Countdown To Boredom: ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" Ends Inhumans Season 1.

The Good: The scene with Maximus and Medusa is decent
The Bad: Most of the performances, Very basic plot, Almost no genuine character development, Mediocre special effects, Derivative theme
The Basics: Inhumans ends its first season with ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt," with is a pretty lackluster ending for the show.


Season finales for any show is a big deal, but in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, season finales are especially high stakes. For shows like Inhumans, it all comes down to the season finale to see if the viewer was justified in giving the eight-episode season any attention at all. ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" ends the first season of Inhumans and it is hard to believe that it would be enough to win the show a second season.

". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" follows on the events of "Havoc In The Hidden Land" (reviewed here!) and, as one might expect from that episode, the season finale brings a direct conflict between Maximus and Black Bolt. Maximus has built a failsafe into Attilan and Gorgon as been resurrected as, essentially, a zombie, so the stakes in ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" start high.

Opening on Attilan, Maximus informs Black Bolt and his team exactly what kind of failsafe he has built into Attilan. Maximus will destroy Attilan if his handprint is not scanned into a specific scanner. Black Bolt prepares a last resort; evacuate Attilan in case Maximus cannot get to the scanner. Medusa teleports to Earth to appeal to Louise, while the resurrected Gorgon attacks Dr. Declan. When Gorgon is captured, he is put into the room designed to contain Black Bolt, where Karnak is already imprisoned. The two break out as Crystal appeals to Eldrac for aid in getting the Inhumans off the moon.

On Earth, Medusa requests help from Louise and her employer for a place that might be able to accept 1400 refugees from Attilan. Before returning to the moon, Medusa entrusts Louise with the terrigen crystals from Attilan. While Karnak, Gorgon and Triton work to save Attilan, Black Bolt arrives to discover Gorgon alive. Using Auran as an intermediary, Medusa meets with Maximus as the countdown ticks toward the destruction of Attilan.

The acting in ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" is fairly stiff. Isabelle Cornish is especially stiff as Crystal; learning that Attilan is in jeopardy, Crystal is strangely nonchalant when Medusa asks for her help. Similarly, when Crystal implores Eldrac for help, there is a distinct lack of urgency in Cornish's performance.

Even in ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt," Maximus has moments where he makes some sense. He makes an appeal to Triton that Black Bolt is his enemy by pointing out that Black Bolt keeps the water-based Inhuman on the moon. Maximus is motivated further in the finale by the idea that his brother had previously promised him the throne. In fact, the idea that Maximus has learned Black Bolt's sign language illustrates that Maximus has long been more interested in his brother than the other way around. Arguably the most clever aspect of ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" is the idea that Maximus lacks the technical knowledge to effectively jeopardize and later save Attilan.

The resurrection of Gorgon is treated very erratically. During some moments, Gorgon appears cognizant and sane, while others he appears just a mindless, violent, thug. The contradictions in his character seems more plot-convenient than at all organic.

Inhumans began with potential for complexity and Shakespearean-level drama, but it quickly fell from that. ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" lacks any of that complexity or character-subtlety. Instead, ". . . And Finally: Black Bolt" bludgeons its way toward a conclusion for Inhumans that does not invite the viewer to get excited about any future appearances by any of the characters.

For other Marvel Cinematic Universe finale episodes, please check out my reviews of:
"The Defenders" - The Defenders
"World's End"- Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Hollywood Ending" - Agent Carter

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Marvel's Inhumans - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the premiere season of Inhumans here!
Thanks!]

1/10

For other television reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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All The Elements Of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Come Together For The "World's End!"

The Good: Performances, Moments of character
The Bad: Obvious seeding, Telegraphed resolutions, Incredibly problematic ending, Surprisingly light on big character moments for everyone but Mack
The Basics: "World's End" resolves the Framework, Ophelia, and Ghost Rider to finish off the fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a way that places a huge burden on Season 5!


The fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is reaching its climax with "World's End." "World's End" seeks to bring the fourth season together by returning Ghost Rider to the narrative and for those who were not particularly invested in his arc at the season's outset, there is something instantly unnecessary about his return. And in "World's End" his return is far less important than the return of the Dark Hold.

"World's End" picks up right after "The Return" (reviewed here!), which climaxed with Ophelia going crazy and murdering one of the Russian's LMDs and Ghost Rider returning to our world. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have returned to the real world, where they are deeply shaken and now are facing Ophelia, who appears to be invincible with the variety of Inhuman powers she absorbed within the Framework. "World's End" is set up with a massive conflict built-in and it bounces between the real world and the Framework to build the season's resolution.

Robbie Reyes, returned from another realm, takes his car out of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters while Simmons tries to learn from Fitz just how Ophelia was created. Coulson and Daisy try to find a way to rescue Yo-Yo and Mack from the Framework, while inside the Framework, Rodriguez and Radcliffe find that the Framework is collapsing. When Robbie Reyes comes for the Dark Hold, he is able to damage Ophelia's LMDs and wound Ophelia. Unleashing Ghost Rider only provides Ophelia with a chance to escape with the book.

