REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire"
Here’s another thing I didn’t think I was going to say: this episode actually made me more optimistic about the season. What’s more shocking is that it comes from an episode called “Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire.” Quirky titles never led to the best hours for this show, but now I’m wondering if that was only because of Ward or Lincoln. Either way, these are good developments for season four.
For starters, nearly every single plotline has finally been explained or finished. Daisy is back with SHIELD. Ghost Rider is with SHIELD. We learned what happened with the ghosts through things other than the pronoun game. We learned how the Watchdogs got their SHIELD info. Even better, Simmons learned about AIDA, and she wasn’t even that mad about it! That last one alone puts the episode up half a letter grade for me.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, that’s nowhere near the end of a season, or the half a season that SHIELD prefers. Daisy and Robbie are angsty loners enough for six more episodes, Simmons still has to keep the AIDA secret now, and the ghosts and Watchdogs are still going to be things. I’m only thankful some semblance of development from keeping this the same story for too long.
However, I will say this was surprisingly less engaging than last week, barring any fights between Hellfire and Ghost Rider. Granted, no conflict means no tension, and there’s absolutely no conflict in a scene when Daisy and Simmons reunite. To be fair, though, these scenes are fun, and things like that are needed when you’re getting towards death and ghosts being part of the main story. Then again, in a cast of six, it shouldn’t be that remarkable to see two of them in a scene together.
Going to the actual plot, I am now curious about Eli. At first, it seemed obvious with the guy being in jail for an experiment that turned half a dozen people into ghosts, not to mention his history as serial killer. However, it looks like he’s getting the SHIELD treatment of being portrayed as a man implicated in the crimes of others. If this continues down the SHIELD treatment, I could still end up being right about his eventual turn as the villain, but there are doing their part in not really implicating him at all for now. There’s still time.
After all, we still have to deal with the Watchdogs and the ghosts issues, which are immediately far less interesting plots than previous seasons. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt for Ghost Rider since this is the third episode with his effects and they still look impressive. For everything else, the ghosts are way too vague for me to care, and the Watchdogs are way too one-sided for me to care. Give me a reason for me to be interesting in the lives of stupid scientists tampering with the dark arts or prejudiced killers otherwise I’m just going “oh.”
As it is, I know those things will have to continue because that’s the only thing that is really providing an enemy for these guys. I should be happy that it’s not another wacko looking to take over the world, but it does desensitize me to these guys I’m afraid. Plus, now that they’ve seem to overcome that ghost touch thing with May, they’ve even taken away the one threat they’ve had. Sure the Watchdogs can shoot and kill Inhumans (and they have), but after Hydra, what’s the issue?
Let me reiterate though: I DID like the episode. My issues with the season can be different from a single hour. I like Daisy and Simmons scenes. I like that they are finally giving some answers. I even liked the race scene between Lola and the Dodge Charger and will admit I did not see the crash at the end coming. Sometimes, all I need are some feel-good moments to get me through a night.
After four episodes, I’m still ironically preferring episode three, but this one wins are pure enjoyment and answers. The reason I say that is because I know that we are probably going to go through a dry spot of both of them within the next weeks as there are still six episodes left until the midseason finale. And I can’t even begin to wonder what the plot would do then.
