Agents of SHIELD Season 4

[Iroscato]

Episode 1: "The Ghost AKA Yay, Ghost Rider's actually being handled somewhat competently!"

Happy to see the show back on and as entertaining as ever. I also approve of the slightly later timeslot allowing for a little more leeway with darker themes, befitting of the character of Ghost Rider, who it seems the season will heavily involve (hopefully with the aim of springboarding his own show). Last season was pushing the envelope pretty far with the head-crushing and Hive-melting, so hopefully they can now get away with a bit more.

Appreciate the MCU references being light on the ground - AoS went from being the poorer, uncool kid in the group desperately trying to prove itself with references, to realising it can pretty much just go its own way and do its own thing

Really liked the music in this episode, particularly the motif that plays as May watches The Bus land in the hangar - I hope there's an extended version of that to be released at some point.

I still really want to marry May/Ming Na Wen - she might be 30 years my senior but she remains one of my biggest fictional crushes

The CGI for GR was on-par with last season's Hive, and was another impressive visual feat for the show.


What did everyone else make of it?

[Crazedwraith]

It's back already? I assume we're not getting it in the UK officially for quite some time?

[Iroscato]

It's back already? I assume we're not getting it in the UK officially for quite some time?

Most likely not, but I don't er...wait for the UK broadcast *whistles innocently*

[Meest]

I thought the rush to show time has passed was too lazy. Don't get why they have to get that over with right away instead of letting it naturally play out. Ghost Rider was done well, only part I disliked was the intro of his car. The RPG flipping the car into the air with a 3D slo mo moment was really cheesy. Mysterious Director could be good depending on how who the reveal is and if it relates to the MCU. Hope Quake wearing all black and black eye makeup ends pretty soon, seems really forced. Life model decoy tease is another good plot line that can affect the movies. Overall not bad just the standard network cheese with time jumps.

[Crazedwraith]

I thought the rush to show time has passed was too lazy. Don't get why they have to get that over with right away instead of letting it naturally play out. Ghost Rider was done well, only part I disliked was the intro of his car. The RPG flipping the car into the air with a 3D slo mo moment was really cheesy. Mysterious Director could be good depending on how who the reveal is and if it relates to the MCU. Hope Quake wearing all black and black eye makeup ends pretty soon, seems really forced. Life model decoy tease is another good plot line that can affect the movies. Overall not bad just the standard network cheese with time jumps.

Nothing in AoS is ever going to to affect the greater MCU. Ever.

[Tsyroc]

Supposedly the GR car flip was directly from the comics. At least that's what I've read online.

I was more impressed when the car was on the ground with flaming tires. I always liked that look on the Dan Ketch GR's motorcycle instead of the whole flaming cycle that Johnny Blaze's GR used. GR himself looked pretty good. I thought they were going to lame their way out of fully showing him. I liked that stuff he picked up to use as weapons caught on fire, that looked like real fire. Hopefully we'll see a lot of GR in the future. I'd bee a little ticked if what little we saw in this episode was the hook to string us along without much else to see along the way.

[Gaidin]

My favorite part wasn't actually the graphics but the sheer handling of GR. The way he stares down Daisy and pretty much gives her a "Nah, you're good" pass and walks away and makes her get out of the situation she's in herself.

[Iroscato]

My favorite part wasn't actually the graphics but the sheer handling of GR. The way he stares down Daisy and pretty much gives her a "Nah, you're good" pass and walks away and makes her get out of the situation she's in herself.

Surprisingly emotive for a flaming skeleton, wasn't it? Looked to me like he did almost a little recoil, perhaps after doing some soul-poking.

[Tsyroc]

My favorite part wasn't actually the graphics but the sheer handling of GR. The way he stares down Daisy and pretty much gives her a "Nah, you're good" pass and walks away and makes her get out of the situation she's in herself.

That was good.

Anyone know anything about the powers of this version of GR? It seemed like one of the guys who originally got away from him died of a wound in the hospital. From what the guy was saying it seemed like he thought that he was dying because of GR, but maybe he meant that other ghost.

[Tsyroc]

So, apparently the new director is supposed to be Jeffery Mace .Spoiler

In the show he's a powered inhuman.

In the 616 universe Jeffery Mace was the third Captain America. The first being Steve Rogers, the second being William Naslund (aka The Spirit of '76) and then the third being Jeffery Mace (who was part of the Liberty Legion as The Patriot). Neither Nasland or Mace had any super powers at all. Naslund was killed, while serving as Captain America, by a robot. Mace took over and retired in 1949.

So, considering what they've shown of the character in the series so far I am looking forward to hearing/seeing his back story because at least some of it has to be different than the comic version unless the name is only a coincidence or he's a descendant of a version of Jeffery Mace who served in WWII as a regular combatant since the MCU only appears to have had Cap and the Red Skull during WWII and no other "costumed" or enhanced individuals.

[Crazedwraith]

It's back already? I assume we're not getting it in the UK officially for quite some time?

Most likely not, but I don't er...wait for the UK broadcast *whistles innocently*

Starting here this sunday on E4.

I'm going to assume from the lack of conversation nothing too spectacular has happened in this season so far?