While Coulson and his team try to avoid Ophelia's rampage, Talbot requests Coulson's aid in defusing an anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. Conference. At that meeting, Daisy appears to kill Talbot, though Coulson quickly determines that the would-be assassin is one of the Daisy LMDs Ophelia recovered from S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. Recovering the Dark Hold, Coulson devises a plan to lure Ophelia out of hiding. As the Framework world begins to collapse, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Ghost Rider must unlock the Dark Hold's secrets to save the world from Ophelia's wrath.

In "World's End," Ophelia makes the transition from uncertain and shocked to full-on over-the-top comic book-style villain. Coulson referring to Ophelia as "AIDA" seems strange given how distinctive Ophelia has become. "World's End" quickly establishes the essential premise of the season finale; only Ghost Rider has the ability to defeat Ophelia given that the Rider and Ophelia are both made out of the the same Dark Hold-based materials.

Inside the Framework, "World's End" also quickly establishes its premise by seeding the one way that Yo-Yo can rescue Mack. If Henry Simmons is going to remain on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. past "World's End," the solution to Mack wanting to stay in the Framework seems obvious. People and things are disappearing from the Framework; when Hope disappears, it seemed pretty obvious that Mack would be open to hearing Rodriguez's approach in a way he wasn't able to before.

"World's End" has a lot of threads to try to tie together and the return of Ghost Rider offers the only real chance for resolving the dangling plotlines. Ophelia's initially-mad campaign in the real world is to discredit S.H.I.E.L.D. by using LMDs to frame Daisy to explode the anti-Inhuman sentiment brewing on Earth. Ophelia's plan is over-the-top and appropriately villainous, but given that she has Inhuman powers, it seems ultimately self-defeating.

Similarly strange about "World's End" is that the big advantage displayed by Ophelia goes unchallenged. Fitz had a way to neutralize Gordon's teleporting powers at the end of the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Why Fitz does not set up the teleporting dampeners on the Zephyr seems like a huge continuity fault in "World's End."

On the character front, Coulson and May struggle with actually being honest about their feelings while under siege from Ophelia. Ophelia chooses to experience vengeance alone and that puts her into a murderous rage whereby she attempts to torture Fitz. And Fitz, poor Fitz, spends "World's End" suffering.

Unfortunately, "World's End" plays its "kill everyone (but not really)" card way too early on. Talbot is shot in the head by the LMD Daisy. . . but miraculously survives. So, when Ophelia brutally attacks Simmons, the eventual reveal is not nearly as surprising or audacious. "World's End" does feature one big surprise from Coulson . . . but that ultimately seems to be a function of plot convenience and seeding a future conflict for Coulson.

The performances in "World's End" are dominated by Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Mallory Jansen, and Iain De Caestecker. Those four lead the emotional core of "World's End" through incredibly dramatic performances.

"World's End" is very much a final chapter for the fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the recurring sentiment in the episode is "S.H.I.E.L.D. is being framed for everything bad on Earth, this might be the end of S.H.I.E.L.D." The episode lays the seeds for the next season, but in a somewhat nonsensical way. Proving Talbot was shot by an LMD is a pretty easy thing to do and even that is not entirely necessary; Talbot was in a secret meeting when he was shot. How could anti-Inhuman sentiment truly be inflamed by anything that happens within a top secret government meeting?! And do the producers of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. honestly believe that the population at large is so unprincipled and stupid that a single attack like that would make everyone suddenly sympathize with the racist Watchdogs?!

"World's End" does tie things up nicely, though in an overwhelmingly disappointing way. Because the plot is telegraphed with early seeding, there are few surprises outside the most absurd of reversals. The show misses a tremendous opportunity to tie-in with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe in its climax (it's not like Benedict Cumberbatch does not "do" television!) and it sets up a fifth season that starts at an inherently preposterous place. After all, either Coulson and his team pulled off the best-ever use of LMDs to the most moronic secret organization ever or Stark Industries developed a radical new gulag that went utterly undetected by S.H.I.E.L.D. and (let's face it because it would have taken years to make) HYDRA. And the eyeball . . . WAY over the top!

The result is something of a ho-hum finale that does what it promises, but feels very much like it is getting there without finesse and it falls apart under increased scrutiny.

For other Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season finales, please visit my reviews of:
"Beginning Of The End"
"S.O.S. Part 2"
"Ascension"

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the fourth season here!
Thanks!]

5.5/10

For other television or movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for a comprehensive listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Takes On "All The Madame's Men" As The Stakes Rise!

The Good: Direction, Performances, Moments of character
The Bad: Plot spreads the characters a bit thin.
The Basics: "All The Madame's Men" brings back more Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters and allusions, which twist on Madame Hydra's plan finally being revealed!


