A Trout in the Milk

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"A Trout in the Milk"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode
The title card for the episode, as seen during a 1970s-style opening sequence[1]
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 5
Directed byStan Brooks
Written byIden Baghdadchi
Produced by
Cinematography byAllan Westbrook
Editing byDexter Adriano
Original air dateJune 24, 2020 (2020-06-24)
Running time41 minutes
Guest appearances
  • Enoch
  • Tobias Jelinek as
    Luke
  • Thomas E. Sullivan as
    Nathaniel Malick
  • Wilfred Malick
  • Dawan Owens as
    Ford
  • Gideon Malick
  • John Mackenzie
  • Paulina Bugembe as
    Lilla Mackenzie
  • Rick Stoner
  • Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Out of the Past"
Next →
"Adapt or Die"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 7)
List of episodes

"A Trout in the Milk" is the fifth episode of the

Chronicoms from unraveling history in the 1970s. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Iden Bagdadchi and directed by Stan Brooks
.

Rick Stoner from season five. Following changes made to the timeline, the episode depicts events from the MCU film Captain America: The Winter Soldier
(2014) taking place in the 1970s.

"A Trout in the Milk" originally aired on ABC on June 24, 2020, and was watched by 1.37 million viewers. It received positive reviews for its use of events from The Winter Soldier and other Marvel references.

Plot

Landing in 1973, the agents return to the speakeasy to figure out the

Enoch
and return to their mobile headquarters, Zephyr One, to stop Project Insight, believing they have time to do so.

Without warning however, the Chronicoms jump forward to 1976, when Project Insight is set to launch, causing Zephyr One to follow them. The aliens also confront Wilfred regarding his saving Nathaniel over destroying S.H.I.E.L.D., though they become inspired to use their enemies' emotions against them. With no other options left, Johnson and Sousa hack the Lighthouse's security system while

Daniel Whitehall
's research on transplanting superhuman powers to others.

Production

Development

After the

A Trout in the Milk", which led to this episode being named similarly.[6]: 2:40 [7] To prepare for the episode, Brooks watched the film Saturday Night Fever (1977) and "a lot of 70s TV" including Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, Columbo, and Cannon.[6]
: 7:02 

Writing

Enver Gjokaj said it was fun to portray Daniel Sousa in the 1970s and reacting to the new time period. He added that having Sousa be out of his time would give "some clarity" to his Marvel Cinematic Universe history and the status of his relationship with Peggy Carter.[8] The episode also shows Sousa "struggling to be a part of the team, or S.H.I.E.L.D., and go from being at the top of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization in his time to not really having a clue what's going on in this time." Some of the decisions Sousa makes are in service of his original mission to take down Hydra, and "feeling allegiance" to his own time.[9]

Casting

Rick Stoner
in the episode

With the season renewal, main cast members

Deke Shaw, respectively.[10] Series star Clark Gregg also returns as his character Phil Coulson, portraying a Life Model Decoy version of the character in the seventh season.[11]

In August 2019,

Design

Costumes

Jessica Torok joined the series as costume designer alongside Whitney Galitz beginning with this episode, ahead of Galitz leaving the series to give birth to her daughter.[18] The 1970s blue S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuits are a reference to the uniforms worn by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in Marvel Comics from the 1960s and 1970s.[19][20] Though the comics versions had "a darker shade of blue" and were "more skintight", the episode versions had a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo patch on the left shoulder, white bands on the right arm, and a white belt and gun holster, similarly to the comics counterpart.[20] Torok's designs for the jumpsuits also took inspiration from real life 1970s jumpsuits.[21] Brooks specifically requested the red Adidas tracksuit for Shaw "because there's nothing more iconic to 70s".[6]: 18:36 

Title sequence

External videos
video icon Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | 70s Opening Credits presents the full opening credits sequence of the episode, YouTube video from Marvel Entertainment's channel

"A Trout in the Milk" features a 1970s-themed opening, continuing the decade-themed opening for each episode in the season. This opening was the first in the series' history to include "actual opening credits".

Deke Shaw smiling are also included.[1]

Brooks was shown a few options the producers were thinking of for the opening before he started shooting, and once they settled on the version they would go with, Brooks storyboarded the sequence. It was originally planned to have all stock footage from past seasons in the opening, but there was an issue with the

ComicBook.com called this opening "next level",[1] while Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club described it as "delightful".[22] Bam! Smack! Pow!'s Wesley Cobrun felt the opening was "outstanding" and likened it to the opening sequence of the 1970s television series Wonder Woman, but with the font from the series M*A*S*H.[7]

Filming

The episode was shot in mid-April 2019,[6]: 3:49  with the scenes on the New York City streets filming on the Warner Bros. backlot.[6]: 5:28  The opening shot of the episode was a homage to Saturday Night Fever. Director Stan Brooks utilized many filming techniques from the 1970s, such as snap zooms and whip pans, to make the episode feel like a 1970s television series.[6]: 6:09 

Visual effects

The standout visual effects sequence from the episode for visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpack and many fans of the series depicted a hatch opening underwater to reveal a rocket silo for launching "Project Insight", all created through computer-generated imagery.[25][26][27] Kolpack first created storyboards of the sequence,[25] before designing the rocket with his team; the design was based on actual rockets from the "1970s era", including Apollo 11.[28] Extensive research was done on actual rockets to depict the launch accurately, down to "the deflected flames that then transitioned to the huge plume of smoke".[29] Long simulations were run to create the water pouring into the silo from outside the hatch, while the shot where the hatch first opens under the water was even more difficult. Creating the correct amount of mist coming off the water was also a challenge.[30]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

