Daisy and May enlist Robin’s help to try to locate Coulson. Gemma has her own ideas about the best way to proceed, with YoYo’s help. Coulson gets help from a surprising source.

It’s apparent from the little flashback montage pre-opening that this is going to be another episode that requires long memories and a commitment to the show, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint in that regard. We are now at a stage where the show is dragging up events and characters from all the way back to the very beginning, both in terms of references and actual appearances, and the really clever part is that none of it feels forced.

First up, we have Robin. Once again the fate of the world may rest on the shoulders of a small girl and her crayon drawings of what the future holds. Having gone to find her, Daisy finds Robin uncooperative, and it seems the mission may have been a waste of time until events take an unexpected turn.

Back at base, YoYo is back on her feet and getting used to her new arms, which are powerful but not yet completely fine-tuned within her control. Gemma meanwhile is determined that the way to stop Hale is to locate the Hydra Weapon Fitz theorises she’s after and/or building and retrieve it. The one small issue is that Daisy is not letting Fitz out of confinement, and Mack has strict orders not to either, while Daisy is away and he’s in charge. Gemma has never been one to take decisions she doesn’t like lying down, however, and the conflict that arises from this is as surprising as it is terrifying.

And as for poor Coulson, well he’s stuck being sulked at by Hale, deprived of food and even his bed, locked in his cell on his own. Monologuing to the security camera in his room is classic Coulson, but then help arrives from perhaps the most unexpected source.

And as for the bad guys – well, all is not rosy there either. Hale remains an enigma, refusing to listen to Coulson’s dire warnings after last week’s revelation of her plan. But it’s also not completely clear to the audience whether or not she meant what she said, or how far exactly she trusts Ruby. It’s also not clear to Ruby herself, who is working to her own agenda with the younger Von Strucker, as well as trying to work out how far she can (or indeed should) trust her mother. Everyone in that damned base is following their own path, and it’s less a case of ‘cut a head off and two will rise in its place’ and more ‘there’s a lot of heads and they’re as busy fighting each other as they are everyone else’.

If all of that doesn’t sound terribly nostalgic, it’s because I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but believe me, there’s callbacks throughout that go right back to the pilot episode, as well as mentions of previous threats, challenges and events that will have your inner SHIELD history buff working overtime. But as I said, none of it feels forced – this is a completely organically integrated storyline which indicates that either the writers have had all of this planned from the start or they’re just really smart. Either way, after worrying a few weeks ago that the show had lost that strict adherence to consequence which was part of its core appeal, this shows more than ever that it’s still there and working away as well as ever.

Verdict: Solid, engaging stuff but this is an episode which is not for newcomers. If you’ve been with the gang from the pilot, then there is so much for you to get your teeth into here. If you haven’t, some references and appearances will go over your head. Regardless, this is a showcase as to why this show has lasted as long as it has. 8/10

Greg D. Smith