Reversals are tough to pull off these days in spy thrillers. That might seem counter-intuitive because spy thrillers tend to generate excitement and intrigue based upon the reversals in them, but the truth is that "the big twist" has become pretty passe. Viewers are more savvy than they used to be and there is so much more material in the genre now that fans of the spy thriller tend to be on the lookout for clues that might make a surprise reversal or be so familiar with the plots of spy thrillers as to see the reversals as an unfortunate end to a very predictable formula. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is, unfortunately, no different and part of the problem with some of its reversals is that they sometimes come out of left field; those looking for clues to the eventual reversal find not only red herrings pointing away from a character who executes a abrupt shift, but strong characterization contrary to the idea that they might so switch sides. "All The Madame's Men" begins burdened by one such reversal.

"All The Madame's Men" begins right after "No Regrets" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without some references as to where the prior episode concluded. After all, "No Regrets" saw the death of a "main" character (though, heroic end aside, the death lacked real impact given how little was known of the character and how little he as in the series) and climaxed with HYDRA's version of Agent May within the Framework switching sides. Having used a terrigen crystal on Daisy, May has committed to helping the upstart Rebellion within the Framework . . . whether or not such a reversal is at all realistic for the character May has become inside the virtual world.

Sunil Bakshi is giving a news report announcing to the world the death of the Patriot when May returns to where she left Daisy cocooned in terrigenesis. Attempting to escape the Triskelion, the pair run into Madame Hydra. Daisy is able to use her powers and she throws Ophelia out a window, which knocks Aida out of the Framework. There, the Watchdog Aida reconstructed discovers that he cannot kill May without Aida's permission. Back in the Framework, Mack, Triplett and Ward try to figure out what to do next, while Simmons and Coulson try to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. together in the power vacuum left by Mace's death. At the Triskelion, while Madame Hydra lays unconscious, Fitz's father convinces Fitz to take charge of HYDRA!

Fitz's first action is to use Bakshi's television show to stir up fear of Inhumans and set the citizenry against Daisy and May. At Resistance Headquarters, Coulson and Ward talk about their histories with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Simmons comes to understand the nature of Madame Hydra's Project Looking Glass. Madame Hydra is building the mysterious boxes that were illustrated in the Dark Hold (and that led to the creation of Ghost Rider and Morrow!). When Simmons and Triplett go in search of the site Simmons believes houses Looking Glass, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents left behind flounder. This allows Coulson to step up as the defacto head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his first act is preventing Mack from killing May! As the Resistance works to expose HYDRA, Fitz completes Project Looking Glass!

Mace's death at the climax of "No Regrets" lacked some impact based on the fact that the character was only recently introduced and he had a conflicted relationship with the familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. characters. Given that his death was not chock full of weight, it seems strange that Aida could not simply revive his body and send him back into the Framework with a new programming . . . "All The Madame's Men" does not take any time to explore that possibility.

Seeing May back in action is delightful, regardless of how she came to that point. Ming-Na Wen leaps back into a more familiar version of Melina May and that is wonderful to see. Wen and Chloe Bennet play off one another incredibly well, as if they had not had any gap in acting opposite one another!

Just as May's return to form allows Ming-Na Wen to shine, "All The Madame's Men" gives Iain De Caestecker the chance to truly flex his performance of Fitz in the Framework. De Caestecker really rocked out his range in the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. when Fitz suffered brain damage. For no clear reason, Fitz's brain damage went away and his character was restored and De Caestecker went back to playing Fitz like he always had (at least, after he rescued Simmons from the distant world). "All The Madame's Men" reminds viewers what a powerhouse he has the potential to be as he plays Fitz not only cold, but truly vicious. Fitz easily slips into using fear and terror as weapons against the people within the Framework and De Caestecker makes the character creepy to watch with his efficient control of his visage!

"All The Madame's Men" finally does what Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has needed an episode to do in that it ties the early episodes of the fourth season to the current dilemma in the Framework. The appearance of the mystery boxes in the Framework makes the first several episodes of the season suddenly vital for something other than simply a plot tool that would lead Aida to be able to develop The Framework beyond what Radcliffe has made.

The thing is, the threat the boxes represent is not made very clear. Like the voluminous allusions to past episodes represented by Ward mentioning Victoria Hand, Fitz's father and Bakshi resurfacing, viewers who have not been fans of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. before the Framework plot will miss out on the richness of the writing depth.

Director Billy Gierhart does an excellent job of directing "All The Madame's Men." There is one key scene where characters are moving in the same place in both the real and Framework worlds. Gierhart makes the sequence tense and fast, while very clearly conveying what is going on in both places. It's rare that a network television show will have even a single sequence where lighting becomes essential to communicating an important aspect of the plot. Gierhart masterfully inserts an artful sequence that elevates "All The Madame's Men" above a simple pulp spy story, even if only for a few minutes.

Gierhart also manages to get a great performance out of Brett Dalton. Dalton has a chance to play Grant Ward as softer, longing a real connection with Daisy. Dalton makes Ward empathetic to watch in almost every one of his scenes and that is a real accomplishment for Dalton, who played his character so unpleasantly for the last two seasons he was on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Ultimately, "All The Madame's Men" takes a big step forward to resolving the threat of the fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. by giving all of the characters something to do. "All The Madame's Men" reminds viewers of just how good the show could be when it tries to say something important and it does that very well.

