Loved It? Hated It? What did you think of "Beginning of the End?"

[Starsaber]

Paton Oswalt's return was a huge surprise, and he was a little robotic...but then, the guy's always seemed that way to me.

His lines were too similar to his "brother". I'm thinking these are the first Life Model Decoys.

[Degobunny]

Did nothing for me. The main threats are almost entirely resolved through plot conveniences.

Fitz and Simmons - Saved by Fury miraculously appearing out of nowhere
Coulson in danger - Saved by Fury miraculously appearing out of nowhere
Garrett threat - Saved by Skye's hacker magic and the son idiotically being exactly where the team needed him to be
Super Soldier threat - default directive renders them entirely useless, whaaaaat?

I like it when shows don't necessarily take themselves too seriously, so I didn't hate all the quips from Fury and Coulson, but what was with Coulson shooting Garrett? Oh, it's just no big deal? Did Garrett kill anyone to escape and get access to the thing that could turn him into a super soldier? Or did he just walk in there? That was too cute.

Another problem I have is that the show doesn't feel as if it has evolved. It's only changed a little.

Trip is the new Ward.
There's a mystery surrounding Coulson.
There's a mystery about Skye's parentage.
Flowers is working with a mystery man.

The scene where Fury "empowers" Coulson as the new head of SHIELD also would have held a little more weight if SHIELD were an actual thing anymore. But they're not. They only have a few random bases and tech depots that will show up conveniently when the team needs something... but that's already been the case, so who cares?

Where was all the character work? Where was the struggle for Ward's soul? The closest we came to genuine character evolution was probably Fitz revealing he has feeling for Simmons, but we knew that already and it came at the cliche moment just before he thinks he's about to die for her (although the dialogue in that moment actually was pretty good). And for all of Coulson's complaining and being angry with Fury, what do we get? He yells at him for 30 seconds and then Fury disarms him completely by handing over the keys to the castle and calling Phil an Avenger. Great. That was worth waiting an entire tv season for.

In my opinion, this was a really lackluster season finale.

Umm...Fury did not appear out of nowhere. Fitz pointed out to Simmons the may day alert was active but only on an a SHIELD frequency. Fury tracked them down thinking it was Coulson. With Simmons Fury was able to track Coulson down. I don't understand what is so hard about that?

My guess about the Fury/Coulson thing is they had there talk offscreen.

As far as character gworth this season...May is more loyal to Coulson, Skye while searching for answers to her biological family, has a new family and purpose in SHIELD, Simmons and Fitz love one another, Ward is now conflicted were as he was not really at the beginning of the series, Coulson has figured out how he survived his death and must now deal with the consequences of that.

[DA_Champion]

Simmons kissing Fitz was sweet.

IMO the writing on this series is as good as any in the MCU, and sometimes better. There are no awful jokes like we saw in Thor 2, and the good guys are not always guaranteed to achieve comprehensive absolute victory every time, which increases dramatic tension.

Oh and I don't get why everybody hates Skye. I see it in the comments section of some other sites.

[Backward Galaxy]

Umm...Fury did not appear out of nowhere. Fitz pointed out to Simmons the may day alert was active but only on an a SHIELD frequency. Fury tracked them down thinking it was Coulson. With Simmons Fury was able to track Coulson down. I don't understand what is so hard about that?

It's terrible writing. The characters tell us that they are dead. They tell us that their situation is hopeless, even if they do escape and manage to make it to the surface. Those lines of dialogue are specifically there to create tension that the writing team knows is complete BS, because they're just going to have Fury show up.

Here's the issue with that save... We don't know where Fury is to begin with. We don't know what he's doing. HE doesn't have to overcome anything to make the save and nothing the characters in danger did really changed their circumstances from the ones they told us were hopeless. They told us they were in trouble and then they weren't. It's manufactured drama and basically a total lie. Fury then does it again to help Coulson by suddenly appearing deep in the facility in the exact location where he needs to be without even having to take the time to search. Fury, in this episode, is basically Nightcrawler with the ability to telepathically hone in on whoever he wants. It's ridiculous. They might as well have had Steve Rogers show up, or Maria Hill. Or an angel from heaven. The only reason it is Fury is to advance the plot with Coulson later. He's a completely random insertion for convenience sake.

