Last night, for the first time in recent memory, I watched a show live on network television (as opposed to Hulu or Netflix). I happened to be in the right place at the right time to watch the 2 hour finale of Agents of Shield and see how they concluded this season of huge changes.

First, before I get much further, this review will be FILLED with spoilers. From start to finish I’m going to assume you’ve seen the episode. Only one more warning ahead….

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! TURN BACK NOW!!!! REALLY I MEAN IT!!!

Ok, so let’s start by talking about the high points, which for me, really revolved around some key character performances.

• Cal’s redemption – When Cal first started showing up in the show I was kinda ‘meh’ about him. He took a few episodes to really grow on me, and I think it was really about the actor getting a chance to fully explore the character. By these last few episodes however he was putting in amazing performances, and his swan song as a Mr. Hyde character was amazingly well done. To then take this twisted and broken man, and make him a hero, redeeming himself for no other reason than the love of his daughter, was amazing. The fact that they ‘punished’ him by wiping his memories and giving him a new life was heartwarming and when combined with the tearful goodbye with Skye really added depth to both characters.
• Skye’s mother – When Jaiying first started showing up in the series we were all lulled into a sense of security that she was one of the good guys. She had a love and passion for her people and even seemed to find a way in her heart to forgive and support Cal. Although I wish her reveal as a power hungry isolationist had taken more time than just the final episode, it was refreshing to have a character that could play off being so evil with just a calm and straight face. There we only a few moments that you got a glimpse of her being angry, otherwise she was calm as glass. Glad she got taken out by Cal, but with her healing powers you have to wonder if somehow she’ll come back to life. After all she survived being vivisected.
• Mack – This guys seems to be everyone’s new favorite humble hero in the show, and his performance last night shows why. He’s a ton of fun, had some great lines that he delivered well, and really plays the gentle giant with authenticity. Glad he’s sticking around the show.
• Fitz/Simmons – Almost… that seems to be the mantra with this couple that everyone wants to get together. That coming together got postponed even further as Simmons got sucked into the alien obelisk. The tension between the two characters about their feelings was really well done, and you can see how Simmons is starting to realize that her feelings about Fitz may not be what she thought they were.
• Ward – Grant Ward is so much better evil than good. When he’s being creepy and bad he’s at his best, and the final scene with him was really good.

Much of the rest of the finale was quite good. The fight scenes were done really well, with tight choreography and well placed camera angles. I appreciated some of the risks that the show decided to take, such as cutting off Coulson’s hand, and sucking Simmons into the alien device. I do have a couple qualms though.

First, WTF was up with the fish oil scene at the end. Really? They’re going to do with a plot device around random bottles of fish oil being contaminated by terrigen crystals? I found that entire scene montage at the end to be weird and out of place. You’re also trying to tell me that Shield didn’t clean up after itself? Why wouldn’t Coulson send down a submarine to pick up the pieces of their destruction? Plus, they left a perfectly good quinjet at the bottom of the ocean.

Second, what happened to all the Inhumans on the ship? Were they captured? Did they escape? Skye talked about putting together a team of powered people with her as the first. But wouldn’t some of those Inhumans on the boat decide to sign up after realizing how they had been misled?

I also found myself disappointed in May these past couple episodes. After how much growth and exploration they had done of her character this season, I felt like the finale let us all wanting. The sense at the end is that she’s just taking a vacation, but I’m hoping that she’s secretly going off-book to find and kill Ward.

Despite these couple of flaws I still found myself enjoying this entire season. The inclusion of Inhumans really helped to bolster the fact that this isn’t just a spy show with lots of gadgets. Having real powered people interacting with regular folks opens up a lot of room for exploration of interpersonal relationships. I’m hopeful for where that heads in the future.

I’m anxious to see how Agents of Shield continues to grow. It started small and it’s grown into something that, although not the best television I’ve ever seen, is a lot of fun and keeps me engaged.