'Agents of SHIELD' Season 7 Episode 5 Review: Marvel-heavy references and Easter eggs in a compelling chapter
Spoilers for 'Agents of SHIELD' Season 7 Episode 5: 'A Trout in the Milk'
Project Insight, Banner, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Wilfred Malick, Gideon Malick, and Daniel Whitehall— these were just some of the references that were name-dropped while the Malicks played an integral role in 'A Trout in the Milk'. What mattered the most and added some major depth to the episode where these many references that also add to the fan delight.
The episode may have had its fair share of the '70s culture and typical AoS humor, but it also upped the ante when it came to intriguing plot lines and action.
General Rick Stoner's (Patrick Warburton) return and May's alias of Chastity McBride (A major comic book reference) just adds to the intense episode. With the return of Nathaniel and Gideon Malick, the Chronicoms all but ensured they were not out of the game yet and would resort to messing up timelines to the max. Project Insight now has a rich history thanks to 'A Trout in the Milk'.
What was meant to be a new global surveillance initiative in 2014 as shown in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' was actually Hydra's plan since the 1970s and they finally got the operation up and running in 1976. The episode takes the audience through this past by weaving in multiple storylines and also adding elements of drama and humor while at it. Safe to say, the Chronicoms have taken this round as they tamper the timeline by saving Wilfred and Nathaniel who ideally die in 1970.
Adding to this are the targets that were picked for termination. Bruce Banner wouldn't have been the Hulk yet, Nick Fury wouldn't have been the director of SHIELD, but by moving up the timeline, it does seem like the Chronicoms were all about taking out every shred of SHIELD. Apart from all this, the most emotional part of the episode comes from Mack (Henry Simmons) who has to abort the mission of flooding the lighthouse after he sees his parents in the security screens.
He may have saved the world by cutting short Project Insight, but the Zephyr gave up its hiding spot and things look grim for the agents as they scramble to make a getaway and mount a retaliation. The storyline of Nathaniel trying to connect to Whitehall's research into Inhumans is the final easter egg that fans receive. Fans who have caught each season of 'Agents of SHIELD' will know this from Season 2. 'A Trout in the Milk' is beyond doubt one of the most gripping episodes so far.
And despite the MCU and previous 'Agents of SHIELD' season references, the episode doesn't come across as heavy and tiring. It starts off on a light note with the agents talking about the threads they picked up to blend in. They follow it up with the secret SHIELD speakeasy infiltration and that's when trouble starts brewing. With Simmons (Elisabeth Henstridge) appearing to be compromised, there's also a thought that Chronicoms have a plan B and that just adds to their advantage.
This one's definitely going to be a talking point till the time the next episode airs on ABC on Wednesdays at 10 pm ET.