As is the norm with Joss Whedon shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started slow and ended big. And we’re only talking about the season finale, not the series finale. If you hung on during the lackluster early episodes, then your reward is here. Having said that, this isn’t the best episode.

Beginning of the End is uneven in tone and suffers from too many endings (more on that later). However, in terms of delivering pay-offs and climaxes, it is the S.H.I.E.L.D. equivalent of Return of the Jedi or The Return of the King. It satisfies in a conclusive way, but can’t quite stand on its own.

The following is spoilerific and lacks a plot summary, so read on with caution and/or confusion. But why would you read this anyway if you haven’t already seen the show, right? Right.

“Is this what you meant by plot hole?”

Thumbs up to the showrunners who set us up for the expected, and then subverted those expectations. I’m talking about Agent Ward and his redemption. What’s that, you say — Ward didn’t redeem himself in Beginning of the End? Correctamundo. However, the seeds have been planted.

The previous episode, Ragtag, gave us the sympathetic background of Ward and Garrett’s dog/master relationship. Its purpose was to build compassion in the audience for Ward’s eventual reform, just in time for the finale. Or so we thought.

I fully expected a showdown where Garrett threatened to kill Skye and/or Coulson, triggering Ward to turn on Garrett — Darth Vader/Emperor style — and slay him, possibly dying in the process. Not only did we get Ward’s woe-is-me backstory, but we also saw his growing doubt in blindly following Garrett. Factor in his increasing feelings for Skye and you have the makings of a redemptive character. Thankfully that didn’t happen. Not because I don’t want it to, but because it shouldn’t happen so soon after his treachery.

Given how heinous Ward’s crimes have been — he fatally shot Victoria Hand at point blank range — it simply wouldn’t be realistic for him to have an about face so quickly. And if he did, we would hate him for it. He needs to earn our sympathies before he can reform, and that’s going to take time.

The award for Most Romantic Gesture goes to Fitz for finally revealing his feelings to Simmons.

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He should also win Romantic Procrastinator of the Year because — thanks to Ward trapping them at the bottom of the ocean — he waits until their collective dying breath to ‘fess up. But he doesn’t just tell her.

FITZ: “I couldn’t find the courage to tell you. So please… let me show you.”

What follows is a selfless act of undersea bravery akin to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s I’ll-die-for-you scene in The Abyss.

Simmons survives her watery grave, as does Fitz, but with too much oxygen cut off from his brain, he may never be the same again. It’s tragically ironic that the person who physically suffers most from Ward’s duplicity is the one person who had faith in him. Not anymore though.

As great as the above elements are, they get overshadowed by more endings than a “massage” parlor on two-for-one day. Oh wait, that’s happy endings. Nevermind.

The rising action of the episode climaxes (haaaaappy ending?) with Coulson and Nick Fury defeating Garrett, while May defeats Ward (with a nail gun through the foot no less). Following this final confrontation with two or three scenes of denouement is the norm for traditional narrative storytelling. With this being a season finale, that amount can justifiably rise to four or five scenes necessary for addressing various loose ends.

The audience wants and needs this denouement, just like a cool-down after a sweaty work-out. Having said that, not even my Pilates-obsessed wife needs seven cool-downs.

Which endings are essential and which ones could fall by the wayside? Let’s find out:

Ending 1) Garrett’s charred corpse is zipped into a body bag and Ward is arrested after Coulson tells him off.

The major plot of the season concludes with the good guys winning and the bad guys receiving their comeuppance.

VERDICT: necessary

“Does this cyborg armor make me look unnecessary?”

Ending 2) Deathlok, now free of HYDRA’s command, bids Skye farewell and vanishes into the night to do good by his boy.

This resolves an ongoing subplot and possibly sets up a spin-off series.

VERDICT: mostly necessary

Ending 3) Garrett pops back to life Jason Voorhees-style, gives himself a Robocop makeover, laughs diabolically, and is vaporized into a punchline by Coulson.

As cool as the cyborg-building machine is (particularly as a nod to the comics version of Garrett), there’s no need for it. Coulson defeating Garrett so easily with an O-8-4 weapon undermines how strong of an opponent he was. Methinks the showrunners know this scene is superfluous, but spent too much on special effects to justify cutting it.

VERDICT: completely unnecessary

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Ending 4) Fury reveals to Coulson his reason for resurrecting him. And then he promotes him.

Coulson coming back from the dead has been the backbone of this series. Learning how much Fury trusts and respects him — enough so to call him an Avenger — is a great pay-off to a season-long arc. Sam Jackson’s passing-of-the-torch makes it even greater.

VERDICT: completely necessary

Ending 5) Coulson’s team finds a new home in a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house maintained by another lanyard-obsessed, déjà vu-evoking Patton Oswalt. Remy lives!

This paves the way for Season 2, ending on a double meaning of tour guide Oswalt’s line, “So where would you like to start?”

VERDICT: necessary

Geek bonus: To long-time Marvel comics readers, there are three pieces of iconic equipment that set S.H.I.E.L.D. apart from other spy agencies — Helicarriers, flying cars, and Life Model Decoys. We’ve already seen the first two and it now seems likely that we’re seeing the third.

Ending 6) Raina tells a mystery person that she found that person’s daughter — Skye.

A Phase One Marvel Studios project isn’t a Phase One Marvel Studios project without a cliffhanger tease for future adventures.

VERDICT: somewhat necessary

Time for a commercial break.

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Ending 7) In the middle of the night, Coulson finishes Garrett’s nonsensical chalkboard equations as if he were a brainwashed Will Hunting.

A Phase Two Marvel Studios project isn’t a Phase Two Marvel Studios project without TWO cliffhanger teases for future adventures.

That’s one too many, especially after a commercial. Skye’s mystery parentage already has us intrigued enough to return next season, so this Coulson scene could’ve waited until then. How do you like them apples?!

VERDICT: unnecessary

So now that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (unlike Ward) has redeemed itself and earned its renewal, where will it go from here?

We already know two upcoming storylines thanks to the finale’s teasers. And of course there’s the overall rebuilding of S.H.I.E.L.D. headed by newly promoted Director Coulson. What’s less clear are things like Raina’s fascination with human evolution.

“Flowers” was disappointed to learn that Garrett didn’t actually possess clairvoyant abilities. Does her superpower obsession tie in with him seeing the universe and translating “the words of creation”? Is this Marvel’s way of establishing their cinematic version of mutants since that X-Men concept belongs to 20^th Century Fox? Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s powers — they’re muties in the comics — will have to be explained somehow in the Avengers sequel. Maybe this is laying the groundwork for that.

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More enthralling is the announcement of the Agent Carter T.V. series. As alluded to in the Marvel One-Shot of the same name, Peggy Carter was instrumental in founding S.H.I.E.L.D., as was Howard Stark. To see the 1940s origins of the HYDRA-contaminated S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside the creation of Coulson’s modern HYDRA-free S.H.I.E.L.D. * would be interesting.

Could the Howling Commandos make an appearance on Carter’s show? If so, then they would provide a direct link to Coulson’s series via Antoine Triplett who is descended from a Howler. Could a sweeps week time travel crossover be far behind?

Intriguing questions, one and all, and we’ll have to wait till autumn for the answers. But have no fear, true believers. You can get your Marvel fix this August courtesy of Guardians of the Galaxy.

* New and improved HYDRA-free S.H.I.E.L.D. is now available at finer spy stores everywhere.

NEXT UP: Summer hiatus, and then back to school for Season 2.