Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. strands several of its characters in “Toldja,” albeit under different circumstances, to somewhat frustrating effect. While Enoch accidentally traps Fitzsimmons (the newly reunited power duo of Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge) in SPAAAAACE, Mack (Henry Simmons) keeps Sarge (Clark Gregg) and his team trapped until they can get some answers.
Most of “Toldja” feels like it’s spinning its wheels, which is a big departure from the last four very strong Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes. But there are a few developments that are definitely worth noting.
After heroically rescuing his best friends at the end of last week, Enoch promptly screws the pooch leaves them stuck on Kitson. Yes, that Kitson, where Fitz and Simmons found themselves a few episodes ago gambling and hallucinating.
Thanks to that gambling spree and the theft of their teleporter, they are still wanted fugitives on this planet. A grand escape fails spectacularly and the casino owner captures them, threatening to send Enoch to the brothels and Fitzsimmons to their death.
It’s yet another close call that no one expects Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to follow through with, but “Toldja” switches things up by having them saved by a mysterious redhead rather than by their own ingenuity. She pays a hefty fee to save our heroes and lets them know that she plans to take them to Earth – what a coincidence! – to take back what was stolen from her.
Unfortunately, Enoch will not be joining Fitzsimmons on the journey home. It seems “Toldja” marks the end of the road for him on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he aims to find a new home for his people. The farewells are sweet, but the taste is bitter in my mouth as I imagine the show without him going forward.
Back on our beloved Earth, Daisy (Chloe Bennet) grapples with her father figure’s doppelganger, a connection that Sarge easily susses out. She also reconnects with Deke (Jeff Ward), whose adorably clumsy crush on her makes for the strangest small talk on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. His love may stand no chance, but Mack and Yo-Yo (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) will if Daisy has anything to say about it.
Mack can’t pay much attention to Daisy’s relationship advice, though, as he’s currently dealing with Sarge’s uprising from within his jail cell. Just as he previously pinpointed that May (Ming Na Wen) was in love and Daisy was missing her dad, Sarge can tell Mack has insecurities about his leadership. Especially when it comes to filling Coulson’s footsteps.
Sarge takes advantage of that insecurity, taunting Mack that he’ll be the one running the ship before the day is out. Despite Mack’s attempts to entice him to cooperate by using his man Jaco’s apparent illness, the words prove prophetic by the time the credits roll on “Toldja.” In fact, Sarge literally says the title once May and Yo-Yo’s Shrike mission goes south and his instructions are needed to save the operation.
It’s a tentative alliance with both teams on the same side for now, but there’s no telling how long it will last. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been going strong this season, so “Toldja” isn’t a huge step back, but hopefully the show gets into the thick of things next week.