First, as of the moment I'm writing this, we don't know whether the show has been renewed yet -- so we could be approaching either a season or series finale. Second, five years is a long run for many shows, and it's not unusual for cast shake-ups to happen; it's possible to imagine that even if the show continues, they maybe could kill off Coulson (and/or other characters) in the finale. Third, the series has been weaving in references to Thanos and Infinity War, making it clear that they'll reckon with the events of that film in some way. Which leads us right back to the other two points.
Even the question of why they haven't announced a renewal or a cancellation yet plays into the ambiguity and speculation. Are the Marvel corporate overlords demanding silence to preserve secrecy around the conclusion of the series? Or to avoid any possible risk (however minor) to their billion dollar movie? In any case, it's effective. While I'm certain our heroes are going to save the day (and the world) in the next (last?) episode, I'm honestly not prepared to wager on who I think will survive that episode.
But really, that's all on a meta level, beyond what we see on the screen. The most recent episode itself wasn't as tense as all that, or as full of surprises. Not that it needed to be. The crazy journey that Talbot has been on really demanded certain plot points unfold, and indeed they did. He returned home to try playing the hero for his son, only to terrorize the boy and his mother. He continued to display villainy masquerading as heroism, from his absorption of Creel to his kidnapping of Robin and her mother.
Elsewhere in the episode, we got a completely over-the-top (and pretty fun) kiss between Coulson and May, and a great reaction from Daisy (who totally 'ships them). We got a wacky bit of physical comedy from Deke as he wormed his way around in the middle of a classic May fight sequence. And if that wasn't enough fist-fighting for you, Daisy got some hits of her own in too.
But mostly, the episode was moving all the pieces into place for a Big Choice: save Coulson or save the world. This has been the stuff of superhero stories since day one: save the day or save the person you care for most. Here, we've seen the consequences of making the wrong choice. Of course, we've now also seen Fitz's rationalization that maybe it's trying to save Coulson that dooms everything; actually saving him might be the right play. Either way, the story elements seem set to lead in either direction.
It's admittedly been a while since Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. served up a genuine grade-A episode, but there has been a consistency throughout this story arc that I've found refreshing and entertaining. I give this episode a B, but I'm all in and eager to see how it all wraps up next week.
(For good?)
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