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

New Life

Agents of SHIELD wrapped up its sixth season with New Life, but to get there, this episode featured a few key deaths and some very near misses.

Maybe the most surprising aspect of this episode was the follow-up of the threat of the Hunters. It seemed like the writers were teasing that for later, not on the tail end of the season. They go all out Terminator style killing SHIELD agents as their invasion of the Lighthouse is sudden and brutal. Even Agent Khan is among those murdered. Poor Deke. Now his new best friend is killed.

FitzSimmons quickly realize the Hunters know SHIELD protocol from the time they were strapped up in their device. Again, all connected. They’d barely had time to process watching Sarge skewer May and tell Mack. Now they’re setting up a booby trap to kill the Hunters…and themselves in the process. But Isaiah is here to save the day…or rather Enoch, who stole his former friend’s skin to infiltrate the Hunters. He’s got a solution for them, but it’s going to change everything all over again. I loved their response like “again?!?!”

Mack, Daisy and Yo-Yo can’t process May’s death with the zombies attacking. Mack has to talk Deke through piloting the Zephyr for a rescue while Yo-Yo and Daisy hold off the Shrike. In a great scene, Yo-Yo slows everything down to allow her to shoot at the Shrike. It’s a new use of her powers and one that would have come in handy when a shrike dragon goes into her mouth!

On the other side of the portal, three priests are coming to a podium while ignoring May’s bled out body. May wasn’t as dead as thought as she recovers and manages to kill the priests with the sword Sarge left in her.

As they prep for their final showdown with Izel, Yo-Yo asks Daisy to kill her when the Shrike starts to emerge. She knows Mack can’t do it and trusts Daisy to make the tough call. This is gut-wrenching stuff especially since the Shrike dragon threat has already been established with Keller.

I loved the trash talk bit where May tosses the three stones out of the portal at Izel’s feet. Time for a real finale showdown. The fight scenes in AOS are only really rivaled by the Netflix Marvel shows and this felt like a big battle. On the other side of the portal, Sarge finally gives in to his demons and fights Daisy and Mack. That was also a shock since it seemed like it was leading up to Sarge finding his Coulson side and helping SHIELD. I like that twist where it doesn’t always work out for the good guys.

Daisy won’t kill Yo-Yo even as she’s almost turned, but May killing Izel kills her dragons freeing Yo-Yo from the grip of death. May tosses Mack the sword and with Daisy restraining him, Mack slices Sarge in half. Back out of the portal, May is dying again and with her final breathes asks if Coulson returned. It was a sad and emotional ending for one of the series originals.

But wait! Simmons arrives with a team of scientists and a mysterious attitude. She says they can save May, but they have to leave now. And where is Fitz? Simmons can’t know for some reason. Geesh, those two can’t ever be together long term any more. The real shocker is Simmons calmly explaining a series of new developments. First the team teleports somewhere else/somewhen(?) using an advanced Jump Drive just as the Hunters attacked the temple. The Lighthouse is lost thanks to the Chronicom having access to all of SHIELD guidelines. The only way to stop them and to help Mack as his right hand is with a secret weapon, who’s already been clued in to everything that’s occurred — an LMD Coulson. Whoa.

There was no way we could have the final season of Agents of SHIELD without Coulson and this was the most satisfying and sensible way to achieve that as the agents prepare for the latest threat to life as they know it. New Life teased the death of two major characters, but ultimately walked back. Given what’s occurred over the course of the season, killing them wouldn’t have been nearly as meaningful as the full team assembling to take down the Hunters.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: ABC