Agents of SHIELD Season 4 Episode 20: Farewell, Cruel World! Review

If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.

Synopsis: The clock is ticking for Daisy and Simmons to get the team out of the Framework, but not everyone is ready and willing to leave. (IMDB)

Writer: Brent Fletcher

Director: Vincent Misiano

Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 45mins

So this is the end and what an end it was! The framework arc has been the best arc of the series and I am definitely sad to see it end. While “Self Control” was one the best arc ending episodes and the best episode of the series so far (read my 10/10 review here), this episode come close.

The episode started off with our first glimpse of the zephyr that Daisy and Simmons were on since Self Control. Keeping them safe had caused a lot of strain on Yo-Yo and the other Shield agents on board. They were loosing power keeping them connected, forcing them to turn almost everything off, including the cloaking which was why they were found on radar.

Now that Tripp and Simmons have returned from their mission, we have finally concluded all the reunions. Daisy told Simmons about the backdoor that Radcliffe told her about. Daisy wanted them all to go but Simmons wanted to wait for Fitz, thinking that there was still a chance to save him. There was a greater sense of urgency now with Aida’s plan to build herself a body to give her free will so she can unplug them all from the framework. Daisy convinced Simmons to go along now and they would come back for Fitz.

Coulson was making progress with May who was done with blindly following orders so she would have to see it to believe it. Fitz visited Radcliffe to learn what he and Daisy were talking about. Fitz mentioned the new body that Aida was building for herself and offered one to Radcliffe (since he’s dead in the real world) for information. That was all he needed to go along with Fitz. May told Simmons that Fitz’s father was alive so Simmons asked May to find his address so she could pay him a visit.

Simmons held him at gunpoint so he could call Fitz over so they can talk. Alistair got the upper hand, leading to a struggle where Simmons shot and killed him. Still on the phone during all of this, Fitz turns their mission around to check up on his dad. By the time they got there, Simmons was already gone and had joined back up with the rest of the team. When Ophelia caught wind of Fitz’s operation, she knew it was Simmons and ordered him back which he refused.

Now with Simmons back, Daisy said goodbye to Tripp (who was very understanding) and the team headed to the backdoor. The backdoor was in a foundry where the exact coordinates were for a smelting pit which seemed odd, leading everyone to think that it could be wrong. Meanwhile, Ophelia had given up finding Fitz and started the process to make her a body in the real world.

The problem was that no one told Mack what they were doing so he wasn’t exactly happy when he was told that everything he thought he knew wasn’t real. Daisy quaked the pit and a portal was revealed. Of course Hydra showed up on cue to try and stop them. A shootout ensued, leading to Coulson getting shot. The only way to save him was to get him through the portal and once he did, the world began to change around him and convincing Mack that the world may not be real after all.

Coulson woke up (seemingly not hurt anymore) waiting for May who woke up soon after. Their focused shifted to Aida who was still plugged into the framework. Once Simmons was about to jump in, Fitz showed up with a gun and wanting revenge for what she did to his father. She pleaded one more time that everything wasn’t real but he was having none of it, shooting her in the leg to get her on her knees. When it looked like he was going to kill her, Radcliffe took out the guards and knocked him out so he could be thrown into the portal. Simmons went through next. Daisy tried to convince Mack to go but he didn’t want to live in a world without Hope, real or not. Daisy went in next and she woke up just in time as their zephyr was under attack.

Fitz woke up and became emotional when he remembered all the bad things he did while in the framework. Coulson tried to convince him that none of it was real or his fault. Aida and her human body showed up, with the camera panning to her decapitated robot body, and Fitz was still infatuated with her. May tried to shoot her but Fitz was standing in the way. Once she had a shot, Fitz and Aida teleported away. Mack went back to Hope, surprising Tripp who was watching her.

Overall, this was an excellent episode, wrapping up the best arc of the series. It had a little bit of everything with suspense with the zephyr, action at the foundry, and plenty of emotion with Fitz’s dad or Mack’s story with Hope. We ultimately knew that they were going to make it out okay but that didn’t take away from the excitement of the episode. I’m not sure why Ward wasn’t in the episode but I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him or Tripp for that matter. This arc was a showcase for Iain De Caestecker and he delievered here with another deep performance (he’s had a lot happen to him and he always delivers) and Henry Simmons and John Hannah also had great performances here as well. Bring on the final 2 episodes!

Score: 9.5/10

If you liked this, please read my other reviews here and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, follow me on Instagram, and also like me on Facebook.

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.