Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows a Life Model Decoy of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward.

Guest star Enver Gjokaj reprises his role of Daniel Sousa from the MCU television series Agent Carter.

Coulson is currently seeing the world in black-and-white and hearing an internal monologue due to damage sustained while battling the Chronicoms.

After Chronicoms attack them on the way, Coulson and his team evacuate Sousa onto their mobile headquarters, Zephyr One, posing as top-secret government operatives to maintain history.

Following Melinda May's uncharacteristic behavior around Sousa and the device, scientist Jemma Simmons discovers May acquired the ability to experience others' emotions.

After conferring with Director Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie and Agent Daisy Johnson, they decide to find a way to save Sousa without changing history.

He successfully makes it to the rendezvous point and delivers the device before the modern day agents tranquilize him, allowing Coulson to impersonate him and fake his death.

aired in August 2019, showrunners Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jeffrey Bell revealed that the seventh season would feature the team trying to save the world from invasion by the Chronicoms.

Whedon added that it was not "a gimmick" since being in black and white had a story point and logic attached to it, making it "an instant sell".

"[10] With the season renewal, main cast members Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward were confirmed to be returning from previous seasons as Melinda May, Daisy Johnson / Quake, Jemma Simmons, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, and Deke Shaw, respectively.

[15][16] They are joined by Neal Bledsoe as Wilfred Malick, a character introduced in earlier episodes as a younger man in 1931 portrayed by Darren Barnet.

Galitz felt some of her color and pattern choices "work[ed] well on the body but when shown in [black and white looked] totally different".

Brown said "the favorite" lens was the 29 mm "because you could get in nice and close to the actors and you also stay wide enough to see the environment that you're shooting in".

[9]: 36:00 "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper was featured at the end of the episode to indicate the team's time jump to 1973.

"[13] Trent Moore at Syfy Wire called "Out of the Past" "a fun one, and you can tell [the creators are] pulling out all the stops for the final few adventures.

He felt the episode fully committed to the noir premise by going "beyond mere black and white imagery to utilize hardened gumshoe voiceover, [and] a bevy of canted camera angles".