TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Agents Of Shield Season 05 Episode 10: Past Life

And so, the “future imperfect” arc has come to an end, and as feared, I’m left with a significant feeling of…meh. In fact, “Past Life” was much like the first half of the season itself, moments of greatness surrounded by pointless beats and conversations.

Case and point, Kasius losing it over Lenara’s death was great, as was his denial in that she couldn’t be brought back. And yet, there was now a Kree Berserker Drug that could make anyone who drank it a rage-filled warrior. Naturally, Kasius drank it himself before meeting his death at the hands of Mack and Simmons. Which in and of itself is the same thing. Mack killing Kasius was great, but relatively pointless. Whereas Simmons crippling him was perfect given all that he had done to her.

Then, there was the “Seer”, who turned out the be the resurrected form of Future YoYo. This made sense from a story standpoint, as we saw Yoyo in flashback episode try and confront the Kree, and so it would make sense that they would keep her around for her Inhuman DNA. And the scene with the two Yoyo’s talking to one another is very tense. However, again, we know this won’t end up this way. No matter what way you slice it, the “loop” has to end. Because if it doesn’t, nothing in the MCU would exist.

If you recall, I noted that for this arc to truly hold weight, someone had to die. However, aside from Kasius and future Yoyo (who don’t count), the only deaths we got were Enoch and Deek. Who…technically…don’t count. This is future Enoch, not the one in the present, and if the present is saved, Deek likely won’t exist, so…what’s the point of caring about their deaths? Sure, Deek got to be heroic, but it’s really too little too late.

One strong moment that did work however was the moment that Coulson Iced Daisy to ensure she made it back to the present. That will have repercussions for sure, but at least it sold well. As was the reveal that Coulson is dying, and his death could be what really triggered the end of the world. This seemingly ties into the “deal” that he made last season with Ghost Rider, but we’ll likely have to wait for confirmation. What’s more, no matter the cause, what could the team possibly do to try and save Coulson that would end the world?

The true worst part about this is that Agents of Shield (like a lot of other shows apparently) is taking February off, and so we have to wait four weeks just to get some potential answers.

In the end, “Past Life” did go out in style, but much like this storyline, it’s hard to care about it when you know only certain things may possibly come true.