Nick Fury Returns!! Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S1 Finale!!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

The team squares off against Centipede soldiers sent by Cybertek until they manage to bring the entire building down on top of them. On the Bus, Garret displays incredible strength and intelligence. Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons are trapped in the escape pod at the bottom of the ocean. Coulson and his team head to New Mexico tracking the tracer signal Fitz placed on the Bus. Fitz and Simmons figure a way out of the escape pod. Coulson and Trip steal an armored truck and break into the compound where Quinn is meeting with the U.S. Generals to discuss funding for the Centipede Project. When one of them asks about the disturbance, Garret enters the room and kills him. Inside, Skye and May commandeer the control room for the super-soldiers and Coulson searches for Garret. Ward questions Garret about his mental state and asks him for orders. Garret orders Ward to get Skye. Simmons and Fitz figure a way out of the escape pod at the cost of Fitz’s life. They blow out a window and Simmons swims to the surface carrying Fitz. They are rescued by Nick Fury. Ward finds Skye in the control room and intends to bring her back to Garret. Melinda intervenes and fights Ward in an all-out brawl. Coulson confronts Garret where he is at a disadvantage until Nick Fury arrives to help him. Elsewhere, Skye finds Mike Peterson’s son Ace and sends Mike a message. Mike turns on Garret and kills him. The super soldiers are taken into custody and, later on the Bus, Coulson is made the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Talk about going out with a bang! Picking up from the end of last week, the finale goes into high gear and doesn’t stop. Coulson goes in with his team, guns blazing…mainly from a heavy duty military vehicle. Once inside, the action heats up. Melinda May gives Ward an overdue and well deserved ass-whooping. We’ve seen May fight before but she really lets him have it and then some, using every improvised weapon possible before she finally nails him a good one (literally). With his newfound strength, Garret feels superior not only physically but mentally as well to the point that he starts spouting nonsense. He talks about creating a brand new world just any crazed megalomaniac. This almost surprises Coulson and Nick Fury. Yep, it was inevitable that Director Fury would show his cycloptic mug again following the Winter Soldier incident. He helps pulls Simmons and Fitz from the ocean after they freed themselves from the escape pod. He and Coulson exchange witty banter regarding Garret’s mental status and then Fury sasses Garret for jumping on the H.Y.D.R.A. train for mishearing a speech he gave Garret years ago. Samuel L. Jackson does a wonderful job with this character as always. It was nice seeing Coulson be handed the gun that he used to take down Loki in the “Avengers”. Here, he uses it on the super-soldiers guarding Garret. The final blow that takes down Garret, who can seemingly survive being shot more times than 50Cent, comes from Mike Peterson. Mike receives a special message from his son Ace and breaks the control held over him and takes out Garret. It took all season but Mike ended up saving the day finally.

We get a clearer picture on what T.A.H.I.T.I. is and why Coulson was brought back. The program was intended to revive severely injured soldiers and Avengers but canceled by Coulson due to the side effects of the alien drug. Fury firmly believed in Coulson and still does. He sees Coulson as someone who is willing put his life on the line and uphold the core of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s foundation—protection of all life. Because of this, Nick Fury makes Coulson the new Director and entrusts him with the rebuilding of S.H.I.E.L.D. When “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” began, there was concern about its survival beyond the first season or if it would even hold on until the end. The series was met with mixed reactions with disappointment from Marvel fans and interest from those looking for a good action series. “Agents” has grown as series and like many series there are highs and lows. “Agents” is no different despite the backing of the Marvel films. Thankfully, the good outweighs the bad. This has turned out to be an amazing action series with interesting characters and well written story line even with its flaws. There’s no need to make a perfect show. Just a good one. Coulson—sorry, Director Phillip Coulson and his agents will return for another season with more of the dynamic and chemistry that has made the series entertaining. Now, hopefully we get a few more super characters and guest spots and see exactly who Skye’s father is.