Bobbi and Hunter discover a proposed Inhuman sanctuary that Malick and a Russian politician are interested in setting up. However, an incident occurs that shakes up S.H.I.E.L.D. in its aftermath.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Gun Safety: In The Stinger, Mallick and his daughter are skeet-shooting, with minimal eye protection and no hearing protection.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Bobbi and Hunter talk at the episode's start of never getting to have an actual vacation. No prizes for what they get at episode's end.
- Bilingual Bonus:
- When Bobbi says what the subtitles translate as "a little slow" in Russian, the actual word she uses is "asses" (as in the animal).
- While most reviews/recaps consider it a shout out, when Bobbi calls Daisy sestra, she's actually calling Daisy her sister, as sestra is Russian for sister.
- Bittersweet Ending: Bobbi and Hunter prevent Malick from executing a coup in Russia, but in order to keep US–Russian relations from falling apart, they have to let themselves be disavowed.
- Blatant Lies:
- Hunter doesn't bother convincing his interrogator of his innocence. Says he name is Amadeus Ravenclaw Hunter.
- The Prime Minister is obviously aware that Hunter and Bobbi are part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and neither the president nor Coulson have a believable way to convince him otherwise.
- Brick Joke:
- Hunter insists to the Interpol agent he and Bobbi were out gathering mushrooms, for soup. When the HYDRA soldiers find them, he repeats that claim, and even picks up a mushroom. When they get back on the bus, he kept the mushrooms. For soup.
- Hunter claims that he and Bobbi have never once had a real vacation, as opposed to time spent together that overlapped with a mission — including their honeymoon. At the end of the episode, now that they're out of the spy business, they are seen trying to plan an actual vacation.
- At the beginning, Bobbi says what kind of cheeseburger she wants. Toward the end, Hunter tells her she could probably use a cheeseburger now.
- Casting a Shadow: General Androvich is an Inhuman with powers based on creating an independent Dark Force clone from his shadow.
- The Chains of Commanding: Coulson reluctantly allows Bobbi and Hunter to cut themselves loose for the sake of American–Russian relations.
- Chekhov's Gun: Coulson points out that two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents assassinating Malick in the middle of a Russian military outpost would be an act of war. They don't kill Malick, but three Russian officials wind up dead, two of them at their hands, and it takes a backroom political deal that costs Bobbi and Hunter their careers to prevent it from being treated as an act of war.
- The Coup: Malick and his Russian allies try to get General Androvich to assassinate the Prime Minister so that he can then take over.
- Double-Meaning Title: In general, the title refers to Bobbi and Hunter's exit from the show. At the end of the episode, Bobbi and Hunter are delivered shots that happen to be from Team Coulson as a way of saying farewell. Afterward, Malick is seen skeet-shooting in The Stinger.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The Stinger shows Malick spending quality time with his daughter.
- Exact Words: Used multiple times by Bobbi and Hunter to avoid telling the truth. Examples are the mushroom picking, which Hunter genuinely does, the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. was dismantled, etc.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Hunter willingly letting himself get burned is what finally earns him May's respect and friendship.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: Bobbi's interrogator plays both roles, threatening Hunter's life in one second and offering her a drink in the next.
- Gratuitous Russian: Plenty of example, but the keyboard and the code on the screen really take the cake. Daisy has no idea how to read it. A Russian would... once they manage to stop laughing and get up from the floor.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Bobbi and Hunter willingly have themselves burned for the Greater Good. They're not dead, just no longer agents.
- Hidden Depths: Hunter gets three. Firstly, it's becoming apparent that, in spite of his own loose morals, he's growing increasingly wary of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s more morally grey actions (working with Ward back in Season 2, running a mission with Carl Creel/The Absorbing Man, and merely spying on Malick rather than taking him out). Secondly, he knows a surprising amount about mushrooms and mushroom soup; he uses it as apparent Blatant Lies to the Interpol investigator, but evidently does actually make pretty good soup and names an obscure mushroom only grown in the specific area they ran the mission. Thirdly, he's apparently somewhat of an environmentalist, as he recommends an environmental documentary about the Amazon to FitzSimmons.
- How We Got Here: The episode opens with Bobbi and Hunter being interrogated by a French Interpol agent, and the episode as a whole explains what they were doing that got them arrested.
- Hypocrite: May tells Hunter that she still hasn't forgiven Hunter for nearly getting Andrew killed during their hunt for Ward earlier in the season, then gives a speech about how being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is about making sacrifices for the greater good, even at the expense of the ones you love.
- Incredibly Obvious Tail: Hunter and Bobbi have no problem identifying the intelligence agent who is monitoring them — the only clean-cut guy dressed in a business suit in the bar — but given that he makes absolutely no attempt at disguising himself and is pretty blatantly observing them, it's likely that his presence is more a reminder to them that they are out of the game and will be watched.
- It Has Been an Honor: Since they can't be seen openly associating with Bobbi and Hunter anymore, every single member of Team Coulson anonymously buys the two disavowed agents a drink and silently toasts them before they go their separate ways.
- Karma Houdini: Apart from losing some contacts in Russia and needing to come up with a plan B, Malick goes unpunished for his part in the attempted assassination of the Russian PM.
- Mugged for Disguise: Bobbi attacks a Russian soldier and swipes his uniform.
- Mythology Gag: The Inhuman of the Week is named General Androvich. On Earth-616, Simas Androvich is the name of a Russian mutant called Iron Curtain, though this Androvich doesn't have the same powers.
- No Ontological Inertia: Androvich's Dark Force clone dissolves moments after Bobbi kills Androvich.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: For Marvel's Most Wanted, starring Bobbi and Hunter as independents.
- Put on a Bus: The fates of Bobbi and Hunter, even after preventing a Russian coup.
- Realpolitik: Although Bobbi and Hunter saved the Prime Minister's life, he has to prosecute them because he can't allow American agents to operate on Russian soil, not to mention that no one can prove anyone was actually trying to assassinate him (he believes it, but others in his government won't). President Ellis keeps them from getting put in front of a firing squad, but still can't admit S.H.I.E.L.D. is back, since it could start another war. Coulson is actually willing to get them out despite the political cost, but Bobbi and Hunter insist he disavow them instead.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: May gives one to Hunter since he tends to make his friends and family a greater priority than S.H.I.E.L.D missions or "the greater good". Hunter turns this around on her by telling her that he pities her for having such a philosophy.
- Rule of Three: When trying to think of a time they went on vacation, Bobbi brings up three places. Hunter responds, in order, that they were on a mission, her mother's place doesn't count, and the last one wasn't him.
- Running Gag: Hunter repeatedly talks about mushrooms while being interrogated, in order to avoid giving up information.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Coulson is prepared to get Bobbi and Hunter out, regardless of the consequences to US and Russian relations, but Bobbi and Hunter refuse to let him do it.
- Shout-Out: Hunter tells the Russian officials his name is "Amadeus Ravenclaw Hunter".
- The Smurfette Principle: Bobbi impersonates a Russian soldier after taking his uniform, though she stands out as she appears to be the only female soldier in the group. Also, she's not wearing a tie.
- The Stinger: Malick is skeet shooting while his daughter talks to him about Russia.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Bobbi and Hunter save the Russian Prime Minister's life and he tries to scapegoat them for the deaths of three officials. While he does eventually let them go, he has to be pressured into it by Coulson and clearly would rather have not.
- Wham Episode: Bobbi and Hunter have to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. for political reasons and are now considered burned agents, which means they can never come back, nor can any member of Team Coulson even contact them.
