Agents of SHIELD had a stunning midseason finale, one that intertwined two seemingly disparate plot threads into a cohesive, thrilling whole that included Coulson skydiving through intergalactic portals and a long-time enemy somehow becoming even worse. But there are still a lot of questions to answer, like for example…
Is Ward Gone For Good?
The hook from the midseason finale is that Grant Ward, the series’ ongoing nemesis and a massive jerk, is gone, killed by Coulson and possessed by an Inhuman brain slug that destroys civilizations for fun. So, right now at least, Ward as we know him is dead, and they probably won’t be sending him to Tahiti.
That said, we don’t know how much of Ward’s animating force is that brain slug and how much is Ward himself. We can’t wait to find out if he’s just evil, or sticks with Ward’s strategy of not just being evil, but also a dick.
Will Coulson Confess?
Coulson closed the midseason finale by crossing a line he’s never even gone near before. He murdered Ward in cold blood, not for any practical or justifiable reason, but out of revenge for the murder of Coulson’s sweetheart, done solely by Ward to antagonize Coulson. Coulson thinks all the evidence is safely dumped on another planet, but because the corpse is walking around, and might even have the murder weapon, Coulson’s cybernetic arm, to boot… will Coulson own up? And if he does, will that mean he’s out of SHIELD?
Why Do Bobbi And Hunter Go On The Run?
Mockingbird: Marvel’s Most Wanted is getting a backdoor pilot this season, and despite the name, the plot hinges on Bobbi Morse and Hunter going on the run from both SHIELD and HYDRA. Just why this happens is, of course, still a mystery. But considering Hunter’s entire job this season has been to blow operations and illustrate why loose cannons don’t work very well in disciplined spy organizations, we’re going to assume it’s his fault. Come on, man, you couldn’t have at least accidentally framed Lincoln instead?
Will Fitz And Simmons Finally Get Together?
One of the highlights of the last season was a love triangle plot that actually made sense. Simmons was torn between the astronaut who helped her survive months on a barren wasteland planet and Fitz, who scammed terrorists, lied to his superspy boss, and leaped through interdimensional portals to save her from said planet. Even when Fitz tried to be the good guy and take himself out of the equation, Simmons shut him down both by pointing out her feelings were more complicated than just choosing which guy, and that Fitz was lying through his teeth in the bargain.
And now, her astronaut lover is dead, and Fitz is going to be the one who has to tell her the bad news. So, yeah, complicated feelings ahoy.
Can Dr. Garner Be Saved?
One of the first half of the season’s best twists was the reveal that Garner, May’s ex-husband and the team’s psychologist, was transforming into the villain Lash, who survives by killing and eating the energy of other Inhumans. Smartly underplayed by Blair Underwood, becoming Lash, and needing to murder to survive, is destroying Garner’s mind, and in the confusion of the midseason finale, he escaped HYDRA custody. Where is he, and what’s he been up to?
We’ll find out the answer to at least a few of these tonight and going forward. But we won’t expect too many answers. After all, they need to save something for next season.
