Roundtable: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “The End”

The season finale of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired on Friday night, bringing the fifth season of the ABC drama to a close with a devastating loss, a surprising defeat and

Here is the official tagline for the episode entitled “The End”:

“Coulson’s life or death is the challenge the team finds themselves in, as the wrong decision will cause the destruction of Earth.”

Please join Roz, Rueben and Karen as they discuss what happened in the episode:

Oh let’s go with Quake vs Talbot. How do you feel about the end of Talbot’s tale as a hero?

Rueben: I certainly wasn’t expected that ending, but given what we knew was to happen – with Daisy never being seen again and the Earth being broken apart – forcing Talbot into space seemed like Daisy’s only option. What I found more surprising was that Coulson snuck the serum into her arm band, letting her get the better of Talbot before he absorbed her.

Roz: I’m glad that Talbot didn’t destroy the world – and neither did Daisy – but I feel like he’s been a long unsung hero who still doesn’t get to be quite as powerful as he wanted to be.

Karen: Well, he’s a domestic terrorist at least – he destroyed a lot of Chicago, so I’m not really feelin’ the hero vibe right now. I think he deserved worse.

HOLY COW FITZ? React.

Rueben: I was devastated by that. I cried me a river (and I don’t mean that facetiously). My first reaction at seeing his hand coming out of the rubble was, “oh, thank God, he’s not dead.” And as Mack and May dug him out, I was relieved that he didn’t seem in critical condition until that horrible reveal. Part of me was hoping that they figured out some miraculous way to save him at the very end. I just can’t believe it to be honest.

Roz: So I felt like it was too much for Fitz to be dead, and I had to make a beeline for someone on twitter. If I read Natalie Abrams correctly – there’s only one Fitz after that. The Fitz that was frozen by Enoch is still around and now Simmons is off to find him. I hope that’s true, because I couldn’t handle that ending otherwise.

Karen: DAMMIT WHEDON! Yeah, I know that Frozen Fitz is still alive, but dammit. I’m so angry right now. Why can’t they just be HAPPY for once?! “We don’t move on…” I’m with you Jemma!

So, Coulson is finally, really, legitimately in Tahiti. Thoughts on him and May being there together for whatever time he has left?

Roz: I feel like it had to happen after all of this trouble this year. He’s got his happy ending, though not with that violinist, and he’s finally going to have some time to realize what he wants out of life.

Karen: Lovely full-circle story arc for Coulson. I feel bad for May though, since she’ll have to watch another of her soulmates die, but at least this one will be a bit different. I’m glad he gets a happy ending, and didn’t go out in a blaze of glory. I mean, not that it would’ve been horrible, but this is a more Coulson-y ending.

Rueben: I actually let up a little gasp when Coulson made that first step on the sand, and then whispered, “Oh my God, he’s actually in Tahiti.” I also knew May had to be there with him before they showed them together; and while it was very touching to see them together, holding hands as the Zephyr flew overhead, I felt bad that she’ll have to say goodbye to him. I have to wonder if she’ll come back to SHIELD after, though.

Deke wormed his way into our hearts, didn’t he? Do you think he left to see the world like he told Daisy he would do? And, do you think we’ll ever see him again?

Roz: I wasn’t even able to think about Deke not being around at the end because of everything else in the episode. But I hope he is off learning about Earth and America – though can he skip the Zima.

Karen: I’d love to see him next season. I hope his disappearance doesn’t mean that Jemma isn’t pregnant, but I don’t think that’s the case.

Rueben: Agreed, Karen. I think I do want to see more of him next season and want to believe that Jemma is truly pregnant and that Deke’s disappearance is due to him leaving to see the world than disappearing altogether.

After all of the clashing this season, Fitz died next to Mack. Interesting?

Roz: I think it had to happen for all of what Karen said and more. Consciously Mack and May broke that time loop, and instead of losing Mack, we lost Fitz.

Karen: Definitely a conscious choice given TPTB are making Mack the new Director. He needs to become less self-righteous, and being in that humbling moment will definitely do that. Then he has to take the information to Jemma and break her heart, so it’s a one-two punch. On top of that, he also gets to have a true friendship moment with Fitz, which is sorely needed after how he treated him this season. I may not agree with everything Fitz has done, but he had his reasons. Ultimately, they saved Earth.

Rueben: I had such a hard time with that whole scene. As I said above, I cried me a river so I think I was dealing with more emotions than I expected to have, and can only look back now on the fact that Fitz and Mack had been at odds so much this season. Perhaps this stunning loss will have a profound effect on Mack from here on out.

Yo-Yo (and Natalia Cordova-Buckley) gave one hell of a speech against Coulson surviving, and then saved his life. How’d that shake out for you?

Roz: I love that something so small (not really) as Coulson’s heart not beating changed Yo-Yo’s mind. She did a hell of a thing even when her older self scoffed.

Karen: I wasn’t surprised, although the irony was strong in this episode for sure. She would get my vote for VIP based on that soliloquy alone. I believed every single word she said, and by the end of her speech, I felt like snuffing out Coulson myself. Then May subverted her vote, and the defeat was palpable. Gutting.

Rueben: Yeah, that speech was moving (although I still didn’t want Coulson to die) so May doing what she did wasn’t that surprising or upsetting – at least to me. I thought it was quite interesting to see Yo-Yo not waste one second to start CPR especially given her earlier speech. Great irony for sure.

What did you think of the season finale? How did you feel about losing Fitz? What are your thoughts on Coulson and May ending up in Tahiti? Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.

The sixth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return to ABC sometime next summer.

[Photo Credit: ABC/Kelsey McNeal]