Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, called "Adapt or Die."
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. jumped right into the mythology of the series with "Adapt or Die" and delivered some huge twists (and losses) that should shape the whole rest of the series. The good news is that the episode finally dropped some answers to questions that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been teasing all throughout Season 7, but the bad news is that not all of those answers were especially reassuring or definitive.
Fitz is in even more danger than Simmons had previously hinted, Daisy is down for the count, Coulson made a major sacrifice, and those are only a few of the things that happened worth pondering! So, as we wait for the next episode to hit the airwaves and hopefully drop some details that fans are dying for, read on for questions based on the events of Episode 6.
Where Is Fitz?
"Where is Fitz?" has technically been a question going back as far as the Season 6 finale, but it got some added urgency after the events of "Adapt or Die." Simmons revealed why exactly nobody can know where he is, and it's not just because he's safely holed up in a secret corner of the galaxy. According to Simmons, she and Fitz found a place where all the Chronicoms' movements through time could be tracked and Fitz stayed there to guide them, but he is "completely exposed" and the Chronicoms will kill him if they find him.
So, where is he that he's completely exposed? My crackpot theory is that Fitz is wherever Sibyl the Predictor is physically, since her appearances in Season 7 have been via a mind connection rather than in the flesh. That does raise practical questions of how he would eat or sleep, let alone guide the Zephyr team, without giving away his position. Could he have hacked into the virtual reality where Sibyl shares her predictions, and he had to base himself somewhere dangerous and exposed to do it? I might have to give up my secret FitzSimmons baby theory after this reveal, but not all hope is lost.
Will Diana Malfunction Again?
"Adapt or Die" confirmed that Simmons is neither a Chronicom nor an LMD, but rather implanted with a biological chip of sorts that she named Diana! While the implant was designed to prevent her remembering Fitz's location, it malfunctioned to the point that she was remembering what she needed to forget and forgetting what she needed to remember. The recovery of Enoch meant that Diana could be fixed, although Deke walking in on Enoch fixing the chip brought him into the dangerous secrets she's been hiding. Could Diana malfunction again, or be forced to malfunction if the Chronicoms get hold of Simmons?
"Adapt or Die" didn't reveal what caused the problems with Diana, so there's no way to say that the implant won't malfunction again with tragic repercussions. Hopefully Enoch will stick around and not be left in the past again, and Simmons' description of Diana as "adorable" and that they're "inseparable" leads me to wonder if the implant is making her forget more than Fitz's location... as in, her secret daughter who may or may not be named Diana! That said, if Diana didn't make Simmons forget about a secret child, I'm going to wager that Simmons will be pregnant with Deke's mom by the end of the series finale.
What's Wrong With The Zephyr?
The end of the episode may have actually revealed that Diana's original malfunction (or a second malfunction that has yet to be confirmed) damaged the Zephyr in ways that Simmons, Deke, and Enoch hadn't fixed. After the Zephyr jumped away from 1976 and popped out in a new time, Mack and Deke were outside, but not far from the ship. Deke got a radio call from a panicked Simmons, whose voice was breaking up as she ordered them to "get back now" because the Zephyr was about to jump. The transmission was choppy, but Simmons was able to say that something was "deteriorating."
So, what's wrong with the Zephyr? The team seemingly wasn't where or when they landed for very long. Simmons had stated early in Season 7 that there was no predicting when the Zephyr would jump, but her crackly call to Deke and mention that something was deteriorating suggests that something went wrong. Can it be fixed? The jump left Deke and Mack behind, which means the team is without two of its smartest non-FitzSimmons members. Is the damage because of the missiles in Episode 6? Or did the Chronicoms somehow do something to it? Can the agents get Mack and Deke back?
What Will Happen To Mack And Deke?
Mack and Deke were unintentionally left behind, seemingly with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing, the motorcycle Mack took when he left to get some air, and the walkie talkie Deke was carrying when he received Simmons' panicked message. Mack was shellshocked from the discovery that his parents had been killed and replaced by Chronicoms in the '70s, and then he had to "kill" them and toss them out of the Quinjet. What will happen to them now that they've been left behind?
Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. has established that that Zephyr as designed by Fitz rides the waves of time forward, and can't travel backward in time, so it seems like Mack and Deke are stuck taking the long way back to the 21st century. Next week's episode, which has the pretty awesome title of "The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D," is set in 1982. Will their friends find a way to come back and get them? Will they somehow invent time travel and reunite with their friends in the future? Will they take the long way back? What will happen?
How Will Coulson Return?
"Adapt or Die" saw the latest version of Phil Coulson meet his doom, and Coulson dying is such a nonevent at this point that May flat out didn't bother treating his death as something permanent. Coulson sacrificed himself in the Chronicom ship, blowing it and himself up to help the team. Of course, this latest Coulson was an LMD, and Simmons presumably still has his consciousness handy to upload again, but does the Zephyr just have a bunch of spare Coulson LMD bodies waiting to be used? How will he return?
I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. would have unceremoniously killed him off for good, only for May to comment that he'll always come back, so I'm assuming that he'll be back. The agents could presumably pluck the 1982 version of Coulson out of the timeline and bring him in, or a later version of Coulson. Alternately, Simmons could have a spare LMD Coulson body, or Enoch could build him one. How will S.H.I.E.L.D. do it, and how long will it take? As it stands, the team is down three members, and maybe a fourth. Speaking of which...
Will Daisy Get Her Powers Back?
Nathaniel Malick proved that he could be just as bad as the rest of his family after capturing Daisy and Sousa to try and steal their powers, having witnessed Daisy in Quake mode and assuming that Sousa had to be Inhuman to have not aged since 1955. He took from Daisy as much blood and spinal fluid as he thought she could survive, and "a couple glands." The result was Nathanial gaining her Quake abilities, although he died shortly thereafter. Daisy seemingly lost her powers, so will she get them back?
On the one hand, it's possible that Daisy still has her powers, but was too weakened by the drugs and then the experiments to use them, and Daisy was in the healing pod on the Zephyr by the end of the episode. On the other hand, Nathaniel said he took out some "glands," which can't be replenished like blood or spinal fluid, unless Simmons' healing tech has that feature. If those glands were what supplied her powers, is there any hope of getting them back? Or did Nathaniel just copy her powers without taking them?
Find out if the answers to these and more questions get their answers with new episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. "The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D" released on July 8, so be sure to tune in! For more viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule.