My guess about the Fury/Coulson thing is they had there talk offscreen.

That's practically a crime. You can't do that. You can't spend episode after episode telling us that Coulson is upset and then have the talk off-screen. That's horrid.

As far as character growth this season...May is more loyal to Coulson, Skye while searching for answers to her biological family, has a new family and purpose in SHIELD, Simmons and Fitz love one another, Ward is now conflicted were as he was not really at the beginning of the series, Coulson has figured out how he survived his death and must now deal with the consequences of that.

May was always loyal to Coulson. She did what she did because she cared about him. That's not growth. Skye got her SHIELD family in the first half of the season. Fitz loved Simmons from Day 1. Do we even know if Ward is coming back as a regular? And Coulson only exchanged one mystery for another.

Overall, there was little to no growth in any of the characters this season, only surface level changes. And pretty much all of that growth happened before the season finale. Perhaps the only interesting change that could happen is with Fitz, as that character is now going to have to deal with the fact that Ward tried to kill him... if that character is even still on the show anymore.

[Degobunny]

It's terrible writing. The characters tell us that they are dead. They tell us that their situation is hopeless, even if they do escape and manage to make it to the surface. Those lines of dialogue are specifically there to create tension that the writing team knows is complete BS, because they're just going to have Fury show up. Here's the issue with that save... We don't know where Fury is to begin with. We don't know what he's doing. HE doesn't have to overcome anything to make the save and nothing the characters in danger did really changed their circumstances from the ones they told us were hopeless. They told us they were in trouble and then they weren't. It's manufactured drama and basically a total lie. Fury then does it again to help Coulson by suddenly appearing deep in the facility in the exact location where he needs to be without even having to take the time to search. Fury, in this episode, is basically Nightcrawler with the ability to telepathically hone in on whoever he wants. It's ridiculous. They might as well have had Steve Rogers show up, or Maria Hill. Or an angel from heaven. The only reason it is Fury is to advance the plot with Coulson later. He's a completely random insertion for convenience sake.That's practically a crime. You can't do that. You can't spend episode after episode telling us that Coulson is upset and then have the talk off-screen. That's horrid.May was always loyal to Coulson. She did what she did because she cared about him. That's not growth. Skye got her SHIELD family in the first half of the season. Fitz loved Simmons from Day 1. Do we even know if Ward is coming back as a regular? And Coulson only exchanged one mystery for another.Overall, there was little to no growth in any of the characters this season, only surface level changes. And pretty much all of that growth happened before the season finale. Perhaps the only interesting change that could happen is with Fitz, as that character is now going to have to deal with the fact that Ward tried to kill him... if that character is even still on the show anymore.

Fitz Simmons were in trouble, Fitz is clearly not okay since he could greet the team with Simmons. This show is not about Fury. So why would we need to see how he got to them. May was loyal to Fury, first. She so now loyal to Coulson first. That is gworth. Coulson in solving how he survived grew as a character. He now has a purpose more so then when he initially came back. Skye having a family has been all season long. Simmons just realized she loved Fitz. Fitz has been struggling with his love for Simmons since she jumped out of the plane, and realized he could lose her. So no it was not a day one thing for either of them. Also from what I have heard Ward is coming back as a regular.

[DA_Champion]

It's terrible writing. The characters tell us that they are dead. They tell us that their situation is hopeless, even if they do escape and manage to make it to the surface. Those lines of dialogue are specifically there to create tension that the writing team knows is complete BS, because they're just going to have Fury show up.

Here's the issue with that save... We don't know where Fury is to begin with. We don't know what he's doing. HE doesn't have to overcome anything to make the save and nothing the characters in danger did really changed their circumstances from the ones they told us were hopeless. They told us they were in trouble and then they weren't. It's manufactured drama and basically a total lie. Fury then does it again to help Coulson by suddenly appearing deep in the facility in the exact location where he needs to be without even having to take the time to search. Fury, in this episode, is basically Nightcrawler with the ability to telepathically hone in on whoever he wants. It's ridiculous. They might as well have had Steve Rogers show up, or Maria Hill. Or an angel from heaven. The only reason it is Fury is to advance the plot with Coulson later. He's a completely random insertion for convenience sake.



