FitzSimmons try to work to solve the puzzle of the Gravitonium as Coulson and May tangle with General Hale.

It couldn’t last. After all the lovely happiness, cheerful quips and optimism in the face of adversity of the last episode, proceedings get right back to being super grim and dark, and in ways that are as unexpected as they are deeply impactful.

Fitz is struggling to find a way to shape the Gravitonium retrieved from the Principia, lacking the tools or the know-how to sufficiently compress it to fit the device he has designed. This is a major issue, as the previous patch is coming under increasing strain, and the latest thing to pop out of it is the worst possible fear of both him and Gemma made flesh.

YoYo is struggling to learn how to use her new arms, but determined to carry on trying and be as useful as possible around the base. She’s also starting to get a little fed up of Mack fussing over her. This is understandable – both have been through a lot the last few weeks, and it’s inevitable that tempers will start to fray.

Elsewhere, Coulson and May get a break, managing to trace General Hale and pick her up for interrogation. But this isn’t an ordinary adversary, and an inability to break her may well turn out to be the least of their problems.

As things race towards the climax, the revelation of Fitz’s greatest fear is as compelling as it is upsetting for long-term fans of the show. The last ten minutes or so of the show go really, really dark, reminding us that for all the shiny visuals and snappy quips, this is a show that deals in hard truths and lasting consequences. This more than ever addresses a consequence I’d almost begun to think was being ignored. Better still, it leaves the main characters asking themselves serious questions about their course moving forwards, and the decisions they will need to take. There’s a brief moment of light at the end, but all things considered, this may be the darkest season 5 episode yet.

Verdict: Complex, gritty and at times genuinely affecting. If you’re a long-term fan of the show like me, you’ll be stifling more than the odd tear by the end. 9/10

Greg D Smith