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

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

​I'm honestly not sure what's more difficult when it comes to our favorite television shows. Is it saying goodbye to said show when it is either cancelled or the series finale comes calling? Or is it when we say goodbye to characters we love regardless of whether they die or simply exit the show. These elements are something no fan enjoys facing, but we know it's only a matter of time before it comes up and on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this week, time finally ran out for a couple of characters.

The good news is, "Parting Shot" didn't put our feels through the wringer by killing someone off in horrible fashion, but let's be honest, they might as well have. Because the exit of two key characters last night was heartbreaking on so many levels and while you know not everyone can stay on a show about spies and espionage forever, you still didn't want to see them go, at all, and I know I'm not the only person who needed to wipe a little mist away from their eyes in those closing moments of the episode. 

But...at least Hunter and Bobbi left S.H.I.E.L.D. for all the right reasons, especially when the stakes were super high this week. I did love the fact that Hydra was back to its usual business of causing trouble and sowing seeds of distrust around the world by essentially doing their best to destabilize all of Russia by putting together a plan to see the Prime Minister murdered by his own Defense Minister, who also happened to be an Inhuman. I really had no idea how cool of a customer Gideon Malick turned out to be when it came to executing his dastardly deeds, he treated this whole matter like a quick errand to be done with before lunch, without a care in the world. Thankfully Coulson and the gang did care about the scheme and it led to one of the coolest showdowns with an evil Inhuman on the series to date. 

All of this however, was greatly overshadowed by what I mentioned earlier, the fact that this unexpectedly turned out to be the final episode for Hunter and Bobbi and it was a decision and a move that left me in shock. These are two outstanding characters that have brought so much to the show and well, they're absolutely going to be missed. But despite the sadness I feel over the two of them leaving the series, I am extremely grateful for the fact that the show handled their exit in the classiest of fashion, and that Hunter finally grew as a character. It really was beautiful to see the both of them walk away from the intelligence industry all in the name of the greater good to ensure that world peace was maintained. You really can't ask for a better way to go out, that's for sure. 

But the fact that Hunter was willing to accept that kind of a fate, when he's questioned Coulson and May and S.H.I.E.L.D. in regards to how they do things time and time again, well that's especially magical. He finally got it, and I don't quite know where these two characters are going to go, I hear rumors their own show is possibly up next, but I certainly hope they find their way back to this one from time to time, especially when we consider the fact that the big fight between Hyde/Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. is still brewing in the background and it wouldn't be a bad thing to see these two love birds pop up one last time to help save the day. Until next time.

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