For other episodes directed by Billy Gierhart, please visit my reviews of:
"BOOM" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"The Good Samaritan" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"The Ghost" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Absolution" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"AKA Take A Bloody Number" - Jessica Jones
"S.O.S. Part 2" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Aftershocks" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Ye Who Enter Here" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Nothing Personal" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Repairs" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the fourth season here!
Thanks!]

8.5/10

For other elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a comparative list of how all the shows, episodes and movies in the universe stack up against one another!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Supernatural Enters The Marvel Cinematic Universe With "The Ghost!"

The Good: Acting is fine, Some of the character leaps are interesting
The Bad: Plot is derivative and does not suck the viewer in, Shaky special effects, Emotionally unsatisfying character directions.
The Basics: "The Ghost" fractures the Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. yet again to put them up against the first major (possibly supernatural) villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, arguably one of the things that made the comic book-based universe so popular was that it surprisingly grounded in reality. Outside the Thor faction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there has been a pretty strong sense of reality to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in that the works try to justify everything with science and real-world concerns (like profit motive, war, and international boundaries preventing characters from having jurisdiction in territories). When Doctor Strange was announced as a project that would be pursued as a major cinematic work, that fundamental principle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to be altered. Arguably to soften the market up for Doctor Strange, much as it had for other Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced the first major supernatural character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the season four premiere, "The Ghost." The fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. picks up after major shifts in the MCU from the end of the third season (reviewed here!) and "The Ghost" forces some sense of change to Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D..

"The Ghost" is an episode that forces a sense of redefining for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. "The Ghost" picks up after the six month leap that capped off "Ascension" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the the season premiere without some revelations of where the third season ended. After all, "Ascension" saw the end of two main cast members and the show then leapt ahead months in order to set up a sense of consequence and redefine S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ostensibly, the purpose of "The Ghost" is to introduce the supernatural character Ghost Rider to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Putting Ghost Rider in the MCU is an odd choice given that the character was licensed to Sony (at least in the United States) for its two cinematic outings. But more than that, Ghost Rider is a character more frequently associated with the "street level heroes" that Netflix has licensed, like Daredevil and Luke Cage, as opposed to the Inhumans, which have preoccupied the Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the last two seasons. "The Ghost" puts Ghost Rider in play before Doctor Strange, softening the MCU up for the forthcoming surreal adventure. Ghost Rider is also an odd choice for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as neither of the two cinematic renditions of Ghost Rider have been particularly popular or successful; with all of the Marvel Comics character not yet added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, picking one that has not found its base in film is a weird choice. Of course, if Disney were to assert its authority over the property, it makes sense that Ghost Rider would appear on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. as opposed to getting its own feature film, given that the film route has been proven somewhat inviolable.

Opening with members of Aryan Brotherhood out on a hunt, presumably to do violence, Daisy encounters one, who begs her for help. The white supremacist shoot at an oncoming car, whose driver survives a rocket hitting the car and takes ones of the Watchdogs away in his car. Coulson and Mack are recalled to base to investigate the new super-powered individual, with May letting them know that the new Director believes that they are letting Quake, as the media has dubbed Daisy, go free. Daisy visits the surviving racist in the hospital to get information on what it was that attacked the men and he references "the Rider" before he lets himself die. While one of the mobs gets what is supposed to be a weapon of great power - and appears to be a spirit in a box - Daisy comes face to face with The Rider, who is unphased by her powers. The Rider makes a bat light on fire and he squares off with Daisy while Coulson tries to take down the gang in Los Angeles that just released a spirit.

Simmons and Fitz are working on a virtual reality headset when Mack and Coulson come for a visit to get new tech. As Daisy follows the trail of The Rider, who threatens his prison with violence if he won't give up the information he wants. Elena Rodriguez meets Mack and Coulson as "official mission" cover before they head to Los Angeles, while Fitz meets Aida (Radcliffe's android) while visiting the scientist. After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., Rodriquez visits Daisy and she gives the fugitive information and pills to help her regenerate her bones. Daisy encounters a man in Los Angeles who clues her into the idea that the man she is looking for is the Ghost Rider and that he has killed many people in that neighborhood.

"The Ghost" opens at a somewhat awkward storytelling position. While opening six months after Hive and Lincoln appeared to blow up allows some measure of reset, which allows Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to redefine itself. But, having two flash forward scenes - Daisy/Quake eluding Colson and Mac and Dr. Radcliffe building an android body for his AI - puts some burden on "The Ghost" because it forces viewers to accept something that has seldom been true in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; that the casualties from "Ascension" were real. It is hard for fans not to have some doubt that Hive was truly, irrevocably, killed and watch "The Ghost" waiting for Brett Dalton to pop up.

