Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review – Stolen (Season 7 Episode 10)
It’s back to 1983 for the team in the aftermath of surviving a time storm, which lands them right in the middle of Malick’s plans on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7 episode 10, “Stolen.”
The timeline’s falling apart, and Malick adds another member to his team to wreak havoc on Sybil’s behalf.
Malick’s agent of chaos strategy of running things leads him straight to a young John Garrett, who eagerly joins the team with gusto only Garrett could bring to villainy.
THOMAS E. SULLIVAN
James Paxton coming in to guest star as the 1983 version of John Garrett, a role his father, Bill Paxton, originated in season 1, is an excellent way to commemorate a part of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. history. He nails it, even down to the cadence of Garrett’s voice.
Malick’s trajectory still feels a little disjointed for me in terms of a big bad arc, but the clarity by the end of the hour, as he takes Simmons (and unwittingly, Deke) offers insight into his actual goal which is to help the Chronicoms succeed.
Jiaying and Gordon are called to the Lighthouse, and the pair bring news of Malick going after the Inhumans at Afterlife. But while the pressing matter becomes saving the Inhumans and trying to stop Malick, Daisy must contend with the truths that her mother’s younger self brings.
FIN ARGUS, CLARK GREGG, HENRY SIMMONS
The moment Jiaying arrives, the tension is there, albeit one-sided as Daisy tries to deal with the fact that she’s face-to-face with her mother and Coulson, May, and Elena deal with knowing about Kora, Daisy’s half-sister.
“Stolen” provides a perfect opportunity for Daisy, as she shows an impressive amount of restraint and incredible growth in her conversation with Jiaying. It’s a heartbreaking moment as she vaguely tells her mother about her upbringing and their broken relationship in the future.
The moment becomes even more emotional when Malick reveals who Daisy’s mother is, and to see Daisy must deal with losing her mother once again is almost too much to watch.
NATALIA CORDOVA-BUCKLEY
With Jiaying gone, what will Daisy’s first meeting with Kora look like?
While Daisy comes to terms with the truth about Kora and seeing her mother one last time, Jemma’s dealing with some startling information of her own as Daisy tells her she reacted when Diana was removed.
Daisy: You were devastated. I’ve never seen you so freaked. You were inconsolable.
The doubts seep in, leaving Jemma reconsidering what she thinks she knows about their mission. Those doubts offer Deke a moment to be a stabilizing force for her as she begins to question if Fitz is even alive, and he does it wonderfully.
There’s a different kind of urgency injected into “Stolen” that may come from a combination of the number of episodes left and the dire straits that the team find themselves in that sets it apart from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 9, “As I Have Always Been.”
That sense of urgency and continuously heightened stakes combined with the emotional stories from Daisy and her mother to Jemma and her growing doubts about Fitz’s survival and the reasons behind Diana’s placement make “Stolen” another solid entry in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s final season.
ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE
It’s the continued losses the team, from losing Jiaying and seeing Garrett steal Gordon’s power to having Jemma taken and signs that Sybil is after one of their own.
But we might finally be getting the answer to a question that has hung over the final season: where is Fitz?
Right? Right?!
Random Thoughts
- Jemma’s knowing smile as Daisy and Sousa have their conversation, and her mention of chivalry is adorable.
- Superpowered Daisy’s temporary return is fantastic to see, and hopefully, a sign that she’s back in full force for the remainder of the series.
- Seeing the changes in this branch of the time stream is interesting, putting Daisy and Deke in sort of the same position. Things have changed in each of their times—Jiaying’s premature death in “Stolen” and the team breaking the time loop of the end of the world at the end of season 5.
- Though there’s no in-depth interaction between the pair, it’s nice that we finally have a chance to catch Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj, sharing a scene offering at least some version of a Dollhouse reunion.
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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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.