Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: After, Before (Season 7 Episode 8)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing a fantastic job keeping up the high stakes action in Season 7, while still having creative callbacks and cameos, and excellent character work to enhance the final season. 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 8, “After, Before,” spends a lot of time with May and Yo-Yo as they look to cure the latter of her issues with her powers. Her powers are the key to stopping the Zephyr from being stuck time and saving everyone’s life. 

So as you can imagine, the stakes are as high as they’ve been all season. May and Yo-Yo go on a side quest involving getting help from Jiaying (Daisy’s Mom) to see if the Inhumans can help, but the stakes are really with their friends who continue to jump through time ahead of them. 

“After, Before” manages to balance delicate character work for Elena/Yo-Yo (with May’s new superpower as a catalyst) with keeping the viewers’ pulse pounding throughout the entire episode. For any serialized show, a sense of urgency is paramount to keeping the audience engaged, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does so effortlessly.

But it’s the balance that’s the most compelling. Visiting Elena’s past and discovering her inhibitions as a vehicle to reviving her powers works on two levels — a way to save everyone and a way get Yo-Yo back at 100%. 

Natalia Cordova-Buckley is certainly up to the challenge, too, as Elena works through all of her issues. It’s encouraging to see her get a chance to shine, when she’s often taken a backseat to other characters. Luckily, she also gets some romantic moments with Mack that aren’t overshadowed by Fitz and Simmons (though I still have beef with the fact that Fitz is gone). 

Somehow, “After, Before” balances an emotional character arc with callbacks and guest appearances (like Dichen Lachman’s Jiaying), and also heart and humor. Last week’s adventure with Mack and Deke was fun, but it works so much better to have the whole cast around.

Even with the shake-ups to the cast, like adding Sousa and Enoch, everyone fits together well and several moments are laugh-out-loud funny. The writing is great, but the cast chemistry really elevates everything else the show is doing well. By the time we reach “After, Before,” everything is cooking. 

Daniel Sousa: Finally, the scientist from the future and I are on the same page.

Really, my only complaint with anything Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing right now is that I want more. More returning characters, more callback stories, and more Fitz would cement Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a five-star review every time out. So it’s safe to say that everything they are doing is working. 

A few stray thoughts:

• “That’s very comforting Enoch, thank you.” Deke and Enoch are such a great comic pair. 
• Ming-Na Wen has always been good on this show, but she is absolutely masterful as both a catalyst for Yo-Yo’s growth and for comic relief. 
• Adding Cora to a team up with Nathaniel Malick has potential to really be exciting over these final episodes. I hope there’s an opportunity to add a few more historic villains to the mix before a final showdown. 
• I wish that Daisy had gotten to come face to face with her mother from the past, but perhaps that’s still in the works since Jiaying survives. One can hope. 
• Okay, enough. I need Fitz back now. Please?

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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