Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: A Trout in the Milk (Season 7 Episode 5)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is having a blast during its final season. I think viewers are too.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 5, “A Trout in the Milk,” is filled with non-stop excitement and serves as a fun Easter Egg hunt for Marvel fans. Really, it has everything: action, intrigue, humor, character growth, and changing timelines. What more could you want?
This seems to be the first time that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team experience a true ripple effect in the timeline. The Chronicoms manage to keep Wilfred Malick alive much longer than the previous history, and cause several ripple effects that put the team at a disadvantage, since they don’t know how things are supposed to happen anymore.
In fact, one of HYDRA’s greatest projects has its timeline pushed forward by 40 years, in a veiled Chronicom effort to destroy future heroes such as Bruce Banner, Nick Fury, and Victoria Hand. Marvel Easter Eggs abound within this story, and it manages to be the most exciting one from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 yet.
The stakes are high, sure, but what really makes “A Trout in the Milk” compelling is the way the fish out of water story extends to every member of the team.
You’d have to imagine that Sousa, being plucked from 1955 and placed suddenly in the 70’s around future tech, would feel like a fish out of water. Especially given his aversion to 70’s fashion and his continued use of dated expressions like “A Trout in the Milk.”
As “A Trout in the Milk” continues, though, you start to recognize that each character must feel this way. Simmons is failing to remember things, Yo-Yo is powerless, Daisy is hacking with old technology, Enoch has been left behind for 40 years, May has no emotions, and Deke is nowhere near his home timeline. You can feel that they’re increasingly worried now that major things in the timeline have started to change.
This fish out of water story that applies to nearly every character is truly what makes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (and “A Trout in the Milk”) so great. Each character is established and developed and reacting honestly to the circumstances they find themselves in, even if those circumstances are truly ridiculous. None of the situations are completely unbelievable, but only because each character’s reaction to the circumstances feels genuine.
So while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has viewers on an exciting, wild ride, the emotional stakes beneath that wild ride are what makes “A Trout in the Milk” so compelling.
A few stray thoughts:
- “Come with me if you want to continue to exist!” I’m so glad Enoch is back with the group.
- Finding Nathaniel Malick alive is one of the bigger callbacks from earlier in the series, and he’s connecting with Daniel Whitehall to try and steal Daisy’s powers! Might we be seeing Reed Diamond and/or HIVE soon?
- Okay, come on now. Time for Fitz to come back, yes?
- I really loved the 70’s themed opening sequence!
What did you think of this episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.