So Marvel’s Agents of Shield hit the ground running last week for their 7th and final season. They introduced the “new” Coulson, and traveled back to 1931. Some of them got to see Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The star-struck Coulson even got to shake his hand. He probably will never wash his synthetic hand again. They also found “time” to mix it up with the Chronicoms and discover that saving Hydra was going to be required by protecting Wilfred Malick. Meanwhile, May is playing Little Miss Muffet’s Spider, hanging around in the corner of the Zephyr. So let’s see what this chapter reveals in “Know Your Onions.”
Working with Freddy
When we last left Mack and Deke, they were attempting to get Freddy (Wilfred Malik) to his destination to complete his delivery. Somewhere along the way, they picked up a police tail. Mack “went dark” and slipped the police car ( he shut off his lights). Freddy tried to convince Mack and Deke that he was simply supposed to deliver some cases of whiskey. Mack wasn’t buying it. He knew something else was going on, but Freddy wouldn’t spill the beans. And while Freddy tried to send Mack and Deke on their way, Mack would have none of it. They were sticking close to Freddy. Even if it meant jumping a train with him.
More “Dames” arrive
Meanwhile Coulson and Daisy were attempting to stabilize the mysterious woman in the red dress until help came. Before long Jemma and Yo-Yo arrive, although Koenig didn’t want to allow them to enter. Jemma quickly went to work removing the bullet placing it in a shot glass full of booze. This is despite Koenig’s belief that the “dame” will kill the girl. “I’m A Doctor, Not a Dame.” Another female Shield Agent that is not a Charter member of the Earnest Hazard Koenig fan club.
Before long Koenig finds out the cops are all over looking for Freddy. That includes Koenig’s place. The Chronicoms have come a calling. With the mysterious woman stabilized, Koenig hides the team in a secret chamber off of his office while he entertains the “Police.” As they look around his place, Koenig notices the shot glass. He quickly slips over and gulps the liquor down, bullet and all. That’s one way to get the lead out. (Snare shot)!
The Search for Freddy
The police decide to break into his office despite his assurance that there was nothing there to see. The Chronicoms looked around and were about to leave when the lady in red regained consciousness in their hiding place and started to struggle against her bonds. While the team did their best to keep her quiet, in her struggles she tipped over a bottle. Yo-Yo was in a position to catch it but she did not. The noise alerted the Chronicoms. Much to Koenig’s consternation. He had almost gotten rid of them. But before they could investigate further, it was reported that Freddy’s car was located. They left and after Koenig closed the door, the team came back out.
I’m a BioChemist, Not a Bird
Daisy asked the woman why they were using Freddy. She told them she was a friend of his father and was just trying to give the kid “a leg up.” As Daisy was talking to the woman, Jemma was examining her passport and noticed she made a number excursions into Germany. She then noticed a green droplet on her shoe. Borrowing a knife from Koenig, she carefully scraped it up. Quickly turning into Scientist Jemma, she says she will need some alcohol 90 proof or better. Koenig nods his approval, “I like how this bird sings.” Jemma deadpan replies, “I’m a Biochemist, not a bird.” She must have been channeling her inner Dr. McCoy.
Back in the Zephyr, Enoch was attempting to increase the range on the radios the team was using to communicate. Daisy contacted him and said they could not communicate with Mack and Deke. He told her they might just be out of range to which Daisy offered..or Malick might have done something to them. Enoch promised to keep working while May, who had been listening to this conversation, disappeared.
The Story of Freddy
Back on the train, Freddy was examining the radio that Deke was using to communicate with the team. Mack had told him that Deke had invented it. He asked Deke if he had truthfully invented the device. After getting a nod of confirmation from Mack he said he did. Freddy surmised that Deke must be really smart. Deke, being Deke, confirmed his hypothesis. He said that “tech” was kind of his thing. This, of course, meant nothing to Freddy. Mack however, used the opening to try to learn more about Freddy. “What’s YOUR thing, Freddy?”
