a twist that might puzzle a lot of people unless they remember last season: Fitz thinks somehow Sarge is Coulson after all. Sort of.
He says the monoliths control time and space, and maybe creation, too. When the three monoliths were destroyed just before “The Real Deal” (the 100th show) it made another Coulson. It was sent back to Izel’s world, which may have been filled with beings without form. It’s also suspected it’s a fear dimension that haunted the crew for a while.

The idea that the monoliths somehow cloned Coulson sounds a little strange, but at least it is connected to last season. It also explains how he and Sarge are genetic twins.

Izel tells Sarge he was meant to join her. She even claims Sarge never lost his family, because his memories were actually part of SHIELD and the people he knew. She insists he give that up, and join her in a massive Shrike invasion to wipe out Earth and galaxies. She even reveals her true name, “pachakutiq”, which means the end of everything. That’s her mission, and she says it’s his, too.

Sarge isn’t buying this. He vows to stop her, but she isn’t phased. She possesses Elena, and forces Mack to take her somewhere. Daisy says she’s not worried, because she knows Mack trusts his team.

Back at the base, Fitz says the idea of a fear dimension reminds him of Robbie Reyes, the Ghost Rider. They don’t notice Sarge mumbling to himself… and part of his body falling apart.

Some of the clips from the trailer revealed at Comic-Con included scenes from this episode. Spoiler warning: it also reveals key scenes from next week, when the crew sees Sarge’s true form and Izel’s search for monoliths take an interesting turn.

What about the Chromicoms, and their hopes time travel will restore their planet? That will also play a big part as we head for the finale.