Agents of SHIELD - Missing Pieces (Spoilers)

Yeah, I know, this arguably doesn't belong here, but we've never really stood on formality on what gets discussed on the "Arrow" board.  I figure being a comic book based series is close enough; and besides, after all this time bitching about what the DC shows churn out, I'm curious how my opinion of AoS compares.  It already says something that I'm watching it instead of the most recent episode of Arrow, which has been sitting on my DVR for several days (and I only got around to the previous episode yesterday).  Once upon a time the exact opposite would have been true.

I'm curious if they're going to bother explaining how the ship Fitz is frozen on getting destroyed played out in the original timeline.  Ostensibly this happened the first time around and somehow he finds his way, still frozen, to the Lighthouse; ostensibly with the help of Enoch.
I do sort of wish they had just kept the character on ice, so to speak.  Their approach to time travel was convoluted enough - as it is, I didn't care who the finale never seemed to introduce a new variable that would explain why this time would be any different from the other loops that resulted in the world being destroyed, when they had established the high degree to which everything was playing out the way it did before; including some characters being able to use that to advantage to beat the odds of survival, because they could assume that whatever choice they made would lead to their safety if there was no deviation in the timeline.  The fact that Fitz died was a clear indication that everything changed and the timeline they were now living in was something else entirely. While waking him up early means a clear departure from the other timeline - since Fitz definitely did stay frozen all the way through previously - it's sadly characteristic of the average TV show unwilling to permanently write off a main character; while stilling wanting the emotional impact of their death. They want their cake and to eat to.  It's not surprising, seeing how it took them to right off Ward. I'll admit, he was entertaining to watch after he went bad; and when they met the good doppleganger in the Matrix or whatever that VR world was, I genuinely hoped they were going to have him get printed like Aida did, effectively re-inserting a good version of the character back into the show.  But they still should cut the cord sooner than they did.  On top of that, it's clear from the promos that Clark Gregson is back this season.  How he's back and who he is, is anybody's guess.  Whether they somehow find a way to walk back Coulson's death at the end of last season - which I'd be okay with - or something else, it's another case of wanting the emotional impact of sending his character off, but wanting the actor back afterwards.  I know they more than likely (and perhaps it's been confirmed) wrote the end of last season expecting it to potentially be their last season; and wanted to tie everything up in case they got canceled.  But they weren't, and some of those consequences should stick; and they should be able to bring back either one or the other, but not both.  I'll pleasantly surprised if it turns out they don't manage to save Fitz after all.
[/rant]

And back to the show.
Mmmm.... love Chloe Bennet.  The highlights....eh, she's still hot as hell.  She's certainly a long way away from the Felicity Smoak proto-character of yore. By the way the aliens or whomever responded to the name "Quake" when her identity came up, I'm not sure if they were recognizing it and it sparking fear; or if they were perplexed that someone was just named Quake.  I feel like they intended the former, but it came off a little bit more the latter.  
Not sure what I think about them shaking down people for fuel.  At the risk of judging an alien book by its cover, one might assume they deserved it, but do we really know that?

I'm digging the scene with Mac quarterbacking a SHIELD opp (did I use that term right?)  It still lacks the sense of a global organization like SHIELD is supposed to be, yet offers so much more than anything on any of the Arrowverse shows.

So it's a year later from the season finale - which is good, because it has been, at least; how does this factor into Infinity War and Endgame? 

Again, note sure I care for Daisy and Simmons interrogating the alien trader.  I get it, you're trying to be gritty, but it seems like they skipped a few steps in development off screen and I didn't care for that.

Nicely done, Yo-yo; I like how they're tackling this romantic pair compared to say, Nate and Zari on Legends.  This was more subtle, I liked the fake out making with it looking like May was picking up on something; and then it turns out they're actually involved and trying to play it cool.  Extra props for making the love interest someone who has been on the show for ages.  No idea if he's been on the show before, I have no idea who he is, but it's refreshing just to see a show where the main characters don't play musical love interests.

Damn, how is this episode already halfway over?  That's the difference between the writing on the Arrowverse shows and something like AoS.  The CW-DC shows just seem to drag on and on; lots of things can happen in a short amount of time, but nothing consequence.  So it just seems like you've spend longer watching it than you have.
That said, I'd be happy if, by this point in the episode, there would have been more to happen, but I know going in that this has become a slower burn show with a long arc; so they're setting up stuff to pay it off later - not necessarily in this episode, but eventually.  I'm mostly okay with that.  Mostly.

SHIELD Academy.  Damn, I was trying to figure out what they were trying recruit this guy for and was not expecting that.  I kind of love it.  Like I said before, the last few years SHIELD just didn't quite seem like SHIELD, but this feels like a step towards rectifying that.

"We need you on this or innocent people will die." - So, no pressure.  

Piper and Davis are going to bone, right?

Okay, I know when a spouse or loved one dies, the surviving spouse might wear a shirt they owned or spray a scent they wore someplace to give them the comforting sense of that person's presence after they're gone... I feel like we need to draw the line at climbing into their coffin-like stasis pod.  Maybe it's me.  
I get the sentiment and feel bad for Simmons, even if I never particularly cared for her being paired with Fitz - although I have to admit, unlike other couples that plowed straight ahead whether the foundation or chemistry was there or not, in this case I find myself having made peace with the fact that they are a couple and kind of want to see them happy.  So that's something, I guess.

I'm so glad it didn't turn out Fitz left Jemma a cryptic message on the inside of stasis-coffin, with the assumption she'd miss him so much she'd crawl in and see it.  I honestly believed that's what they were about reveal, instead of the alien equivalent of a service tag; and I've never been happier to be wrong.
And you know that if this was Legends of Tomorrow, it absolutely would have been that; and it would have been Ray looking for Nate and it'd be etched in a language they made up together.

So I guess Quake has been making a name for herself and it's been intentional to give them a rep as a group not to mess with; which does not appear to have been all that effective...

I love that Jemma pointed out that they don't need to whisper, seeing as how they're in space.

I ship Davis and Piper - Daper?  Yup. First try.

Oh, Jemma....no....  I mean, obviously she was going to put in the coordinates to the manufacturer planet, but still... no...

This has to be a production mistake, they're members of SHIELD and have SHIELD on their jackets.  Shouldn't they posing as the FBI or something??

There was just something about that blonde kid of an agent that made it seem obvious he was going to die.  Too clean cut and wet behind the ear.
Oh, shit, is blondie alive?  Huh.
I'm not surprised Not-Coulson (allegedly) is the Chief; namely since they blew their surprise in the trailer.  Seeing the episode now, I'm rather disappointed they did that.  They had the obvious out of explaining his presence in the first episode with the hologram; which almost seems like it was done to explain things like his name being in the credits and whatnot.  Surely they could have kept a lid on it until now.
Maybe... They waited way too long to air this season.

Ah, no blondie is dead, I assume.

So they have semis on other planets?