If you always wanted Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to feel like an ’80s action movie with ridiculous outfits and cheesy one-liners, then your dream finally came true with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 7.
As aligned with the previous episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, this hour leaned into its time period by perfectly summing up the ’80s.
And while the episode included epic scenes like Mack suiting up and Deke performing his own version of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” it also showed the complexities of grief and the power of friendship. I, too, am leaning into the cheesiness.
Mack became a whole new person after the death of his parents on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 6, and it’s hard to blame him for shutting the world, and Deke, out.
There were times when he was cruel towards Deke and the new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Deke recruited. And there were times when he adopted a superior complex.
Deke: I lost my parents early too. Okay? And I still think about it every day. If you want to talk, I’m here.
Mack: I’m good.
Deke: Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! We need a game plan here. What if the Chronicoms are still out there? Maybe that’s why we’re here.
Mack: You figure it out.
Deke: Mack. Mack! You don’t have to go through this alone!
We were shown a side of Mack that we are not accustomed to seeing, and it is a good thing that we were.
Mack is sometimes put on a pedestal because of his strong morals and his selfless need to save others. We all needed to see him like this to remind us of the fact that he is human, and he does fall sometimes.
Mack had already lost so much in his life, and then he had to come to terms with the murder of his parents, a tragedy that was never supposed to happen.
It took Mack a year and a little help from Deke and Roxy, but he finally decided to rejoin the fight right when they, quite conveniently, needed him the most.
He needed the time to reflect and grieve, and that was what the Zephyr gave him when it stranded him and Deke in 1982.
Though the circumstances were awful, maybe being left behind was what was necessary for both Mack and Deke.
Mack: Nice work, D.
Deke: Thanks, Mack Daddy.
Mack: Nope.
Deke: Roger that.
Time is the only thing that can heal grief, and time is what granted Deke the experience of becoming a team player. Mack lost his parents, and Deke went rogue when he killed Freddy Malick.
It was genius to pair these two characters together to be stranded in the past. They could not be more different, but their friendship grew exponentially as a result, and they were exactly what the other needed during this time in their lives.
This episode proved that Deke is loyal to his team and is willing to help them no matter what.
Deke never gave up on Mack because he knew what it felt like to lose parents. And while Mack was going through the motions of grief, Deke took charge of the situation and got to work.
It was almost as if the roles were reversed, and Deke and Mack got to walk in each other’s shoes.
Mack: Didn’t you tell me that dude was shady?
Deke: Yeah, but that was before I found out he had a steady job.
Mack: Doing what?
Deke: Selling coke. Although, I’ve never seen him drink any.
Deke put together a team that at first had more skill musically than they did as operatives, but they had a ton of heart. And he figured out a way to bring Coulson back!
The grandson of Fitzsimmons stepped up to the plate when the situation called for it, and he more than proved his worth as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Can we talk about that performance of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” though?
Deke put his own spin on the ’80s classic, and it was epic.
With lyrics like “or if the night stabs into your heart, Daisy,” it was hard not to squeal along with the rest of the crowd as The Deke Squad performed.
It was the introduction to a new group of people that would fill the spots of the other characters for a whole episode, and they did not disappoint.
It’s a risky move to usher in new characters in the middle of the last season of a television show, but it was hard not to love Roxy, Olga, and the Chang Gang. We won’t mention Cricket since he was really just a drummer — R.I.P.
Plus, it is highly unlikely we will see them in prominent roles again after Mack and Deke leave 1983 with the Zephyr as the team gets back to their regularly scheduled programming of defeating the Chronicoms.
But Roxy, Olga, and the Chang Gang were a breath of fresh air.
Deke: So what’d you think? It feels like the crowd really responded to my new material.
Mack: I’m pretty sure that last song was from The Breakfast Club.
Deke: Not until 1985 it’s not. Right now it’s a Deke Shaw original.
Mack: Deke, this is just like you! You steal something from the future and you pretend you created it.
Deke: Oh, let’s not bicker over whether or not those are actually my songs.
Mack: They’re not.
It was a joy, and hilarious at times, to watch them come into their own as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and there is no doubt that they will go on to accomplish amazing things for S.H.I.E.L.D.
A spin-off, anyone?
Thankfully Mack and Deke only had to wait twenty months to catch up with the Zephyr, whereas Enoch had to wait forty years.
The reasoning behind all these time jumps escapes me. We really need Fitz back to explain it all to us.
Yes, they are following the Chronicoms, but why did the Zephyr jump right after leaving Mack and Deke in 1982? And why did it only come back after the fight with the robot Chronicoms and Sibyl?
In the end, Mack and Deke being stranded might have been a good thing for both of them, but one cannot help to wonder the method behind Fitz’s madness.
There are definitely things that we are not yet aware of, and I am so anxious to get Fitz back and get all the answers we are looking for.
Coulson’s back — is anyone surprised?
After his “death” on the last episode, it was hard to believe it was true. And the writers did not waste any time to assure us that the destruction of his LMD body was only a minor setback.
Deke: You know, he single-handedly demolished the Chronicoms, right?
Coulson: Actually, it cost me both hands.
The Zephyr is sure to build him a new one and it will be like he was never gone.
The only downfall to Coulson’s survival is that Sibyl made it out of the blast as well.
Those Chronicoms do not go down easily, and with Nathaniel Malick now on their side and the time stream in their possession, they are setting out to be a formidable force.
What did you think, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fanatics?
Did you love the show’s focus on Mack and Deke? Was anyone surprised that Coulson, yet again, rose from the dead?
And where did Mack and Deke find the money they needed to restart their lives in 1982 completely?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. online right here via TV Fanatic!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
Sarah Little is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.