Phil Coulson is Dead! Again! Well, his LMD/Chronicom body is no longer functioning. Giant explosions will do that. But May believes he never dies. He always comes back. So I guess we’ll see where that leads. But in the meantime, Mack and Deke have been left in 1982. The Zephyr has moved on to who knows when. Jemma has had her “Diana” implant repaired, Yo-Yo is still speed impaired, and May is still emotionally impaired, unless she is talking to Coulson. Daisy is recovering from being Malicked and Sousa appears to have settled in. So let’s see what the 80’s have in store for the team when we experience, The Totally Excellent Adventure of Mack and the D.
May Debriefs Deke
The episode is prefaced as a debrief between May and Deke. May is wanting the full rundown of what transpired while Mack and Deke were in 1982-1983. Deke tells her she will not believe it. I understand why. But it started with right after the Zephyr jumped and left them there.
Mack Needs Time
Deke was concerned about what might have happened and of course, what they would do now that they were stranded. Mack, who was still trying to process the death of his parents, didn’t seem to be as concerned. He was upset and angry. Angry that Deke had went against orders and killed Malick. And upset that these are the kinda of things that happened when anyone messed with time. He was done, checked out. If decisions would be made, Deke would have to make them.
So with that in mind, Mack visited his parents graves, settled into their house and whiled away his time drinking beer and building model cars. In a sense, he was paralleling the plight that Thor found himself in during End Game. Except where Thor gained weight during his isolation, the only thing that got fat on Mack was his beard.
He saw no one, except occasionally Deke. Because even though Mack had decided to pack it in, Deke had not. He brought him groceries and did his best to bring him out of his funk. Even after a year had passed. Deke did not give up on his Director. Which is not to say that Deke wasn’t busy. He was. Deke was busy being Deke.
The Deke Squad
That entailed gathering up an unorthodox group of people to play in a band he created and also become S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents in training. His name for the band and his new team was the same. The Deke Squad. As for songs? Deke had no problem coming up with new material. All he did was just grab a song that hadn’t been released yet, and boom! Instant hit. It was his use of the band that made Deke once again attempt to pull Mack from his malaise back into the living.
Welcome to Swayzes
This entailed leaving a flyer under his door inviting him to the Bar that the Deke Squad was performing in, Swayze’s. Road House reference? Mack entered just in time to hear The Deke Squad’s encore performance of Don’t you forget about Me, written by Deke Shaw. Or so he says. Mack had seen this movie before and heard the song before from The Breakfast Club. Deke takes future information and makes money from it. After the set, he questions why Deke brought him there to hear his Cover Band. Cover was the operative term.
So Deke explained to Mack that his “cover” band was just a cover for their Shield activities. He then introduces his team in pure A-Team (or in THIS case, D-Team) style. Afterwards, he brought Mack back to the Lighthouse. There had been some changes made. Much to the chagrin of Mack. For some reason he thought that hot tubs and black lights were not up to S.H.I.E.L.D. standards. As for Deke, he didn’t see an issue with the redecoration, especially since Coulson didn’t mind.
Phil Coulsonroom
That’s right. It turns out that May was correct. Thanks to the saving of the hard drive that contains the Coulson data, Deke was able to bring Phil back in Max Headroom style. Who knew that using an ancient VCR and a UHF channel could bring back a man back from the beyond. Coulson was glad to see Mack and informed him that he believes that Sybil had survived the explosion just as he did. He was also convinced that she was creating more hunters.
This was proven to be true. Sybil had taken advantage of a lonely computer geek and used his skills to give her a mechanical body. True, it leaned toward the Number 5 appearance from Short Circuit but it gave her a way to make others. Much to the consternation of her original patsy. For his efforts, he got really screwed. Or to be more accurate, drilled. It was the first of several over the top bloody killings. Very 80’s slasher film like. Once they removed the unfortunate lonely geek from the equation, their goal was the Lighthouse.
Running the Gauntlet
At the Lighthouse, Deke was putting his team through their paces in what he called, the Gauntlet. It was through this exercise that he intended to show Mack the worth of his team. Unfortunately, they had some issues on the course. Not the least of which was his explosives expert Olga using live ordinance during the drill. Mack was unimpressed. What he saw was what he perceived as a Deke pattern. Grab the limelight by using stolen material and surround himself with “sycophants.”
Deke was quick to defend his team. He didn’t care what Mack thought of him, but he had no right to denigrate his team. In that moment, I was very proud of Deke. Contrary to what he thinks, part of being a good leader is having your team’s back. Deke is ALL about that.
Being the Man You’re Supposed to be
Mack tried to leave but he was chased down by Deke Squad member Roxy telling him he wasn’t being fair to Deke. She told him that all Deke ever talked about was how great a leader Mack was. So far, she has failed to see it. Mack apologized for disappointing her.
She then said that it was bad enough to turn his back on his friend, but how about his son. Of course, she was actually referring to young Mack. Deke had been visiting Alphonso and his brother, bringing them school supplies and toys. Looking out for them. Mack had no idea.
Before he could respond further, one of Sybil’s Johnny 5’s showed up…with a machine gun. Mack grabbed Roxy and pulled her out of harms way. While they were in hiding, Mack told her the “robots” killed his parents and somehow some way, someone is going to pay! She looked quizzically at him for a moment and then asked, Do you mean the robots? Mack assured her that was who he was talking about.
