4. Season 4, Episode 22: “World’s End”
Agents of SHIELD is known for its explosive finales, and they only got better as the series continued. Season 4 is widely regarded as one of the finest seasons of the show, and the finale doesn’t disappoint. “World’s End” wraps up the storylines of Ghost Rider, the Darkhold, the Framework, and Aida/Madame Hydra/Ophelia (aka the life model decoy from hell).
A lot happens in this episode. While most of the team works together to take down Ophelia (Mallory Jansen) and her Russian robot army, Yo-Yo Rodriguez (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) is in the Framework trying to convince Mack (Henry Simmons) to return with her to the real world. The only problem? Mack’s daughter, Hope, isn’t alive in the real world. Mack seems determined to stay with his daughter as long as possible, even though he knows it isn’t real, and Yo-Yo is determined to stay with Mack because he is the person she loves the most.
Ghost Rider and Quake work together to take down the rest of Ophelia’s robot army, while Coulson and May try and get the Darkhold back. Ophelia seemingly kills Simmons in front of Fitz, but its later revealed to be an LMD. Ophelia uses various Inhuman abilities that she’s enhanced herself with to fight the team, until Coulson is the only one to get close enough to her to grab. Once he has her in a firm grip, he reveals that Robbie temporarily transferred the Ghost Rider spirit to Coulson in order to defeat Ophelia. This heroic act has dire consequences, which arise fairly quickly in season 5.
Yo-Yo stays with Mack and Hope until the Framework begins to collapse and eventually takes Hope with it. Mack is crushed as his daughter disappears in front of him and he loses his daughter all over again. The scene between Simmons and Cordova-Buckley on the couch following Hope’s death is one of the most emotional of the series, and highlights just how great these two characters are together. As Mack silently grieves, Yo-Yo takes his hand and does the same. Thankfully, these two finally make it back to the real world, just in time for the Framework to collapse entirely.