Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episode 8: The Laws Of Inferno Dynamics

It's the dreaded mid-season finale of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.! And it comes just two weeks after the show took a month-long hiatus. Way to run a network, ABC!

As I've been saying for months now, when I first heard the news that Ghost Rider was joining the series, I thought it was one of the dumbest things I'd ever heard. Ghost Rider! The supernatural star of two terrible movies from Sony. Why they hell were they bringing him onto what is ostensibly a spy show?

Imagine my surprise when he turned out the be the best thing that ever happened to the series! Ghost Rider fit into the show amazingly well, and actor Gabriel Luna hit one out of the park in his first appearance, playing the best version of Ghost Rider yet! 

In fact I'm sorry to see him go in this episode. Hopefully he'll be back soon in one form or another. Maybe he'll show up to help stop AIDA? Or better yet, maybe he'll get his own series!

Once again,  I'll give Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. credit where it's due— the series seems to handle these half-season arcs much better than other shows do. There was absolutely no filler in the first half of this season, as every episode counted and progressed the story. 

Maybe it helps that S.H.I.E.L.D. gives us two major storylines per season. Most series insist on dragging out one arc for twenty three episodes, which results in interminable wheel-spinning and padding (I'm lookin' at you, The Flash!). 

I was a bit worried at the beginning of the season when ABC announced they were moving the show to 9pm. That's traditionally known as the "death slot," and it didn't bode well for the show. Marvel tried to put a positive spin on it, saying the move would allow S.H.I.E.L.D. to become "darker and more violent."

I'm still waiting for that to happen. As near as I can tell the show seems about as dark as it's always been. Maybe less so! So far there's been nothing to rival the scene of Coulson getting his graphically rebuilt in Season 1, or the one last season in which Mack operated on Yo-yo with a goddamned blowtorch! 

This season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has featured quite a few connections with Doctor Strange. The Darkhold, what appears to be the Dark Dimension, and the existence of magic in general.

This week I noticed another possible connection. When Ghost Lucy infected May a few episodes ago, she began seeing everyone as a ghastly demon, with cracked, black skin around their eyes and mouth.

In Doctor Strange, Kaecilius begins screwing around with the Dark Dimension, and guess what? He develops cracked, black skin around his eyes.

Coincidence, or deliberate? Or did everyone else notice this weeks ago, and I'm late to the party?

Lastly, it looks like the back half of this season is going to heavily feature Life Model Decoys. I'm sure this focus on lifelike androids has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that HBO's Westworld series has been a huge success. Nope! None at all.

SPOILERS!
The Plot:
Eli Morrow is inside the Chinatown Gang's warehouse headquarters, building... something. The Gang Leader panics, telling Eli the place is surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Eli tells the Leader he pays them to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. off his back. The Leader smugly points out that Eli's never actually paid them yet. Eli gestures at the man, transforming his innards into diamonds. Paid in full!

Meanwhile Coulson briefs S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Mace on the Eli Morrow situation. Mace says S.H.I.E.L.D. can't be seen working with Daisy or Ghost Rider, but Coulson says they need them, plus Yo-yo if they hope to take down Eli. Mace reluctantly agrees, and for some reason says he wants AIDA on the mission as well. Coulson reveals she's an android, which shocks Mace. He reminds Coulson what happened with Ultron, and says they'll dismantle her (!) after the mission is over.

Coulson sends May on a "milk run" to collect AIDA, and tells her they'll finally share their special bottle of booze when this is all over. Remember this scene, as it'll become important later.

Fitz tells Simmons that Eli's powers don't make any sense, as you "can't create something out of nothing." Coulson, Mack, Robbie Reyes, Daisy and Yo-yo prepare to enter Eli's hideout. The ground quakes, and everyone looks at Daisy, but she says it wasn't her. Yo-yo speeds into the building to scope it out. She triggers a trap, which causes an explosion. Even with her superspeed she isn't fast enough to outrun it (where's the Flash when you need him?) and is blown out of the building into the alley. That isn't how explosions work, but let's just roll with it.