As one might expect, "The Ghost" bears the responsibility of setting up the new season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the initial antagonist does appear to be Ghost Rider with a side of Quake. "The Ghost" has the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that was once Coulson's fractured yet again and with Coulson working in the field, Daisy gone, May teaching the new recruits and Fitz and Simmons working away from all of them. Given that the prior two seasons have had essentially the same set-up, "The Ghost" feels derivative.

"The Ghost" starts off at an odd place in having the adversaries being "Aryan Brotherhood," when director Billy Gierhart has one of them holding a mask that is virtually identical to one work by The Watchdogs last season. Why Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. adds another hate group to the show when there was a very relevant one in the past season - especially in an episode that has what appears to be a supernatural character (so they are not that worried about being grounded in reality) - is something of a mystery at the episode's outset (though it does sell Mack's line about "brothers" amusingly enough).

Because "The Ghost" is so busy laying out a new framework for the season's plot, there is minimal character development in the episode. Jemma Simmons is given the greatest sense of character redefinition from the prior seasons as the medical doctor is put in a position of authority within the new S.H.I.E.L.D., which has her isolated from her prior team in a way that makes her interactions with people like May very tense. Simmons seems to be a character that the writers don't quite know how to make interesting, so this is the third major recharacterization of Simmons since Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. began. The problem with redefining Simmons as a leader in the way that she is in "The Ghost" is that it is such a character leap for the introverted scientist that it feels instantly inorganic. In "The Ghost," viewers are not given the emotional payoff for how and why Simmons would leave working so closely with Fitz behind after years of the two having an incredibly satisfying working relationship. In fact, Simmons pined for Fitz when she was in a hopeless situation stranded on the far side of the universe, so her being willing to leave him to take a more management-style role within S.H.I.E.L.D. requires a lot of explanation to make the leap satisfying or believable.

The only character who has been redefined more from the main characters is Daisy. In "The Ghost," Daisy is rogue who is not truly hunted by Coulson, though he is supposed to recover the fugitive. Like Simmons, Daisy is supposed to have made a believable leap between who she was and who she is now and the viewer is supposed to believe that she went all Goth and rogue because she lost Lincoln Campbell. Daisy searched her whole life for her family, lost them and came back to work the next day; the viewer is supposed to believe that the half-assed romantic relationship that was a c- or d-plot throughout parts of the prior two seasons of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. were enough to set her off.

The c-plot in "The Ghost" features the introduction of Aida, who fans of Marvel Comics will recognize as, essentially, a Life Model Decoy. Aida is the scientific foil to the supernatural Ghost Rider and she is presented as a lithe young woman untouched by special effects. Her introduction is not particularly compelling - her not being seen in the prior season's finale was quite simply the result of the part not yet being cast.

The special effects in "The Ghost" are decidedly mixed. When Ghost Rider is revealed in the final act, the effect is impressive, but the blue-screen shot for Simmons's introduction is painfully obvious. The initial car flip in "The Ghost" is not overly impressive or believable, but it is not terrible.

Ultimately, though, the goal of a season premiere is to make viewers want to tune in to the next week's episode and the season that follows. "The Ghost" is, to be fair, an ambitious premiere, but I kept waiting for the episode to pop, for there to be some hook that made me care. Instead, "The Ghost" contradicts the notions of Lash (that Inhumans ultimately change permanently), seems like a redundant adversary (the Inhuman Hive made last season appears to have essentially the same abilities) and implies a past that seems virtually impossible to retcon. If the Ghost Rider has been active for long enough to have the whole wall in tribute in Los Angeles, he has been doing his thing for a while . . . entirely under the radar of every superhero in the MCU. "The Ghost" asks the viewer to swallow a lot and it never quite makes the viewer want to . . . or want to come back next week.

For other season premieres from Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., be sure to check out my reviews of:
"Pilot"
"Shadows"
"Laws Of Nature"

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the fourth season here!
Thanks!]

4/10

For other reviews of elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of all those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Take On The Hive: "Absolution" Moves Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Good performances, Plot progression, Moments of character
The Bad: Plot-centered, Somewhat predictable.
The Basics: "Absolution" prepares Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. viewers for the promised character death of the season finale.


Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been venturing into pretty dangerous territory for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With episodes like "Spacetime"(reviewed here!), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. set a prescedent for prophecies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and moving toward the season finale, the promise from "Spacetime" was that the vision Daisy saw in that episode would come to pass. "Absolution" is the penultimate episode of the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it is moving toward the season finale and that big on-screen death. The threat this represents in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it pretty much forces the vision from The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (reviewed here!) to come to pass.

That said, "Absolution" picks up after "Emancipation" (reviewed here!) and key elements are in play to set up the finale's death. After all, "Emancipation" put into play the device that will inspire someone to be in outer space as seen in the vision - in the form of the missile that will spead Hive's Inhuman virus under his sway. The cross seen floating in the death scene is brought into play late in "Emancipation" and it put Mack as the frontrunner for the character who would die.

