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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
This is the episode title I have been looking forward to most ever since they were released. 1989/early 1990s definitely makes sense. Hopefully the Instagram account or end of this episode will help us get a year to make our lives easier for next week, as the show has definitely been pretty good at doing.
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<p>Looks like it's going to be a goofy one.
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<p>Mrmichaelt wrote:
Well, if Mack was born already and besides that he loves his parents, I'm sure he was also thinking about his unborn younger brother. Presumably he was born after 1976?
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<p>I considered Ruben. I ultimately thought he isn't relevant to the point, because if we're talking S.H.I.E.L.D. being worried about blinking out of existence, Mack would be the one supposedly in danger since he's the time-traveller, and if we're talking just Mack being scared for his parents, then it doesn't really matter whether he is upset about the idea of his parents dying, or of his parents dying and Ruben not being born. Though I guess the former he would still be worried about Ruben just never existing in this timeline, it depends how they feel about a new timeline (whether they consider it effectively like time has been changed and the old timeline lost or not).
</p><p>Obviously, it's presented as the latter. And we now know for sure it's the latter, he is mainly just worried about the idea of letting his parents die, not for any other particular reason. Because it turns out Ruben's already born, which is surprising, given the actor was born in 1983 and looks significantly younger than Mack.
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<p>Mrmichaelt wrote:
1989 would be rad. There's a lot of stuff they could revisit - Hunan, St. Agnes, Pym quitting and starting his company, nail down when the Triskelion's construction was completed, the debut of the Bus fleet, etc. Even the early 90s has a lot of events they could revisit like Winter Soldier, assassination of the Starks. If I remember from the trailer, the Triskelion looked completed but gets blown up. Hmm.
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<p>Hunan does make a lot of sense. Maybe they'll still do 1989.
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<p>Marvelus wrote:
If they go to 1989, maybe that is when the Triskelion is blown up.
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<p>Looks much closer to the 2014 Triskelion than the 1989 Triskelion. We know the Triskelion was incomplete at least at one point in 1989, it would be a bit weird to go to 1989 and have it completed. While it wouldn't necessarily be a contradiction, so long as it's late 1989 and you can assume <i>Ant-Man</i> was early 1989, it's an unnecessary awkward fit.
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<p>Rman823 wrote:
I feel like that's going to be a little later on in the timeline. In the promo for next week, Deke mentions they're in 1982. I'll be curious to see how long they remain in the decade until the team is able to reach back with them. Starting in 82 and having them stay a few years would be a good way to capture the overall feel of the decade.
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<p>Mmm, indeed. I did see someone suggest the team won't get them, but rather Fitz. He's a regular this season, I don't know if that means he has to technically appear in > 50% of episodes, so would have to make his first appearance next week.
</p><p>I'd been thinking it was lucky that (Enoch aside) the team had always been near enough to the Zephyr to get back on-board before each jump, given how unpredictable the jump warning is. Well, now it's happened. Love Mack and Deke's dynamic, and interested to see where this goes, given they have no way of knowing if/when they'll see the team again.
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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
Hey guys! I didn't bother taking notes this week for <i>Adapt or Die</i>, because it's all the same day as the 1976 events of <i>A Trout in the Milk</i> (no sunsets, several mentions to it still being the Bicentennial, etc.). And, as Rman283 mentioned above, the Mack/Deke scene at the end is definitely 1982 just based on Deke's mention from the promo.
</p><p>However, there is one thing worth discussing. After the mess in the Lighthouse, May tells Stoner to cover it up, and suggests a Hydrogen Wave Crisis. Marvelus and I were talking about it last night, and there are two ways to interpret this line.
Either:
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- <i>A Trout in the Milk</i> and <i>Adapt or Die</i> are actually in the MCU timeline, involving predestination, and Project Insight was covered up with a fake 1972 Hydrogen Wave Crisis in 1976, which never actually happened. This would mean that May is the reason that the Stoner hologram we saw in Season 5 exists, as she gave him the idea for the coverup. We interpreted the hologram as strictly true at the time because we had no reason to doubt it.
<p>OR
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- This is still a different timeline, and for some unknown reason the Hydrogen Wave Crisis did not occur in this version of history. Whereas in the MCU, the Lighthouse (I believe, I could be wrong, it's been a second since I've seen the show), was built as response to the Hydrogen Wave Crisis, in this version it must have been for Project Insight.
<p>I'm personally in favor of the first option, as it makes things neither and assumes a little bit less, Marvelus mention he's in favor of the second, what do y'all think?
