AGENTS OF SHIELD Season 4 Episode 20 Review: Farewell, Cruel World!


The first thing I want to cover is that I was totally off on my episode count and we in fact have one more episode of AGENTS OF SHIELD left after this one. I’m not sure where I got the idea that the season ends at episode twenty, but I thought that and I’m totally wrong. There’s still one more episode to go, as far as I’m aware now. 

Anyways, this was easily the most exciting episode of the entire pod. This is mostly due to the fact that there was a lot of forward momentum. Everyone was finally ready to leave the Framework and get back into the real world. Well… almost everyone. We already lost Mace, and hopefully, we’ll have also lost Mack. 

I say that because his choice to stay in the Framework has real weight to it as it stands now, even if the backstory with Hope wasn’t that fleshed out before the beginning of this storyline. That said, if Mack later regrets his choice and leaves the Framework, it feels kind of wasted. Sure we lost Mace, but he was only introduced this season. Mack would be a much bigger loss and would also mean we’re back down to the cast from the original season (Ward excluded). This opens up opportunities for new blood to come into the show and establish Aida as a stronger villain. 

There was a good sense of urgency as everyone raced to the backdoor of the Framework. I had originally thought that Aida had broken the backdoor. That’s the way she made it sound in earlier episodes. But I guess in actuality she had moved it. Instead of being in the park, it was now in a steel mill, hidden beneath a pool of molten metal. Clever girl. 

Speaking of Aida, it almost seems like the true villain of the season is the Darkhold. It’s given both villains of the season the means to achieve their goals. Elliot wanted to create matter, Radcliffe wanted the Framework, and Aida wanted to become human. None of this would be possible with that damn book. I’ll be curious to see where it winds up by the end of the season. 

Fitz has easily been the most interesting character in this pod and that didn’t stop with this episode. His reaction to the death of his father was well acted, and I was surprised see that such an event also shook Aida, since she’s been one step ahead of everyone this whole time. The fact that Fitz would disregard direct orders means maybe Aida went a little too far. 

The ending, when most of the team finally got out of the Framework, was very cathartic. It was good to see May follow Coulson through the gateway, realizing that even deep down she could trust him. The real meat of the scene though, was when Fitz came out. He was so overwhelmed by the memories he could hardly breath. 

It’s here I have to wonder how much of Framework Fitz came back through the portal. They all still have their memories of their actions in the Framework. As Fitz said, he’s the one who ordered the air strike on Mace. He even called Aida Ophelia. And now that they’ve disappeared together, I’ll be curious to see what happens to him next.

Written by Peter Freeman, TV & Animation Writer -- Click to read Peter's posts


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