He replied that he didn’t really know. He was never much for school. His family used to have a lot of money, but then they lost it all in the bank crash. His father “took a walk off a tall building.” But after his father died, his Mother kind of lost it. She hadn’t spoken in almost two years. So he did what he had to. He made friends. And when his delivery is completed, he’ll be sitting pretty. Mack still doesn’t believe that this is all about Liquor. Freddy tells him them that “Whatever this is, it’s not going to change the world.” Mack and Deke exchange looks knowing this is not necessarily true.
Making a Discovery
Jemma has set up a makeshift lab on Koenig’s bar, analyzing the green substance. As Koenig watched he tells Coulson, “She really knows her Onions.” Phrase sounds familiar some how. As Jemma works, Daisy sits down to talk to Yo-Yo. She inquires why she didn’t stop the bottle from falling. At first, Yo-Yo claims she didn’t see it. Daisy kind of believes she did, she was looking right at it. Yo-Yo then admits that she couldn’t move. She froze. Daisy asked her why? Yo-Yo wasn’t sure. Perhaps the Shrike infestation messed her up. Jemma then exclaims she knows what it is. But she wasn’t talking about Yo-Yo. Her situation is something to keep an eye out for on future episodes.
Jemma then breaks into the science of how she isolated the substance. Koenig, talking for all of us unscientific types, asked her to cut to the chase. “I’d like to open this package BEFORE Christmas.” She explained that the substance was an ingredient in the very first super-soldier serum. The one created by Abraham Erskine and given to Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull. Freddy Malick is about to deliver the key ingredient to create the first Super-Soldier serum. This is kind of big.
Easy there, Zima
Back on the train, Freddy is sleeping so Mack and Deke examine the cases of alcohol that Freddy is supposed to deliver. Is still seems inconceivable that this is all about bootlegging whiskey. (They do not know as of yet who Freddy is). Deke opens a bottle and takes a swig. He grimaced and acknowledges that it is indeed alcohol. Mack tells him “Easy there, Zima.” Anyone who has watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. knows Mack likes to give people nicknames. At first, after hearing Deke’s tale of giving girls you like lemons, he called him that. Now, knowing his affinity toward Zima’s, he has given him a New Nickname. Mack is flexible. Suddenly the radio flairs to life waking Freddy. He wants to know why Mack and Deke are messing with his stuff.
I’m not feeling anything
On the Zephyr, Enoch is still trying to communicate with Mack. May walks up in her normal fighting attire. She tells Enoch that Mack and Deke are in trouble. “I must be in the field. I protect them, it is my job.” Enoch tells her she is in no condition to help them, especially in her 21st century attire. May then informs him that she is not asking for his permission. He tells her she has not been herself. “How are you feeling?” She tilts her head, as if analyzing the question. “I’m not feeling anything.” He surmised that there may have been complications in her surgery. She tells him the only complications he should worry about are the ones that he will suffer if he doesn’t tell her where the team is. Meet Agent May, Terminator.
Debating how to Proceed
Meanwhile at Koenig’s, the team is still trying to digest what Jemma has told them. Daisy believes that perhaps they should allow Wilfred Malick to die. It could prevent, the Red Skull from coming into existence. Perhaps save the many lives lost after the formation of Hydra. Coulson tells her those things have already happened. They cannot or should not interfere. Perhaps something far worse would come of their interference.
Daisy believes it would be worth it. They would just have to face whatever it was in the future, as they always have. Jemma reminds her that it would be a future they wouldn’t recognize. Besides, killing Freddy was the goal of the Chronicoms. They followed them to stop them from accomplishing that task. Before any more debate, May comes on the radio. Jemma reminds Coulson she doesn’t know he is back. She tells May it is good to hear from her. May asks Jemma where they are. She tells her they are on their way back to the Zephyr. What about Mack and Deke? She tells her not to worry. May cuts her off by saying “She’ll find them herself.”
