REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Lockup"
I’ll give this episode credit since things are finally moving forward. I love it when that happens since the show attempts to tie everything together. And an episode about a jailbreak is always a good time for me. And we might finally be getting a villain or, in this case, half a dozen villains. Huh, I guess I liked this episode after all.
However, for an episode called “Lockup,” it feels more like the second half to the things that happened in last week’s episode. Think about it. We just met Eli Morrow in the previous episode, and he escapes in this one. Simmons just learned about everyone’s secrets and confronts the Director. Daisy and Robbie joined the team for a mission here. Since the next episode appears to be a flashback, this adventure could have been a two-parter.
But that’s a good thing, since they’re two-parters tend to make up the best stories, and this one is…very close. We get another Ghost Rider sighting, which is still exciting to watch. I also still enjoy plots that do involve everyone in some way, shape, or form since it also makes the show a lot simpler. While the prison brawl may not be as bloody or intense as the Punisher one from Daredevil, there’s still enough old-fashioned prime-time television-showing fighting to qualify as action. I will say, though, that it does surprise me every time you can get away with stabbing on a show like this.
That being said, I’m also surprised at how quickly this show can move from having no villain to having too many. In season four, however, I’m allowed to be a little skeptical about literally all of them. Out in the open, the Director can’t really be a villain since his connection to the senator is a twist enough for now. The ghosts and the Watchdogs are too obvious, like Hydra obvious. The senator has some obvious issues here, but her intentions are still unclear, and Eli is sure to go crazy from the Darkhold.
From all of this, I would be excited to see Eli go crazy just to be proven right on my theory, but we would still have a lot of narrative nonsense until that’s finished in episode ten. On the other hand, I’m personally satisfied seeing something sketchy happen with the Director. I don’t care if he’s also the third man to become Captain America. He doesn’t get a name until episode two means he can’t be trusted. Also, it means he is probably meant to die.
Another thing that is meant to happen is Daisy returning to the team which I’m surprised is still an issue this far in the season. I should warn that just one episode more, and her motives will just become stupid. That’s not to say they still won’t be valid, but angsty can very quickly turn into whining and that’s something that we were glad to have gotten rid of in season one.
Fortunately, we might be spared that since next week’s episode is a Ghost Rider backstory. While that could be another chance to fill in the gaps we desperately need to be filled, I can’t help but feel that it could add another villain in whatever gave Robbie his powers. Maybe it could be Mephisto, and now would be just the right time to predict the second half villain. Or, more likely, I am setting myself up for disappointment in the preview episode before Doctor Strange.
Back to this episode, I consider it on par with the previous episode which has been a decent run with the last few episodes. At this point, all I need now is a proper plot for May and Mack since they’re SHOULD be room for them at this point. I guess I can be still satisfied with Ghost Rider be treated well in this story. Also, that they aren’t being completely stupid with regards to a FitzSimmons story, though that AIDA story is going to blow eventually.
But that’s still all my opinion. I have found that my opinion on the episode can change vastly over the days leading up to the new one. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe I’m just to absorbing of other people’s hate. I’m just living in this moment.
