Ep 1. The New Deal

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a television show based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. and follows several agents as they work to protect the world from various threats. The show incorporates elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but largely follows its own storylines and characters.

Season 7, Episode 1, titled "The New Deal," picks up where season 6 left off. The team has just returned from their latest mission and is eager to get back to their lives. However, they quickly discover that things have changed. In 1931 New York City, they find themselves in a world where Hydra reigns supreme and S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't exist.

The episode opens with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team arriving in the middle of a bustling city street in 1931. The time period is immediately established through the cars, clothing, and other details in the scene. They quickly realize that not only are they not in the present day, but they're also in a world where things have gone horribly wrong. This is confirmed when they're attacked by a group of Hydra agents who utter the organization's famous phrase: "Hail Hydra."

The team finds temporary safety in a nearby speakeasy, where they discover they're not the only ones displaced in time. They soon meet the owner of the speakeasy, who turns out to be none other than Wilfred Malick, a character from the Marvel Comics who helped found Hydra. The team realizes that Malick is a key figure in this new timeline, and they decide to use him to their advantage to learn more about the situation they've found themselves in.

As the episode progresses, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team learns more about the world they're in. They discover that Hydra has taken over the government, and as a result, the Great Depression never happened. The world is, in many ways, a better place. But the trade-off is the suppression of individual freedoms, including free speech and the ability to protest.

The team also learns that there are two factions within Hydra. One group is led by Wilfred Malick and is focused on preserving the timeline at all costs. The other group is led by a mysterious woman named Sybil, who is pursuing her own agenda. The team must navigate the tensions between the two factions as they try to find a way back to their own timeline.

One of the most interesting aspects of the episode is seeing how the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team adapts to the new time period. The team's leader, Coulson, is forced to take on a new persona as a salesman in order to make money to survive. Another team member, Daisy, is initially horrified by the lack of rights for women and people of color in this timeline. The team also has to grapple with the fact that they can't rely on their usual technology and gadgets, as they haven't been invented yet.

Throughout the episode, the tension builds as the team tries to figure out how to get back to their own time. They're aided by a surprising ally in the form of Daniel Sousa, a character from another Marvel-based tv show, Agent Carter. Sousa provides the team with information and support as they work to unravel the mystery of their situation.

Overall, "The New Deal" does an excellent job of setting up the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The time-displacement plotline is intriguing, and seeing the team in a different time period adds new layers to their characters. The episode sets up a clear conflict between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. and hints at a larger conspiracy involving the mysterious Sybil. Fans of the show will be eager to see how the story plays out over the course of the season.