This is it. It’s all over. After seven years, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has finally come to an end. The second episode on the two-part series finale is titled “What We’re Fighting For,” and it wraps up not only the team’s fight against the Chronicoms, but also the team itself.
The episode opens right where the last one left off, with the reunited team in the bar in New York. They argue over what the should and what they can still do. Fitz explains that they can still save the original timeline and they are clearly frustrated by the fact that they were left to try and survive this timeline.
Fitz explains that Kora is the key to their plan working and that they can still jump through the quantum realm back to their timeline. Coulson stops him and explains that they can’t just leave the Chronicoms there to take over that timeline. Deke comes up with a plan to use the device to bring not only them, but all of the Chronicoms back to their original timeline.
They realize that someone will have to stay behind to set up the device and activate it but Daisy points out that it won’t matter because this is their last mission together anyway. Sousa volunteers to be the one to stay behind but Deke cuts him off and nominates himself instead. He points out that he’s the only one who would be able to set it up and he’s kind of a rockstar in the 80s anyway.
The team puts their plan into action and with Deke activating the device, they all manage to jump back to their timeline and take the Chronicoms with them. Yep, believe it or not, their planned worked perfectly. However, now they still have to deal with the Chronicoms in their time. Meanwhile, the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents look to Deke as the new guy in charge and he obviously accepts the position.
On the Zephyr, Fitz tries to tell Simmons a story to help bring back her memory. He asks her about her favorite star, to which she answers “Alya.” His face lights up and he lets her know she’s right. He then explains exactly what happened to them at the end of last season and how we got into this time-travel mess in the first place. He explains that and Simmons took years to live together before finishing their time machine, taking advantage of the nature of the machine they were making.
Fitz explains that one of them had to stay behind to establish the link between the timelines and it had to be him because his mind couldn’t handle the implant that has been blocking Simmons memories. When he finishes the story, Simmons remembers him but is still forgetting important and can’t quite come to terms with what’s happening. Fitz tells the rest of the team he has to fill them in on something else and Coulson urges him to hurry because the enemy is coming up with a plan.
Malick argues with Sibyl that he could have stopped S.H.I.E.L.D. if she had given him control of her hunters. She explains that they are on their way to the original timeline, where Earth is already under attack by another Chronicom force. Still upset, Malick storms off and leads a group of goons into a cell where he is keeping Kora. He ordered them to hook her up to begin stealing her power.
Mack prepares Yo-Yo and Sousa to go with Fitz and Simmons to the temple from the season six finale. He explains that they still have som unfinished business there because they’re traveling to a point before the temple had been cleaned up after their fight. They get ready by putting on hazmat suits with visors so others can’t see their faces.
The Zephyr and the Chronicoms jump out of the Quantum Realm and back into the original timeline. The team immediately kills power to the Zephyr, hiding from their enemy. Coulson tells the team to be patient and wait for their moment. Sibyl orders her robots to find and destroy the Zephyr.
On earth, the hazmat crew lands a quinjet outside the temple. They approach that timeline’s Simmons and Enoch (I know, a little confusing) and she orders them to follow her. They head into the temple and get to work on what needs to be done for Fitz and Simmons to build their time machine. That’s right, the people in hazmat suits in season six were actually our team. Seems like there’s a paradox here somewhere.
Back on Z1, Coulson continues to have the team hold. Sibyl’s ship fires at the other Z1 on Earth, which of course time jumps just before it could be hit, and the team takes advantage of their window to land on the Chronicom ship. While one of the robots informs her Z1 was destroyed, Sibyl remains skeptical.
Mack, Daisy, Coulson and May blow a hole in the roof of the ship and get inside. They split up, with different goals to achieve. Daisy comes across a handful of hunters and handles them herself, telling Mack and Coulson to go about their mission. They split up and each take care of a hunter before Coulson is ambushed by Sibyl and more hunters. Meanwhile, Malick finds Daisy and they prepare for their own fight.
At the lighthouse, Yo-Yo speed punches some guys and clear the path for her, Fitz, Simmons and Sousa to get into HQ. Fitz goes to work on their part of the plan while Yo-Yo and Sousa begin to prepare for an attack. Simmons overhears them talking about Mack and Daisy and suddenly remembers why she and Fitz spent so much time together and what they’re fighting for.