That's practically a crime. You can't do that. You can't spend episode after episode telling us that Coulson is upset and then have the talk off-screen. That's horrid.



May was always loyal to Coulson. She did what she did because she cared about him. That's not growth. Skye got her SHIELD family in the first half of the season. Fitz loved Simmons from Day 1. Do we even know if Ward is coming back as a regular? And Coulson only exchanged one mystery for another.

Overall, there was little to no growth in any of the characters this season, only surface level changes. And pretty much all of that growth happened before the season finale. Perhaps the only interesting change that could happen is with Fitz, as that character is now going to have to deal with the fact that Ward tried to kill him... if that character is even still on the show anymore.

You're evaluating this show like it's some literature project.

The purpose of the show is to expand the marvel universe and to entertain the fanbase. It's not pushing boundaries, there is nothing in the MCU that pushes boundaries.

At a bare minimum, the reason that nick fury showed up is because it's cool. I smiled when Fury showed up. You say that it could have been steve rogers... well maybe it could have?

[Backward Galaxy]

You're evaluating this show like it's some literature project.

The purpose of the show is to expand the marvel universe and to entertain the fanbase. It's not pushing boundaries, there is nothing in the MCU that pushes boundaries.

At a bare minimum, the reason that nick fury showed up is because it's cool. I smiled when Fury showed up. You say that it could have been steve rogers... well maybe it could have?

I am evaluating the show the same way I evaluate everything. There are plenty of light cookie-cutter programs out there that don't push boundaries but are also smart. The season finale was fan fiction with a budget. I expect more. I expect better.

[DA_Champion]

I am evaluating the show the same way I evaluate everything. There are plenty of light cookie-cutter programs out there that don't push boundaries but are also smart. The season finale was fan fiction with a budget. I expect more. I expect better.

Fan fiction can be good :-)

1) I suggest if you lower your expectations you might enjoy the show more. There are plenty of better shows on television not including the archives of good past completed shows you may not have watched yet, from which you can get your fix... I recommed true detective. .. Take AOS as what it is: an indulgent MCU spinoff show. Coulson zapping Garrett may not have been good in the literature 301 sense, but it was meant to be funny ... does that not remind you of a certain film franchise?

2) why does agent fury showing up need to be earned? Does everything need to be earned? Isn't that impossible?

[Backward Galaxy]

Fan fiction can be good :-)

I would hope so. I write some.

1) I suggest if you lower your expectations you might enjoy the show more. There are plenty of better shows on television not including the archives of good past completed shows you may not have watched yet, from which you can get your fix... I recommed true detective. .. Take AOS as what it is: an indulgent MCU spinoff show. Coulson zapping Garrett may not have been good in the literature 301 sense, but it was meant to be funny ... does that not remind you of a certain film franchise?

I don't think lowering expectations is the answer. I view AoS the same way I view everything else, and with these eyes I have enjoyed some Marvel films while not enjoying others. I love me some deep art and I also love Weekend at Bernie's and South Park. There's an uneven tone here that bothers me, where they think they can be totally serious in some places and not in others. And this show has almost always taken the easy way out. Every time they haven't, the show has gotten better.

2) why does agent fury showing up need to be earned? Does everything need to be earned? Isn't that impossible?

I think most things have to be earned, yes, especially when it's your season finale and you're trying to tie up all of the storylines from an entire season's worth of episodes. The Fury appearance didn't work for me.

[DA_Champion]

You could argue that Fury's appearance was earned by the winter soldier movie. At the end he says he's going to go undercover and fix Hydra problems, and the movie showed him to be very aware. It's true that if somebody only ever watched AoS they would be thinking "WTF" when Fury showed up, but that's not how the show is constructed. It's written such that it's best appreciated by people who are keeping track of the movies going on and their events.

My expectation for the writing on AoS is that it be of comparable quality as the writing in the rest of the MCU. It has met that expectation.

[darkphoenix21]

After binge watching the entire season, the ending was great (even though I haven't seen Cap 2). I do want to see more of where this series will go. I'm glad I gave it a second chance.

Just some things I liked and/or want:

I loved May kicking Ward's butt
Skye out thinking Cybertek
The Garrett/Coulson/Fury scene was silly cheesy but fun banter
Deathlok/Mike Peterson starting his road to redemption was good
Love the Coulson/Triplett team up...

