Danny Hale reviews the season three double bill finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D….
Warning: FULL spoilers for BOTH parts of the finale below…
I love two-part finales; they allow for an appropriate build whilst also accommodating lengthy action sequences and getting the most out of our drama. ‘Absolution’, Part 1 of our finale dealt mostly with Daisy’s adjustment to being free of Hive whilst ‘Ascension’ brought us right up to the ominous vision of a S.H.I.E.L.D. member burning up in space. Over the course of the finale the S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket from said vision with Elena’s now infamous crucifix in the pocket was passed from team member to team member each of them blissfully unaware of the danger it represented. It added an extra layer of excitement for the audience as I found myself trying to anticipate its path and groaning whenever anyone put it on. It was a strong finale with a very satisfying pay-off and most importantly left me eagerly awaiting season 4.
I was surprised not to see Joey again before the season closed but Elena got to return and shine this week; she always does a great job of stealing a scene and making her presence known. With startling haste the team came face to face with Hive but managed to severely disorientate him using the centipede machine, last seen used on Werner Von Strucker. Even Hive struggled to remain on his feet after suffering the machine’s effects as all the minds he’s consumed begin to cycle through his brain. Brett Dalton did a really good job of becoming unhinged and in some ways it made Hive more terrifying as his confusion seemed to dismiss his usual calculating patience. Luring him outside Elena then dashes from the team dropping a device beneath Hive’s feet causing a container to drop from the sky that holds him in stasis. It was especially uneasy watching the team bring an indisposed Hive back to base given how early in the finale it was. Of course he breaks free with the aid of his primitives and suddenly the team finds themselves trapped inside the base with Hive. Daisy meanwhile hacks her way up to the quinjet and comes face to face with our big bad.
Part 2 kicked things right off with an amazing fight between Hive and Daisy but we’ll get to that in a moment. In general the sense of tension mounted as the episode progressed, knowing that someone would meet their end. There was a wonderful shot that made me think Mack had been on the receiving end of an assault rifle only to reveal Elena behind him having taken the bullets in his place. This was a moment to highlight her concern for Mack thankfully and Elena survived although only after some serious DIY first-aid on Mack’s part. Coulson also confronted Hive alone, feeling responsible for Hive’s presence on Earth. What ensued was an elaborate distraction when Hive finally revealed his true form and Coulson revealed he was in fact no more than a hologram. It was a smart plan and so, so worth it for Coulson’s “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi . . .” Perfect.
It was great to see Daisy ask to be taken back under Hive’s thrall but fortunately when Lash cured Daisy it seemed to have left her immune to the creature’s corruption. In response to this, despite feeling vulnerable and weak Daisy channelled her rage and gave us the best fight of the episode if not the season. Kevin Tancharoen’s beautiful choreography perfectly mixed Daisy’s physical prowess with her Inhuman abilities, showing just how far she has come and how comfortable she is with her powers now. Daisy spent the majority of the finale wallowing in self-pity and blame and as ‘Absolution’ progressed it started to borderline on overkill. But, I have to say seeing Daisy plead with Hive to take her back in part 1’s final moments highlighted just how badly she was withdrawing and it added a weight to her conflict that I hadn’t considered. I know we’ve seen Daisy do a lot on this show and in the name of S.H.I.E.L.D. but under Hive’s influence she murdered a defenceless Malick, horrifically. Malick may have been a villain but he was human and that’s not a line crossed gently on this show. The guilt that would have on someone as virtuous as Daisy coupled with her massive comedown would be immense. This means that Daisy’s defection and its aftereffects will carry on beyond this season and forever change her character. It almost drove her to sacrifice herself causing Lincoln to take her place. I don’t think Lincoln would have given his life for S.H.I.E.L.D. but he knew Daisy would have unless he stopped her.
This leads on as to why I thought killing Lincoln was the best move for the show. Initially I feared that if Lincoln was the one to perish that the writers would receive some backlash given that Lincoln is not the most popular character and therefore his death would not be seen to be as “brave” as if it had been someone else. But after watching the finale and seeing how it played out it didn’t really matter how much people liked Lincoln; Daisy’s reaction and the fact that she suffered this loss when she was already so vulnerable sold it. And worse, she truly believed that it should have been her on the quinjet in Lincoln’s place. All of this was absolutely hammered home by an incredibly powerful performance from Chloe Bennett. My heart didn’t break when Lincoln took Daisy’s place, it broke when I saw Daisy’s break. Oddly watching Lincoln and Hive await their impending death with a contrasting calmness was quite moving and most likely our final goodbye to Brett Dalton who has been an incredible member of the cast throughout this show’s three seasons.
On one hand I was a little disappointed in how little James got in the finale but very grateful he survived. Who knows now that Hive is eliminated maybe those under his thrall are free? Could James join the team as a good guy? The same cannot be said for Giyera who finally met his end and by the hands of Fitz no less. It’s hard to know; once Hive and Lincoln took off everything was focused on them and Daisy’s grief. After an impeccably timed cut we are abruptly taken from Lincoln’s death to six months into the future. The writers brought Daisy’s grief to a crescendo and snapped us away at its height, leaving us to only imagine what followed. Our glimpse into the future raised three big questions; who is the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D? What is Daisy (Quake!) up to? And what can we expect from Dr. Radcliffe’s latest experiment? Season four awaits and moving to a later time slot to allow the show to be ‘edgier’. I can hardly wait already.
Danny Hale
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