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<p>I wouldn't overthink it (I know, coming from me...), it's the second option. I do agree that the Hydrogen Wave Crisis mention was a little odd and made it sound a little bit like they were ensuring history happened as always, but I think it's just the agents still doing their absolute best (Deke killing Malick, destroying Project Insight) to make this timeline as close as possible to the <i>MCU</i> timeline, because it's the safest possible option.
</p><p>I get the impression that they agents themselves are meant to be somewhat confused about their goals now anyway, because, as Sousa mentioned, the timeline is "broken" anyway. But they're feeling "better safe than sorry" and for now at least they're doing their best to fix this timeline as much as possible, because a) that's still the safest option, and b) this is the future they will end up going back to now as things stand, i.e. their "new future". Coulson's response to that point from Sousa is telling, as he says that they're still "fixing" things to stave off something potentially worse.
</p><p>It's felt like the agents were swept up in the events of the last two episodes from the moment they found out the timeline was broken, and haven't had a chance to work out what to do yet, with something seemingly then also going wrong when they jump suddenly in 1982. I think the agents feel out of their depth and like they've semi-failed, particularly with Mack's parents, and when they next get a moment to breathe there will be more discussion.
</p><p>Nathaniel Malick simply cannot still be around in 1970, and we know Mack's parents were elsewhere on July 4, 1976 originally, and Mack would've mentioned if they died that day.
</p><p>Plus, Wilfred Malick pretty much cannot still be around in 1970 (you'd have to stretch it to assume he managed a very tough job of covering up having been alive and active in S.H.I.E.L.D. for 6 further years), the agents would almost certainly know if Project Insight had first been trialled in 1976, and you would also have to assume that the Lighthouse being abandoned in 1972 was a lie.
</p><p>I think the fact that the Lighthouse isn't abandoned gives you your answer.
</p><p><i>All the Comforts of Home</i>: "The 1972 Hydrogen Wave Crisis was averted." "And, what, people just forgot about this place?" "There's nothing in Fury's toolbox about it." Then <i>A Trout in the Milk</i>: "History says S.H.I.E.L.D. abandoned this place in '72."
</p><p>When the agents find the Lighthouse not abandoned in 1973, while yes that's in part because they wanted to use it for Insight, it could also be taken to imply that the Hydrogen Wave Crisis didn't happen the same way in this 1972. The agents probably worked that out, so May wanted to invent a Lighthouse Hydrogen Wave Crisis to get history as close as possible to how it was otherwise.
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<p>Ben 1,000,911 wrote:
No spoilers, but I thought just the final revelation alone about Mack's parents in <i>Adapt or Die</i> makes it clear that this is an alternate timeline, as it'd completely change Mack's life otherwise.
</p><p>Also hi, longtime lurker, occasional poster, great work on all this y'all
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<p>Yeah I agree.
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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
Hi, nice to meet you, Ben 1,000,9111. That would be correct, if not for the fact that Mack were also time-traveling. The Agents clearly still have memories of what history is supposed to be (like how they knew Freddy was supposed to be dead), so Mack would still be Mack, even with that revelation. He remembers all the time he spent with his parents, even if it technically didn't happen in the timeline anymore.
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<p>That's all true, because he's in a Deke situation. Different timeline, so it doesn't change his memories or anything. I think Ben 1,000,911's point is that what happened with Mack's parents implies this can't just be the <i>MCU</i> timeline.
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<p>Marvelus wrote:
^I believe that would imply (if we take it all part of the MCU reality) that Mackenzie was never born.
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<p>What?
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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
That's not the case either, though, as Mack was already born at this point (Lilla and John, who have their real selves' memories, say that they have sons, Mack specifically remembers what he was doing on this day, etc.). So he was definitely already born, and they couldn't have been Chronicoms <i>that</i> long. They were most likely replaced shortly before the Bicentennial, so Mack would still have been born.
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<p>Yeah Mack's about 6, and one of the differences in this timeline is this other version of Mack's parents were killed by Chronicoms when he was 6. Which doesn't impact on our Mack's past or memories or anything (he's upset because it's still his parents, dead, with him having to kill their likenesses, and because of the future he's considering for this new world's version of himself and Ruben).
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<p>Ben 1,000,911 wrote:
Hi! And right, since we're still debating the kind of time-travel this is (vs. Endgame time travel, monolith time travel, etc), signs so far are pointing to the fact that they remember their original past because this is just an alternate reality and hasn't affected their original past, no?
