Alien Commies from the Future!

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"Alien Commies from the Future!"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode
Title card for the episode, using a 1950s "classic sci-fi" theme reflective of the episode's 1955 Area 51 setting[1][2]
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 3
Directed byNina Lopez-Corrado
Written by
Produced by
Cinematography byAllan Westbrook
Editing byKelly Stuyvesant
Original air dateJune 10, 2020 (2020-06-10)
Running time42 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Out of the Past"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 7
List of episodes

"Alien Commies from the Future!" is the third episode of the

Chronicoms from unraveling history in 1955. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman
and directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward. The episode moves to Area 51 in 1955 after the season explored the 1930s in the first two episodes. Filming took place in deserts around California, with authentic period costumes designed for the episode. Guest star Enver Gjokaj reprises his role of Daniel Sousa from the MCU series Agent Carter.

"Alien Commies from the Future!" originally aired on ABC on June 10, 2020, and was watched by 1.57 million viewers. The episode received generally positive reviews, particularly for its fun tone, but with mixed responses for its attempts to address the racism and misogyny of the era.

Plot

The

Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez
attempt to interrogate Sharpe to find out more about Project Helius. Though he puts up resistance, he eventually reveals Helius cannot function without a powerful energy source, leading Deke to deduce that the Chronicoms plan to sacrifice one of their own to activate the weapon and destroy the base.

Agent Daisy Johnson arrives undercover and convinces Sousa to free her teammates just as a pair of Chronicoms enact their plan. May and Yo-Yo's first attempt to stop them fails after the former unexpectedly suffers a panic attack and the latter discovers her powers are not working. Recovering quickly once Area 51 is evacuated, they pursue one of the Chronicoms while Coulson battles the other. Johnson and Simmons improve a S.H.I.E.L.D. EMP device in time to disable Helius, along with the entire base, the Chronicoms, and Coulson. The other agents regroup at their mobile headquarters, Zephyr One, while Sousa detains Coulson and Mack and Shaw pose as aliens to avoid changing history while returning Sharpe to the desert.

Production

Development and writing

After the sixth season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired in August 2019, showrunners Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell revealed that the seventh season would feature the team trying to save the world from invasion by the Chronicoms. They use time travel to do this, allowing the season to explore the history of S.H.I.E.L.D.[3][4] Later that month, one of the season's episodes was revealed to be titled "Alien Commies from the Future!" and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.[5] It was confirmed to be the third episode of the season in June 2020, when Nina Lopez-Corrado was revealed to have directed it.[6]

Nora Zuckerman revealed there were a few title options for the episode, but "Alien Commies from the Future!" was chosen because "it had the best ring to it" and felt like "a cool '50s monster movie title".

Roswell UFO incident to be the backdrop for the episode. Jed Whedon ultimately suggested using Area 51, which Nora called "perfect" since "it fit with the MCU timeline".[7]
: 21:15 

Casting

Further information: List of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters
Enver Gjokaj makes his first appearance in the series with this episode, reprising his Agent Carter role of Daniel Sousa

With the season renewal, main cast members

Deke Shaw, respectively.[8] Series star Clark Gregg also returns as his character Phil Coulson, portraying a Life Model Decoy version of the character in the seventh season.[9]

In August 2019,

Sibyl.[16] Jelinek returns from the first two episodes of the season.[17][18]

Julian Acosta is married to the episode's director, Nina Lopez-Corrado, and Nora Zuckerman called Acosta "absolutely perfect" to play Vega.[7]: 22:18  One of the reasons Taylor was cast was for her voice. Taylor stated she had "no point of reference" for portraying Sibyl, but was given "some pretty key notes" such as to make her more soothing, calming, and in control than the other Chronicoms. Taylor tried to do this while still making the character "somewhat creepy". Sibyl's hairstyle was also suggested by Taylor.[19]

Design

Costumes

Costume designer Whitney Galitz said the 1950s "didn't just mean poodle skirts and sherburts", and she wanted to use some saturated colors to contrast with the "dusty and muted tones of the desert town".[20] Imogene Chayes of Marvel's Visual Development group provided concept art for the costumes.[21][22][23]

