Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 finale (episodes 19-22) review

SHIELD season 2 has reached its conclusion, and we have a season 3 on the way as well as a season 2 for Agent Carter, let's dig into the finale

The Dirty Half Dozen

We’ve got the band back together

It’s been a long wait, and the atmosphere is drastically different this time round but we finally got the old team back together.

So, Coulson’s surrender to Gonzales in the last episode was in order to round up May and only May (Simmons volunteered her services) in order to raid the HYDRA base. Guess I was wrong to doubt Bakshi’s allegiances though, they are firmly to Ward (and possibly Kara aka Agent 33, but we don’t really see that) and we see him take that to the ultimate end, sacrificing his life for ward (and nothing of value was lost)

So, to significant plot elements. Cal shouted out loud that he and Jiaying were Skye’s parents, and I’m certain that’s not gonna come into play later, especially since Raina is already beginning to stir things up with her manipulative ways. (She doesn’t have sex appeal anymore but she’s still quite good with words)

Simmons started off as a character with a lot of optimism, with Wards betrayal, the loss of S.H.I.E.L.D., the situation with Fitz and eventually the death of Tripp, she’s lost that optimism, which is fine, but it’s been replaced with something else, her character is becoming more cruel. I don’t mean this in a bad way, and given the circumstances, having to work with Ward again, it’s a natural progression for her character. But her purposely getting on the mission to take a disintegration bomb and using it on ward was the ultimate staple of where that progression has lead. I see dark times ahead for her.

Everyone seems to be keeping secrets, and this where new SHIELD begins to lose its edge again. Far as I can work out, not only is Gonzales keeping a secret, but he also lied about his angle on a mission to further his own agenda, getting powered people into the base to interrogate. The new SHIELD is still a SHIELD of hypocrites

How did Skye get on the bus (which was blown up in this episode, no biggie) well, she was teleported to the TOP SECRET BASE by Gordon (ok, she knows where it is, but… can you really believe she’d tell him) thanks to a premonition by Raina because… comic books

Oh, and by the way, that action scene with her in the HYDRA base is absolutely positively every variety of AWESOME

And there’s Ward, he leaves Kara in SHIELD (to rekindle her status as a SHIELD agent, probably with Bobbi’s help) and is mocking everyone’s attempt to humour his return. (Although his regrets might be genuine) his growth as the series draws to a close is really interesting.

Also, a couple of elements lead into Age of Ultron

Rating 8.5/10

Scars

You wanna know where I got these scars?

Warning: age of Ultron spoilers to follow

Today’s the episode before the big finale. It saw the reunification of SHIELD, some bullsh*t, some revelations, an interesting turn for Raina, the departure of a major character, and… I’ll get to that later

So, turns out that Theta protocol is the rebuilding of the heli-carrier used in Age of Ultron. I did wonder where Fury got that from, but… It’s a nice explanation for what happens in the movie. Even if there are quite a few major spoilers for those who haven’t already watched the movie

Coulson compromises with new SHIELD, offering to unite their forces with him staying on as director but with the council of new SHIELD as advisors/co-leaders. Since Coulson isn’t creating an army of metas Bobbi seems to be in, whilst Mack is decidedly unimpressed. The guy has suddenly become a very very irritating character and said he won’t be part of SHIELD under Coulson’s leadership. I hope you get run over by a fast moving vehicle Mack

Meanwhile, using the HYDRA tech they scanned through Deathlok’s eye, they’ve managed to recreate the technology they were using to track Lincoln, they’ve found the afterlife. SHIELD want to index everyone with powers on the Island, but Skye warns people won’t take kindly to it… And she’s absolutely right.

Coulson volunteers to go, but Gonzales reins him in. Actually this is the best episode for Gonzales, and sadly also his last. Although he in SHIELD sees powered people as a threat, he is balanced, nuanced and not overly aggressive when he actually talks with Jiaying, which makes her actions all the more shocking I suppose.

Bobbi and May are sent to scout ahead by Coulson, but it turns out May is really Kara in disguise who knocks Bobbi out and delivers her to Ward. I’ve lost my interest in this sub-plot. I don’t care what it was that Bobbi did that requires retribution, but I really don’t care because I have no reason to care for Kara. We had no connection with her as she was being brainwashed, and she’s much of a blank slate coming out. As for Ward, seeing him playing everyone again is getting old.

Back at the afterlife, Raina sees that SHIELD will rain fire down on them if Jiaying talks with their leader. She suggests going in herself (which would be a great idea if she wasn’t, you know, a fugitive from SHIELD) which leads to her being ratted out by Jiaying.

