Every Agents of SHIELD Flashback In Season 7 Episode 11
Agents of Shield season 7, episode 11, "Brand New Day" featured a series of emotional flashbacks between Leopold "Leo" Fitz and Jemma Simmons that fans will not forget. Although Fitz's location has yet to be disclosed, the flashbacks serve to signify crucial moments for the science duo "FitzSimmons" over the history of the show — and hints at Fitz's whereabouts as the show prepares for its swan song.
The Agents of Shield penultimate episode featured the return of Fitz. Unlike the rest of the main cast, Fitz was the one character that was missing in the final season. Despite being absent, he still plays a huge role in assisting the team's overall plan. The only person who knows the location of Fitz is Simmons, who has been kidnapped by Nathaniel Malick. Malick and the Chronicoms are trying to track down Fitz in order to stop him and his team from succeeding in perhaps their final mission to save Earth. Although Simmons has an implanted device that blocks anyone from extracting information about where Fitz is, Malick tries to force the information from her regardless.
Malick uses the Cerebral Fusion Machine to break into Simmons's mind with the hopes of learning Fitz's location. A series of flashbacks show significant moments between Simmons and Fitz in earlier seasons and some new scenes that were never seen before. Despite Malick entering Simmons's mind, Simmons manages to prevent Malick from discovering the truth by showing unimportant flashbacks. Malick does not succeed in his plan, but the flashbacks do hint at Fitz' possible whereabouts in the final season — as well as offer viewers a journey through the FitzSimmons relationship.
Simmons's first flashback memory is a brief throwback to when Simmons and Fitz were trapped inside a medical unit while underwater. Unlike the earlier interactions between Fitz and Simmons in season 1, this high-stakes moment in season 1, episode 22, "Beginning of the End" was significant for their relationship's development as they were potentially facing death: Despite (or perhaps because of) the dire circumstances, the then-science colleagues wasted not a single moment being honest about their feelings for each other, causing the romantic spark in their growing relationship.
Though a heartfelt moment, Simmons and Fitz also discuss the concept of death. While the rest of scene was not featured in the episode, fans know that Simmons and Fitz eventually escaped the medical unit — but not without consequences. Since only one oxygen tank was available in the unit, Fitz dealt with neurological damage to his brain following the incident, leading to memory losses and emotional and psychological hardship in later seasons of the show. This incident shows one of the many traumas that Fitz faced throughout the show and the obstacles that both Simmons and Fitz overcame together.
A flashback to season 3, episode 11, "Bouncing Back" focuses on a low point for Fitz and Simmons regarding their relationship. During the events of season 3, Simmons was stuck on another planet and became intimate with Will Daniels before she was eventually rescued. As a result, Fitz and Simmons's relationship became strained for much of season 3; however, as briefly shown in this flashback, Simmons attempts to make amends with Fitz by admitting that she misses him and wants to start things over between them. Though season 3 shows one of the bigger challenges faced by FitzSimmons, even these obstacles proved that Fitz and Simmons were meant to be. Perhaps, Simmons referred back to this memory to remind herself of their strong connection to each other.
In season 6, episode 13, "New Life," Fitz and Simmons were mere moments from sacrificing their lives to destroy the Framework when Enoch came to the rescue from the invading Chronicoms. Under the disguise of Atarah, Enoch reveals to them that they are the key to stopping the Chronicoms from taking over their home planet.
This flashback is one of the more recent, and most crucial, content featured in the episode, as it fills in the gaps about Fitz and Simmons' life together before she rescued the team in season 6. The flashback shows Fitz appearing concerned as he's running tests, to the point where he wanted to abandon the mission. Fitz hints at the irregularity of Simmons' bloodwork, indicating that she may be pregnant. Fitz contemplates whether their time together should be used to build a time machine or to live through every moment together as a normal couple. Though Simmons' pregnancy is only a speculation, the couple seems ready to quit the spy life to focus on a family lifestyle.
In the last flashback scene, Malick reaches the deepest memory in Simmons's mind that is the closest link to Fitz's whereabouts. Simmons was seen breaking down after learning that the implant was going to do more than just keep Fitz's location blocked from her memory: Any indication of tampering with her memories would result in the implant erasing that knowledge. Though the flashback may look like a melodramatic moment from Malick's perspective, this emotional scene between Simmons and Fitz shows the bond created between the two, as Simmons is horrified at the prospect of forgetting Fitz completely.
However, the same flashback may hint at Fitz' location. Before Fitz disappears, the couple was located in the same white room, previously seen in season 6, episode 6, "Inescapable." This clue may be crucial to the location of Fitz and perhaps how he managed to discover the years that the Chronicoms were altering. Theories can suggest that another device similar to the Cerebral Fusion Machine was possibly built to watch over every move of the Chronicoms.
Though Fitz has yet to reunite with the team, the bond between Fitz and Simmons remains strong throughout the final season. Fitz and Simmons always appeared as a couple that was destined for each other, regardless of the barriers. The five flashbacks exhibit the powerful relationship of the couple, especially in the episode that focuses on the future. Since the final season has yet to present a reunion between Fitz and Simmons, the penultimate episode served to recognize the couple's hard work and sacrifices to protect Earth. As Agents of Shield prepares to conclude its story line, fans hope that Fitz and Simmons will make one final appearance together before going off on their own journey. Though the circumstances as to how this will be accomplished will not be revealed until the finale, fans can speculate on the potential bittersweet ending.