Back in the real world (of 1983) the Agents find themselves confronting another face from the past with an all-new power set, as Nathaniel and Kora continue to build their army with Sybil’s assistance.

It’s always difficult with a swansong season of a show like this to avoid a feeling of just playing the greatest hits to pass the time as you wind down to the final ending. Then again, when you have a back catalogue like this show does to revisit, it can work. Bringing back Jiaying was an interesting concept, given how that character’s interactions with our heroes came to an end, but it has nothing on the other familiar-ish face the show decides to bring back this time out.

Although they have mostly beaten the Chronicoms, Sybil is still causing trouble for our heroes with her continued manipulations of Nathaniel, himself the wild card the team could never have really prepared for. HYDRA had plans, as did the Chronicoms and every other adversary the team have faced. Nathaniel just wants anarchy and power, and doesn’t much care who gets hurt or what happens on his way to achieving either. That he has knowledge of everything that ever has or will happen at his fingertips just adds to the danger.

But as usual, away from the fighting and explosions, the real work that gets done in this episode surrounds the characters and their own personal struggles. Simmons is increasingly starting to believe the worst about the absent Fitz. Daisy has to deal with the knowledge of a sister she knew nothing about and interact with the mother who tried to murder her last time they met, but who is a very different person at this particular point in her life. Coulson has to look a man in the eye he legitimately expected never to have to deal with again.

It all feels simultaneously very much what it is and not at all what it is. On one hand you can see the finale bearing down on us when all this will be over forever. On the other, Thomas E. Sullivan is having so much fun with Nathaniel Malick as a character, and the introduction of so many other elements feels like the show could run and run into another whole new generation, especially with the inherent reset switch the narrative is literally providing itself.

It feels odd to say, but the previous season started to feel a lot more final than this. As the end draws near, suddenly it feels as if the show has a whole new lease of life. I for one did not see that coming.

Verdict: Paradoxically really getting into its stride just as it starts to get near its end. 9/10

Greg D. Smith