Top 10 Moments from ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Season 7

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t waste the chance to make the most of its seventh and final season. Ending a show is never an easy task, but the show stuck its landing in a gold medal-worthy fashion. 

Season 7 packed plenty of explosive action, character development, and emotional moments into just 13 episodes. It also served up quite a lot of laughs for a storyline devoted to the team preventing the destruction of Earth. 

For long-time fans who invested in this team’s transformation into a family, it was a satisfying final mission. 

Trust me, picking the best moments of this wonderful season was a difficult task. I wish I could have picked them all but here, in chronological order, are my top ten moments of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s seventh season. Warning: This list does contain spoilers!

1. Coulson Geeks Out Over S.H.I.E.L.D. History (Season 7 Episode 1)

Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returned at the end of Season 6 in a new LMD (Life Model Decoy) body. Although certain members of the team, like Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet), didn’t hesitate when asked whether they should bring him back, his resurrection is still awkward for the team.

Coulson’s knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. history, however, is critical to their mission of stopping the Chronicoms. On the season premiere, Coulson goes full history nerd and reminds the team it’s still him in there. 

While the rest of the team rightly points out that the 1930s weren’t so great for many people, Coulson can’t hide his excitement over being there during the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) era.

His knowledge of an old 1930s speakeasy that later became a S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouse leads them to meet an important player in S.H.I.E.L.D. history, Ernest Koenig (Patton Oswalt).

The scene reminds the viewer why they fell in love with Coulson to begin with. Coulson is a hero in his own right, but he’s also a fan of S.H.I.E.L.D. just like viewers. 

2. Sousa Lives (Season 7 Episode 4)

When Agent Carter was canceled in 2016, fans hoped for an eventual return of their favorite characters. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) got her happy ending in Avengers: Endgame, but what about her one-time love interest Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj)? 

Luckily for fans, and Gjokaj, Sousa also got a second chance thanks to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 4, “Out of the Past,” Sousa is supposed to die because his investigations into HYDRA make him a target. It’s a historical moment taught to all recruits because Sousa becomes the first fallen agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way? The team decides to save him by faking his death and giving him the chance to travel through time with them. 

Sousa may be old fashioned, but he’s also brave and loyal which makes him a perfect addition to the team. Thanks to Gjokaj’s performance, the time-displaced Sousa finds a way to mesh with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team (especially one agent in particular…) and become more than just the butt of their jokes.

3. Mack Loses His Parents (Season 7 Episode 6)

On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 6, “Adapt or Die,” the team must rescue Mack’s (Henry Simmons) parents while also preventing the Chronicoms and HYDRA from launching Project Insight early and changing the timeline.

However, in a shocking twist after the rescue, the episode reveals that Mack’s parents were already murdered and turned into Chronicoms. 

This loss is especially hard to watch given that Mack lost a family member before, his daughter Hope. While Mack got to see a fake future with Hope created by the Framework, this situation is reversed.

Mack grapples with the fact his parents are dead despite remembering a real future with them on a different timeline. Simmons knows how to play to the vulnerability of the character while also expressing his frustration. 

This is the first instance in the season where changes to the timeline dramatically impact a team member’s future. It raises questions for viewers about if and how the team will be able to revert things to the original timeline. 

4. The Deke Squad Rocks the House (Season 7 Episode 7)

The Deke Squad doesn’t need to worry because there’s no way fans will ever forget this iconic scene on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 7, “The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D.”

After finding himself trapped in the 1980s, Deke Shaw (Jeff Ward) decides to take on yet another new profession: rock star. The only problem is he’s stealing all of his songs from the future. 

Deke: Don’t you forget about me…

The rock band is revealed as a cover story for Deke and his new agents, but it still results in a memorable performance of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. Ward clearly had the time of his life filming this scene, and it showcases his comedic chops. 

The magical part of this scene, aside from the awesome music, is it shows just how much the character of Deke changed for the better. Between Ward’s performance and the work of the writers in developing this character, Deke became a beloved member of the team. 

This episode is the most fun of the season, and The Deke Squad is to thank.

5. Yo-Yo Gets Her Power Back (Season 7 Episode 8)

Although Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) was first introduced in Season 3, the character didn’t get a lot of backstory. She has been given interesting arcs, but those stories didn’t address her history, which seemed like a missed opportunity. 

The show finally addresses this problem on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 8, “After, Before.”

After losing the ability to use her powers, Yo-Yo takes a trip to Afterlife to see if Jiaying (Dichen Lachman) can help her get them back.

However, testing reveals Yo-Yo’s problem is a mental block. This requires Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) to embrace her new powers as an empath to help Yo-Yo figure out what’s going on. 

Through a sparring session with May to interrogate her emotions, we learn more about Yo-Yo’s childhood, and how she blames herself for her uncle’s murder. Unlocking that trauma is key to Yo-Yo discovering a new way to use her powers in addition to learning to heal emotionally. 

This moment is a great chance to see how well Cordova-Buckley and Wen pair as scene partners. They didn’t get nearly as many opportunities to share the screen alone together as they should have throughout the seasons. 

6. The Dousy Ship Sets Sail (Season 7 Episode 9)

Early on in the season fans picked up on the chemistry between Daisy and Sousa. Combined with Bennet hinting in a pre-season interview that Daisy might find love through time travel, the writing was on the wall.