Go to Hell
Daisy goes back to the woman in red and tells her she is done being nice. Tell them where Freddy is going to end up. “On the right side of history.” There is nothing they can do to stop it. She then tells them if they want to stop it, they can go to hell. Koenig tells them he knows where that is. “I’m sure you do,” remarks Yo-Yo. Hell’s Harbor, he explains. “It’s where the double crossers go to double cross the double crossers.” You will never get there in time, she tells them…unless you can fly. Well it’s just so happens…
Koenig says he will tell them where it is, but only if they take him along. Coulson tells him it’s not possible. He reminds them that Freddy is his responsibility. He wants answers and the only way he will help them is for them to take him with them, that was his price. While they are reluctant to comply, they really have no choice. Meanwhile, the Chronicoms have arrived at Hell’s Harbor, awaiting the arrival of Freddy.
Back at the train, Freddy is still questioning why Mack and Deke are searching his crates. He tells them that if his recipient finds bottles open, it reflects badly on him. Mack tells him they are going to search and he should step aside. He does but when they turn their backs, he pulls a gun on them. “I can’t let you do that.” He tells them to just let him do his job, and they can all go home.
Enoch vs May
Back on the Zephyr, May is going to leave to find Mack and Deke. Enoch tells her he can not allow her to leave. The fight starts. Enoch holds his own in the initial moments. He feels the need to tell her he had upgraded himself with the Hunter level combat skills package. (I wonder if that came with a free anti-viral program?)
The fight continues as May seems to evaluate each time she is hit and develops a counter. Although May is a great fighter, her reactions still seem robotic, evaluating each exchange. Eventually she gets the upper hand and starts hammering on Enoch with a fire extinguisher. Coulson and the team arrive and he tells May to stand down. She looks at Coulson for a moment and remarks that he is not Sarge. But he is not Coulson either. Well, yes and no Coulson responds. “Aren’t you the least bit surprised? I mean I was dead.” “You still are,” May responds as she walks away. Soon, she is back in the pod. While she fought Enoch about taking a sedative, she allowed Jemma to give her one without a fight. Something is definitely wrong with May.
You’re Martians
Meanwhile, Coulson takes the blindfold off of Koenig, astounded about what he sees. He first believes it’s a spaceship. Next, he sees Enoch. It’s a mechanical man…a robot. Still trying to make sense of it all, he then surmises they are from outer space. Are they Martians? While Coulson agrees they might be considered as such, but for now, he needs him to take them to Hell. They get the directions and off they go. Meanwhile, Koenig continues to hyperventilate.
Don’t do Anything Stupid
Back on the train, Freddy is still explaining how this is going to set him up for life. The woman who set this up knew his father. She is giving him a way to re-establish his family name. He is not a coward like his father was. But, Mack asks him what if after he makes the delivery, they just decide to kill him. He tells them as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid, he should be fine. Right at that moment, the train hit its brakes and Mack tackles Freddy to the ground, knocking the gun from his grasp. Deke grabs the gun, but wonders why the train has stopped. Freddy tells them that they have arrived at their destination.
Underestimating the Canadians
Koenig is still marveling at the Zephyr and it’s pilotless flight. He wonders… if they aren’t Martians, or Moon Men, then where did you come from? Coulson tells him it’s not so much a matter of where but when. “What does that MEAN!” Coulson then spills the beans about who they are and when they are from.
Why?? I’m not sure. But he obviously doesn’t feel he is tempting the time Gods by doing so. As for Koenig, he is not sure what to make of it. He admits that he under estimated “you Canadians” but what did any of it have to do with Freddy? They then continue to tell him what Freddy will do in the future. Koenig, doesn’t believe it. Not the Freddy he knows. Besides, how can you hold a man responsible for something he hasn’t done yet. He will, they assure him.
