I was just re-watching this, and noticed a particular part of the episode that kinda explains what was different with this timeline. I know some have had a difficult time trying to decipher what exactly changed the events in time.
During the scene where Daisy gives off control of Shield to Mack, Coulson makes an appearance and states that Yo-Yo "didn't go through that for nothing", which confirms that Yo-Yo debating about letting Coulson die is the reason that he sneaks the centipede serum into Daisy's gauntlets instead of taking it himself. He even hands Daisy the gauntlets right after saying that. So the difference is that Yo-Yo convinced Coulson to not take it because he believes it'll doom humanity, so he hides them on Daisy with the expectation that she uses it. It was not because a character injected it into him when he was unconscious or anything like that.
Also, while Mack really ticked me off this season with how he behaved with the whole Ruby situation, his actor (Henry Simmons) killed it in the scene where Fitz dies. Of course he plays second fiddle to Ian (the best actor on the show bar none), but it's not easy to portray the level of sadness that Mack had during that moment, while simultaneously acting as if nothing is wrong as to not worry Fitz. It's a fine line and Henry played it perfectly.
I'm going to miss this show a hell of a lot for the next year, but look forward to being a part of the re-watch group here. I also have a couple groups on Youtube who I've been watching react to season 1, and it's nice to re-live it a bit through their eyes.
Good analysis. That was one part of the episode that left me wondering right after it finished - I wasn't sure exactly where the timeline shifted. Obviously, the serum being in Daisy's gauntlet but how did that action get initiated? Thanks for explaining.
Fitz's death scene was tough - I had not even given a thought to the frozen Fitz still in space so this was a pretty devastating scene. Very well done and the acting was off the charts, as you said.
This is the first AoS season finale I watched close to the premiere date (day after on Hulu)... what an experience. Quite a bit different than just binging everything on Netflix. It's really been a pleasure watching this season with all of you and reading through the thoughts immediately after.
Looking forward to season 6!