"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Recap: "S.O.S."

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Every single I show I watch has that one episode. The one where everything comes together in perfect fashion and you come to realize that the show has finally found its soul if you will. All the things that it was and will become come together in that episode and when that nexus of awesome plays out on your television screen, you're left with one satisfying experience.  That's exactly what happened on the season two finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. last night because "S.O.S." was absolutely incredible.

This is an episode that not only packed in plenty of amazing action sequences and an enthralling plot that involved an unfortunate and unnecessary battle with the Inhumans thanks to Jiaying and the buckets of crazy that comes with her, but this is also an episode that wrapped up so much in a neat little bow and managed to ensure sweet redemption for so many characters, and at the same time made sure all the villains got their just desserts as well.  It's those amazing story arcs for the characters I want to focus on today because man...it made for some beautiful storytelling. 

Might as well start off with how one villain got exactly what he deserved because Ward was well overdue for it. After spending a better part of the show torturing Bobbi in brutal, and I mean brutal fashion, May managed to finally turn the tables on this conniving bastard by using his own lovely lady against him. Yes there was something sweetly poetic about watching him plug a few rounds in May...only to discover it was his beloved Agent 33. If anything it's a turning point for Ward. Because honestly, I think there was a short time there where he could have been saved from his dark path. But there's no going back now...it's all evil in his heart and one has to wonder if his hunt for names when it comes to what is left of Hydra doesn't play a part in Baron Zemo coming to power for Captain America: Civil War next year.  

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But outside of villains getting what they deserve, bye Jiaying, bye Gordon, we need to look at the redemption buffet that was on display for the rest of the good guys and bad guys. Mack got his by no longer trying to run from his heroic side and staying and defending the ship, Coulson finally redeemed his actions of keeping everyone in the dark by reclaiming his role as the true leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., uniting everyone at last and he also lost a hand in the process. Not to mention his solid leadership kept Mack on the team and it also redeemed Cal. In fact it was awesome to finally see Mister Hyde in all his glory, but it was even more beautiful to see this tortured soul save the day.  My only complaint from last night redemption wise, was that if Cal got that grandiose an ending, why didn't Raina get that too? Granted her death did serve to help leapfrog Daisy's development into a hero...but man, she really did deserve more than having her throat slit. 

But despite all that resolution, this show would be nothing without setting up some kind of grand finale that leaves us in shock and awe and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered on that too. After all, the Inhuman story line doesn't end with Jiaying's defeat since the crystals she so treasured ended up at the bottom of the sea, and after dissolving, found their way into nearby fish and then onto the shelves of our stores.  Will it be enough to kill those who aren't Inhuman? We don't know, Shae and I are of the opinion it's not enough to kill, but definitely enough to unleash those hidden super powers. Time will tell, but perhaps the cruelest twist of the night was the cliffhanger they left us with. After all this time, Fitz and Simmons finally begin to understand their feelings for one another...only to have Simmons swallowed up by the Kree rock in the closing moments. That's one cruel cliffhanger if you ask me, because now we have to wonder just how dangerous the stone truly is and more importantly, is Simmons still alive? 

Either way, this was truly the finest hour for this show. It was an episode that tugged at the feels, left you cheering and quite frankly the two hour format for this finale felt like its own Marvel movie and I'm still reeling from how awesome this was. The show has finally found its stride in every possible way, it's just a shame we have to wait until the fall to see where we go from here. Time to start counting down the days to season three, and I look forward to geeking out about it with all of you. Until then my friends.

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