Turns out though her prophecy was more true than she realised, as Jiaying murders Gonzales and then shoots herself in the army with his gun in order to make it seem like a reaction and send her people to war against SHIELD. The stage is set, and the finale inbound, I can’t wait for the conclusion.

Rating 8/10

S.O.S. (Parts 1 and 2)

Dark seeds planted indeed

In following the build-up from the entirety of the back half of season 2, the finale of season 2 is where things got much much worse. Skye was misled by her mother and sided against SHIELD, even engaging in a fight with May. It’s a testament to how far her character has evolved that she held her own against May hand to hand. But that is not the least of the emotional punches to the stomach this episode delivers

It seems that Gordon was fully on board with Jiaying’s plan to eradicate SHIELD (then humanity, but SHIELD first) but the others are being misled, including Lincoln, sadly. So with part 1 the prelude to the war begins with Coulson determined not to engage unless it’s absolutely necessary, but it soon comes to light that they’re being forced against each other.

Naturally Cal is then the suspect of being the key to the destruction of the Playground and we get a lot of time devoted to exactly what happened to him in this and how Jiaying played a part in his transformation. Cal was a Trojan horse, sent to kill as many SHIELD agents as possible as Jiaying and co claim the boat.

Naturally Mack hasn’t left the boat yet and it’s his chance to show his skills, FINALLY. I still don’t care for Mack, but we at least get a sense for the kind of man he is as he gets the wheels in motion for taking back the ship.

Raina meanwhile is sadly a case of wasted potential. A character with the power of clairvoyance could’ve been a very interesting moving forward, but instead she became the plot’s pawn to warn Skye of Jiaying’s intentions.

Meanwhile we have the sub-plot involving Ward, Agent 33, Bobbi and Hunter… Erm… Yeah, if this sub-plot had been cut out entirely I wouldn’t have missed it. It was not entirely devoid of interest, it provided some nice character development for Hunter and Bobbi’s relationship. It also shows an interesting side to Bobby as we learn that she sold out the SHIELD safe house that Kara was in to cement her HYDRA ties. She does not regret it and would do it again.

Bobbi is a complicated and conflicted person, bound by her commitments to SHIELD but also facing the temptation of a relationship that Hunter always seemed to provide. Of course it Ward’s ever-more twisted scheme to provide closure for her required him and Kara to torture and set up a trap for those who would come to rescue her.

This leads to one of May’s finest moments as he sets Agent 33 up to be murdered by Ward. This sets up Ward’s actions for next season as he rebuilds his own faction of HYDRA in order to destroy SHIELD. The biggest issue here is simple; I didn’t buy the relationship between Kara and Ward for one second. The actors didn’t get enough screen-time for their development, and they have very little chemistry together. The idea of Ward, who’s been using and manipulating players like pawns, not using Kara is somewhat of a head-scratcher anyway.

The second half of the story is about sacrifice. With Cal defeated, attention draws to Jiaying and her plans to annihilate SHIELD using the terrogen crystals. Skye is freed by Mack and they begin to warn the coming SHIELD agents of the trap.  It’s nice that Skye’s hacking abilities have not been forgotten after her becoming an inhuman.

Coulson and Fitz help Mack fight off Gordon whilst Cal comes to his senses and fights against Jiaying for the protection of his daughter. I love the way his character has developed. He was always passionate about the protection of his daughter and when Jiaying became a threat to that he killed her, but in a way that did scream of the sadness he felt killing the woman she loved to protect his daughter

Thanks to Fitz’ sciency stuff (“Science BIATCH”) they manage to trap Gordon in a contained area and they manage to kill him with the blunt end of an axe (nice that they gave that victory to Fitz by the way) but a terrogen crystal was dropped, to save everyone Coulson grabs the crystal and his hand begins to convert, to save his life Mack cuts off his hand, I’m pretty sure we’re looking at some sort of mechanical replacement for the ending.

Also, Skye manages to talk Lincoln around and he, Skye and May have a kick ass fight against the replicating twins.

The ending begins to plant the seeds for the recently announced 3^rd season. Coulson has selected Skye to form a SHIELD inhumans team, which will be all the more necessary as the terragen crystals have found their way into the ocean, into fish and into cod liver oil, Mack has stayed and is in charge of classifying alien artefacts and making sure they’re left the hell alone. Bobbi survives the ordeal but doesn’t feel she can do this anymore. Fitz and Simmons get to talk about the state of their relationship, but just as things seem to get better between them Simmons is absorbed by the Kree goop that looks suspiciously like gravitonium. Damn you cliff-hanger!!!

Rating 9/10   

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