TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Agents of Shield Season 03 Episode 5: 4,722 Hours

I know I’m going to be hated for this by some, but to me, and me alone this is my review, “4,722 Hours” was only ok.

I’ll give you a second to hate on me…

…

Back? Some of you? Ok, I’ll continue then. This honestly was the episode we had been waiting for for awhile. “What happened to Simmons?” And while the answer was compelling in some ways, and understandable in others…it just felt a little predictable. And sad, and not in the good way.

I’ll start with the good. Simmons was amazing throughout. From her initial “5 Stages of Grief” phase where she was so sure Fitz would save her within hours, to her anger at the world she was on cause there was no sun, it was all good. As was her constant checking of her phone (which had been “Fitz’d” to have a LONG lasting battery) to keep her hope and smile alive. It was compelling, and seeing her having to kill in order to survive was also compelling, cause that’s what she needed to do.

But…once Will was introduced…it kind of went downhill. Why? Predictability.

When she proclaimed, “I have to go back!” we all knew there was only one logical thing that could cause that reaction, she was with someone else. And in true Hollywood fashion…it was a guy.

Don’t get me wrong, Will’s story in an of itself was compelling. I liked the idea that NASA (of all places) had the monolith and due to budget cuts (insert joke here) decided to use the monolith to try and explore other worlds. It explained a lot, not the least of which was how Wil survived for 14 years. Take that Tom Hanks!

His being there also sold me on his mindset and how he knew so much about the area…and what else was out there. A wise man once said, “true terror is something unpredictable, unimaginable, and dreadfully deceiving” and “It” was just that. The “thing” in the sandstorm was my favorite part of the story once Will came on board. Cause I had to wonder what it was, and why it was there, and how it came to be.

Sadly…it only showed up a few times. Whereas Will and Simmons were together the rest of the episode.

I know I sound like I’m hating, but again, it was predictable what happened, especially given what we knew was going to happen. As the hours (which were masterfully shown throughout the episode) counted up to the end, we knew that Simmons would eventually give up hope and “be” with Will. Essentially choosing him and the present over Fitz and the possible future. Some will argue it was well crafted, and the moment she lost hope was believable, and it was to an extent, but the moment it happened didn’t help the predictability of it all.

Then, to top it all off, we got to see the return of Fitz (via the save from a few episodes back) and then cut to him stunned (and heartbroken, let’s admit it) at what he had heard. And then in true Fitz fashion say, “we’ll get him back”. Friend…to the end.

“4,722 Hours” had it’s high points, and Simmons carried it well (not unlike Matt Damon in The Martian) but certain reveals and tells stopped it from being monumental in my mind. Ironically, if she had been alone the whole time? Like Tom Hanks in Survivor? It might have been a lot more compelling.