Major spoilers ahead for the tenth episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, called "Stolen."
Only two weeks are left before the final credits roll on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the MCU's first TV show wraps for good, and "Stolen" guarantees that a lot still has to happen. Enoch's sacrifice in the previous episode meant that the team was down one of the good guys, whereas Malick was only growing in power and influence. Before the end of the hour, another character was dead, the Zephyr was hijacked, two members of the team were kidnapped, and there are some big timeline messes that need cleaning.
With the final two episodes airing as a two-hour series finale event, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s end is nigh, and the next episode will be the penultimate. With a lot of things that might need to happen before the series finale and not a lot of time left, it's time to consider the questions that are left after the events of "Stolen."
Is Fitz Alive?
Unfortunately, the speculation that Fitz might be dead based on Simmons' devastated reaction to regaining her memories in the previous episode might be on the money. Daisy did nobody any favors when she told Simmons how upset she'd been when Diana was removed and she started remembering, telling Simmons that she was "devastated" and "inconsolable" rather than just confused, which naturally led Simmons to the same conclusion that I and other fans reached last week: Fitz might be dead and Simmons made herself forget. Is he alive?
Simmons worked out how everything could have happened in Season 7 without Fitz guiding them, as she'd believed thanks to Diana. Throw in an "inconsolable" reaction, and Fitz seems pretty dead. The good news is that Deke, a.k.a. the second smartest person currently on the team, flat-out rejected her reasoning, and there are other potential explanations for Simmons' reaction, so we shouldn't despair just yet. Is Fitz alive? And if so, where is he? If not, will Iain De Caestecker's only Season 7 appearances be via flashback?
What Will Malick And Garrett Do To Simmons?
The bad guys of Season 7 went to a great deal of effort in "Stolen" to kidnap Simmons (and the Zephyr) to try and get Fitz's location, saying that Sibyl's only scenarios where Malick and Co. don't win are the ones involving Fitz, and Malick wants Simmons to take them to him. Hey, at least they don't think he's dead! What will they do to her to try and get the information? The answer really depends on how much they know.
If Malick, Garrett, and Sibyl found out about the Diana implant, they might try to surgically remove the implant or deactivate it. Simmons seems to be the only one who can remove it, and Season 7 already proved an EMP won't take it out. If they don't know about Diana, will they try conventional torture? Simmons has held up against that too. They might have some emotional leverage on her if they discover they accidentally kidnapped her grandson as well. What will they do to her, and will it work?
Is Malick Telling The Truth?
Malick told Simmons that the only scenarios in which the good guys win are the ones involving a living Fitz, but is that true? If it is, I kind of judge him for coming out and telling her that in a Bad Guy Monologue, since that probably only made her more determined to resist him. I also have my doubts that Malick is telling the whole story, either deliberately or because Sibyl is keeping him in the dark on some things.
Is he lying about the good guys only being able to win with Fitz? Or could he be wrong about that and they could pull it off whether Fitz is dead or alive? This isn't Avengers: Endgame with Doctor Strange seeing only one winning scenario for the heroes with Iron Man's death. Malick said mentioned "every outcome," which suggests that there are multiple ways S.H.I.E.L.D. could win with Fitz. Doesn't it stand to reason that there are ways to win without him? And is Malick really in charge, or Sibyl?
What Is Deke's Role?
Thanks to Deke rocking out to some '80s tunes on his Walkman for most of "Stolen," he didn't hear May trying to warn him about Malick and Garrett over the radio, and he wound up accidentally kidnapped along with Simmons when Malick and Garrett hijacked the Zephyr. Deke could be the wild card that changes everything and saves the day, simply because he's a variable that Malick and Garrett didn't account for, and who seemingly didn't show up in this scenario for Sibyl.
What will he do? I doubt he'd leave his Nana to her fate if they start torturing her, but he's not the most formidable fighter even against normal humans, let alone Malick and Garrett with their stolen Inhuman powers. That said, Deke was working on the time drive when the Zephyr was stolen. My theory at this point is that Deke does something to break or fix the time drive, and this somehow leads to Fitz's return. But what will he do, and can he do it without help?
What Does Jiaying's Death Mean For Daisy?
The most tragic death of "Stolen" was undoubtedly Jiaying, who was showing her softer side to Daisy that she lost when Hydra cut her to pieces. They had just formed a bond when Malick and Garrett invaded the base, and Jiaying learned that Daisy is her future daughter with just enough time to stop Malick from killing her, and have her own neck snapped for her trouble... years before she would meet Daisy's father, let alone give birth to Daisy.
Given how messed up the timeline is at this point, I'm guessing we shouldn't be too worried about Daisy popping out of existence because Jiaying died in this timeline. Jiaying's death did provoke a very strong Quake reaction in Daisy, so her mom being murdered is clearly going to have an impact on Daisy, whether just emotional or also involving her very existence. How will Jiaying's death impact her in the few remaining episodes? And what about Kora?
What Does Kora Want?
Kora is a big question mark at this point. Jiaying insisted that Kora has a good heart, and all signs point toward Kora really only taking her dark turn after Terrigenesis gave her dangerous powers she couldn't control. She also forgave Lee in "Stolen." That said, she forgave him only for believing that he should have killed her, and that forgiveness came just moments before she used her powers to kill him. She also has been pretty firmly Team Malick. So what does she want?
Malick left Afterlife, and Kora herself was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., so she'll presumably be at the Lighthouse in the next episode. Will her good side emerge, perhaps after meeting her sister and/or learning that Malick murdered Jiaying? Or will she still want to follow her dark impulses and cause damage? The trailer for the next episode indicates that all won't be smooth sailing for Kora, so she may not get whatever it is she wants. What will happen to her?
Will There Be A Reset?
I've been expecting a reset ever since the timeline became so messed up that it would totally change the MCU unless it was fixed by the end of the series finale, and the timeline is only getting worse. People have died, like Jiaying and Gordon, who were supposed to live another few decades. That said, others have lived in this new timeline, like Sousa and Kora. Will there be a reset if it undoes so much of what happened in the final season?
And should there be a change as drastic as a reset? As somebody who still hates what "Crisis on Infinite Earths" did to Arrow right before its series finale, I'd be a hypocrite if I wanted everything in Season 7 to be undone, but it really seems like the only way to fix the important things is to change almost everything. Honestly, I just hope that Sousa survives and the agents get the happy ending they deserve. And damn it, I want that secret FitzSimmons daughter I've been pitching all season to be real!
See if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. answers these and more questions when the next new episode airs on Wednesday, August 5 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. For some viewing options once S.H.I.E.L.D. wraps for good on August 12, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide!
