Beginning of the End (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

"Beginning of the End"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode
"The Art of Level Seven" poster for the episode.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 22
Directed by	David Straiton
Written by	Maurissa Tancharoen Jed Whedon
Produced by	Jed Whedon Maurissa Tancharoen Jeffrey Bell
Cinematography by	Feliks Parnell
Original air date	May 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)
Running time	41 minutes
Guest actors
Bill Paxton as John Garrett J. August Richards as Mike Peterson / Deathlok B.J. Britt as Antoine Triplett Ruth Negga as Raina David Conrad as Ian Quinn Glenn Morshower as Jacobs Josh Daugherty as Kyle Zeller Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

"Beginning of the End" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the first season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), revolving around the character of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they attack a major Hydra base. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, and directed by David Straiton.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge.

"Beginning of the End" originally aired on ABC on May 13, 2014, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 5.45 million viewers.

Plot

At Cybertek, Quinn begins his presentation to U.S. military officials only for Garrett to interrupt and kill one of them. Evading the Centipede soldiers, Coulson and his team attack the Cybertek facility, with Skye saving Ace, May defeating Ward, and Coulson confronting Garrett. Fury rescues Fitz and Simmons, though Fitz is barely alive, before joining with Coulson to face Garrett, who is ultimately dispatched by Peterson when he learns that Skye has saved Ace. Peterson, unable to face his son, goes off on his own to redeem himself. Fury expresses his respect for Coulson, who he sees as an Avenger, and appoints him as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., leading the team to a secret base run by Agent Billy Koenig. Raina delivers a photo of Skye to a mysterious man, telling him she has found his daughter. Later, Coulson awakens in the middle of the night and begins exhibiting signs of the same enhanced mental capacities and fixation that Garrett experienced, compulsively carving strange symbols into a wall.

Production

Development

In April 2014, Marvel revealed that the twenty-second episode would be titled "Beginning of the End", and would be written by executive producers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, with David Straiton directing.^[1]

Casting

In April 2014, Marvel revealed that main cast members Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge would star as Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Grant Ward, Skye, Leo Fitz, and Jemma Simmons, respectively.^[1] It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include Bill Paxton as Agent Garrett, J. August Richards as Mike Peterson/Deathlok, B.J. Britt as Agent Triplett, Ruth Negga as Raina, David Conrad as Ian Quinn, Glenn Morshower as General Jacobs, Josh Daugherty as Kyle Zeller, Patton Oswalt as Koenig, Mark Berry as Admiral Jolnes, Jeffrey Muller as Kaminsky, Ajani Wrighster as Ace, Asif Ali as Jesse Fletcher, Kyla Garcia as Mrs. Zeller, Nicole J. Butler as Aunt Mindy and Cynthia Rose Hall as employee.^[1] Oswalt, Berry, Muller, Wrighster, Ali, Garcia, Butler, and Hall did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Paxton, Richards, Britt, Negga, Conrad, and Morshower reprise their roles from earlier in the series.^[2] Samuel L. Jackson makes a special guest appearance as Nick Fury, reprising his role from the films.^[3]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

In his appearance, Jackson's Fury wields a version of the gun that Coulson used in Marvel's The Avengers.^[4]

Release

Broadcast

"Beginning of the End" was first aired in the United States on ABC on May 13, 2014.^[5]

Marketing

For the final six episodes, Marvel began the "Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Art of Level Seven" initiative, in which a different image was released each Thursday before a new episode, depicting a first look at a key event from the upcoming episode. Bell stated that the initiative was a way to tie the series back to its comics roots, and was thought of at the beginning of the season. The production team tried to pair specific artists to the teaser posters based on their previous work and how it connected to the themes and emotion of the intended episode.^[6] The poster for "Beginning of the End", created by Phantom City Creative, is reminiscent of the first official poster released, with differences including the characters' order and clothing, the poster's coloring, a broken S.H.I.E.L.D. logo over Hydra's, and Ward being tinted by Hydra.^[7]

Home media

The episode, along with the rest of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first season, was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 9, 2014. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.^[8] On November 20, 2014, the episode became available for streaming on Netflix.^[9]

Reception

Ratings

In the United States the episode received a 2.0/7 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 2.0 percent of all households, and 7 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 5.45 million viewers.^[5]

References

External links

• "Beginning of the End" at ABC
• "Beginning of the End" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Beginning of the End" at TV.com