Agents of SHIELD: The Sign, New Life review S6 E12

Yep, I didn’t see any of this coming. One thing for sure with Agents of SHIELD is unlike Big Brother, you can truly expect the unexpected. Knowing they had a final season to go, the AOS writers used The Sign and New Life in a different way than most season finales. It wasn’t so much about wrapping up every storyline so much as it is setting the stage for next season. The great thing about these two episodes is it reinforces how much earlier subplots actually mattered.

For example the surprising return of Flint, who Izel conjured up from Mack and Yo-Yo’s mind as the thing they feared most. Why they feared him could be up for debate. The closeness they had for him and how he was basically like their surrogate son in the future or his ability to create structures, specifically monoliths Izel could use to finish her plan?

Let’s say it was the latter as Izel — through Flint — whips up her custom made monoliths.

Deke was busy whipping up something of his own with sonic disruptors that would stop Izel from leaping. He had a suitcase full of them ready for action. May, Daisy, Piper and Sarge headed out to stop Izel with some bullets made from the blades Sarge collected. It dawned on me that we haven’t seen Snowflake these last few episodes when presumably she’s just in SHIELD custody. She’d be very helpful here.

The crazy thing about The Sign was it basically turned into a zombie movie. Sarge, May and Daisy held off some of Izel’s dragons and infected. After dramatically killing one of them, Sarge made a Coulson-like quip about it feeling like overkill. Daisy and May both couldn’t ignore that this was the kind of remark Coulson would make. Was he really coming through Sarge? May’s hoping they can pull whatever is inhabiting Sarge and save what’s there of Coulson.

While Izel is out rallying her shrike dragons, Flint asks Mack and Elena if she’s the destroyer of worlds. The continuity on SHIELD is impressive. It’s like the writers actually remember what they wrote from season to season. Crazy. And I forgot how much I missed hearing Mack call Flint Pebbles. His nicknames for everyone is the best. Izel, however, is still the worst and leaped into Yo-Yo’s body to crush Flint’s leg.

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The big reveal on how Deke cranked out those sonic devices by bringing his startup team to SHIELD HQ was funny, but not as hilarious as Fitz’s exasperated response to Deke ripping off SHIELD. Deke has his big hero moment in saying he created this company because no one liked him, his friends from the future are all gone and even his grandparents can’t stand him. He’s been such the comic relief that it’s easy to forget everything that’s happened to Deke since encountering SHIELD and how it’s made him a bit of a tragic character.

With no one missing him if he’s dead, Deke decides to try the teleporter Shaw Jump Drive to save Mack and Yo-Yo. It was a great scene made even better by Deke’s team cheering and saying how cool he was after he left.

Armed with the sonic disruptors, Yo-Yo got to have a very satisfying knock down on Izel. Deke gives Flint his disruptor so he’s gotta go on the run and try to avoid Izel’s minions. While on the run he comes up with this novel idea for a game where the player tries to escape from zombies and zombie dogs while using whatever random gun or knife is available. Deke is awesome.

Izel cues up her son to unleash the portal just as Sarge and May arrive. Mack and Yo-Yo send Flint away with Piper and reunite with Daisy in the quinjet just as a swarm of shrike zombies arrive. Deke managed to avoid the zombies to make it onto the Zephyr, but he’s too far away to get saved by Mack and company.

May and Izel have a battle for Sarge’s mind and just when it seems like May has won, Sarge stabs her and sends her through the portal. Well, that was unexpected!

In the stinger scene, Isaiah meets up with Enoch and reveals he’s been reassigned as a Hunter and he’s here to take his former ally out. Uh-oh.

The Sign was completely unpredictable with some jaw-dropping moments that set the stage up magnificently for the final episode.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Check the next page for the New Life review