</p><p>EDIT: or rewritten history maybe, as Marvelus says below
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<p>Yeah. There's no prospect of it being rewritten to me to be honest. As things stand it seems fairly simple on the surface (with some complications when you get into the nitty gritty), that it's just normal White Monolith stuff, with a universe split akin to 2018 in 1955. This is just a new timeline, different universe.
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<p>Marvelus wrote:
Okaay, I didn't know that lol. It can't really be the MCU Timeline, because the 1972 for the HWC in season 5 would no longer be accurate. They explictly stated in Episode 5, things are different. So it is not the MCU reality, but an altered one, whether that means new reality, rewritten history, we have dates contradicting each other and it is not following the "Homecoming" thing. It is an intentional thing.
</p><p>Project Reclamation was hinted in the episode? Because that was the whole reason for the Lighthouse getting built in the MCU. If not, in this timeline Project Reclamation was replaced by Project Insight. Plus, Project Insight in the MCU was made in 2014, following the Battle of NY, not before.
</p><p>It cannot be the main MCU timeline.
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<p>It's definitely not a date mistake regarding the Hydrogen Wave Crisis, they acknowledged the 1972 Lighthouse abandonment last week, and the show has been very good with dates this season.
</p><p>I think yes, Project Insight is instead of Project Reclamation. I think the Hydrogen Wave Crisis just didn't happen, and the Lighthouse was instead built for Insight, which is why they're still using it in 1973. It probably wasn't built in fear of the Hydrogen Wave Crisis, given Stoner's reaction to May's comment.
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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
It can if Project Insight was covered up. That way, the HWC in Season 5 was never accurate, we just didn't have all of the information, similar to Sousa's death. It was always that they removed him from the timeline, they just didn't know it.
</p><p>There wasn't a mention of Project Reclamation, just May's line about the HWC. If it's rewritten history then history would still correct itself (per Deke in the first episode), so Freddy's funeral would be 1976 instead, and the Whitehall/Gideon cheating stuff would be whenever the next ceremony was, thereby allowing the Hive stuff to happen (again, based on Deke's explanation).
</p><p>Trust me, I really want it to be an alternate timeline, but we also have to consider that it's not. Even if they're rewriting history, Mack is still Mack and has all of his pre-rewriting memories, since he's time-traveling with them. So we can't really turn to him for evidence at the moment.
</p><p>For those of you who watch the DC show <i>Legends of Tomorrow</i>, I think it's like that, where you'll remember if you're also time traveling, but you'll be oblivious if you're in your own time.
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<p>The idea of time fixing itself is complicated, and not really a scientifically/logically feasible idea when taken to the extent of having two distinct versions of events converging back together. I'm going to have to get into this when I explore the ins and outs of the time travel, because there are questions about the exact logic, but I think the idea is not that time is literally fixing itself after being broken, but rather accommodating for the ripples of sticks and allowing the sticks to be part of the stream itself, but when a dam is hit, diverting. The dam analogy would indeed suggest that once you're diverted, you're diverted.
</p><p>If they want to get into further rules about how that is fixed at some point, then sure, but right now that's how it stands I feel.
</p><p><i>Legends of Tomorrow</i>, as fun as it is, doesn't follow logical or consistent rules. I certainly don't think this is any sort of case where Mack's memories are just being protected by being a time-traveller.
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<p>Marvelus wrote:
Saying it wasn't alternate would call assumption. It is very simple MCU HWC is 1972, in the altered (until further info I will use the word altered) timeline it was in 1976. We have two dates with 4 years of difference.
</p><p>We are yet to see how it is all playing out, like I told you last night, May mentioning the HWC is possibly a way to correct things up which would mean the changes are never coming to pass at some point and time fixes itself. Nathaniel is dead in 1976 again, he didn't go to Maveth, which would change Season 3 of the series. You are making more assumptions despite you want to avoid them.
</p><p>1st fact: HWC is in 1972 in the MCU. Wilfred died in 1970, and Nathaniel too. Lighthouse was abandoned in 1972 after the HWC (whatever that is) and Project Reclamation is shut down.
</p><p>2nd fact: HWC is mentioned in 1976 (not 72) by May due to her memories from 2017-2018, so in a possible 2018 of said future, the agents that are yet to live their adventures will find the Lighthouse saying: "It was built for Project Insight and it got postponed after the HCW from 1976". Wilfred is killed in 1976, and Nathaniel dies in that year too. The Lighthouse was used for Project Insight, not Project Reclamation.
</p><p>1st fact --> history; 2nd fact --> altered history. I am not longer using the world alternate until the season ends, or it gets explained first, whatever happens first.
