Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Parting Shot (3x13)

I apologize for my brevity in this one - I'm just going to get to the heart of the thing and not talk about the details.

Cons:

Bobbi and Hunter have exited the show. In principle, I'm not a big supporter of this whole "Bobbi and Hunter get a spinoff" thing. I mean I guess I'm happy for the actors, but I think Bobbi and Hunter could have added a lot more to the show they were already on. I really liked the two of them and what they offered to the group dynamic. I felt like this exit was a bit hasty, and almost tangential, to the main story being told. Over the past couple of weeks, we've been seeing Hunter doubt the efficacy of working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and I thought that might turn into a really interesting discussion of the pros and cons of the organization. Instead, it's just being used as a way to fulfill Hunter's emotional arc before he exits.

I was a little confused about the main plot itself, since they went back and forth in time a little bit. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but the issue of Russia and the US going to war over the Inhumans just didn't interest me that much. And Malick has become such a slow-burn threat again. After seeing him show up unexpectedly last week, I wish we could have built on that momentum instead of putting on the brakes. We see an episode tag where his daughter is introduced. I already feel like they are low-key setting us up for a disturbing connection between this daughter and the entity formerly known as Grant Ward... and I'm not looking forward to that.

On the one hand, I understand why this episode focused pretty much solely on Hunter and Bobbi. It served almost as a backdoor pilot for the new show, or at the very least it acts as a bit of a springboard. But on the other hand, there will be plenty of just Bobbi and Hunter on Marvel's Most Wanted, and I might have liked it if this episode focused on Bobbi and Hunter's relationships with all the other team members, so that the loss felt more potent. We did get a dramatic goodbye at the end, and I mostly loved it... but the connections between these characters didn't really play a role until the final moments. It might have been nice to see it integrated more fully.

Pros:

The reason why I wish we had more moments with the rest of the team is that those moments really stuck out for me as the strongest and most vibrant in the episode.

Daisy and Bobbi had a lot of really great moments, and it made me want to see more of their friendship. It's a bummer that it looks like that won't happen! My favorite quote was when Daisy was trying to hack something but she doesn't know Russian: "The letter that looks like New Hampshire with legs - that's 'D', right?" And then Bobbi just replies with "da." Later, Bobbi and Daisy are facing off against an Inhuman assassin. Bobbi says "ready, sestra?" and Daisy replies "da." So cute!

May and Hunter worked together again, and Hunter continually insisted on his loyalty, while May said that he couldn't be trusted. Turns out, May does trust Hunter to sacrifice his life to save his friends, including her. But what she doesn't trust is that he'll make the tough call and sacrifice others for the good of S.H.I.E.L.D. I loved seeing this dynamic play out and I would have loved even more.

May's opinion of Hunter's loyalty comes in to play, as both Hunter and Bobbi are taken in by the Russians and accused of murder. Each of them holds up under interrogation - they don't even crack when they are threatened with each others' safety. That right there is loyalty to the team. I loved the distinction here - yeah, we always knew Hunter would do anything for Bobbi, but the fact that he would trust in her to take care of herself and not do everything in his power to protect her is sort of new and refreshing, in a way.

Coulson comes in and tries to help Hunter and Bobbi escape, but the two of them have made a decision: they are never going to be trusted in the field again, and the Russians can never, ever find out that they were working for the US government. The knowledge that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still operating could spark another cold war between the US and Russia. So, Hunter and Bobbi decide to take the bullet. They will run. They will disappear and never look back, and in doing so they will protect S.H.I.E.L.D. to the best of their ability. While I'm frustrated with the rather abrupt departure of Bobbi and Hunter, I've got to admit that this was a pretty fitting way for them to bow out. They were so brave - they saved a man's life, took down a dangerous enemy, and are running now to save the people they care about and the cause they believe in.

I must briefly mention the creativity of the action sequences in this episode - I really got a kick out of watching Bobbi and Daisy try and take on a man who could basically turn his shadow into another fighter. Lots of cool fight choreography. And the moment when Bobbi runs into the room and guns down the Inhuman general, knowing full well there's no escape for her? Damn. That was intense. My heart was in my throat, even though I knew she wasn't going to be shot.

The goodbye scene at the end was perhaps a tad cheesy, but whatever. It felt earned. Basically, the rest of the team gives Bobbi and Hunter a "spy's goodbye." Bobbi and Hunter are in a bar, and the waitress keeps bringing them over shots from anonymous benefactors. They look around the bar and see them all - Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz, Simmons, and Mack, all separate from each other, holding up a shot to drink to their health and their camaraderie. The camera lingered in particular on Mack as he said goodbye to his two old friends, knowing he will likely never see them again. It was pretty emotionally affecting, I must say.

I'll end this review by saying that the great acting from Nick Blood and Adrianne Palicki made me pretty excited to check out the spin-off. It's not like I need another show to obsess over, but I've always really loved Bobbi and Hunter, and their chemistry and the strength of their performances is an early mark in this new show's favor. I particularly liked their silent, tearful goodbyes in the bar scene in the end, and the way they gravitated towards each other when they were reunited in the Russian prison. Their relief and their love for one another was palpable.

That's what I've got! I'm pretty bummed to see Bobbi and Hunter go, and I'm not sure I think it was the wisest decision to send them off so early. That being said, this was a decent episode with which to say goodbye.

7.5/10