Making the Robots Pay
Meanwhile, another robot found its way to Deke and the rest of the team. But not before killing Team Member Cricket and his girlfriend in another pseudo bloody attack. Olga attempted to take the robot on and got a taste of a saw blade for her trouble.Deke and the remainder of his team braced for the next attack but Mack and Roxy showed up to take the robot out. Deke asks Mack if he is back. He tells Deke he should have never left. Mack then asks the rest of the team if they will still have him. Of course they will.
So Mack trims the beard, and gears up for one of his favorite past times, robot hunting. Deke had made him another Shotgun Axe so he was ready to go. They met back to discuss their plans and Coulson, who felt a little left out, asks to join in on the planning. Coulson tells them that he has been trying to figure how why Sybil would be attacking the base. They decide that the time stream device they use must be at the base. But first, they have some robots to kill. Mack decides to use Deke’s gauntlet…but with a modification.
Taking on ‘Short Circuit‘
Mack confronts the Machine Gun toting Hunter, calling him Short Circuit. See…Johnny 5, Short Circuit, it fits. He forces it backward along with the Chang Bros. and Olga sets an explosive down to where he will back to. Once he hits the spot, Deke comes in and detonates the bomb, taking out another robot. Before they can celebrate, Sybil shows up. But she is equipped with lasers. Cue Homage to Mack and Hope’s favorite film, Chopping Mall. (This film was referenced in Season 4)
Olga, who has been having a rough day, gets nipped by Sybil’s opening salvo. They lead her away and get far enough for Mack to decide what they will do. Roxy retrieves a bomb from Olga and goes with Mack while Deke distracts Sybil. She gets off a shot but at the same time, Roxy throws the bomb at Sybil. Mack waits until it gets close and detonates it with a shotgun blast, taking out the Sybil robot.
Reunited with the Team
In the meantime, Jemma sends May and Yo-Yo to retrieve Deke and Mack. Yo-Yo is worried that Mack has been alone dealing with the death of his parents. She finds him and Deke at the Lighthouse as they are celebrating their victory. Mack is happy to see Yo-Yo and tells her he is better now. Thanks to his new friends. He brings her over to meet the Deke Squad. May says hello to the TV version of Coulson. He asks her if they will be getting him a new body. She tells him he will have to wait and see. “That’s Cold, May…even from you.
Before Deke and Mack go back with the team, he goes with Deke to see his younger self and his brother. He wants to give him a model car. The reasoning for this is not clear but it may be Mack’s way of steering his younger self to mechanics. It was his father that had lead him to that path in the alternate timeline. As they walked toward the house, Deke reminded Mack that he is just a friend of Deke’s from the band… maybe a harmonica player. Mack objects. He considers himself a Sax man.
While this is going on, a small robot had found the timestream device and left the Lighthouse. It traveled a long way until it found its destination. Nathaniel Malick. He is there with the TV version of Sybil. She tells him the device with help them both get what they want. She also tells him that they will make a good pair. Just a warning Nathaniel. The last time she said that, the recipient of that statement got drilled…literally. I’d keep my eyes open Mr.Malick.
Thoughts
This episode is unlike almost any one in the show’s history. It touches a number of the 80’s Pop culture references. From the Breakfast Club, to Short Circuit, Slasher films, the A-Team, and perhaps…Road House…or at least Patrick Swayze. The blood splatters were exaggerated and a times the story almost looked like a film by Adam Goldberg from the Goldberg’s. “It was 1980-something.” The episode almost defies explanation.
It did give an avenue to explore Mack’s relationship with his parent’s and how much he does feel about so many things. Once again it shows that Mack prefers to deal on his own with inner turmoil rather than share it. Even the Max Headroom looking Coulson told Mack that he shouldn’t have faced his grief on his own.
One thing’s for sure, it wasn’t for lack of trying on Deke’s part. He proved once again that he is loyal to his friends and even more so for his team. One might question why it is that so many people are so willing to follow Deke. Probably because he exudes charm and will prop you up even at your worse. His reaction to the Chang Brothers fear of lasers and cowardice was a good example. Nothing but love and support from Deke. His willingness to look after the young McKenzie brothers is also pure Deke.
Classic Shield?
With all that said, if I were to be honest, if someone asked me to pick an episode to entice someone to watch the Marvel’s Agents of Shield series, this wouldn’t be that episode. It is fun and is kind of a fluffy piece for long time fans, but it is not a prime example of Shield at its best. It’s not bad…In fact, some of the dialogue I believe was MEANT to be bad as was some of the explosions which were not normal Shield quality. But hey, it was the 80’s. However, when compared to some of the other well received episodes of the past, it’s just not Classic Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that’s ok. But for that reason, if pressed to rate it…I’d give it a 6 out of 10. Taken in whole with the rest of the season, it is more easily consumed. Should be rated SSF – Silly Stupid Fun.
So now we know that Nathaniel Malick indeed survived the ceiling collapsing on him. Does he still have Daisy’s powers or was that a temporary thing? Speaking of Daisy, is she OK? We know from the previews that her Mother Jiaying will be making an appearance. Can she help Yo-Yo? What are the Chronicoms plans? I guess we’ll see on Wednesday when “After, Before” premiers.
Did you see this last week’s episode? What did you think of the Totally Excellent Adventure of Mack and the D? Share what you thought of the homage to the 80’s with us at Geek Vibes Nation.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
