As FitzSimmons and YoYo go off piste looking for whatever HYDRA weapon Hale might be after, the rest of the team focus on rescuing Coulson. Meanwhile, all is not harmonious at HYDRA HQ.

So last week, we left the gang in various states of disarray. Coulson was wandering in a snowy wilderness with Talbot, hoping that by keeping moving they would find something helpful before freezing to death, Daisy, May and Deke were circling aimlessly in Zephyr One looking for Coulson, Mack was slumming in Fitz’s cell and Fitzsimmons and YoYo were hijacking a quinjet to go in search of something. All in all, things were looking tenuous.

Unfortunately, things don’t get much better this week either.

Let’s start with the jailbreak trio. They fly off to ‘Hertfordshire, England’ (maybe that’s a genuine aerial shot but as soon as they touch the ground, the budget reveals itself to have not quite stretched to genuine on-location shooting) to seek out the best lead on the weapon Fitz is convinced Hale is after. Only problem is, they aren’t the only ones there, and that causes a variety of complications.

Elsewhere, Daisy and the gang find Coulson and Talbot, but there’s an added complication or three there too. We get a showdown the series has been building to for quite a few weeks now, but then things take a horrible turn, and suddenly everyone’s day gets a lot worse.

Back at base, it’s time for some real talk. Coulson has been acting more and more recklessly with each passing episode, having made his peace with impending death. Though he has asserted several times he’s in no rush to die, his actions suggest otherwise, and finally, he gets confronted on that score by the only person to whom he will listen (and indeed, the only person capable of shutting him up).

And it’s not all fun and games for the bad guys either. It’s been clear over the last few instalments that Ruby harbours some serious resentment at her mother for the way in which she is treated, and that’s only getting worse as time goes on. Her alliance with the younger Strucker seemed at first to simply be part of Hale’s schemes, but as the weeks have worn on it’s become something much, much more. Things are coming to a head, and it’s possible that they will get a lot uglier before the end.

There’s a lot to this instalment – mostly very serious though sprinkled with enough humour to lighten the tone where needed. There’s also that patented SHIELD sense of never being quite able to rest – the job is never quite done, and there’s always another challenge to face. As the credits roll, it’s clear that we are nearing the endgame, and that it’s a conclusion that will bring serious consequences for all concerned.

Verdict: A sense of menace and impending doom pervades proceedings, even through the lighter elements. I have a bad feeling that not everyone is leaving this season alive. 8/10

Greg D. Smith