On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 9, “As I Have Always Been,” Daisy is trapped in a time loop after the ship becomes stuck in a time storm. 

Sousa checks in on her each time she wakes up, prompting Daisy to finally ask him why he’s always looking after her and offering to help. This leads to an epic speech from Sousa, who tells Daisy he knows people like her. By this, he means a person who always fights for the greater good and never gives up.

Most importantly, he tells her she deserves to have someone supporting her… aka him!

Sousa: Because when people like you run into those walls, you should have someone there to back you up.

Sousa may not know what a smartphone is, but he knows how to appreciate a strong woman. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember this moment after the loop resets. 

Daisy does though and decides to kiss him. The fandom immediately embraced their new ship “Dousy.”

Although their relationship continues to grow throughout this season, this moment marks the ship setting sail. After several seasons of heartbreak, Daisy finally found her endgame. 

7. Enoch Makes a Sacrifice (Season 7 Episode 9)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans lost many fan-favorite characters throughout the seasons, but few losses were as heartbreaking as the death of Enoch (Joel Stoffer) on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 9, “As I Have Always Been.” 

The team realizes the only way to fix the time drive and escape the time loop is to take Enoch’s Electrochron Displacement Mechanism, which is essentially a Chronicom’s heart. Before the team can even debate the decision, Enoch rips it out and hands it over to Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). 

Transformed by his friendship with Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), Enoch is willing to do whatever it takes to stop the Chronicoms from destroying Earth. Although Enoch was never quite treated with the respect he deserves (like when they left him in another decade), he was a loyal team member. 

In an award-worthy performance by Stoffer, Enoch shares his final moments with Daisy and Coulson and admits for the first time in his life he’s afraid of being alone. He also reveals future knowledge that this will be the team’s last mission together.

Enoch: People arrive, so we celebrate, and people leave us, so we grieve. We do what we can with the time in between, but the cycle is always there.

It’s a beautiful scene that turns into a larger commentary about life, death, and the ones we leave behind.

8. Daisy Confronts Kora (Season 7 Episode 12)

Daisy makes it clear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 11, “Brand New Day,” that she considers Jemma her real sister. She even decides to rescue Jemma instead of staying on the ship for her biological sister Kora (Dianne Doan). 

But Daisy having her S.H.I.E.L.D. family is the very reason she does confront Kora on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 12, “The End is at Hand.” Daisy realizes that Kora deserves the same second chance Coulson and the rest of the team gave her.

She sees so much of her own story in Kora’s and doesn’t want her sister to go through life alone anymore. What starts out as an epic battle scene between two powerful enemies instead becomes a tender family moment. 

Both actresses bring a lot of emotion to the scene, making it no surprise that Daisy wins Kora over. Bennet did a fantastic job throughout these past seven seasons showing Daisy’s growth, and this scene exemplifies just how much the character matured. 

9. A FitzSimmons Family Reveal (Season 7 Episode 13)

The fan theory that FitzSimmons had a baby during their time away from the team started circulating before Season 7 even premiered. The show revealing that they had been away for a long time and that Fitz stayed behind intensified the speculation.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7 Episode 13, “What We’re Fighting For,” does a masterful job of both playing into this speculation and building up to the ultimate reveal, even the relative lack of surprise doesn’t diminish the emotional impact of the moment. 

Throughout the episode, viewers are left to wonder what Fitz told the team offscreen they’re fighting for. Your heart breaks to see Jemma not remember it, but Henstridge does an amazing job communicating both the character’s confusion and distress and then eventual realization.

By the time they arrive back at the pod left with Piper (Briana Venskus), the stage is already set and your emotional state is severely compromised. Piper asks if they were guarding nothing after finding out Fitz was missing from the pod.

Fitz: No. You were guarding our everything. 

How could you not melt into a puddle of tears when he says that and Jemma falls to her knees to embrace her daughter? 

FitzSimmons went through hell throughout this show, breaking our hearts many times. All the characters deserve a happy ending but seeing their journey culminate with having the family they wanted feels especially earned. 

10. The Team Reunites (Season 7 Episode 13)

Increasingly, series finales have become the “make or break” moment for a show’s legacy. Whether you agree with that mentality or not, the pressure to please fans while sticking to a creative vision is one a show must face.

In my opinion, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can breathe a sigh of relief. Because the finale crafts an entertaining story while still giving fans closure through the use of a flash-forward scene set one year later.

Using The Framework to reunite them all is an especially clever nod, if not a little too on the nose given our current reality of virtual connection being the norm. The bar setting also reminds viewers of the famous “spy’s goodbye” scene from Season 3.

Enoch’s prediction that it would be the last mission for the team proves correct, but it turns out to not be such a sad thing. Although it’s hard to move on, the finale makes it clear that they all still love each other like family while finding new paths in life.

So many of the endings chosen for the characters call back to other best moments from this season, a testament to how well the writers plotted it.

Fitz and Simmons live a quiet family life. Daisy explores space with Sousa and Kora. Mack and Yo-Yo continue working in the field, and May uses her empath powers working at the newly named Coulson Academy. 

And Coulson? He gets the second chance he’s given so many others. With a new lease on life, he rides into the sunset (on a newly tricked out Lola). 

If the show had to end, what a heartwarming and satisfying way to do it. 

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What were your favorite moments of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7? Let us know in the comments below!

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