World’s End – As AIDA implements her plan to turn this world against, Shield and Inhumans the team must find a way to stop her. While in the collapsing Framework, Yo-Yo must persuade Mack to leave his daughter behind and return home.
Although this finale is not without action, it does take a more personal approach than expected as opposed to going all out. This play’s well into the strength of its characters allowing many pairings to have big culminating moments. The Oscar goes to Mack and Yo-Yo for the heartbreaking forced farewell to Mack’s daughter Hope, using the plausible idea of big character deaths in a finale to suspend disbelief. Then there’s a condensing of AIDA’s villainy into personal vengeance against Shield, and especially Fitz for rejecting her affections (she’d make a great Vengeance Demon). Mallory Jensen bows out on a high as the craziest of crazy ex’s. Then we have furthering chemistry between Coulson & May post Framework: still with the excellent running gag over Coulson drinking their special bottle without May. It all served towards the idea of the team ending season united stringer than ever after beginning it so divided. It made the events of the season full meaningful rather than a typical end of season rest to normal. Overall, the story doesn’t quite live up to the preceding episodes (as too often is way when shows nail their build up but don’t have the capacity to produce a matching climax).
The smaller moments of action the episode delivered boast visually effects team on their A-game for a Quake & Ghost Rider tag team, busting out their rainy day CG budget. Godm this looked good! Plus their robot opponents were taken full advantage off to be sliced and smashed to bits in spectacular fashion (although that drill-to-face was not for the squeamish). A side note on the Russian robot clan: Ivanov finishes the season still at large (his original head in a jar is still hiding somewhere) so there’s a good chance we’ll see him/them again next season. Although the Ghost Rider comeback perhaps wasn’t as back as promised, it did serve to bring the serious full circle over the story of the Darkhold. Plus he gave us an interesting Doctor Strange Easter Egg as he used his chain like a Sling Ring. That combined with Robbie’s earlier nod to Thor Ragnarok’s Hel (“Dimensions, space, planets, plenty of them qualify as hell”) makes us wonder if Marvel are making plans for Robbie to show up elsewhere in their Universe.
While wrapping up its story, in the best great teaser fashion, Shield’s best season to date leaves us with a few things to wonder over the summer. Is the Jump Street franchise the only one doing a Men In Black crossover and that someone sure isn’t in Kansas anymore. Season 5 will have a later start than usual, debuting in the mid-season (probably January 2018) to give the new Inhumans show the autumn spotlight. Until then, stay in this reality, don’t read any evil mystic books no matter how many stars it has on Amazon and have a great summer Homecoming.