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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
“The end or the beginning…I can’t remember” – Jemma Simmons
The first part of the Agents of SHIELD finale is titled “The End Is at Hand,” written by Jeffrey Bell (The X-Files, Angel) and directed by Chris Cheramie. The latter half is titled “What We’re Fighting For,” written by series co-creator Jed Whedon and directed by Kevin Tancharoen (Mortal Kombat: Legacy, The Flash, Titans).
Some spoilers ahead for those who are not up-to-date with the series or not caught up with this episode. If you have done neither, get to that now, then return to this article!
First off, let’s begin by saying — as per Abed Nadir from NBC’s Community — that it is absolutely okay to hang it all up eventually, and that is exactly what happens in this series finale. This two-episode conclusion to the long-running Marvel television show follows Daisy Johnson/ Quake (Chloe Bennet) and her SHIELD team in their last attempts at taking down Nathaniel Malick (Thomas E. Sullivan), John Garrett (James Paxton), Chronicom predictor Sybil (Tamara Taylor), and the Chronicom fleet while rescuing Johnson’s sister Kora (Dianne Doan) from the bad side. Too much occurs that can be discussed, so we’ll get to the main points of the finale.
This new timeline that the team created — manipulated by the enemies — has changed them all, for better and for worse. Sacrifices are made and members of the team are often divided — such as Deke Shaw (Jeff Ward) staying behind in the alternate timeline to have his friends return to their original one — and what better way to develop your characters than separation! In one scene, Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) tells Chronicom LMD Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), “We’re not the same people we were [before.] I’m wondering if we changed the timelines or if they changed us.” The two accepts the transformation they’ve had over their years-long journey together, and when antagonist Garrett is deceived, Coulson tells him that “nothing’s written. It’s not too late to be on the right side of history.”
This bi-episode series finale gets its two names from crucial lines spoken by characters, especially with the hopeful latter that, indeed, we have something to fight for. The team has had their second chances throughout the series, and in this season, the villains get theirs too. Having survived their points of death in the original timeline, Malick, Garrett, and Kora are spared and get to live how they please. Garrett is deceived and SHIELD gives him a chance to do good; Kora is given a chance at joining the good side; and Malick denies a second chance that is not to his advantage and ultimately perishes by the end. As Johnson says to her sister, “Having a power is not the same thing as taking care of yourself.”
The actors of this episode perform their best as if their last, with the best character development coming from (in my opinion) Johnson, Simmons, and Fitz. Daisy Johnson attempts to sacrifice herself in space to save her friends, but her sister brings her back to life with her powers. Coulson tells Kora that they (the team) are “fighting for the very thing that gives us strength,” which is Daisy, who was always the prime focus of the series. In last week’s episode, Johnson rejected closure but Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie (Henry Simmons) had told her she knows who she is and what her purpose may be no matter whom she is with, and she wounds up traveling through the depths of space with her sister and Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj). In the final scene of the series, she and Coulson have a one-on-one talk about going different paths and having new journeys. Johnson tells her long-time friend and father figure:
It’s not the same without [the team.] Look at what you [Coulson] did here. There are people out there who are lost, people who show promise. If you don’t find them, who will? It’s funny what can happen when someone believes in you.
Additionally, Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Leopold “Leo” Fitz (guest star Iain De Caestecker) secure their chances at raising a family in their original timeline, with a possibility of meeting their grandson Deke Shaw in the future. Simmons and Fitz have developed their chemistry over the course of seven seasons, so it would have been a shame if all that had gone to waste. They task SHIELD agents Piper (Briana Venskus) and Flint (Coy Stewart) with “guarding [their] everything”: their daughter, Alya — named after a star in Simmons’s favorite solar system, Theta Serpentis.
The main SHIELD team meets up a year later to catch up, showing that they all have their happy endings; and they agree to make it a tradition to check up on each other when they can. As Mack says, “We can’t lose touch. We’ve been through too much together. It’s a miracle we survived.”
The series finale has some great action sequences, including Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez (Natalia Cordova-Buckley)’s short speedster scene. The finale also returns to its Marvel Cinematic Universe roots:
- It brings the Quantum Realm and an Ant-Man-like helmet/apparatus into the mix as a means to bring the team back to their original timeline.
- The Inhuman Flint returns to create Fitz and Simmons a piece of the time monolith, which was introduced to the series some seasons back.
- 084s are brought back to the series, having been introduced in the initial episodes of the show. Coulson says “object[s] of unknown origin” can be “a person, an energy source, a weapon; whatever it is, it’s dangerous.” In the case of this finale, the 084s are pieces of a device used to help bring Fitz from the original timeline to the alternate one.
- Daisy’s sacrifice and her body floating in space is reminiscent of the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
- The atmosphere of the finale itself is reminiscent of Avengers: Endgame. For instance, its scientist characters have children.
- Lastly, the series brings back Coulson’s classic red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette — named Lola — which appeared in the first season.
The finale also has some Star Wars references such as the iconic “It’s a trap,” space lasers, and epic final confrontations between good and evil.
The Agents of SHIELD series makes promise that everything will be alright. As Mack assures us, “One problem at a time.” Fitz adds, “We all need to work together to figure this out.” The writing in these last couple episodes have been great, incorporating some great elements from MCU and Lucasfilm properties. For those who have stuck with the show for as long as 2013, no one will truly leave. It’s like Simmons says, “They’re your everything. Stars in your skies.”
10/10
What do you think of the series finale? Have you seen this series? If not, do you plan to binge it sometime in the near future? Are you sad that this series has ended? Let us know! For more action, drama, science-fiction, and Marvel-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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