“Collision Course: Part 1” is episode eight of season six of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the previous episode, “Toldja”, Fitz and Simmons were rescued – or, perhaps, bought – on the Planet of Kitson by a woman named Izel. She had a need of a ship, a crew and their specialist knowledge. As she wanted to head to Earth. The episode opens on the ship with Boyle stating it will never survive a hyperjump. According to Fitz, the odds are 50/50. Simmons thinks those are not very good odds, but Fitz asks her when are they ever better. They can hope for the best and jump, or spend the rest of their time on the run, light years from home. Simmons would be happy anywhere Fitz is. But she’s sick of space. The jump itself is pretty anticlimactic; a noise and they are at the Moon.
In exchange for Sarge telling them how to deal with the Shrike, Mack agreed to give him his truck and team back. Sarge wants them to stop wasting time. The Shrike will destroy their entire planet. They will infect everything and pave the way for their creator. On Chronica 2, Sarge was too late. Mack wants more than that. The infected are gathering at a location where they will build a base. Sarge plans to kill it. Sarge wants his crew but Mack tells him he’s getting May and Daisy and one of his own. Mack also thinks that Sarge is bluffing about waiting for the planet to die; he doubts Sarge came all this way to lose again. Sarge agrees, but Mack won’t give him two of his team. Mack thinks Sarge would abandon one, not two. So, Snow is picked.
Sarge wants to know what Daisy does; he already knows May’s abilities. Daisy says she’s a hacker. No, she doesn’t hack off limbs or chop people up – Snow’s suggestion – she knows computers. Sarge considers that useless and asks if Daisy can handle weapons and if she’s good in a fight. Daisy admits she can handle herself. Mack appears to check on things, and a piece of equipment that Sarge is working on fizzles. It needs fixing, as it keeps the Shrike away. He wants Pax. Mack has someone else in mind.
That someone else is Deke. He is not happy about the idea, considering the others to be doomsday magnets. If Deke goes on the mission, Mack will keep quiet about why he became a 2% shareholder in Deke’s company in “Code Yellow”. Deke tries to make out that he wasn’t serious. It doesn’t work. By the end of the conversation, Mack has 10% of the company.
On the truck, Snow takes a shine to Deke. In her creepy, disturbing manner. Sarge wants Daisy up front. He needs an extra set of eyes, doesn’t want Deke and the last time he allowed May up there, she tried to kill him. Snow will stay back, to keep an eye on the others.
Mack asks Davis to get the Zephyr ready. He plans to follow Sarge, even though he said they would remain at base. Semantics; the Zephyr is a mobile base. Mack is also concerned about to coming beast, because it’s never what is expected. On the ship, Izel is singing to something in her hands. A Shrike. That’s probably not a good sign.
Daisy is speaking to Sarge, because he has the exact same DNA as Coulson, they are identical at molecular levels. It has to mean something, because otherwise it would be too random. Sarge thinks the universe is random. He also doesn’t want to talk about his past, only stopping the monster and how to survive if this fails. And confirms the monster is Izel.
Izel told Fitz and Simmons she was looking for some artefacts. She says that they were stolen from her world millennia ago. As she describes them. Fitz recognises them as being the Monoliths. Simmons cuts into his explanation, saying they have heard of them – this Fitz doesn’t know what happened to them – and that they were told the Chronocoms had them. Izel heard the same and went to Chronica 2. She was attacked and her crew killed, and the planet was destroyed. The same may happen to Earth if she doesn’t find the artefacts. A warning or a threat? There’s a person seeking to destroy her, because she knows who he truly is. Presumably Sarge. Later, Fitz starts getting jealous of himself, the other Fitz. He admits he knows how stupid that is.
So, Sarge is definitely keeping secrets, and he isn’t exactly a good guy, but is he a bad guy as Izel is making out? She is also definitely not good; she’s already started infecting the ship’s crew with Shrike. Which of them is telling the truth? Neither appears to be telling the full truth.
Events continue in the next episode, “Collision Course: Part 2”, with a bit of a cliff-hanger ending.
In the previous episode, Enoch stayed behind to look into saving his people. This continues in the post-logo scene.