Spoilers ahead for the second episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, called "Know Your Onions."
The seventh and final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has aired its second episode, and "Know Your Onions" left more questions than it answered. Sure, the episode delivered some more background on Koenig, filled in a blank or two about the Malick family, and proved that the agents can stop the Chronicoms from succeeding in their missions, but there are more mysteries than ever heading into the rest of the final season.
While some of my questions after this latest episode center on what has to happen to the timeline for Mack to wear snazzy 1930s suits on a regular basis, there are some much bigger ones that could change the course of the entire last season. Read on for eight questions about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 after Episode 2!
What's Wrong With May?
Although Simmons' timely intervention at the end of Season 6 brought May back after being only briefly dead, she doesn't seem to be the same May who battled Izel. She woke up determined to join her team in the field because it's her job to protect them, not listening to Enoch about needing to rest or even needing to wear period-appropriate clothing. They got into a fight that ended with May beating Enoch into submission with a fire extinguisher, after which she shrugged off LMD Coulson and submitted to Simmons sedating her again. Is this a psychological effect of what happened to her? Or did Simmons' tech do something to her to alter her? May seemed to show some Chronicom-esque characteristics after waking up.
Did Yo-Yo Lose Her Powers?
Yo-Yo survived being infected by the Shrike at the end of Season 6, but something is seemingly wrong with her in Season 7 in the aftermath. In "Know Your Onions," Yo-Yo had the chance to use her powers and grab a falling wine bottle before it could smash and alert the Chronicoms to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence, but she seemingly couldn't do it. She didn't put up a fight when Daisy gave her an out for joining the climactic fight, either. So, did Yo-Yo lose her powers? If so, is it because the Shrike did something to her? Or perhaps the new arms Simmons brought her? Or is it a psychological block? And can she get them back?
How Long Was Simmons Gone?
The big twist at the end of Season 6 came with the reveal that FitzSimmons had invented time travel as a way to battle Chronicoms through history, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has made it clear that they were gone for a while. In fact, Fitz still isn't back. That said, Simmons and Enoch were very cagy whenever asked about how long Simmons was gone. Simmons only told Daisy that it had been too long since they'd seen each other last, and Enoch would only say that Simmons had a "considerable" amount of time to develop the treatment that had saved May's life. There must be a reason why she's not giving a number, so what is it? And how long was she gone?
Where's Fitz?
As if the mystery of how long Simmons was gone wasn't enough on the FitzSimmons front, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. still hasn't given any kind of conclusive answer about Fitz. He is at least alive, based on his quick comment to Simmons over the radio in the Season 6 finale, but Simmons stated that they couldn't be together or know where the other is because the Chronicoms scanned their brains. It seems like there has to be more to the story, and Fitz surely isn't just sitting around while his wife endangers her life. So where is he? My initial theory was that Fitz stayed behind with their secret daughter, but now I'm wondering if there's a darker reason for all the FitzSimmons mysteries. Speaking of which...
Are There More LMDs?
Between the Framework fiasco, the arrival of the Chronicoms, and now the new version of Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't shied away from introducing characters who look human but very much are not. If Coulson can be an LMD, why can't there be more? While I don't think that's what happened to May, I am wondering about FitzSimmons. All signs point toward a lot of time passing since Simmons saw her friends last, but she hasn't aged a day other than her bangs growing out. Were FitzSimmons gone for so long that they had to replace themselves with LMDs due to age? Or does Simmons just age incredibly well and the "considerable" amount of time that passed was years rather than decades?
Is Enoch Gone For Good?
The agents successfully thwarted the Chronicoms in 1931, but they didn't succeed without a cost. Enoch was left behind when he couldn't make it back to the Zephyr before the time window closed, leaving him stranded in the '30s. It was a heartbreaking loss for Enoch judging by the look on his face, and the agents may find themselves missing their Chronicom ally and all he'd been able to do for them. The upside is that, if anybody was going to be left behind 90 years in the past, Enoch is the one who won't die of old age. He could very well pop up in any of the agents' visits to later eras; the question is whether or not he will.
Why Are They So Open About Time Travel?
Despite Deke's warning in the Season 7 premiere that they should be okay as long as they only splash around a little in the time stream rather than making waves, the agents weren't exactly going the extra mile to hide their status as time travelers. Admittedly, some of their openness was just around Koenig, but they were also dropping some future knowledge in front of Freddy, who goes on to help form Hydra. Making ripples around the wrong people could result in waves down the line, and I find myself wondering if they're going to make a mistake in the past with their openness, only to discover their error in the future when it's too late.
Will The Zephyr Cause More Problems?
While the souped-up Zephyr is on autopilot and doesn't seem to require much in the way of guidance or steering, the end of "Know Your Onions" revealed that there are some big problems with how it handles time. Simmons was dismayed when the ship revealed that the time window was closing in only 17 minutes, and it was really a turn of luck that they were all so close to the Zephyr that they could almost all make it back in time. If the Zephyr doesn't have a way to alert the agents sooner than 17 minutes ahead of jump, more people could get left behind, especially now that Enoch isn't around to stay behind and run comms.
While we probably won't get the answers to all these questions too soon, the next episode promises to be pretty exciting. The episode airing on Wednesday, June 10 will bring back Agent Carter's Daniel Sousa, whose romantic fate at least has been in question since the events of Avengers: Endgame. Be sure to tune in to ABC at 10 p.m. ET on June 10 to see Sousa's return to the MCU on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and check out our 2020 summer premiere schedule for more viewing options.
