“The One Who Will Save Us All” is episode twenty of season five of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the previous episode, “Option Two”, the Lighthouse was cut off and came under attack by forces working for Qovas. Deke, in his Lighthouse, knew who they were – Remorath – and that they were very dangerous. Coulson, being impatient, had chosen the wrong option – nuclear war not alien invasion – from the defence options. The aliens were able to come right into the Lighthouse complex, without using the entrances.
Things were not going well, so Talbot decided that what he should do was infuse himself with the gravitonium, as Ruby tried and failed to do in “All Roads Lead…”. Oddly, it looks to have gone rather better for him than it did Ruby. Perhaps because Talbot was already not totally together mentally, he hasn’t suffered the same problems from the minds inhabiting the gravitonium. Or perhaps it’s a delayed reaction. Talbot was able to defeat the aliens and open up the Lighthouse at the same time.
Outside, Daisy had met with Candyman Caine, who had given her a Centipede, and told her that John Garrett’s version had something extra, alien, in it. Caine had got the location of some, but he’d never heard of it – but Daisy knew it wasn’t a location, but her mother’s name. So she went to dig up her mother’s grave.
Talbot is flying Coulson out of the Lighthouse on a piece of the floor. They are heading up to the alien ship. Talbot plans to enter it, and keeps saying he can fix it. When they enter, the Remorath take them prisoner. Which doesn’t seem to concern Talbot. At all.
In the Lighthouse, Mack is doing a final sweep for Remorath. One is still alive – and takes the same liquid that Kasius did before his death in “Past Life”. It’s not effective enough, for Mack manages to defeat the alien, and capture him at May’s request.
The Remorath ship is leaving the atmosphere and Talbot is still brimming with confidence. When Qovas speaks to Coulson and Talbot, annoyed at them for entering his ship, Talbot says that the ship isn’t his – it’s Talbot’s. After crushing one of the Remorath into a ball, he demands that Qovas, and the others, kneel (kind of a pity he doesn’t say ‘Kneel before Zod!’). Which they do. Coulson works out that Hale is on board, and asks to be taken to her. She’s feeling a bit down, but Coulson asks for her help. The current deal with the Confederacy needs changing, so Talbot is going to go and have an audience with the members of it to change the deal.
Daisy arrives back at the Lighthouse, and she and Yo-Yo are still having issues. Mack is also having issues about what S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing, when killing a girl is acceptable. Zephyr One is having its space engines fitted, so that it can go and rescue Talbot and Coulson. Although perhaps rescue is no longer the correct word.
HYDRA originally made the deal with the Confederacy to protect Earth from a coming war – but Talbot gets told that the war is already there. Thanos. Talbot’s power is also increasing, and he seems to want more. To defeat Thanos. However, he’s also looking increasingly unstable. Could it be Talbot who rips the Earth apart after all?