Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is taking a break from the Sarge storyline this week and focused mainly on our agent’s mission in space. After just barely missing the Zephyr One, Fitz and Enoch find themselves stranded in a casino trying to find a way to make money to get off the planet. After a lot of major teases of the overarching storyline this season, Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson takes a short break from the potential end of the world to just give us some well-deserved character moments. With a title that pays tribute to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, something interesting is bound to happen.

Enoch has become a personal favorite character since his introduction last season and this episode just cemented him as a fantastic addition to the show. It also seems that he has been enjoying his time with Fitz running away from authority. We still don’t know why exactly they are on a wanted list but it was just a great moment seeing him open up to his comrade. We always believed for him to be an emotionless android. For him to suddenly say he is having fun and seeing Fitz as his best friend was rather touching. They spent enough time together so it made sense that they would develop a kindship. Also, seeing him depressed was probably the funniest part of the episode. Him being decommissioned also gives him a new purpose as a, hopefully, long-term member of SHIELD.

The episode mostly takes place in an intergalactic gambling location and it looks stunning. A lot of respect should be given to the set designers and effects artists, as they really made a movie budget location come to life in SHIELD. Seeing the Zephyr in space already looked fantastic but then to witness an entire alien city really gave this show an additional wow factor.

This week’s B-plot had a much closer connection to Fitz’s adventure as we finally got Daisy and Simmons closing in on their friends. The highlight was that after eating some peculiar space snacks they end up completely high. Seeing these two try to keep their act together was hilarious and added some much-needed levity while Fitz was gambling for his life. Daisy using her quake powers in a daze was quite funny, especially as it gave us some new creative uses of her powers. Their bonding moment under the gambling table also was a nice look into Simmons’ head after bringing them all into trouble. To be honest, no matter how much fun I had with this sequence, my head cannot get Fitz in a monkey costume dancing on a straw out of my head. Even in its sixth season, SHIELD still finds a way to surprise us.

The episode also introduces us to a new hunter that is trying to get his hands on Fitz. Enoch does point out that his race has many different purposes and to see an emotionless hunter is quite an interesting addition to the show’s long list of antagonists. What caught me off-guard was that he actually managed to get his hands on Fitz. Watching this show, we tend to forget that Fitz and Enoch have no idea that they changed the outcome of the future. As such, seeing Simmons in space trying to find him was quite a tearjerker only for the showrunners to make it worse by having Fitz be kidnapped the moment she found him again. SHIELD certainly hasn’t lost its touch in keeping these two apart from each other.

VERDICT

4 dancing monkey Fitz’s out of 5

It was a great touch to mix up the season with this episode. Most of the episodes have been very serious and mostly focusing on the over-arching storyline. Fear and Loathing on the Planet Kitson still kept the general dark tone but offered some calmer moments. Characters got some time just to talk about what they have experienced and how they are feeling about this crazy situation they are in space. It was also a nice change of pace with Daisy and Simmons’ short drug trip offering us a rather unique episode. Also, Enoch really deserves more love and to be among the show’s main cast at this point.

ONE-SHOT

  • I really cannot get that moment of Fitz dancing on the straw out of my head. It is such a great callback to the character’s love of monkeys and it also helped Simmons remember their mission while being drugged up.
  • Anyone else feels that Enoch’s existential crisis was too relatable?
  • “If I can’t quake ’em, I break ’em!” is my new favorite quote.