Galitz wanted to stay true to the costumes used for Sousa in Agent Carter, while updating them for the 1950s setting and for his new position at the Area 51 base. She also took inspiration from Cary Grant for the character. Sousa's suit was created by High Society Custom Tailor.[24] For Simmons undercover as Peggy Carter, Galitz built a "power suit" using a "Dior silhouette jacket with the nipped in waist and a no-nonsense pencil skirt" that she hoped was reminiscent of Carter's costumes from Agent Carter while looking correct for Simmons and the 1950s setting.[21] Galitz created a custom suit for Coulson undercover using glen plaid fabric sourced by High Society. The vintage ties in the episode were also created by Galitz's team.[22] May and Yo-Yo go undercover in the episode as test pilots, which is accurate for women in the period. The idea for this was suggested by Wen, and Nora Zuckerman said it "worked perfectly for the episode".[25] Galitz based the costumes worn by the pair on the uniforms used by members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.[23]

Title sequence

This episode moves to Area 51 in 1955 and features a title card with a font that "appears to be lifted from a classic alien invasion movie",[26] evoking a 1950s "classic sci-fi" style to reflect the setting.[2] An "outer spacey" rendition of the opening music is also heard.[1][26] Michal Schick of Hypable felt the title card was "deliciously kitschy".[27]

Filming

The Club Ed diner set used in the episode

Director Nina Lopez-Corrado was going for a "Coen brothers kind of look" with the episode, resulting in slight changes to the way the episode was shot compared to other episodes of the series. Examples included not shooting actors over the shoulder and having "clean POVs".[7]: 29:52  Filming for the episode's opening scene, where the team arrives in 1955, and for the diner took place at Lancaster, California.[28] Lopez-Corrado called the diner location, a set known as "Club Ed", "perfect because we needed a diner and it had to be in the desert," adding that the location is "a blank space" allowing the production designer to bring in the desired set pieces and props.[7]: 13:55-15:48  Area 51 was filmed at Mystery Mesa in Santa Clarita, California.[28][7]: 32:20  Due to recent wet weather in the area, the desert appears greener in the episode than the crew had planned.[29][30]

Visual effects

Visual effects for the Zephyr arriving in 1955 were created by

Rhythm and Hues created the Helius explosion,[32] while CoSA VFX provided the effects for the Chronicom connecting to Helius and for the time stream that the Chronicoms study.[33][31] For the Quinjet at the end of the episode, visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpack asked for a large fan to be used on set to simulate the wind that the Quinjet would be creating. The fan had to be turned off when it blew sand all over actor Michael Gaston, and due to the scene being filmed at the end of the day there was not enough time to retrieve an alternative. Kolpack directed the visual effects for the scene to attempt to explain why there was no wind on Gaston by adjusting the angle of the Quinjet.[34][35]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

References are made to Sousa's involvement in the

Hugh Jones and the Council of Nine.[36]

Release

"Alien Commies from the Future!" was first aired in the United States on ABC on June 10, 2020.[6]

Reception

Ratings

In the United States the episode received a 0.3 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 0.3 percent of all households in that demographic. It was watched by 1.57 million viewers.[37] Viewership increased from the previous episode, while the rating share was the same.[38] Within a week of release, "Alien Commies from the Future!" was watched by 2.66 million viewers.[39]

Critical response

Matt Webb Mitovich of

Syfy Wire's Trent Moore also felt this was the first episode of the season "that really felt 'fun' in that Marvel-y way this series has pioneered at this point" after the first two "had to do a bit of narrative heavy-lifting". Moore also pointed out "the writers continue to have a deft handling of addressing issues of race and sexism" of the era, show the bathrooms being segregated and how General Sharpe might talk to Deke because he was a white male. He enjoyed Coulson's fight with the Chronicom, saying it was "something straight out of a Terminator movie".[40] Writing for Bam! Smack! Pow!, Wesley Coburn graded the episode an "A−", saying "packed a solid mix of heavy emotional toll underneath a glossy outer coating of nostalgic chrome brightness, making for a very solid episode overall."[41]

