I would say this was one of the weaker season finales and definitely not as strong as the episodes leading up to it.
The beginning felt choppy to me with people jumping around from location to location.
Talbot gets shot in the head for shock value but he's totally fine.
The dialogue was not good. Exposition upon exposition about things we already knew. Bottle of Haig, Ghostrider can hurt Ophelia, bottle of Haig, Ophelia is afraid of Ghostrider, Ophelia ran away from Ghostrider.
And the teaser was very...underwhelming because it was so open-ended. I wonder if there were any clues there whatsoever. Maybe the green gadget that was used in the diner.
I liked some stuff. Leopold Fitz is a pretty good actor. Iain de Caestecker is better. I was disappointed about Iain not being very convincing when Simmons was in danger until I realized that Fitz wasn't actually feeling it. How remarkable that acting choices can make a twist obvious. I did
not see coming that Ghostrider would slip into Coulson so that was cool. The teleportation fight was gimmicky but fun. And then it was over. I wasn't agreeing with desa last week about Ophelia's mental state being disappointing but she wasn't very interesting this episode and then she was dead.
Her (or the Superior's) plan was severely lacking, too. Is it just me or is the way the Darkhold brings about a fascist world still utterly vague? Why did they need to bring it to this meeting? Why did they think this magic book of obvious malevolence would convince anybody? Why did they leave it there to be scooped up by Coulson? And in the chase afterwards why did Robby stealth-kill the rando-bot instead of Ophelia? Agents of Shield is supposed to be better written than this.
Alright, while I'm ranting: if Mack and Yoyo had perished in the Framework I would have been so mad at both of them. Yoyo for choosing to die and Mack for being the reason for her death. Their exit would have been awful. But this anger I am alright with because the writing was solid. I just would have been mad at the characters (and the writers for making Hope stay around while everybody else is vanishing).
I need to mention more good things now:
Radcliffe's send-off.
Fitz wanting to take the blame and Daisy reminding him that she tried that once. A great way to end that foolishness quickly.
The scene at the diner with the team being just way too nonchalant and cool. The episode ended on a high note. In space.
The Hellmouth getting mentioned. Although I feel like Daisy was being literal and not referencing Buffy. The writers were. Which again...a little clumsy and disappointing.
And on that note, sorry for this choppy review. I learned from the best.