Warning: major spoilers ahead for the two-part Season 5 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has finally returned for its fifth season on ABC on a brand new night with a brand new story to tell. Season 4 ended on a killer cliffhanger that saw Coulson and Co. transported into outer space, although we didn't know how or why it happened. Well, the Season 5 premiere didn't deliver all the answers, but it revealed enough to tell us that we're in for a mind-blowing batch of episodes that could make or break the agents. A lot happened in the two-part premiere, so read on for all the specific ways S.H.I.E.L.D. just laid the groundwork for a game-changing season.
The Agents Are In The Future
The Season 5 premiere revealed that the majority of the agents were not simply transported into outer space as it seemed by the end of the fourth season finale. No, they were also sent nearly a century into the future. A mysterious group on Earth abducted almost all of the good guys and sent them via monolith out of the atmosphere and the present day. Coulson, May, Daisy, Simmons, Mack, and Elena are stuck on a space station controlled by the Kree, and there's no place to go, as the Earth has been utterly destroyed, and what is left of humanity is subservient to the Kree on board. Rescuing Simmons from Maveth back in Season 3 practically seems simple in comparison to what they're facing now.
Daisy Destroyed The Earth
One of the biggest shockers of the premiere came when May and Simmons stole a spacecraft and began exploring outside of the space station. They discovered what was left of Earth: barely even a chunk of the planet was even recognizable, and the entire area was little more than a massive and depressing debris field. Daisy later discovered how exactly the world was destroyed so utterly when she chased down new dubious ally Deke and learned the terrible truth: the Inhuman known as Quake was responsible for the massive burst of power that wrecked Earth and destroyed the home of humanity. Daisy destroyed the Earth in the past at some point.
Simmons Is A Servant To The Kree
Poor Simmons really does end up getting the short end of the stick when it comes to traveling via monolith. Singled out by the Kree after she rushed to save the life of a servant who had been injured in a riot, she was brought to the leader Kasius. Simmons had broken a law by saving a life, but Kasius was so enamored with her that he decided not to punish her. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the servant whose life was saved. Although his abdomen scar could be hidden, the scratch to his face was a permanent blemish that could not be allowed. So, Kasius had the servant killed, removed something from his ear, and implanted it into Simmons. The implant seemingly deafened Simmons to all sounds except for Kasius' voice, and she ended the premiere dressed and assigned as a servant.
Coulson And The Others Owe A Big Debt
While Simmons was being evaluated by Kasius and Daisy was learning about her role in the destruction of Earth from Deke, the rest of the crew was scrambling around and trying not to get caught. When the Kree were scanning the humans, Coulson and the others realized they needed to have "metrics" -- that is, identifiers implanted into their wrists -- if they were going to blend in and pass for regular humans on board the station. They had no choice but to bargain with a fellow by the name of Grill, who gave them black market metrics in exchange for the promise that they work for him. By the end of the episode, they have a very large debt to work off that should take them a very long time.
The Framework Is Back
Daisy made another discovery beyond how the Earth came to be destroyed. When chasing after Deke for answers, she inadvertently stumbled into another version of the Framework. This version doesn't feature A.I.D.A. or an evil version of Fitz or any of the anti-Inhuman propaganda that filled the Season 4 Framework, but it still served a pretty ugly purpose. Deke used the Framework to enable humans to forget all their problems and live temporarily blissful lives in a digital world. He went so far as to say that it was basically an opium den to people in place where he couldn't sell actual opium.
Fitz Was Left Behind
Last but certainly not least, we have the absence of Fitz. The entire group at the diner in the Season 4 cliffhanger was not transported into space (and the future). Fitz was left behind because he wasn't on "the list." The premiere didn't reveal who made the list or why he wasn't on it. In fact, Fitz didn't show up at all beyond a message at the end of the first hour. He somehow managed to pass word to his friends that he's working on the problem. The good news for them is that he's the best-suited of all of them to figure out a way to bring them back. The bad news is that he would probably be super helpful for them on the space station as well, although it may be for the best that he won't have to see what happened to Simmons. Something tells me he wouldn't be able to blend in and keep his cool.
Tune in to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, and don't forget to check out our midseason TV premiere guide.
