“Window of Opportunity” shows us that while nothing is ever going to be the same for our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D again after their first confrontation with the man who now has Phil Coulson’s face and his merry band of psychopaths. The biggest thing this episode tells us is that while May, Fitz, Yo-Yo are still the same people they have always been, this enemy they now face is a whole lot different than before. So let’s delve into “Window of Opportunity” with 5 main things about the episode starting with the man who may look like Coulson, but is definitely not him.
1. Sarge ≠ Phil Coulson. Yes, the man may have his face, DNA and sarcastic wit but the moral compass that our Coulson had is not with this dude at all. While “Window of Opportunity” doesn’t let tell us where he and his men came from, it did give us a glimpse into the group and what they are like:
Pax: Smart-ass much like Deke (who still hasn’t been seen yet…where is he at??) who seems more likely to ditch this crew if he ever could. Questions everything and seems as if him and Sarge might go to blows someday.
Jaco: The brute powerhouse of the team. That’s basically it right now for him.
Snowflake: Maybe a psycho. Maybe just playing psycho. I’m not sure yet but she is the most dangerous of the bunch and the one most easiest to go straight to killing everyone at a moment’s notice as evidenced by her killing the security guards during the gang’s heist for crystals
And finally Sarge: While there are some similarities to Coulson, Sarge is more ruthless and evil than Phil. The only reason he won’t kill – either during the gas station robbery at the beginning of the episode or during the heist – is because he needs something.
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2. May’s pain over Coulson’s death is still there and still hurting her. Ming-Na Wen is the MVP of this episode, as we got to see May deal with the fact that someone out there is doing bad things with the face of the person she loved the most in this world. One thing May has tried through her life to do is never let her emotions get the best of her.
That’s not to say though that May has turned into a shrinking willow, though, as we got to see her kick-ass on Sarge’s group in what was a really great action sequence. Seriously, one of the better ones I have seen on any show without dragons in it in a long while. But May gets distracted by the appearance of Sarge and ends up letting them get away. When Yo-Yo asks what happened, May answers with the same calm and cool voice that she has always had, but deep down you know she is feeling every emotion of about Coulson in her response.
“I lost.”
3. Fitz is still Fitz. “Window of Opportunity” lets us in on what Fitz has been up to and it hasn’t been easy for him. As part of a space-freighter, he and Enoch are soon caught as being human instead of the race they were pretending to be. (That also explained why Fitz was taking that drug: To make his eyes look like them.) The leader of the freighter “The Collector” threatens to kill them until Fitz is able to bargain for his and Enoch’s safety by promising to work for free. Much like 90% of all businessmen, Collector likes that idea. So much so that he is willing to unload the rest of the crew. And by unload, I mean literally unload them into space.
Now, Fitz could let it happen as Enoch suggests, but deep down inside he is still a good man. He’s still the man that Jemma Simmons fell in love with. The man that Jemma is willing to tear the universe apart to find. So even though he’s risking his life and the chance to ever see Jemma again, he’s willing to save the crew. As Fitz tells Enoch, he needs to be able to look Jemma in the eye again. And if he didn’t at least try to save them, how could he?
So thanks to a bit of cleverness on Fitz and Enoch’s part they are able to get the Collector to blow himself out into space instead of the crew. Now, while it would be fun to have the adventures of Captain Fitz and his crew, I’d much rather have FitzSimmons back together again. So Fitz and Enoch decide to head to the planet of Kitson to hide out/help the crew find new work. ANNNNDDDDDD just as they leave to got there, the Zephyr arrives with Jemma and the space team.
The old FitzSimmons luck strikes again.
4. The Ultimate goal of Sarge’s group: to destroy Earth. Thanks to Benson, S.H.I.E.L.D’s new head brain since Fitz and Simmons are off-planet, Mack finds out what the group has done before. In a little video, Sarge and Jaco are watching a planet being destroyed while they rush to leave it. While I get there has to be high-stakes, does it always have to be destroying the planet? Feels like that’s what it is every season. And it would be nice in the next few episode to know why Sarge’s crew wants to do this. Right now they all feel one-note and I like my villains to be complex but still be able to hate them. Right now, the hate is there for them but nothing else.
5. Quick Thoughts on “Window of Opportunity”
- Yo-Yo and Keller have a nice moment together as their relationship grows. While I’m wish that her and Mack could still be together, I want what is best for Yo-Yo. If this is it, then full steam ahead.
- Loved Fitz’s subtle nod to his time in the HYDRA simulated world from season 4 with his little comment to Enoch after getting rid of the Collector.
- “There’s a part of me that knows how uncompromising hateful men can be.”
- Man, lots of shit has happened to Coulson hasn’t it? LMD, Becoming the Ghost Rider for a second, losing a hand, dying. Well maybe that dying was the biggest thing. Which time? Your choice.
What did you think of “Window of Opportunity”? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Agents of SHIELD airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC.