Opening on the distant world where Simmons was trapped, Daisy and Coulson wait in an Inhuman containment pod, waiting to die, before Daisy awakens in one of those pods at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Meanwhile, the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is flying to thwart Hive at a Pacific missile silo. Simmons visits Daisy, managing not to give her too much information on the specific mission. After Talbot gets information from General Andez, Coulson goes to get the kill order for the missile Hive is attempting to fire. Managing to stop the missile, Hive gets angry, as Daisy reveals that Hive believes it is a savior of some sort.

As Coulson pushes Daisy for information on what Hive meant by "absolution," Campbell and Hive square off. The device Mack was building is deployed on Hive to cause all of his prior host's memories to surface. While Hive wigs out in front of Giyera and James, Agent May tries to get the warhead and she runs afoul of the proto-Inhumans that Radcliffe engineered. May rescues Radcliffe, but not before Giyera manages to steal the warhead for Hive. Returning to S.H.I.E.L.D. with Hive imprisoned, Dr. Radcliffe begins to work stop the spread of the Inhuman threat. But, as Giyera and James move on the base, disaster (predictably) strikes.

"Absolution" is plot-heavy as it moves toward the finale, but it has some moments that are pleasantly character-centered. When Hive angrily turns on Dr. Radcliffe and demands that he get the missile back online, Radcliffe's reaction is delightfully exactly what viewers say: what the hell can an experimental biologist who is an expert in parasitic organisms possibly do or know about missile technology?! Radcliffe has to use a book to try to figure out how to bypass the missile's coding.

At the other end, Mack's character is bolstered in "Absolution," making for a character arc that viewers can appreciate (and fans of Joss Whedon's works can absolutely watch with dread). Mack is slowly setting up failsafes to thwart Hive and he is mentally prepared to use the killswitches that Coulson gave him to use to prevent Yo-Yo or Lincoln from coming under Hive's Sway.

Coulson and Daisy have decent interplay in "Absolution" and the performances by Clark Gregg and Chloe Bennet give wonderful performances. Gregg has a pretty significant body of work to illustrate how deep he can act, but Bennet - as a younger actor - is somewhat surprising for how well she can play Daisy going through withdrawal. The anger Bennet portrays is impressive and realistic and it is only lessened by the fact that "Absolution" features no make-up effects to play up the withdrawal from Hive (sweating would have been a nice touch).

As always, Ming-Na Wen gives a great physical performance. The fact that she gets another kick-ass scene sets her up as yet another potential to be killed in the season finale. After all, Joss Whedon wrote "Ascension" and his formula usually features characters who are getting suddenly focused on and growing getting the ax. Of course, the moment Henry Simmons as Mack hugs Bennet, the performance is powerful enough to paint a bullseye on Mack with a thick permanent marker. Of course, pairing Mack and Daisy's scenes with a fun, cute Fitz/Simmons scene that has the two making romantic plans just jerks around the audience.

If Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't hyped the season finale death, the whole "we're safe" interlude packed with character moments sure created a mood where it seemed obvious that someone was going to die. "Absolution" might have some predictable moments, but it is well-executed and it does what a good penultimate episode is supposed to do in a serialized show; set up a knockout for the season finale.

For other big penultimate episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"In The Cards" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"AKA Take A Bloody Number" - Jessica Jones
"Heaven Sent" - Doctor Who

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other movie and television reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Head It Comes To: The Second Season Of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Climaxes Adequately In "S.O.S. Part 2!"

The Good: Pretty awesome special effects, Plot resolution is interesting, Decent-enough performances
The Bad: Light on character development (villains turn especially dull)
The Basics: "S.O.S. Part 2" caps off the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. by resolving the battle situation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Inhumans.


It's a big night for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Following on the heels of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (reviewed here!), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is working hard to soften fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up for The Inhumans (a team that is far more obscure and less popular than The Avengers or The X-Men, so it's like a third or fourth-tier team franchise). To do that, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going big with the two-part season-finale "S.O.S." to cap off its second season. With "S.O.S. Part 2," it gets its wish; enthusiasm for the next season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and establishing the legitimacy of The Inhumans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Picking up immediately after "S.O.S. Part 1" (reviewed here!), "S.O.S. Part 2" cannot be discussed without revealing where "Part 1" ended. With the big scene between Coulson and Calvin Zabo capping off "Part 1," and the Inhumans having taken S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier, "S.O.S. Part 2" starts with a clear distinction between the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and Jiaying. Jiaying has turned the Inhumans into an angry army that is determined to kill S.H.I.E.L.D.'s remaining agents.

Aboard the Helicarrier, Jiaying demonstrates how she killed Gonzales by killing Agent Oliver to extort Agent Weaver into broadcasting a distress call that will lead the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. assets to the Helicarrier. While Coulson works with Zabo to prepare to retake the Helicarrier, May manipulates Ward into killing Kara during the attempt to rescue Bobbi Morse. Having seen Jiaying's true nature, Lincoln Campbell becomes wary of sticking with her, though Gordon convinces him to remain with the Inhumans. Campbell runs into Skye and their fight is quickly truncated by Skye talking Campbell into revealing where Jiaying took the crystals she has.

