The Start of the Finish

The Start of the Finish is the tenth episode of the first season. It is also the tenth episode overall of the series. It first premiered December 26 2013. It is also the winter finale for Season One.

Synopsis
Coulson leads Ward and May on a mission to once again gain control of The Base. When CyberTech agents find the plane, Simmons must learn how to fly the plane. Meanwhile, Fitz gets advice from Agent Pine to get back Skye. Victoria Hand poses as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on the bases that don't know she is CyberTech agent.

Previously on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Victoria Hand saves Agent Pine, She also reveals herself as the Clairvoyant. Fitz seduces the guard at the CyberTech base. Skye breaks up with him. Coulson assigns Pine as a new agent of his team. CyberTech takes control of The Base. Coulson is given a plane to live on while The Base is taken over.

Act I
Coulson climbs into the pilot's area. He asks May how she's doing after Victoria Hand revealed herself as the Clairvoyant. She tells him that she's already knows what he was thinking and is driving back to The Base to take it over again. Coulson asks her if Ward can come with her too for backup. She says she'll think about it.

Simmons is trying to get a toy car out Fitz mouth with Ward watching. He asks how Fitz can get a toy car stuck in his mouth twice in one week. She finally gets it out and Fitz asks Ward how he can be calm with CyberTech taking control of The Base. Simmons tells him they all are except him apparently. Ward tells her he's probably just upset about his breakup with Skye.

Skye beats Agent Pine in a game of checkers and she tells him to pay up. He then gives her a $20 bill. She tells him not to trick her. He gives her 10 more dollars. She tells him she wants it in quarters. He tells her that's impossible. She then says she was joking. Fitz looks at them through binoculars. He frowns.

May and Ward leave with several guns. Coulson tells them not to get killed because then he would only have 4 on the field with Fitz and Simmons in the lab. Simmons and Fitz talk about how Agent Pine joined they're team. Skye calls Coulson and tells him Victoria Hand is posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for the bases that don't know about her true identity.

Victoria Hand then gets into another base and greets other agents. But then she attacks them and takes control of another facility.

Act II
Fitz asks Agent Pine who to get Skye back. He tells Fitz that he should say he is sorry and then make out with her again. Fitz asks how many times he's been married. Pine tells him he has had 35 girlfriends and three wives. He then says all at the same time. Fitz looks confused and he tells him he was joking but he was serious about the 35 girlfriends and 3 wives. Fitz then goes into Skye's bedroom and lays down with her in her bed. She pushes him off.

May and Ward shoot several agents of CyberTech and several more come out. As they shoot Hand comes out. Ward almost shoots at her but it is reflected and bounced onto his stomach. May shouts at her and carries him back onto the plane. Victoria then gets onto the plane and explains to her agents that if you want something done you have to do it yourself.

Act III
May realizes someone or something has taken control of the plane. Coulson, Pine and Simmons get trapped in a closet with a thumb scan lock when Hand cuts the power. Skye's bedroom door also gets locked with her and Fitz in it. May and Ward also get launched into the ground when Hand's agents release the closet they were in into the air.

Fitz and Skye make out when they realize Hand is trying to kill them and it will be they're last moments together. As they are about tell each other that they love them the plane goes upside down several times. While that is happening Simmons is stabbed a nail in the roof when they go upside down.

May realizes it was a 20 feet drop. Luckily she found out somebody put fluffy pillows and mattresses for them to land on when it hit. She finds out though the force gave her and Ward cuts and knocked Ward and her out. When she checks the time she finds out they were asleep for four hours.

Fitz smashes the door open but flies out of the plane while trying. Skye runs after him and jumps with a parachute. Coulson finally gets the door open but Simmons has lost to much blood. He puts her in a safe house medical room which doesn't not react to any of the plane's commands.

Hand orders her agents to let her land but they will have to blow up the plane. As she jumps Coulson and Pine take the last parachutes after Hand. As they jump the plane blows up. Coulson realizes there is no possible way that the medical room couldn't have blown up to even if it did not go upside down.

Skye saves Fitz and lands on May's mattresses and pillows that she cleared out to find a way out. Hand lands safely too but Coulson punches her knocking her out. Fitz asks where Simmons is. After he realizes what has been done he plans to shoot Hand but Coulson stops him and tells him everything is back to normal once they capture Garrett, Quinn and Raina and if they kill Hand, Garrett will destroy they're very lives.

Stinger
Coulson finds a picture of him three years ago meeting a young Victoria Hand. He then rips and throws it in a shredder.

Regular Appearances

 * Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
 * Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
 * Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
 * Chloe Bennett as Skye
 * Iain De Caestecker as Leopold Fitz
 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons

Recurring Appearances

 * Michael Socha as Timothy Pine
 * Saffron Burrows as Victoria Hand