Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 6 Finale Plot Summary:
The agents make a one final effort to stop Izel (Karolina Wydra). Just as things can’t get any worse, the Chronicoms attack the Lighthouse.
I’ll admit I was pretty pleased with the explanation for what Sarge (Clark Gregg) was. But Sarge’s true nature was only one part of the puzzle. It was always going to be up to the finale to conclude the storyline in a satisfying way. That was my hope for this week’s two-hour finale.
I previously ruminated on the nature multi-parters. The season had a two-parter earlier, though the episodes were separated by a week. This week’s finale is two-hours, but each episode has its own title. This hammers home that naming conventions are arbitrary. The episodes should’ve shared the same title, because they drag out the plotline to two hours. This is almost like an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. zombie movie. That might sound exciting, but the zombies aren’t all that scary. It’s not like they’re eating people. That wouldn’t make sense in this case, but even if it did, this is still ABC.
Trusting Sarge was always a bad idea, in hindsight. I can at least understand why our heroes would risk it before having a way to counter Izel’s powers, but it’s not like Sarge is the only one who can use it. The whole idea of Sarge having a sword that can kill him and Izel is overly convenient, in general. An entirely new weapon created by S.H.I.E.L.D. would’ve been more in keeping with the show’s past.
There are some interesting moments in the finale. It was surprising to see Sarge turn on May (Ming-Na Wen), but it would have been a weak way to kill off May; it would have made her look unintelligent. Furthermore, her dying to be with Coulson would send the wrong message. She’s her own person. Thankfully, she kills Izel and Daisy kills a fully alien Sarge. The finale shockingly relegates the majority of the Chronicom plotline offscreen. So, now the agents are in some sort of altered timeline and have an LMD Coulson.
I’m not sure what I was expecting from the finale. I’m not even sure what I wanted, beyond some justification for this season as a whole. The finale doesn’t provide that, unfortunately. Maybe it’s just one end of the world storyline too many. We did just do one last season and that took twice as long. Maybe it’s because in the end the team doesn’t truly come to terms with Coulson’s death. The way the finale ends is intriguing but frustrating. Next season could be promising, but so much of this season was boring, particularly the space section. That could easily happen again.
This season could have benefited from having two distinct arcs instead one, but it’s doubtful we’ll be getting that next season. Season 6 isn’t a total disaster, but the finale doesn’t leave me clamoring for more.
