Beginning of the End

Beginning of the End is the twenty-second episode and the first season finale of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Synopsis
Dark secrets are revealed as Coulson and his team put everything on the line to stop Garrett and the forces of HYDRA, on the explosive season finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.".

Plot
A new employee is touring the Cybertek facility in New Mexico when his boss notices Phil Coulson's team's incursion into the Barbershop Headquarters. He issues orders to the Centipede Project soldiers through their eye implants, but the team is able to activate Skye's Trojan, while Agent Melinda May uses the Berserker Staff to demolish the building and cause its collapsing on the soldiers.

Later, at the facility, Ian Quinn begins his presentation of the factory to the US military representatives, but is interrupted by John Garrett, who begins to show signs of insanity and kills General Jacobs. Coulson, Antoine Triplett, May and Skye conduct an attack on the Cybertek facility, with Skye going to save Ace Peterson, May fighting Grant Ward, and Coulson going after Garrett. During the attack, Quinn and Raina steal the Gravitonium and depart, having no real loyalty to HYDRA.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the sea, Leo Fitz discovers a way to save Jemma Simmons from the chamber, believing it will cost him his own life. Simmons is able to drag him to the surface, where they are rescued by Nick Fury. Simmons survives, though Fitz is left in a dire state.

Coulson engages Garrett but is quickly overwhelmed until Fury arrives for support. Coulson and Fury push Garrett back, with Deathlok delivering a fatal blow once he learns Skye has saved his son. The US Army invades the factory and all the Deathlok Super Soldiers are defeated and taken into custody.

However, the badly wounded Garrett attempts to transform himself into a new Deathlok, only for Coulson to vaporize him a mere moment later with the 0-8-4 from Peru. In the aftermath, Ward, severely injured from May, and the Centipede soldiers are arrested and Ace is reunited with his aunt Mindy Peterson. Mike Peterson, unable to face his son, goes off on his own to redeem himself. Fury appoints Coulson as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., asking him to rebuild it the right way and gives him the Toolbox. This leads Coulson and his team to a secret base run by Agent Billy Koenig, Eric Koenig's twin brother. Raina delivers a photo of Skye to a mysterious, blood-soaked entity, telling it "I found your daughter."

Later, Coulson awakens in the middle of the night and begins exhibiting signs of the same strange mental behavior that Garrett exhibited.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
 * Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May
 * Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward
 * Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye
 * Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz
 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons

Guest Stars:
 * Bill Paxton as John Garrett
 * J. August Richards as Michael Peterson/Deathlok
 * B.J. Britt as Agent Antoine Triplett
 * Ruth Negga as Raina
 * David Conrad as Ian Quinn
 * Glenn Morshower as General Jacobs
 * Josh Daugherty as Kyle Zeller
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
 * Patton Oswalt as Agent Billy Koenig
 * Jeffrey Muller as Agent Kaminsky
 * Nicole J. Butler as Mindy Peterson
 * Ajani Wrighster as Ace Peterson
 * Kyla Garcia as Mrs. Zeller
 * Asif Ali as Jesse
 * Jean Louisa Kelly as Dr. Keen
 * Cynthia Rose Hall as Employee
 * Mark Berry as Navy Admiral
 * Unknown as Skye's Father

Locations

 * Miami, Florida
 * Cybertek Manufacturing Facility
 * Havana, Cuba
 * Barbershop Headquarters
 * Playground
 * New Mexico (mentioned)

Items

 * Berserker Staff
 * Centipede Device
 * Backscatter X-Ray Eye Implant
 * Cybertek Prosthetic Leg
 * Forearm Rocket Launcher
 * Noisemaker
 * I.C.E.R.s
 * Gravitonium
 * Bulletproof Vest
 * Hyperbaric Chamber
 * Destroyer Armor Prototype Gun
 * 0-8-4 (Weapon)
 * Toolbox
 * GH.325 (mentioned)

Vehicles

 * The Bus
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. Jump Jet
 * Humvee

Organizations

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * HYDRA
 * Centipede Project
 * Deathlok Super Soldiers
 * Cybertek
 * United States Armed Forces
 * Navy Seals (mentioned)
 * Secret Service (mentioned)
 * Avengers (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Hulk (action figure)
 * Agent Eric Koenig
 * Project T.A.H.I.T.I.