The team heads off a full-scale invasion of their last safe place on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×19. Here’s are a few hints for “Option Two.

A brewing storm

There are a lot of very scary problems hurtling toward Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×19 begins, but the most dangerous element may not be an external force. Though they’ve had their differences over the years, Coulson’s crew has remained largely unified in the face of trial and trauma.

Article Continues Below

But in “Option Two,” the damage done by the stress, helplessness, and fear — not to mention the pressure of outsmarting time itself — is made painfully apparent. Team Coulson is fractious and angry, relitigating decisions and splitting into factions that jockey for validation and influence over an uncertain future. Daisy’s relationship with FitzSimmons continues to deteriorate, while new divisions arise between loving couples. Look for the theme of disunity to play out through the episode, to anxiety-provoking effect.

It’s an unusual state of affairs for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and only time (literally) can speak to the consequences.

Talbotology

The ongoing saga of Glen Talbot continues in “Option Two,” as the poor, addled airman plays a key role in the episode’s events. Pitied but not trusted, and unable to be sure of even his own mind, Talbot makes a few crucial moves that leave little doubt to his effectiveness, even if his agency remains in question.

Do I know UFO?

So the aliens are back, and in a big way. Summoned by the strength of General Hale’s vengeful grief (and, uncomfortably, it’s hard to blame her) the Lighthouse becomes the stage for a very personal battle orchestrated from on high in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×19. But the enemy facing the team in this week’s episode isn’t one we’ve seen before… or I should say, it’s not one we’ve seen in action.

Kree would be quite enough to be going on with (both for the team and the audience) but “Option Two” has little inclination to go easy on any of us. If you missed the Lighthouse of Horrors brought to us by the Hell Dimension, you will definitely enjoy what waits in those creepy corridors this week. And as always with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s worth brushing up on the back catalogue, and placing a finger on where these new baddies previously have — and potentially will — influence this tale.

Daisy’s way

Daisy pursues her own mission in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×19, motivated by love and a truly amazing stubbornness that could almost hold the world together all on its own. But it is a poignant irony of character that she is undergoing a swift and rather chilly change in the name of keeping everything the same. And Daisy’s path doesn’t exactly lead her through sunlight and puppies; as her steps carry her back to chillingly familiar ground, one thing becomes clear.

Daisy is charging toward a decision point. Forget the Earth, forget S.H.I.E.L.D.; this is about her and the people she loves, and what she is willing to do in the name of that love. In the closing moments of “Option Two,” it’s hard to shake the feeling that something irreversible is on the horizon for Daisy, with consequences as shattering as any earthquake.

Bonus hint: Where’s the other 92%?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×19, “Option Two,” airs Friday, April 27 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.