It all came down to one epic night as the ABC drama, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. concluded a successful season with an explosive two-hour finale, as the final battle between the Inhumans and S.H.I.E.L.D. took place, and the next phase of the series came to life.
This has been one long season for our favorite Marvel organization, but “S.O.S.” was definitely one of the most well-written episodes of the entire series; however, it did suffer from a hiccups. First of all, the whole storyline with Agent 33 wanting to get her revenge on Bobbi was 100% dull and felt out of place. Her motivations made complete sense, but the timing of it was just inappropriate because it was the season finale. It also just showcased once again that this show is struggling with what to do with a great character like Grant Ward (although his fight with Mockingbird was one of the best fights of this finale, even if it was not as phenomenal as the ones that Skye had, which we will get to later).
The war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans was something very hard to imagine before going into this episode, but Jiaying wasted no time as she took over the Carrier with her army as well as with the massive amount of Terrigan Crystals. It was exactly what it was supposed to be: intense, terrifying, and epic on a massive scale. In fact, ABC’s decision to make this finale a two-hour one made the end of this season so much more enjoyable, as it literally felt as if you were watching a Marvel film. However, I wasn’t too compelled by Jiaying’s reveal that the way she kept herself alive was by sucking energy through other people; it just felt very too simple and standard on an Inhuman level.
Speaking of being inhuman, but not literally Inhuman, Marvel fans finally got to see the birth of Cal’s comic-counterpart, Mr. Hyde, as he undergoes a somewhat Hulk-ish transformation. I got to give the costume and make-up department some serious props for their work, first with Raina (who sadly dies in this episode, although you will soon see Ruth Negga on AMC’s new comic book drama, Preacher!) and now Hyde. Even though Kyle MacLachlan has been pretty much solid in all of his episodes, “S.O.S.” was his strongest one, his character went from being this misguided villain into a fragile hero. As the final moments of the battle took place between Skye and her mother, Cal made the tough decision to end his ex-wife’s life and thus end the Inhumans vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. war.
Elsewhere in the finale, Mack redeemed himself by being an essential part of this war from the inside, and it was great. While he still has some reluctance to alien tech and all that, to see him as an ally again by the end of the finale was very welcome, and he also had a great fight scene, as he, Coulson, and Fitz went up against Gordon. Gordon dies while the other three survive, although the same can’t be said about Coulson’s left hand, as he almost starts to turn into stone before Mack cuts it off, using his huge axe, like nobody’s business. Poor Coulson. Hopefully, he can find the Winter Solider and see if he has a spare metal arm/hand; admit it, he would look pretty good with one of those.
The finale had an insanely good pace from points A to B to C, with the war ending right way, and the heroes getting a pretty happy ending. The Terrigen Crystals do, however, after landing at the bottom of the ocean, get activated, and their mist ends up now being supplied through fish oil. Season 3 subplot set!
Also while I’m happy that Cal survived the finale, it was devastating to see that they used the TAHITI mind-wipe on him so that he no longer knows that he has a daughter. However, he does get peace by not having to remember any of the pain and torture he had gone through because of Jiaying. I’m sure some of those good memories with Daisy will come to surface in future episodes of Season 3.
One major seed that is planted in “S.O.S.” is the introduction of what appears to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on Secret Warriors, which will fittingly be run by Skye/Daisy, just like in the comics. While we have zero clues on who will be part of this group, all I will say is that I’m stoked and proud of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for finally introducing a storyline/aspect from the comics that fits this show like a glove.
However, a season finale isn’t truly a season finale without one major cliffhanger, as Simmons is sucked into the Kree Stone (Marvel fans: any idea what this could be?), and that’s how Season 2 ends. If anyone else is still struggling to pick their jaw up from the floor, I’m right there with you.
“S.O.S.” was, aside from its unnecessary focus on Agent 33 and a few other elements, a satisfying and well-written season finale for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as it proved that the show has grown tremendously since its first year and that it still doesn’t need to rely on an Avenger showing up every single week. Season 3 is filled with potential, and I can’t wait to learn what the next phase of Marvel’s Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed for a third season by the ABC Network and will premiere sometime in the fall on Tuesdays at 9/8c.
[Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABC]
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