Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson

Before I conclude the Portland trip stories, I figure I should touch on last week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (before the new one drops tonight). It was an unusual hour, rather different in tone for the series -- even the more exotic tone struck so far this season.

Robbed of their ship and possessions, Fitz and Enoch hit a casino to try to gamble their way off a strange alien world. Meanwhile, Daisy, Simmons, and their team arrive at the same planet on their hunt for Fitz -- only to deal with complications of their own. They cross paths with a strange alien hunter, and they're not prepared for the effects of the local food on humans.

I did like the idea of a doing a lighter episode that allowed for silly moments and gave the cast a chance to cut loose. Simmons and Daisy -- or more to the point, Elizabeth Henstridge and Chloe Bennet -- are a pretty fun comic team. The drug haze that sends them crawling under the table is just a fun premise. That it also led for an extended riff on their Hogwarts houses, and showcased a hallucinated Fitz in a monkey suit? That's just bonus.

But to reach the comedy, the episode first had to get through a lot of material that wasn't up to the show's usual dramatic or action standards. Simmons threatening Daisy was an unbelievable and ridiculous moment. Daisy casually using torture to extract information wasn't good for the laughs it seemed intended to elicit. That the whole team would so easily and stupidly consume strange food stretched credibility. (And later, the idea that Daisy could still kick ass that easily while being high as a kite? All of the above -- unbelievable, ridiculous, not actually funny, easy, and stupid.)

At least the plot was streamlined and easy to follow this episode, more so than the two preceding it. And there was some good character development for Fitz through it all. I've expressed concern about rolling back a year's worth of growth for him, but this episode helped him to grow in a new and different way than he did in that stolen year. Still... when he and Simmons reunited for seconds, only to be separated again? Well, let's just say after they finally married last season, I'm not sure I'm ready for a fresh round of keeping them apart.

To the degree that I once again enjoyed this episode a little bit more than the one before, I again want to nudge my rating up. But I'd still say this was a B- episode of the series at best. Season six has gotten off to a very rocky start in my view. I guess if it keeps on this trend, even at this slow pace, the show will be back in fighting shape soon enough. I just hope I don't start wishing they'd just ended it after season five...