[The Romulan Republic]

I've missed a lot of this season, but as of the last episode I saw, it seems that Spoiler

May has been replaced by an LMD

.

Oh, and the Watchdogs are still around as villains.

[Crazedwraith]

Three episode in here and it is alright. Not thrilled about the changes to the status quo but in theory it is good to keep changing things up each season.

Hopefully Mace doesn't have a sinister agends.

They are also highlighting that the accords are a really shit deal for inhumans. consiidering it tracks them to the point they can ambush Yoyo at a random party.

Also so little FitzSimmons interaction. I thought they were a) together and b) quit shield at the end of last season?

[Parallax]

This season seems to be much better in terms of writing and general plot development. You look back at the pretty weak season 1 and compare them, you can really see the refinement in terms of production.

[Majin Gojira]

I think part of the improvement is that in addition to the overall "Darkhold" plot, it's apparently juggling 3 major arcs for this season. First Ghost Rider, then LMD, and after that something else. It tightens everything up, so that even the "Monsters of the week" become part of the mythos.

[The Romulan Republic]

The series to some extent did that from the start though (they'd have one villain/arc for the first half of the season, another for the second half, basically).

This is the same approach Whedon used on (the first four seasons of) Buffy as well- half-season arcs.

Three is stepping it up though.

[PREDATOR490]

I find Agents of Shield extremely lacking simply because it just does not mesh with the universe it is trying to be in.
Almost every season seems to be the series trying to work itself around the greater MU while the greater MU will never pay attention in return. It feels like all AoS does is dance around the elephant of having things get serious but not so serious that it would reasonably impact the greater MU. Including the on-going silliness of 4 years later and Coulson is still pretending to be dead and trying to hide being alive from the Avengers because... ?

The introduction of Ghostrider - I liked the attempt at trying to do Ghostrider justice justice but that does not absolve the fact it is pretty weak.
It felt like the show could not figure out how to handle Ghostrider's supernatural backstory or his abilities so they minimise him badly. Some versions of GR have the ability and power to rival an Avenger and AoS would only look even more stupid if they are trying to be 'low profile' with someone like that. Even with this minimised approach, GR appears to be a calibre above what AoS is trying to handle when he smashes his way out of their super containment cell. Not a fan of how GR basically vanishes and everyone seems to shrug and move on.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I'm enjoying it so far, the last ep was pretty cool: Spoiler

Having Ghost Rider take on James was cool, as Coulson said literally fighting fire with fire. And him lampshading the fact that there were two fire guys fighting in a fireworks factory

I'm hoping they explore GR's origin more, it'll be interesting to see how he fits into the larger MCU.

[Crazedwraith]

I had actually been reminded of him the first couple of times Reyes picked something up and set it on fire.

[FaxModem1]

This week on Battlestar Galactica. Who of our main characters is a Cylon?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

The Senator ordering the director to arrest GR for murder- GR answers to a higher power than the US 'justice' system. The director's attempt to paint him as a terrorist is equally hilarious- if GR had actually hijacked the plane and made demands like the director claimed he might have had a point. GR only attacked in self-defence.

Of course, the drop pod would never hang from the underside of the plane without seriously fucking up the aerodynamics- the resulting drag would have a noticeable effect on the plane's flight. The container would have to be seriously well-attached, otherwise it would have been torn from its mountings the instant it entered the airstream.

[The Romulan Republic]

Um... Ghost Rider may answer to a powerful supernatural entity, but... so what?

Loki was a self-styled "god", but the Security Council was still prepared to nuke his ass. Unless they've discovered capital G omnipotent God now, these are just powerful entities, and not necessarily more powerful than what human ingenuity can match. Our laws are under no obligation to bow to their whims.

All the more since the US has separation of Church and State and Freedom of Religion. If the government gave an exemption to certain deities, that would be UnConstitutional.

The best such beings can hope for is diplomatic immunity.

Edit: Which, frankly, I don't think makes one immune to consequence for murder.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Unlike Loki, it's implied that Robbie Reyes isn't fully under his own control when he does transform. When he was trapped in the containment cell, he said that the "Other Guy" wants out and quickly broke down the door. In this respect Reyes more like the Hulk than Loki, and Bruce Banner is not exactly accountable for any deaths that come about when he Hulks out.

Since there's no prison that can hold either of them, you're SOL on that front- if anything Reyes would make a better prison guard than inmate, seeing as when he went full-on GR the prisoners couldn't return to their cells fast enough!

Besides, the nuke wasn't for Loki but for the Chitauri army that was coming through the portal- were it not for Iron Man making the sacrifice play it would have been a serious case of "Nice job breaking it, hero". As for Loki himself, he was a puny god .

[Tsyroc]

This week on Battlestar Galactica. Who of our main characters is a Cylon?

To be fair, the storyline of the LMDs (Deltites) trying to replace everyone in SHIELD is a fairly old story.

Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D (1988).

[Crazedwraith]

Just hit episode 8 here in the UK. Was that the 'mid season finale'?

The incipient big bad was taken out. Ghost Rider's gone. Daisy is official back. Mac and Yoyo smooch it up. (sweet but this means something bad is happening to one of them)