Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 Finale, "World's End" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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So last night was the season 4 finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and it was quite a rollercoaster ride.  There were the expected ups and downs, but I don’t think any of them were nearly as surprising as the episode’s conclusion.

Positives:

• Just about all of the action sequences were really well done.  My favorite moment was probably when Daisy and Robbie tore the Ivanov-bot apart together.
• The effects with both Ghost Rider and AIDA were awesome—as good as, if not better than, any we’ve seen so far in the series
• The jump scares were all on-point, including the surprise twist when the Daisy-bot shot Talbot—I was expecting that to be the real Daisy, who would shoot the LMDs and reveal them for what they are
• The two-part shocker of Simmons not being dead paired with Coulson “going Ghost” Rider on AIDA was one of the coolest parts of the episode
• I’m not sure whether I liked Mack and Yo-Yo in the Framework or not.  On the one hand, it was a great character moment for them—Mack gets to say good-bye (sort-of) to Hope, and he (and the audience) learns just how much Yo-Yo cares for him.  On the other hand, I was hoping for more connection between it and the fight against AIDA, other than her shutting down the Framework.
• After everything that happened with Radcliffe, he got a very touching send-off in this episode
• S.H.I.E.L.D. is seriously going into space!

Negatives:

• After all the different hints at killing a character or two, they didn’t kill anyone—even when they could easily have killed Simmons to show how much Fitz had hurt AIDA.  I like Simmons’ character, but this would have been a good way to kill her:  furthering Fitz’s character development.
• I felt like the fight between Ghost-Rider-Coulson and AIDA was a little too brief for being the climactic battle of the season

Things to Look for:

• Interesting connection:  Robbie’s use of the chain to open a portal—as well as the portal effect itself—was very similar to the sling ring from Doctor Strange.  It’s good to see that they are keeping the magic fairly consistent across the board for the MCU.
• What are the terms of Coulson’s bargain with the Rider?
• Is Coulson the only one who was brought into space, or is the entire team there?
• Why is Coulson so spectacularly unimpressed by the fact that he’s in a spaceship with artificial gravity cruising through the asteroid belt?
• Is the stinger setting up Coulson to appear on The Inhumans?

This season was a lot of fun, particularly with the introduction of Ghost Rider.  There is a lot to break down looking forward to season 5, so that’s what you can expect the next couple of weeks.

What was your favorite part of the season finale?  Do you think someone needed to actually die?  Let me know in the comments!