Coulson assembles a team of quinjets to retake the Helicarrier with Zabo's help. Nearing the helicarrier, Fitz realizes that the distress call is a trap (thanks to the Mack-rescued Skye) and Coulson turns back the rest of the team. Rescuing Skye, still leaves the helicarrier in danger as Jiaying is determined to figure out who on the carrier is Inhuman and who is not by putting them all through The Mist. She easily removes Zabo from the mix using Gordon, though Fitz devises a way to neutralize the teleporter. But as Jiaying chooses her Inhumans over Skye, she puts Skye's life in jeopardy and forces a conflict that fractures Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. team.

In an episode that belabors the "will they or won't they" (kill her) with Bobbi Morse, perhaps one of the most refreshing aspects of "S.O.S. Part 2" is that it does not cheap out on resolution for some of the big character elements of the season. Fitz has spent the entire season with brain damage and there has been a reasonable expectation that at some point n the season, a rabbit would get pulled out of a hat that would restore his mental prowess. "S.O.S. Part 2" does not reverse the important character shift that occurred as a result of Ward's actions against Fitz in "The Beginning Of The End" (reviewed here!). Fitz being featured periodically through the episode in his diminished state lends credibility to the struggle over whether or not Bobbi Morse will survive her Ward-induced injuries.

At the other end of the spectrum is Simmons and the way she takes charge of her relationship with Fitz. It's somewhat impressive that Fitz remembers that he told her he loved her, but that Simmons tries to broach her feelings in "S.O.S. Part 2" gives viewers a sense of catharsis over the emotional investment in the Fitz/Simmons relationship.

In a similar way, Mack once again becomes a vital and interesting character as he is drawn back into the battle for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s survival by virtue of simply being on the carrier and wanting to survive himself. He rescues Skye and has a chance for his experience to play out in the form of a decent monologue. Well-played by Henry Simmons, Mack is arguably given the episode's big moment when Mack makes a pragmatic decision to try to save Coulson's life when it appears the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to die.

The thing about climactic episodes is that they have to have good villains to make the heroism of the heroes reach new heights. "S.O.S Part 2" belabors keeping Ward around and his final moments in the episode are surprisingly unsatisfying - he finally, explicitly, reaches the point where his character has been going the entire season (and it, frankly, seemed he had reached mid-season). Even so, the trap he falls into is very satisfying to watch.

Unfortunately, Jiaying hardly stacks up as a great villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jiaying is given decent motivation before degenerating into yet another megalomaniacal adversary in the pantheon. Far more compelling would have been for her to be another good character who just has a different perspective from Our Heroes. Similarly, Calvin Zabo's rising action is abruptly aborted and his resolution makes for an interesting reference to T.A.H.I.T.I. which will go over the head of anyone who is not already invested in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Because the cast of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is so bloated now, "S.O.S. Part 2" utilizes an otherwise underdeveloped enemy who is basically the same as one from X-Men III: The Last Stand (reviewed here!) and The Flash episode "Fastest Man Alive" (reviewed here!).

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally pays off the investment in Kyle MacLachlan as Calvin Zabo. MacLachlan has a real character journey as Zabo. Zabo does in "S.O.S. Part 2" what one wishes Jiaying would have done; he listens to reason and the emotional investment Zabo has in Skye leads him to Coulson's team. Zabo has decent rising action in the episode and as the various battles ensue, he acts as a wild card. MacLachlan keeps him engaging and, surprisingly, realistically motivated. MacLachlan's final scene is heartbreaking to watch, even if similar scenes have been done in other genre works.

"S.O.S. Part 2" is the closest Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has done to a big special effects-driven episode. Fights between Alisha and so many other people, the alien artifact (which appears to be the Venom Symbiot), the incapacitation of Gordon and the make-up effects for Calvin Zabo are all pretty intensive on the special effects front and it works. In fact, the special effect front works better than most of the character arcs in the episode. The cast of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is huge at this point and, unfortunately, the climactic events of the season finale do nothing to weed out the character deadweight of the show. That sets the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. up as another series of episodes scattered among the large cast, instead of allowing a few core characters to dominate the plots and develop in compelling and complex ways. "S.O.S. Part 2" uses great special effects and complex stunt sequences to distract from the lack of complex or surprising character moments or truly demanding performances.

That said, "S.O.S. Part 2" caps off the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a way that redirects the series for the next season. Set up to be a Coulson/Skye "explore the world" show, the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is prepared for by the way all of the characters are given something to do and the rising plot action between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans is resolved in "S.O.S. Part 2."

For other big season finales, be sure to check out my reviews of:
"Daredevil" - Daredevil
"Hope And Fear" - Star Trek: Voyager
"The Erlenmeyer Flask" - The X-Files

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other reviews of elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of all those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Bringing Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. To The Edge . . . “Ye Who Enter Here” Teases Well!

