Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 5, Episode 17 Review

I'm writing this about a week after having watched "The Honeymoon", so I apologise in advance if this review isn't as detailed or specific as it probably could have been, but it's worth mentioning that this episode is much busier than previous installments this season, so much so that I was stunned how much was achieved by the first ad break.

Ruby finally had her first big showdown with Daisy, which was a well-choreographed action sequence, even if I was hoping for it to take a more interesting turn. I suspect that now Ruby's going after SHIELD on her own terms we'll get a much more interesting second round between the two. Ruby herself is a bit of an odd villain, partly because she's been designed from scratch to be the most effective killing machine ever, and yet doesn't seem to be a strong as quite a few other "strongest" henchmen characters that Hydra's thrown at SHIELD over the years. Ultimately though, this episode very much puts Ruby in her place, and reaffirms her quest to manipulate the gravitonium for her own ends. Her capture of Fitz and Simmons as the episode's cliff-hanger leaves the episode on a slightly somber note, even if I question how quickly Ruby crossed over the pond to find them. I mean, it is usually a nine-hour flight, and I got the impression that the Quinjet took a while, so how Ruby got there as quickly as she did is a little vague - unless the episode was intending to play with its time-frame, in which case...it clearly didn't work very well.

There was also a Deke death fake-out to further add fuel to the "we're totally putting Deke and Daisy together" fire that still hasn't sold me. Deke's whole character arc doesn't seem to flow as well as it's clearly intended to, and his uselessness gets a little repetitive as a plot device after a while. I was, however, interested in seeing Talbot adjusting to life away from his family, making the final reveal that Hydra has in fact brainwashed him all the more tragic. We also get to see Coulson's death wish explored in his dynamic with May, which seems to be leading the season in an interesting direction. Will they actually go and kill Coulson? I'm inclined to say no, given that US shows rarely like to get rid of main cast members (it took them three whole seasons to kill off Agent Ward, and he still came back in the fourth), but it would be an interesting development for Season 6 to explore. That being said, Coulson is still very much the heart of this show, and none of the other characters seem to be in a strong position to take over, even if Coulson keeps pointing towards Daisy.