The two-hour Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale contains plenty of shock and awe (and a little “Aw!”) Here are a few hints at what to expect!

Trigger warning

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. always features plenty of comic-book violence, but “S.O.S.” takes matters a few, very grim steps into reality. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale features several extended scenes of torture – and the episode spares no detail on the excruciating evil unfolding before us.

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That’s not to say that what we see is gratuitous – far from it, actually. The torture culminates in several high-octane scenes which provide high-points of nail-biting tension in the two-hour finale. And painful as it is, the violence provides some much-needed emotional traction for all the characters involved. (And a few who aren’t.)

But fair warning, it’s not easy to watch. So if scenes of torture and pain are sensitive topics for you, we definitely recommend watching “S.O.S.” with a friend.

Multiple transformations

Several characters undergo significant changes over the course of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale. One such transformation will come as no surprise to fans (especially those familiar with the comics) and it’s pretty much everything we hoped it would be.

Related: ABC renews Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter!

Meanwhile, another character’s change turns out to be the culmination of a subtle and sinister arc that proves to be as surprising as it was inevitable. In fact, we’re kind of kicking ourselves that we didn’t see that coming.

Raina makes a decision

Unsurprisingly, everybody’s favorite dubiously-moral spiky psychic (spychic?) makes another Cassandra-esque prophesy in “S.O.S.” What is shocking are the consequences of Raina’s words, which reach seriously “WTF”-esque levels once the true implications sink in.

An answer to an old mystery

Among its major shocks and revelations, season 1 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. offered up one bizarrely minute mystery – the type of thing that made you sit back after a few hours and go, “Am I seriously arguing about this?” Nevertheless, the small plot point became the crux of serious debate among various factions of the fandom, and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale offers up the answer.

Now, this probably won’t stop the debates. But it does add an important bit of ammunition to someone’s storehouse.

…or else, it subtracts ammunition. Depending on how you decide to look at it.

You will be very glad that this is a 2-hour deal

Two-hour episode blocks are nothing new for television in general, but the double airing of “S.O.S. (Part 1)” and “S.O.S (Part 2)” will be the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has gone down this road. And while we can’t divulge the details, the final line of the first installment (“Now, we begin,”) is guarenteed to make fans really, really happy that there will be no waiting for next week.

People say the following things:

– “He should be dead.”

– “That’s your apology?”

– “I thought you were on our side!”

– “You and I will never speak to each other again.”

The two-hour Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 finale, “S.O.S.,” begins at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 on ABC.

What madness do you think will go down on the ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ season 2 finale?