</p><p>What we can say it cannot really be the MCU we know (again, whether that means same reality or a new one or whatever new concept we could deal with is TBD).
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<p>Rman823 wrote:
It's definitely an altered history. Not only do we have Wilfred and Nathaniel living in 73 & 76 (contradicting the flashback in S3) but Mack also mentions what his family did during the Bicentennial which became altered by their kidnapping.
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<p>Yeah. Honestly I really just think until further notice, there's no need to assume anything other than that this a split timeline.
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<p>Steve993 wrote:
I'm not going to debate the time travel stuff because it's kind of becoming like Endgame. You try to understand it even when you think you've gotten it your still unsure.
</p><p>Anyway again liked Daniel and Daisy a lot in this episode. They're really doing a good job staying true to Sousa's character while also evolving him and giving him an arc. His dynamic with Daisy continues to build and a lot of people are starting to make it romantic. I'm not one to really get into relationships in that fan shipping way I just like two characters together and their dynamic and if it ends up being romantic I'm okay with it so long as it serves the story and characters and you could see it. I kind of actually can see it and I am liking them together. I don't know if it'd be wise to drop this in the last season and we still don't know if Daniel could die anyway but we'll see where it goes. While I'd prefer it if Daniel was able to live somewhere if he does die it might feel more fulfilled this time.
</p><p>Sure Coulson says he was a hero and his sacrifice meant something in some ways it didn't because he failed to stop Hydra and he didn't die in a manner fitting a hero he just got jumped. Coulson's many deaths including this one feel more like a fitting end. Maybe that's just me. His little speech was performed well and the actor playing Nathaniel mentioned on Elizabeth Henstridge's live stream how it felt like Enver was always on the show and it's true he's settled in well and it kind of makes you wish he had been here longer. I would have gone back and watched sooner for sure and again I haven't watched the show in awhile but I've actually gotten into this season in a way that even when I was watching the show before I only cared about a couple of characters and found one or two storylines cool and also liked seeing actors I recognised pop up and usually I liked them but this story has been entertaining part in thanks to the addition of Daniel for me but I've grown to get invested in other characters like Daisy in a way I wasn't really before.
</p><p>Also noticed one of the female agents for next week has the name tag "R. Glass" Wonder if that's a tribute to Ron Glass? Also Happy 50th birthday to Henry Simmons. Mack sure went through a lot in this one.
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<p>I liked Sousa's line about being exactly where he needs to be. That felt true to his character to me. And of course the way he helped Daisy feels familiar. I'm not massively into the idea of a Daisy/Sousa romance, but it's likely going to happen, and sure, whatever.
</p><p>Nice spot about R. Glass if that's the case.
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<p>DaenerysTheMadKhal58 wrote:
I think it's a different timeline. There's too many things that are different and they didn't try to explain how all that stuff could have happened originally like they did with Sousa not dying. And I'm sure Mack's parents didn't suddenly vanish in the MCU timeline.
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<p>Yeah.
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<p>Mrmichaelt wrote:
I think it's too soon to draw any conclusions between either option, Brett. It could be either really. Best to note both theories and wait until the season is over. Personally, I'm leaning to towards a different timeline that will be eliminated in the finale or penultimate.
</p><p>Also, minor but
the logline confirms 1982 as well.
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<p>Edward Zachary Sunrose wrote:
They didn't. Mack's little brother has their house in Season 3 because they recently moved out or died or something.
And since both the original parents are dead, and the Chronicom duplicates are dead...
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<p>Mrmichaelt wrote:
Yes, the episode was "Wathchdogs". Ruben said the house was in default. Have to rewatch that one. I guess if one were to speculate in terms of the predestination theory, if the wording in that episode was vague enough - the Naperville house could actually turn out to have been their foster parents' house.
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<p>Yeah, I don't think we need to make those assumptions.
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<p>Brett3801 wrote:
Y'all have some fair points. I guess I can see it either way. Let's see if future stuff clarifies anything.
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<p>Yes, we will wait and see. But as things stand, yeah, alternate timeline in my opinion. Further information may complicate things, but if the show just ended right here, alternate timeline.
</p><p>Oh also we have Nathaniel noting that Sousa would be in his 60s, which doesn't quite work. The file from Episode 3 was written no earlier than "4-22-46" and says he's "27", meaning at the very earliest it was written on April 22, 1946 and he's at the most the day before his 28th birthday, so at the oldest, he would be born April 23, 1918. So he'd be 58, tops. Guess we should just brush that one off, and also take it as evidence that the file was indeed written not long after April 1946, with Sousa born not long after April 1918.
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