Time is running out
At that moment, an alarm goes off, and a countdown commenced. When asked what was happening, Jemma told them that their window in time was closing. Once the timer reached zero, the Zephyr would move onto another time. Whether they were on board or not. When questioned why she hadn’t told them sooner, she said because she had no idea of how long the window was open for. It could be hours, days , or weeks. The one thing she does know is it would be better for all concerned for them to be onboard when the time expired.
Take the Shot
Needless to say, time was now of the essence. They needed to get Mack and Deke back to the zephyr and still protect Freddy. Coulson tells Daisy to contact Mack and Deke and let them know they are coming for them. Daisy gets a hold of Deke. He tells her he is with Mack and Freddy. Daisy hesitates but then tells Deke all about Freddy’s name and his future. Upon hearing that Deke had a gun, she tells him to take the shot. To kill Freddy. He is reluctant to as he is just a kid. But those were Daisy’s orders. Meanwhile the team loads up. Coulson, Daisy, Koenig, and Enoch will go to get Mack and Deke. Jemma and Yo-Yo will stay on the Zephyr. Yo-yo because they don’t know for sure what is affecting her powers.
Orders have been Given
Mack is looking through the rest of Freddy’s liquor bottles. He finds the vial floating in one and dumps it contents to the ground. The vial falls to the ground, obviously sturdy enough to withstand the impact. Mack asks Freddy what it is. He tells Mack he doesn’t ask questions. He just did what he was told. Deke then returns and he points his gun at Freddy. Mack tells him to put the gun down. But Deke tells him everything Daisy told him. About Malick’s name, how he will become Gideon Malick’s father, the Red Skull…all of it. She had ordered him to do it. Mack reminded him that only he can give such an order. Put the gun down. Freddy, for his part, didn’t know what they were talking about. he didn’t father any children. He thought they were there to protect him. Deke hesitated but lowered the gun. Suddenly he brought it back up and fired. But not at Freddy. The Chronicoms were there.
The Battle for Hell Commences
Mack, Deke, and Freddy dove for cover as the Chronicoms opened fire on the team. Deke, seeing that the gun had little effect, tossed it aside. Fortunately, Coulson and the team came rolling up in a car, Koenig and Coulson firing machine guns at the Chronicoms. Koenig, for his part, seemed to relish the opportunity to shout, “Die, Coppers!” They jumped out of the car and Daisy threw Deke a gun, while Coulson tossed Mack a shot gun. (What, no Axe?) They returned fire upon the fake policemen. During the confusion, Freddy had grabbed the vial and the gun and ran off to make his delivery. Upon noticing his absence, Mack tells Koenig and Enoch to find him.
You don’t know me
As the battle continues, Freddy is waiting for his contact to show up when Koenig arrives. He tries to tell Freddy that he shouldn’t do whatever he has planned. They should talk, but Freddy points the gun at Koenig. He tells Koenig he should leave. Or what, Koenig inquires…you’re going to shoot me? That’s not you, Freddy. Apparently he was wrong as Freddy shoots Koenig in the shoulder. He tells him that he [Koenig] doesn’t know him. He doesn’t know anything.
Right then Freddy’s contact arrives and he gets in the car and leaves. Enoch arrives soon after. He asks where Freddy had gone. Koenig tells him that he left with “them.” He still couldn’t believe that Freddy shot him. Enoch asks him if he is alright. Koenig responds that only his faith in humanity was damaged. The radio flairs up and Coulson asks Enoch if he had found Freddy. He tells them that Freddy is unharmed and the timeline has been protected. Coulson tells him to get to the Zephyr, time is running out. He hesitates but Koenig tells him to go.