Daisy and Malick trade quakes and not-so-witty banter as their duel continues, with Malick getting the upper hand. Meanwhile, Mack finds Kora unconscious and carries her out of her cell. Sibyl goes full supervillain with a monologue to the captive Coulson, who seemingly lets it slip that the rest of the team is at the Lighthouse. Sibyl gives the order for the hunters to head to the Lighthouse and Coulson tells her that’s exactly what they wanted before May drops in and she and Coulson take out the Chronicoms. Oddly, Sibyl is very quickly taken care of and that’s the last we see of her.
Mack enters with Kora in his arms and Coulson waked her up, asking for her help. She agrees and heads to the controls of the ship. Meanwhile, hunters begin to bust into the Lighthouse. Kora uses her powers to boost the Chronicom ship and May uses her new power and the Chronicom ship’s tech to send a signal of empathy to all of the hunters below. The signal kicks in just in time as the hunters burst into HQ and, instead of attacking, they freeze. Yo-Yo asks if they are friends or enemies and they answer “friends.” that’s the end of the Chronicom threat.
On their way off the ship, the team sees Daisy in her fight with Malick. Mack explains that they need to let her do her part, whatever the cost. Daisy tells Malick how her team has won and he responds by explaining there’s no way for her to kill him without killing herself. She agrees and lets out a quake that destroys all of the Chronicom ships.
Z1 finds Daisy floating in space and manage to bring her aboard, where Kora quickly uses her powers to bring her back. Fitz and Simmons run to the time machine, which they left Piper and Flint behind to guard. For them, Fitz and Simmons where only gone a few moments. Confused, Piper opens the machine to see that Fitz is no longer inside, but Fitz and Simmons rush to the back where they open a different door. Inside, a sleeping littler girl wakes up and Simmons calls out “Alya.” The girl rolls over and replies with “momma” before embracing Simmons. They had a daughter!
The screen goes black before we’re informed that we’re jumping to one year later. The team meets inside the old bar in New York. Coulson enters, followed by Daisy, Yo-Yo, May, Fitz and Simmons and finally Mack. They catch up, each sharing quick stories about their new jobs and lives, without going into much detail. Fitz and Simmons are raising their daughter, Daisy and Sousa are together and May has a mysterious new job. Coulson explains that he is just taking some time to see the world and the rest of the team each offers him a spot with their new teams.
Daisy flickers for a moment and Yo-Yo looks over at nothing and it becomes apparent that none of them are actually physically there. Yo-Yo explains that she has to go and one by one they all agree. They agree to make this a tradition and joke about how just about all of them died at one point or another.
Yo-Yo says goodbye and remove a device from her head, revealing that she is actually in a car with Piper and an LMD of Davis. She opens the door of their moving car and speeds away, heading for her mission.
May is next, as she appears in front of a building with Flint calling out to her, telling her they’re late to class. May explains that she’s not late because she’s the one giving the lecture. As she walks away, we see that she is working at a new school called Coulson Academy.
Fitz and Simmons explain that they’re in the middle of a picnic with Alya and they leave next. Simmons watches as Fitz plays with their daughter and smiles.
Mack asks Coulson if he got his package before saying goodby. As he removes his device, we see that he is standing on a helicarrier with two agents behind him.
Daisy and Coulson say a long goodbye before Coulson removes his device, leaving her alone in the bar. She returns to Zephyr 3 where Sousa is sitting next to her. From the cockpit, Kora calls to both of them to come look. The three of them look out into space as they prepare for their next mission.
Coulson opens the briefcase Mack sent him and finds a device and a car key. He hits the button and hears a car in the distance before looking over to find Lola. As he starts the car, it’s clear Mack made some new technological advancements to the old car. Coulson puts on his sunglasses as he watches the car transform and simply says “cool,” before he flies off.
It’s hard to judge a series finale on its own without thinking about the series as a whole. It does feel as though this finish sell a bit flat though, with an overcomplicated climax riddled with plotholes, an underwhelming final battle and unfulfilling reasons for the story to end. It’s a bit disappointing as season seven was probably the strongest of the series right up until the last few episodes.
When you look at the series as a whole though, there was a lot to enjoy about the finale of this story. It was nice to see the finale take the time for each character to give a proper goodbye and wrap up their individual stories. The Fitz and Simmons story in particular came to a very satisfying conclusion. Overall, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was very up and down over the years, with some great characters and fun stories but also some confusing moments and lulls in excitement. I suppose it’s only fitting that the final season would follow that same trend.
One thing’s for sure though, it was nice having a small taste of the Marvel Cinematic Universe each week for the past seven years and a lot of Marvel fans will certainly miss these characters.