B.J. Britt should become a series regular
If and When Ward comes back I'd like to see more of his "real" self
Is/was Patton Oswalt's characters LMDs (so every secret base has one of him)?
A definite answer to what Skye is (though they'll probably continue that mystery) along with...
Who is Skye's father?

[Welling_is_pretty]

I thought this was a pretty good episode and a decent cliffhanger, if not the 'gasp' type that I expected (though I was spoiled on a big surprise--Coulson becoming head of SHIELD--before I watched it).

The team fighting and don't call May "The Cavalry". Heh. I loved that she was using the staff again.

Garrett blissed out on the drug and Ward wants out?

Poor Fitz with a broken arm at the bottom of the ocean.

Raina's question--"what will I become?" Had me wondering if the guess of Inhumans was right, as that seems to indicate a transition (perhaps brought on by the Terragin Mists?) of some sort.

Commanding the Humvee and charging in. My feelings for Trip keep changing (sometimes I really like him, sometimes I don't) but he came through there.

Garrett ganking the general. Then his talk with Ward. "Be Monsters together." Hmmm.

Fitz saving Simmons, and finally admitting his feelings. I'm a bit disappointed they went that route, actually. I like FitzSimmons best as friends. But at least Jemma doesn't seem to return his feelings. (Though that's a little sad for Fitz.) Fury saves them! Knew he would when they mentioned about the SHIELD frequency (it would be either him or Hill and since we knew Fury would be in this ep and Maria not...).

Ward vs. Skye. Their little talk. Interesting how Skye stood up to him. I feel like she's sort of grown a little. Become less of an annoyance and more of a, well, grown up. Tougher, you know? But then the real tough lady showed up! How I loved watching Melinda kick Ward's butt! "You were never on top." That line...priceless!

Coulson and Fury. "You didn't tell me he'd gone this crazy." "He's really stepped it up a notch."

I do think the keeping of Mike's kid right there seemed a bit too pat (though I'm glad they got him out of there.). And the 'incentives' program was pretty ingenious. But I still have trouble thinking that they kept the 'incentives' so close by. Surely someone would have tried to break them out/free them? *shrugs* But Deathlok finally gets his revenge (or justice, whatever).

Ward captured (you just know he's going to return to be a thorn in their side!), Garrett dead, except wait not (and how cute was Coulson's casual moment when he stopped him! ), and all is right in the world. Except Fitz, that is.

Loved Phil yelling at Fury (I sort of enjoyed that most of that happened off panel. Why rehash it, IMO?).

Did Fury just call Phil an Avenger?! If so, then bravo TPTB! And handing SHIELD over to Phil. Very sweet. But what will that mean for the team? Surely "Director Coulson" wouldn't go on missions with his team?

Koenig. "Billy" not "Eric"? So we're supposed to believe brothers or something? I immediately thought either "clone" or "LMD" (or possibly the process that brought Coulson back but then I remembered there is, supposedly, no more of the alien blood left). A mystery for Season 2, I guess?

Raina meeting with Skye's Dad?

That final bit with Phil. I'm a little dismayed that they went there, actually. I was happy that Phil seemed to be fine, that he wasn't showing signs like Garrett was. I thought to myself 'oh good, now we can move on'. Nope, I guess not.

I guess I just wish we'd resolved a little bit more. I know we have to keep some mysteries for next season but I feel like we still don't know enough about a lot of stuff. But overall, as I said, good episode.

[skully]

What compelling TV season 1 was!!! I was spoiler-free and totally shocked to find that Garrett and Ward were bent and HYDRA men.

The Skye cliffhanger was intriguing. And will Fitz be a brain-dead gimp in S2?

And luuuuuuved Fury calling Coulson an "Avenger".

Just fantastic action, direction, acting and cinematography. Kudos to ABC on such a great series. I just hope they can maintain the obvious large budgets to sustain the quality of the show.

Bring on S2!!!!

[ash_]

Personally I really enjoyed the finale, and thought the season was awesome overall, definitely picked up from episode 14/15 I though. Can't wait for season 2.

[mbozzo]

The final episode of season 1 is a good way to finish the season. I also like the guest appearance of Nick Fury in this episode.