When Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. began, it had a rough start with audiences.Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were intrigued by the series, but some didn't like the villain-of-the-week format of early episodes. With the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the series took a turn, connecting to the MCU in a big way and changing the course of the series.
It makes perfect sense then that Internet Movie Database users consistently rank the later half of Season 1 higher than the first. On a scale of one to ten, the worst episodes of the season rate at a 7.6 or lower, while the best rate 8.7 or higher. That one point difference shows a stark contrast between beloved episodes and those that fans weren't so high on.
Best: "End Of The Beginning" (8.7)
This episode begins the show's turning point. It aired the same week Winter Soldier released in theaters, leading directly into the events of the movie.
In it, several major guest stars from throughout the season united to take down the mysterious antagonist, the Clairvoyant. While the team thinks they have tracked down the enemy, Deathlok is controlled by the Clairvoyant and attacks. Likewise, May is revealed to be in contact with a secret party, and Ward is in lock-up for acting out of anger on a mission. The team is divided just as the episode ends with their plane being remotely controlled by Victoria Hand, leaving the audience wondering which characters could be trusted.
Worst: "Pilot" (7.6)
Pilot episodes have a lot to set up. They have to engage the audience, introduce the characters, and give viewers an idea of what the show will be about. If it achieves all of those things, it can be enough to sell a story to a network — but not always to an audience.
While this pilot episode introduces the audience to a whole host of interesting people — hacktivist Skye, potential hero Mike Peterson, excitable scientists Fitz and Simmons — and sets up an arc for the season, it's not a standout episode compared to the Hydra reveal, so it's no wonder that the audience doesn't rank it higher.
Best: "Nothing Personal" (8.7)
Fan-favorite Maria Hill returns to the fray. While she's initially there to get Coulson's team to cooperate with the military, she changes her mind. That's because she vetted Grant Ward for the team and takes it personally when it turns out he's been a Hydra mole.
Hill and May stall Ward long enough for Coulson to get to Skye and help her get away from Ward's allies. It's one of those episodes that moves at a breakneck speed and leaves fans on the edge of their seats for the next hour.
Worst: "The Girl In The Flower Dress" (7.5)
Raina becomes an integral part of the series over the course of the first two seasons. It's Raina, after all, who sets Skye on her path to become Daisy Johnson and embrace her Inhuman heritage. Fans didn't realize that she would be so important because her big debut was in an episode most don't love.
Chan Ho Yin gets recruited by Raina, who uses him to help stabilize the Centipede serum. She dubs him Scorch and leaves him behind, angry at S.H.I.E.L.D. because they wouldn't allow him to use his abilities. Raina and Chan's story, however, seemingly takes a backseat to Skye, who betrays the team by sleeping with someone they can't trust.
Best: "TRACKS" (8.7)
Though this episode doesn't land in the Hydra arc (and it's the only one in the top five that doesn't), it's a major milestone for the show. Not only did it make the audience believe the possibility that a main character could be killed, it's also the first time the writers played with the structure of the series.
The episode, in which the characters try to go undercover on a train to intercept a delivery, is told from multiple points of view, each segment leaving the audience on a cliffhanger before going back to the beginning. It's also, of course, beloved for featuring Stan Lee's cameo for the series.
Worst: "Repairs" (7.4)
While this episode features some cool special effects and a hint at Melinda May's past, it still didn't hit well with fans.
A woman named Hannah Hutchins appears to develop abilities she can't control after an accident at work. As it turns out, it's not really Hannah but a man with a crush on her caught between two worlds. He wants to protect her, but goes about it all wrong. The episode spends a lot of time trying to figure things out while the more interesting aspect is the differences in Skye's and May's approach to dealing with the situation.
Best: "Beginning Of The End" (9.1)
The Season 1 finale makes it clear that these agents are sticking things out — even if they aren't technically allowed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. They manage to take out a team of Hydra operatives, capture Grant Ward, and make it back to their secret base, with Skye and May finally on the same page.
This episode also features one of the most iconic and heartbreaking moments in the series when Fitz and Simmons end up trapped at the bottom of the ocean by Ward.
Worst: "The Asset" (7.4)
This early episode features the team trying to retrieve a S.H.I.E.L.D. "asset" who happened to lecture at the Academy while Fitz and Simmons attended. It features Skye's first undercover mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., and boy, did she have a lot to learn.
Not only does she get caught, but "The Asset" reveals that the man in question is working with his kidnappers. Franklin Hall gets caught in Gravitonium at the end of the episode, and that moment doesn't get paid off until Season 5.
Best: "Turn, Turn, Turn" (9.3)
The big Hydra reveal is consistently the only season 1 hour that makes its way into lists featuring the best episodes of the series. Airing right after The Winter Solider makes it known that Hydra has been growing inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, "Turn, Turn, Turn" shows fans how that reveal ripples through the organization.
When John Garrett is exposed as the Clairvoyant and a Hydra operative, that was enough to leave viewers reeling. Adding that Ward is Hydra after he murders Victoria Hand and helps Garrett escape? That's enough to still get fans talking years later.
Worst: "0-8-4" (7.2)
The second episode of the series is the core team's first official mission together — and one of the worst.
While "0-8-4" introduces concepts that become important later, like objects of unknown origin, it relies heavily on more slapstick humor compared to the rest of the season. That's an odd tone considering the team betrayed by one of Coulson's oldest friends. The episode acts as a team-building exercise, which is appreciated by some fans, but not most.