"

Strategic Scientific Reserve New York chief from Agent Carter, is also referenced in the episode.[19]

Release

"A Trout in the Milk" was first aired in the United States on ABC on June 24, 2020.[16]

Reception

Ratings

In the United States the episode received a 0.2 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 0.2 percent of all households in that demographic. It was watched by 1.37 million viewers.[34] The 0.2 percent share was the lowest for the series.[35] Within a week of release, "A Trout in the Milk" was watched by 2.42 million viewers.[36]

Critical response

Christian Houlb of

Nathaniel Malick alive, "helps the show keep fresh a formula that might otherwise begin feeling a little too pat." However, McLevy felt the series was "still dragging its heels" regarding Leo Fitz and Simmons, despite Simmons having "some moments of real significance" in the episode. Overall, he gave the episode a "B−".[22] Giving the episode 4.5 stars out of 5, Michael Ahr at Den of Geek exclaimed the "sheer depth of the Marvel references" in the episode "distinguishes it from all others before it", calling "A Trout in the Milk" an "excellent" episode.[19] Wesley Coburn at Bam! Smack! Pow! called the episode "the first real filler episode of the season" adding there were "too much uncomfortable possibly-romantic pairing of characters", and gave it a "B−".[7]

References

  1. ^ from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Agard, Chancellor (August 2, 2019). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. bosses explain what those twists mean for the final season". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 2, 2019). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. EPs Break Down Those Trippy Season-Ending Twists, How Final Season Will Tap Into History". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D." Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019. Episodes with a credit date in 2019.
  5. ^ a b "(#704) "Out of the Past"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Henstridge, Elizabeth (June 24, 2020). Live with Lil! Agents of SHIELD ep 705. Retrieved July 20, 2020 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b c d Coburn, Wesley (June 25, 2020). "Agents of SHIELD season 7, episode 5 review: A Trout in the Milk". Bam! Smack! Pow!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (June 17, 2020). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recap: Dead Man Walking — Plus, Enver Gjokaj Shares His Take on Sousa's Twist of Fate". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Schick, Michal (June 19, 2020). "Enver Gjokaj talks bringing 'Agent Carter"s past to the present on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'". Hypable. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (November 16, 2018). "'Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D' Renewed For Season 7 By ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  11. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (April 14, 2020). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Gets Final Season Premiere Date". TVLine. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  12. ComicBook.com. Archived
    from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d e Harjo, Noetta (June 24, 2020). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recap (S07E05): A Trout in the Milk". Geek Girl Authority. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Agard, Chancellor (April 15, 2020). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings back Agent Carter character in season 7 first look". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "(#316) "Paradise Lost"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "(#705) "A Trout in the Milk"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Harjo, Noetta (July 1, 2020). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recap (S07 E06): Adapt or Die". Geek Girl Authority. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 25, 2020). "Co-designed with the lovely @jessicadreamsdior don't miss tonight's groovy episode! My daughter was born shortly after this shot so sadly I had to bid my farewell from the dream team but can't want to watch every next episode as a fan". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Instagram.
  19. ^ a b c d Ahr, Michael (June 24, 2020). "Agents of SHIELD Season 7 Episode 5 Review: A Trout in the Milk". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Damore, Meagan (June 24, 2020). "Agents of SHIELD Introduces Comics-Accurate Uniforms". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  21. ^ Torok, Jessica [@jessicadreamsdior] (June 28, 2020). "At the time, it didn't occur to me how heavily influenced by 1970's fashions my original costume design for Coulson and May's jumpsuits was. Expressing ideas visually through sketching is a great way to cut down on miscommunication and to make sure everyone shares the same vision. Although I am very happy with the final look of the jumpsuits, could you imagine if we'd built them like my original concept?". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Instagram.
  22. ^ a b c McLevy, Alex (June 24, 2020). "A 1970s spy caper links to one of the MCU's best films on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D." The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Spilatro, Daniel [@dspilatro] (June 25, 2020). "I designed these opening credits for tonight's episode of @AgentsofSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 26, 2020). "If memory serves me and it may not but that opener was done by our Post Prod Supervisor, @dspilatro" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ a b Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 26, 2020). "Some of you asked me about the rocket silo shot in last night's ep 705 of @AgentsofSHIELD. So here is how the shot design began when I was doing the VFX breakdown on the script and then did my storyboard for that scene using @FrameForge" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 26, 2020). "Look no argument from me. This shot is a masterpiece. No hubris here just reality. Tomorrow ill share a bit on how this shot was designed" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 25, 2020). "That was a really fun sequence from the base water hatch opening up to launch to explosion" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 26, 2020). "[Replying to "Gave me flashbacks to Apollo 11"] Then mission accomplished. The style of satellite rocket chosen was all based upon 1970's era rockets" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 25, 2020). "Well glad you approve. We worked hard to make it come off real especially the deflected flames that then transitioned to the huge plume of smoke. Lots of research was done i can tell you that" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 25, 2020). "The simulation time was long as is always the case for Lifhthouse hangar. But the water parting as the silo doors opened was extra hard. Then getting all the mist values correct took more time. It was just a massive shot" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ a b Houlb, Christian (June 24, 2020). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recap: What if The Winter Soldier happened in the '70s?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
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  37. CinemaBlend. Archived
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External links