Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×17 puts all the right agents in all the wrong places. Here are a few hints for “The Honeymoon.”

Who the hell ARE these people?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×17 makes sure that everyone is wearing a very different hat than usual this week. Fitz and Simmons play action heroes, while Daisy plays a tactician; May plays an emotionally healthy person, and circumstances force Mack to put his mechanical skills to distinctly unauthorized use.

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It’s a disconcerting experience, but also one that feels aggressively earned. Pushed to the very edge of their patience, tolerance, and frankly, wisdom, each member of the team decides to break the rules in their own way — consequences, hopefully not damned.

Oh, except for Coulson. Coulson is reassuringly steady throughout all this… though that might be its own kind of problem.

Girl fight

I blame the patriarchy for the reductive terminology, but there’s no denying that “The Honeymoon” definitely features a fight, and that fight is definitely between two girls. (And Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has definitely been missing this particular kind of display.)

Though, honestly, calling both of the participants “girls” is not entirely fair. One fighter in this anticipated throw-down is clearly still a child; the other, at long last, seems to be becoming an adult.

Philinda feelings

Or should it be “pheelings?” (Nope, no, it should not.) Either way, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×17 includes a few developments that will leave shippers… well, with a certain amount of catharsis, at the very least.

In “The Honeymoon,” the clock is ticking loudly on Earth’s lifespan, as well as the characters’ own. May (who seems more attuned to the noise than most) decides not to let midnight strike without getting a few things off her chest. Where those things land is an open question, but one I doubt will be left dangling for long.

(And yes, there is a lot more shippery stuff in this episode. I mean, it’s called “The Honeymoon.”)

Talbot’s evolution continues

Over the course of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Glenn Talbot has gone from blustering antagonist, to reluctant ally, to friend, and now to comrades in (rather chilly, and entirely literal) arms. But his journey is not over yet! Talbot continues to evolve in “The Honeymoon,” to moving, surprising, and, ah, nostalgic effect.

Bonus hint: You’re no one without more than one plan.

Extra bonus hint: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. confirms: Consent is sexy.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 5×17, “The Honeymoon,” airs Friday, April 13 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.

What are your predictions for ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 5×17?