After getting through a time loop last week through the sacrifice of Enoch, the agents return to Afterlife in 1983 to stop a hostile takeover by Nathaniel Malick and his new Inhuman friends.
They’ll be facing some younger yet familiar faces, including one guy who’s familiar to some of the agents
It’ll lead to a long-awaited confrontation, more tragedy and a kidnapping that surprisingly hasn’t happened sooner.
SPOILERS BELOW
Most of the episode centers on Nathaniel Malick’s plan to harness Inhuman powers. I had thought he’d try to take them all, but actually he’ll give them to those who “deserve” it. Armed with Sibyl’s Time Stream drive (run by a scientist SHIELD just fired), Nate wants anarchy. The heck with how SHIELD, HYDRA and the Inhumans see the world. It’s Malick’s world, and he’ll decide who’s in it.
Nate Malick is actually scarier than he looks, maybe because he’s a villain who talks like any of us would. He’s still allied with Sibyl (still in Max Headroom mode), but how long will that last?
He also has a new friend in a young John Garrett, played by Bill Paxton’s son James. When both guys meet at a bar, young John is kind of a jerk. Nate tells him SHIELD will fail to save him from mission in seven years and switch sides. John doesn’t like that, and will listen to Nate’s pitch for anarchy.
For now, he does benefit. He learns about Nathaniel’s Inhuman Power Transfer machine, and he’ll get a super power, too.
Nate’s with his new girlfriend Kora (Dianne Doan), the girl with the fiery hands. She’s with him because her people couldn’t tame her power and wanted her gone, but he actually helped her. She’s with him not because she’s evil, but he gave her a new lease on life. It’s just too bad the episode didn’t show proof she’s got more control over her power.
As for the agents, they discuss how to invade Afterlife. Gordon and LMD Phil decide to go while keeping Jiaying (Dichen Lachman) safe, After all, if she dies, Daisy won’t be born. Jiaying is reluctant because she doesn’t even know who SHIELD is, but she’s assured it will help her. It’s just best she doesn’t know too much about the future.
Daisy is stunned to learn Kora is her sister, but then wonders if she was supposed to die because it led Jiaying to enter the outside world, and eventually meet Daisy’s father.
This is kind of shaky logic. She could have killed herself because the other Inhumans were scared of her power, but that doesn’t mean she had to die so that Daisy could be conceived. There’s no firm proof one would lead to another. She didn’t even know Kora was her sister for that long.
Still, Daisy decides to talk to mom anyway and even reveals her powers (thanks to Danny convincing her to take a chance). They actually have a connection about mother and daughters and Inhuman powers, and it’s a touching scene. It’s also tricky, as Daisy is careful to reveal just enough. Jiaying at least admits she may have made mistakes dealing with Kora’s problem.
At Afterlife, LMD Phil and Gordon make it but Nate is waiting for them, quoting Tom Petty to twist the knife a bit. He tells them the Time Stream gave him a head start, and shows them his “redistribution” system. He has John take Gordon’s powers. For some reason, John is worried he’ll lose his eyes, but he keeps them along with Gordon’s teleportation. Naturally, he has problem with aim, but he gets a handle on them. This is bad news, because there is nothing more dangerous than a jerk with a super power.
As for Gordon, it seems the stress of losing his powers is too much. He gets out of a locked room, but it seems he has died.
It’s not long until Nate meets Jiaying and Daisy. He ruins the reunion by yelling Jiaying who Daisy really is. He does everything short of showing them a VHS set of the second season before Daisy finally attacks him. That was a long time coming. However, he has Quake powers too and uses them as well.
Jiaying tries to kill him with her life absorbing powers, but he has enough strength to attack and kill her. This sends Daisy into a rage that fans have been waiting for. Surely, Nate’s overdue death will happen.
It doesn’t. May shoots him but he heads for the Zephyr. While Jiaying was attacked, John was also looking for someone….Jemma.
The episode ends with John and Nate with Jemma (but also Deke, who they didn’t know was there). The guys are determined to make her tell them where Fitz is. If they find the implant that keeps her unaware of Fitz’s location, the end will be near. She may be forced to remember her final memory before the implant was made.
Many of the Inhumans Nate didn’t attack are safe, but the agents are in big trouble. How will they stop him, Teleporting John and the Chromicoms now?
Some other comments:
It was nice to hear the Deke Squad are now a cover band with SHIELD IDs. Making a Disney+ movie or two would be a great idea. It seems Roxy Glass will be the leader of this band.
Getting back to Nate killing Jiaying, it was a shocking twist because it would threaten Daisy’s existence. It’s also an interesting one. Nate’s official life span is 13 years too long and counting, yet he killed someone who also extends her life span beyond normal limits.
The difference is that her fellow Inhumans sacrificed their lives and lifespans willingly to let her be the leader.
Nate stole his years.
Could the timeline be restored? If so, there isn’t too much time left
Next week: Sibyl and Nathaniel are still partners in their bid for world domination, while the Search for Fitz might end…or it’s revealed what really happened to him.