Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premieres on Friday night — here are a few hints we can share about the exhilarating opener!

The two-hour season premiere, titled “Orientation,” heralds Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s return from its extended hiatus (thanks Inhumans!) The episodes also serve as the opening salvo in the series’ most radical self-reinvention to date.

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Yes, they’re in space. No, that’s not even close to their biggest problem.

Daring, inventive, and almost as disturbing as it is funny, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere provides a slick and giddy return for the Marvel series. And underneath all the imminent peril and sly humor waits a deeper story designed to rattle character and fan alike to their very… well, core.

A whole new world

From its opening moments, “Orientation” (which serves as such both in-story and out) aims to disorient. The new setting — a labyrinthine spaceship packed with untold horrors — is the least of it.

There are new rules to learn. There’s a new lingo to master (what’s a “metric”? Better find out!) There is a new and seriously unforgiving hierarchy to navigate, one utterly unlike anything our agents have encountered on Earth. (And it shows, by the way.)

“It was like we started another pilot,” showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen says of the premiere, and it’s true. Through these familiar faces and reliable relationships, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere explores a culture that is (no pun intended) entirely alien. From the costumes, to the set, to the language employed, everything has changed.

And even as the second episode draws to a chilling close, it’s obvious that there are still mysterious variables and painful realities to be uncovered. It’s an exciting proposition… but one that carries no shortage of terrifying possibilities.

Where the frak is Fitz?

Yes, good question. As the first 17 minutes of “Orientation” reveal, Fitz does not come along for the unasked-for tour of parts unknown. The reason why, sadly, is not disclosed in the premiere — nor do we see hide or hair of our favorite sciency Scotsman.

But don’t worry. Though Fitz’s place in this new space remains unknown, his absence is strongly felt throughout the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere. Even while physically missing, Fitz’s presence makes itself known in one very significant way. Hope is in the little things, after all.

Still, though the characters of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are canny by now to the wild ups and downs of their lives, not even they can foresee every twist. Fitz’s absence exacts an emotional toll — obviously — but there are practical consequences as well.

Like, certain things might happen to certain people when Fitz isn’t around. For example.

The Framework fallout

Don’t worry fans, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere has not forgotten that Coulson, May, Daisy, Simmons, Mack, and Elena have all just gotten free of the nightmarish Framework. While it’s true that they have more urgent concerns at the moment (like, don’t get eaten by a space-roach!) the fallout of season 4 remains present.

Mack, who survived the very particular trauma of losing his precocious young daughter in the Framework, has an especially poignant reflection in a moment of profound darkness. There is, it seems, not only horror to be gleaned from last season, but a bit of wisdom as well.

New (blue) faces in new spaces

A few new characters join the ranks in “Orientation,” — or more accurately, Team Coulson joins their ranks.

Most prominent among the new faces is Deke (Jeff Ward) who shows up floating through space like grease on a puddle, and continues in that manner throughout the premiere. Like everyone on else on this dark, ugly bucket, he’s got a lot going on. Unlike everyone else, Deke operates on a level that takes as much from an appalling system as it takes from him.

Naturally, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere is inconclusive as to Deke’s ultimate motivations, a state of affairs I expect will linger for a while.

There are also, of course, the aliens — Kree (…for the most part…) who are the prominent figures of authority out here in space. Yes, look for plenty of visual references to the Kree as established in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Marvel’s general space culture. But that’s the least interesting bit.

“Orientation” adds two prominent blue figures to the list of established Kree in the MCU, and they’re not the kind you’ll want to adopt as a surrogate father figure. Eccentricity and menace radiate off of these new characters, enforcing more powerfully than any cool new technology how thoroughly underwater our agents truly are.

Also of note is a character named Tess (Eve Harlow), who very quickly joins the ranks of “Precious, Do Not Harm.” See, space isn’t all bad!

Simmons makes a friend; Daisy learns a lesson

Everyone is busy in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere (well, okay, not Fitz) but the younger ladies of the team have particular achievements to unlock.

As each member of the team grapples with their bizarre new reality differently, Daisy takes a rather interrogative approach. She seeks out answers from the most likely source, and as it turns out, she finds those answers.

She just really, really doesn’t like what she learns.

Meanwhile, Simmons has her own “Orientation” to undergo. The consummate helper, our favorite biochemist finds herself making an unlikely and fascinating connection that also provides more context to The Space Problem. It will also indelibly influence her path going forward, because if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is incapable of anything, it’s dramatic half-measures.

Themes to watch out for!

Of course, it’s still early days to decide exactly what thematic seeds are being planted in the story so far. But let your eyes and thoughts drift in the directions that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere suggests.

Pay attention to what the episodes have to say about displaced and desperate people. Political and personal consent are also important ideas, as is the concept of stories told and received.

Oh yes! And monsters. Definitely don’t forget to think about monsters.

The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5 premiere, “Orientation (Parts 1 & 2)” airs Friday, Dec. 1 at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.