The Good: Ming-Na Wen’s acting, Plot progression, Character work
The Bad: Plot is a lot of build-up without paying-off!
The Basics: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. pushes the Marvel Cinematic Universe forward well with “Ye Who Enter Here” but finishes before the potential can be fully realized.


One of the potentially weak aspects of serialized spy shows is that most of those shows do not capitalize on their ability to do long arcs. Long arcs in spy shows usually have characters getting only one key component or clue per episode and it is tough to draw that out over a full season. For the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the basic mystery has centered around alien writing that Coulson has been writing since he was resurrected. Learning what that meant has consumed the first seven episodes of the season. By the ninth episode, “Ye Who Enter Here,” the writing is gone and the understanding of what it is has put Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team on course to find a subterranean city. “Ye Who Enter Here” has Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team at its most fleshed out and actually starts to move the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a way that one can only hope has an effect on the upcoming Marvel movies.

Picking up where “The Things We Bury” (reviewed here!) left off, “Ye Who Enter Here” pushes the plot of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. forward well. With so many characters to service, there is the potential the episode will lose something. Fortunately, “Ye Who Enter Here” manages to keep focus on characters viewers actually care about, like Simmons and Skye, with Coulson actually appearing as a fully-realized leader.

Opening with Skye having a nightmare about Coulson and May leaving the baby version of her to die in a lab, Coulson’s team prepares to visit the city that they discovered at the climax of the prior mission. While H.Y.D.R.A. mobilizes to put Skye’s father and Ward in the temple in the city to create an extinction-level event, Coulson prepares his team to destroy the temple to prevent that apocalypse. In Vancouver, a pair of Koenigs rescues Raina from H.Y.D.R.A. With Coulson heading off to San Juan to enter the alien city that is buried below it, Skye is sent to rescue Raina, though she ends up having to fight Agent 33 to keep Raina safe.

Bobbi and Coulson get to San Juan, where Morse is concerned that Coulson wants to recover the alien weapon from the city, as opposed to destroy it. When Raina reveals that she has the ability to hold the Diviner, Skye believes her. Fitz, Simmons, and Mac get into the garrison at the San Juan fort that should give them access into the alien city. Raina tells Skye the story of the Cree, who seem to be the aliens whose blood resurrected Coulson, and how they protected their city. Unfortunately, before Skye can warn Coulson’s team, Whitehall’s H.Y.D.R.A. team surrounds the Bus to recover Raina. As a result, one of Coulson’s team encounters the City’s defenses . . . with disastrous results.

“Ye Who Enter Here” does a good job of remaining focused on character. Coulson is a true leader in the episode and he works well to differentiate himself from Fury and Morse responds well to that. Coulson illustrates that he is thinking ahead and determined to be a good person, in addition to being a great leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson is also creative enough to consider the potentials of other people having tracked down the location of the city. In addition to trying to save the citizens of San Juan, he wants to protect Skye and that makes him a decent, ethical, leader who is enjoyable to watch.

The fallout between Fitz and Simmons continues well into “Ye Who Enter Here.” Simmons talks to Morse about exactly what happened after Ward tried to kill them at the climax of the prior season. Fitz tells Simmons that he plans to go work with Mac at the garage, freeing Simmons up to take full control of the S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory. “Ye Who Enter Here” translates well the elements that could be simple melodrama into deeply human conflicts. Simmons talks about how she did not have a chance to process what Fitz told her and that makes her seem realistically tormented in a way that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has not taken much time to explore.

“Ye Who Enter Here” has wonderful performances all around. While Brett Dalton is minimized and put in a very simple villain role for his brief time in the episode, Henry Simmons and Adrianne Palicki are finally given the chance to shine. Simmons brings subtle shades of backstory and depth to Mac and Palicki illustrates once again that she is an awesome physical actor.

Ming-Na Wen pulls double duty as May and Agent 33 and she is incredible in both roles. In fact, Wen is so good in her role of May that it ultimately undermines “Ye Who Enter Here.” With the S.H.I.E.L.D. team about to lose serious ground, May seems like she would realize what the viewer does; that Raina has become such a liability to saving the world that the obvious, ethical and expedient solution is to kill her before she can rejoin H.Y.D.R.A. Wen plays May with such intelligence and professionalism that the fact that she does not pull the trigger before Whitehall’s team even boards the Bus seems inconceivable.

Reed Diamond plays Whitehall with an appropriate level of menace for his brief part in “Ye Who Enter Here” and his cameo serves to accent how the episode is more tease than pay-off. Whether the dead stay dead after the episode is the function of the next episode, but “Ye Who Enter Here” is an odd mix of well-constructed and frustratingly unsatisfying. So much of the current season has been a tease and “Ye Who Enter Here” puts almost all of the characters on the verge of realizing their potential before the episode ends. This makes for television that feels like must-see and sets up for a great next episode, but is harder to recommend as a stand-alone piece.

For other works with Patton Oswalt, please visit my reviews of:
”Shadows” - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
22 Jump Street
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 1
Young Adult
Observe And Report
Failure To Launch
Blade: Trinity
Zoolander
Magnolia

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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