Agents of SHIELD (7×12, 7×13) The End is at Hand & What We’re Fighting For Review

For our review of the last episode of Agents of SHIELD, click here.

Synopsis: With Nathaniel and Sibyl edging ever closer to eliminating S.H.I.E.L.D from the history books, the agents must rely on their strengths to outsmart and outlast the Chronicoms (IMDb)

So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the endgame to Agents of SHIELD was also like Avengers: Endgame for the most part but that is by no way a slight to what was still an emotional sendoff for the characters that have graced our screens for the last 7 seasons while also serving as a fitting resolution to this season’s story arc. It lets them go off on the tangent that was this season while still reigning it all in by the end. Meanwhile, THAT character finally returns and boy did we miss them.

The episode began with the quinjet crew docking onto the zephyr and venturing out into the unknown. Regardless, it was one problem at a time. The zephyr also got pulled onto a bigger Chromicon ship. The location of Fitz continued to be elusive. Simmons was injected with a substance that could dissolve her implant which also played games with her memory (the hope being she would eventually spit out Fitz’s location). Meanwhile, Kora confronted Nathaniel Malick who talked himself out of another situation.

Daisy set out on her own to save Simmons and Deke (Sousa gave her a goodbye kiss while the Mack and Sousa scenes as they took care of the ship were also strong). Sibyl had anticipated all of this, deciding to let Daisy reunite with them as it would increase the odds of them learning Fitz’s location (though Nathaniel had a different idea). It was odd to her how easy it was (but wrangling Simmons was difficult). Kora interrupted Sibyl’s plan by showing up and then letting everyone go (Daisy talked her out of it) which Nathaniel was not thrilled about. The quinjet crew eventually escaped with the zephyr (by strapping Chromicons to missiles). Meanwhile, back at the Lighthouse, the only remaining SHIELD base, Sibyl had other plans for it. Garrett teleported down to plant explosives inside. He was taken care off in quick order thanks to a device that Fitz had invented. Garrett was also sold out by Nathaniel after refusing to disarm the explosives (Yo-Yo moved them to save the base).

At the Lighthouse, they received a transmission about an 0-8-4. Without any other options as they were trapped, Garrett teleported them to the location of the 0-8-4 (the infamous speakeasy) but got shot in the head for his trouble. The others soon joined them there (it was a nice reunion). Seemingly all of the surviving SHIELD agents were there as they all got the same transmission. These agents were tasked to guard a series of briefcases with their lives until the transmission called them over. The cases contained parts of a device that Simmons miraculously knew how to assemble and activate despite her memory still being hazy. It would turn out to be a device that pulled Fitz back out of the quantum realm where he was hiding the whole time.

Fitz hoped the other could survive in this new timeline so they could find the key to save theirs. That key was Kora who was still on the Chromicon ship. But first, they had to save the people from this new timeline. In order to save them, they could power up Fitz’s device to bring all the Chromicon ships from the new timeline to the original one. However, someone would have to stay behind so they can power it. Sousa volunteered but Deke was the one to stay behind (pretty much becoming the new leader of that timeline’s SHIELD though we don’t know for sure since we don’t see him again).

As the team traveled through the quantum realm, Fitz helped Simmons get her memory back. It was a touching moment that also finally filled all the gaps during their time away, They came back from space just outside the temple before beaming back up to space to Simmons’ favorite star system, Alya, while Fitz studied the timestream. As they did so and the other stuff we know they did, they lived their lives but Simmons couldn’t stay away forever so they went back. Meanwhile, they tasked Piper and Flint to guard Fitz as he was sent to the quantum realm while Simmons stayed behind to establish a link between the timelines (also the implant didn’t work for him). However, there was still one piece missing.

On the Chromicon ship and now in the original timeline, Nathaniel was imploding and now wanted Kora’s powers. Meanwhile, the others split up between the temple (they wore those same hazmat suits), the ship, and the Lighthouse. The original attack on the temple was initiated as the Chromicon ship fired on it (it was weird seeing past and present iterations of Fitz, Simmons, Yo-Yo, and Mack interact). As they fired on the past zephyr, the current zephyr landed in the Chromicon ship. While Daisy did most of the heavy lifting, Mack found Kora and Sibyl found Coulson though May would ultimately get the upper hand. Meanwhile, the temple crew moved on to the Lighthouse to take it back.

The plan on the ship was to trick Sibyl into providing authorization to the Chromicon hunters so they could provide their own orders for which Kora could use her power to amplify them. May used her emotional powers to teach the Chromicons empathy. However, Daisy stay behind and sacrificed herself by appearing to destroy herself and Nathaniel along with the Chromicon ship (but she would later be saved). At the end, Fitz and Simmons went back to Piper and Flint and get their daughter, Alya, for which they were really garding (the part that was missing from her memory).

Cut to one year later, the team as we know may be no more but they still reunited to talk and swap stories (those were always the best moments). Fitz and Simmons retired with Alya, Coulson was on a sabbatical as he was still discovering itself, and the others were still part of SHIELD where Mack was still the director (and currently on a new triskellion, May was an instructor at the academy which was now named after Coulson (Flint was a student), Yo-Yo was a high-ranking agent, and Daisy was leading a mission in space (with Sousa and Kora).

The series would end with Coulson riding off in a newly-rebuilt (thanks to Mack) Lola.

If the story for these characters were to end here, it would be fitting for sure as they have definitely been put through the ringer but considering that it its Marvel, never say never.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.