Awarding the episode a "B", The A.V. Club's Alex McLevy felt the episode was "a mostly solid installment of the time-hop mission" adding "the Area 51 sequence is fleet and funny, and some solid fight choreography helps maintain momentum." Highlights for McLevy were the sequence where Coulson and Simmons tried to find the Chronicoms, particularly Coulson repeating the word "moist" and using the replicant test from Blade Runner, and the period appropriate technology, sets, and costumes. Unlike Moore, McLevy felt the attempt to address the social issues of the era were less successful, saying "The series is probably wise to keep tap-dancing around the virulent racism and misogyny of these past eras... but the only thing using it as a minor plot point does is remind the viewer of what lengths they're going to in order to dodge the subject the rest of the time".[42] Michael Ahr from Den of Geek felt the episode was extremely current, and that examining some of the racism from the 1950s and exploring UFO culture helped elevate an "otherwise okay episode". Ahr called Sousa's appearance the "highlight" of the episode, and was a reminder "that Agent Carter ended too soon". He also, like McLevy, enjoyed the Chronicom interrogation sequence. However, Ahr felt the plot of the episode "wasn't all that compelling overall" and ultimately gave the episode 3.5 out of 5 stars.[16] Michal Shick at Hypable called the episode "gosh-darned delightful" explaining, "From giddily feigned identities to terrifying moments that force agents to question their essential selves, "Alien Commies From the Future!" keeps nudging our heroes to probe at deep and important uncertainties." However, Shick felt the series "still hasn't quite found its lane as far as translating historical attitudes towards race into its sci-fi aesthetic", with some of this commentary "land[ing] with something of an ungraceful thunk."[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c Mitovich, Matt Webb (June 10, 2020). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 'Stupid White Privilege' and Other Top Moments From 'Alien Commies From the Future!'". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
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  20. ^ Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 10, 2020). "#agentsofshield episode 3 landing in the 1950s didn't just mean poodle skirts and sherburts to me. I wanted to add a pop of saturated color among the dusty and muted tones of the desert town their story takes place. Couldn't resist the bobby socks though". Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  21. ^ a b Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 10, 2020). "Undercover Boss Lady- For Simmons aka Peggy Carter in Episode 3 I wanted to build a power suit. But not just any power suit, it had to be reminiscent of #agentcarter while also being very Jemma and right for the 1950s period. Immediately went for a "New Look" Dior silhouette jacket with the nipped in waist and a no-nonsense pencil skirt. @lil_henstridge and I probably had the most fun trying on sunglasses though". Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  22. ^ a b Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 10, 2020). "Undercover in episode 3 means more bespoke for me! I was so happy to be able to build another custom suit for @clarkgregg Thanks to @highsociety_bespoke I found this low stock glenplaid suiting in just enough yardage. I also searched high and low for the perfect tie fabric. Yes we built all the ties! Stunts = you need multiples on everything and there isn't much dead stock in vintage ties 🤪 luckily my #agentsofshield costume crew is THE BEST. Sourcing, building, fitting, we did it all with success and on a TV schedule which was about 5-7 days prep per episode. Concept art by @imogeneann_art". Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  23. ^ a b Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 12, 2020). "Learning the historical significance behind costumes I design is a pretty special part of the job. It was so fun to dress @mingna_wen and @yosoycordova as undercover pilots on the base in episode 3. The uniforms were inspired by the real women aviators of #WASP who started flying during WWII as service pilots". Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  24. ^ Galitz, Whitney [@whitneyhg] (June 10, 2020). "This episode was so much fun doing the #agentcarter crossover and @therealenver was a dream to dress! We wanted to maintain the integrity of Agent Sousa's look on the Carter series while elevating it to this new era and position on the base. I also had to invoke a little Cary Grant because why not! Thanks again to @highsociety_bespoke for the beautiful work". Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  25. ^ Zuckerman, Nora [@NoraZuckerman] (June 11, 2020). "I think @MingNa suggested to Jeff Bell she and Yo-Yo be undercover as test pilots - because women were back then! Worked perfectly for the episode. #AgentsofSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
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  29. ^ Zuckerman, Lilla [@lillazuck] (June 11, 2020). "We went to go shoot Area 51 - you know, the desert and of course we had a super bloom. #AgentsofSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Zuckerman, Nora [@NoraZuckerman] (June 11, 2020). "Yes, it's very green at Area 51, but that's what you get for shooting a "desert" during one of the wettest springs LA County had seen in years! #AgentsOfSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ a b Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 11, 2020). "Kids. Night. UFOs. I can totally relate. @AgentsofSHIELD That amazing opening Z1 re-entry scene was done at @fusefx with the talents of @FUCHIPATAS Chronicom time stream done at @CoSAVFX" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 11, 2020). "The Helius Sphere was done at @RhythmAndHues overseen by Bill Georgio and Amol Parulekar @AgentsofSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 11, 2020). "That little bit of cool CD for the Chronicom connection done at @CoSAVFX also it was nice to work with @JESSIEgraffPWR @AgentsofSHIELD" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 12, 2020). "Hahahahaha. Um . Yes. But here is was happened. SPFX had a large Ritter Fan there per my request to blow lots of wind. The shoot day fell behind & a noon shoot happened at sunset. We turned the fan on & it blew sand all over the actor. So fan was shut off for the actor. Oh well" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ Kolpack, Mark [@MarkKolpack] (June 12, 2020). "When we turned the big ritter fan on it was a brief comical moment that none us had anticipated. Now the sun is dropping and quick decisions had to be made. So we did the best we could with placement and angle of the Quinjet to help us out" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
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External links

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