REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The Ghost"
And we’re back! I don’t care about the quality or decency of the show I watch when I say I do like saying “and we’re back.” The fact that this is happening for a third time for season four feels almost surreal, so I guess it’s appropriate that the show has now introduced the supernatural in its canon. Adding magic in a science fiction show is always risky in upending the continuity and throwing all sense into the wind. The proper response in this show is…well, what the hell do they have to lose?
The plot centers around the six month cut from the finale with most of the team split apart after the fallout. Daisy’s on the run, Coulson and Mack search for her, FitzSimmons work the lab despite Simmons getting a promotion, and May trains the latest batch of not-so-hopefuls. When a gruesome attack appears to frame Daisy, the new director of SHIELD is out to find her while Daisy tracks down the real source of the killing: Ghost Rider. As expected, both escape SHIELD’s grasp, but an unleashed spirit may be set to raise hell on the team.
Right away, I have to mention the fact that the show airs one hour later now, no longer pretending to be for the general audience. While the show will never go to the car-door-head-bashing and superhero sex filming of the Netflix shows, this episode did go noticeably darker with naked women and blood-splattering deaths. It almost makes me wonder what could happen if the show went that far. Granted, a show can survive without the occasional side-boob, but a scene between Ghost Rider and Quake in a junkyard could be more promising than it already sounds (and compared to the rest of the series, it already sounded big).
That being said, Ghost Rider was a surprising success in this premiere. Though not the Johnny Blaze-iteration most known, Robbie Reyes still features all the flaming, bloody, testosterone-filled actions most known to the character. A show that can keep up the effects of what could only be done in movies ten years ago is a surprising fact, especially when it comes to making a flaming skull look intimidating. In addition, there’s still plenty to develop with the concept that he may, in fact, be possessed by something mystical. Heaven forbid something promoted on the show last more than one episode. Plus, regardless of the fact that little is divulged about the character, it’s pretty difficult to not think that car flip as awesome.
I think one of the things that benefits the Ghost Rider plot is actually the fact that it’s given time to work within the smaller cast. Literally all of the main cast members have their own storylines that mostly affect themselves. Granted, one of them is the awful keeping-secrets plotline for FitzSimmons which was a cliché before this show began and will still be one long after it’s done, but it’s balanced by Simmons being an actual boss. That’s a decent trade-off. And I didn’t think of Ward or Lincoln once. That’s a blessing.
However, there is the fact that the plots are tepid at best. Since the threats include Ghost Rider (whom we know is not a villain), an unseen director, an A.I., and an actual ghost, it doesn’t feel urgent to see what happens next. Perhaps this will change, but waiting for things to pick up has never been the show’s strong suit. It’s a shame since I am curious as to how they plan to incorporate a spirit as the potential bad guy. I say potential because by episode seventeen there will surely be another bad guy to take its place.
For what it’s worth, it’s actually surprising that the show is willing to go so far as introduce ghosts as an obstacle. Sure, they seem to still deal with super-powered beings and creepy LMDs which are sci-fi staples, but the ghost thing is touched upon slightly enough to be taken seriously. Eventually down the line, I will begin to question the lack of logic that comes from adding magic to the universe, but if the MCU is prepared to that with Doctor Strange, it should be easier for SHIELD.
For now, it’s nice to see a projected path for the characters in the season premiere. It at least gives me a decent way to prepare for the next nine months. Daisy will continue to look into the Ghost Rider problem, Coulson and Mack will deal with the new director in their efforts to find Daisy, May will have to deal with the spirit doing…something, and Simmons will find out about AIDA from Fitz out in the open like every show deals with secrets. And Yo-Yo will die. Being that prominent in the show without being a main character or part of the cast doesn’t bode well. Just ask Trip.
Is it the best opening? Nowhere near it, I’m afraid. However, the prospects are a lot more optimistic than the last season. There are fewer characters I despise, more time for more decent storylines, and promoted characters that will actually appear in more than one episode with decent special effects. It doesn’t look like the season’s starting off with a bang, but hopefully there are still a few sparks left for some episodes.
