Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Finally Reveals Simmons' Fate

Elizabeth Henstridge, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Photo Credits: ABC

On Tuesday's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the mystery of exactly where Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) had gone - and if she would ever come back - was finally answered.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk.]

After Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) hulked out on the monolith last week, he notices traces of sand on his fingers. And thanks to a quick scan of the sand, Fitz figured out the stone is actually a portal to an extremely old planet. But in order to figure out how exactly to work the portal, the team had to track down Prof. Randolph (Peter MacNicol), who had fortunately been around long enough to know exactly the kind of information they needed. And, after a few minor threats from Coulson (Clark Gregg), the Asgardian is onboard.

Randolph leads the team to Gloucester, England, where they discover a chamber outfitted with an ancient machine to open the portal using subsonic frequencies. But apparently, the machinery hadn't aged nearly as well as the monolith and promptly breaks after the first trial. With no other option, the team is forced to use Daisy's (Chloe Bennet) powers to open the portal long enough to send through a visual probe.

Of course, Fitz isn't content merely sending in a camera. Without telling anyone, he straps himself in and leaps through the portal. (It's OK to swoon here, ladies and gents. Fitz deserves it.)

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Once on the other side, Fitz has a limited amount of time to find Simmons, because if Daisy holds the frequency too long, she risks hurting, or even killing, herself. But thankfully, Simmons had seen the flare the team had thrown through during the first test and had been traveling towards the portal site ever since.

As soon as Simmons is in reach, the pair races towards each other, trying to lock hands before Fitz is pulled back to Earth. But their desperation must have left them all sweaty, since their damn fingers kept slipping apart! Somehow Fitz and Simmons manage to lock hands just as Daisy's energy runs out, exploding the stone into a million little pieces and closing the portal forever.

But while Simmons might be back with the team, it doesn't look as though she'll be able to pick up right where she left off. When a nightmare startles Simmons awake, she shoots up in bed, poised with a homemade stake in her hands ready to strike. Once she realizes she's safely back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Simmons curls up next to a sleeping Fitz, as though he's the only thing tethering her to this world.

And though Simmons has clearly been through a lot, seeing the comfort she still gets from Fitz is a nice reminder that some things never change - no matter how many months one spends fighting to survive on an alien planet.

As for where Simmons and Fitz go from here - and if they'll ever go on that date - we'll just have to wait until next week. But something tells us it's going to be a long uphill battle before Simmons feels anything like her old self again, if she ever does.

What did you think of Simmons' return?

This article, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Finally Reveals Simmons' Fate, originally appeared on TVGuide.com.