S.H.I.E.L.D won this round
Once the Chronicoms realized the Freddy had gotten away, they acknowledged that they had failed. Hydra will form and with it, S.H.I.E.L.D. However, the window was closing and they needed to get back. Obviously, the tech they are using is similar to the one the Zephyr is using. Coulson and the team arrive at the Zephyr with Jemma telling them to hurry. Only Enoch was missing. As the timer counted down, Jemma told Mack they needed to close the hatch. As it closed they could see Enoch sprinting toward them. They told him to hurry but he arrived just in time to see the Zephyr vanish. He pondered this for a moment but then walked away.
As the episode ends, Enoch is at Koenig’s bar making him a drink. He calls it a baraculada. They share the drink and Koenig, approves of the concoction. Enoch tells him that “he knows his onions.” Koenig agrees and offers him a job. But under two conditions. One, Enoch tells him more about the S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit. He thinks he could be of some use there. Enoch agrees. He tells him that he will, as will his fine establishment.
Enoch then asks him what the second condition is. Koenig tells him that he wants to learn all Enoch knows about Robots. He is fascinated by them. Enoch tells him that his Grandchildren will also be fascinated by them. This produces a smile from Koenig. Probably because he knows then that there will be some woman out there who will not think he’s a chauvinist pig. He raises his glass to Enoch and tells him that “this is to the beginning of Marvelous Friendship.”
Thoughts
Another good episode with a real chance for Patton Oswald to stretch his legs. His reactions to the Zephyr were excellent as was some of his one liners. For example, his line to Jemma about cutting to the chase during her scientific review. Spoken for us dim witted people everywhere. I’m sure that’s not the first time either her or Fitz have been told that. However, he still hasn’t earned a place in any of the female S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hearts.
Good episode for Elizabeth Henstridge to shine as scientist Jemma. Using the tools she could find to break down and analyze the drop from the woman’s shoe. Nice work there Professor from Gilligan’s Island. She also got to test her Dr. McCoyisms. “I’m a Doctor, Not a Dame.” “I’m a Biochemist, Not a Bird.” One things for certain. She really DOES know her onions. One does wonder however why she didn’t mention the egg timer function on the Zephyr. Even if you didn’t know how long the window would last, it seems kind of important to know that it is not infinite. She’s got a lot on her plate, so we’ll give her that.
Loose Lips
It may just be me, but did it seem that the S.H.I.E.L.D. team seem pretty loose lipped about Koenig’s future. They not only revealed they were from the future, but also revealed the existence of Robots, and what his progeny will be up to. Was it because they already knew he was going to end up in that direction so it was ok? Seems somewhat reckless. The same thing telling Freddy that he was going to be the Father of Gideon Malick. Is nothing a secret anymore?
Daisy has some “splaining“ To Do
I would be shocked if Mack doesn’t have a conversation with Daisy. Right after telling Coulson he couldn’t make the call about Freddy, she went ahead and ordered Deke to kill him. While she was right that Coulson could not make that call, neither could she. That was Mack’s call and his alone. I’m pretty sure he will remind her of that. Her reason’s were admirable, but it was not the mission.
May is acting weird
If one didn’t know better, they might assume that May has been spiked with Chronicom parts. She is acting quite strangely. At times she resembles Data from Star Trek TNG. Tilting her head as she analyzes what was said or what is happening. Somewhere between the spirit world and her surgery, something has gone amiss. While it is common for May to have control over her emotions, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them. The line “I don’t feel anything” is troubling. This is something to follow as is Yo-Yo’s difficulties in using her powers. As it is, strong episode, especially for Patton Oswald. Let’s give it an 8 of 10.
What’s Next?
Any episode that leaves as many questions as answers is a good one for me. This one does aplenty. The team has moved on through time without Enoch. Of course, if there was any member of the team that COULD be left behind, it is Enoch. Wherever they go in the future, he will be there. On the ground, but still there. As he has for countless years as an Anthropologist. So who knows, that may come in handy. Boots on the ground as it were. What did you think of Episode Two: “Know Your Onions?” Share your thoughts about what is going on with us at Geek Vibes Nation.
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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.