Meanwhile, Mace meets with Dr. Radcliffe about AIDA. Radcliffe defends her, saying he designed her to act as a field agent, to protect flesh and blood S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. Mace asks about the Darkhold and wants to know more, which seems suspicious. He tells Radcliffe that AIDA's fate depends on her performance during this mission.

Coulson, Mack, Daisy and Yo-yo retreat to a S.H.I.E.L.D. van and monitor Robbie as he enters Eli's hideout alone. Some Chinatown thugs attack, but Robbie easily dispatches them. He finds a giant box that Eli was building. Fitz, who's also monitoring Robbie, says it looks like a giant version of the Quantum Labs device, and theorizes it's a battery of some kind. Suddenly he realizes what it is— a Demon Core. Apparently Eli's figured out how to create all the elements, and has rapidly gone from carbon to plutonium. The Core is basically a nuclear bomb. It contains a failsafe lid, that, if closed, will trigger the bomb. In downtown LA.

Robbie enters the box. Eli appears and impales Robbie to the wall of the box with a huge carbon spike. Robbie asks why he's doing this, and Eli says his whole life he's been dismissed and ignored because of his race, and wants to show the world he's capable of great things. He says he's becoming a god, and Robbie says he'd better be, because the Devil is coming for him. He tries to transform into Ghost Rider, but Eli impales him a second time, which stops him.

May brings AIDA and Radcliffe to S.H.I.E.L.D., which is a much more important scene than it seems. Mace wants to send Yo-yo in to deactivate the bomb, saying with her superspeed, her radiation exposure will be "limited." Mack, who's still sweet on Yo-yo, argues with Mace. Coulson takes Mace aside and they argue about how he's running S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson asks Mace (who's an Inhuman) why he's secretly working with the anti-Inhuman Senator Nadeer. Mace says Nadeer has photos of Robbie and Daisy in the prison riot from a few weeks ago, and threatened to go public with them. He cut a deal with her to save Daisy. Coulson and Daisy look suitably embarrassed, as they realize he had their best interests in mind.

FitzSimmons, Daisy and AIDA set up a trap directly below Eli's box. The quakes continue and become more frequent. Fitz figures out why— Eli isn't creating something from nothing, but "stealing" matter from another dimension, which is destabilizing ours. Daisy uses her power to absorb the quakes (she can do that?), to keep the Demon Core from detonating. AIDA begins "weaving" a dimensional portal (like the one last week) in the ceiling.

Eli tells Robbie he's moved beyond creating elements, and can now create compounds like water. He says the next step is to create life. Just then two guards appear with Coulson. They tell Eli the only weapon he was carrying was a chain. Coulson tells Eli he isn't creating anything, but stealing it from another dimension, which is causing a rift.

Suddenly Mace enters— in costume!— and begins battling Eli's thugs. Yo-yo zips in and superspeed and dispatches the guards holding Coulson. She then places an explosive charge on Eli, that blows him into the Demon Core box. With Eli distracted, Robbie finally transforms into Ghost Rider.

On the floor below, AIDA completes her portal, which opens inside the box. A thug enters and fires on the group, and AIDA takes a bullet for Fitz.

Coulson tosses his chain to Ghost Rider, to pull him out of the box. He looks at the chain, then at Eli. He drops the chain and grabs onto Eli as the box disappears into the portal.

Daisy's absorbed too much quake energy and runs outside. She releases the energy by blasting into the sky. She makes a superhero landing and is surrounded by press. Mace pushes through them and surprisingly says the Inhuman "Agent Johnson" save them all. Radcliffe examines the injured AIDA and says she'll be OK.

Daisy admits she's missed S.H.I.E.L.D. Mack tries to patch things up with Yo-yo, and they finally kiss. Mace tells Radcliffe he's decided not to dismantle AIDA (nice of him) but from now on, all his research will be done at S.H.I.E.L.D., under official supervision. Radcliffe reluctantly agrees.

At Radcliffe's home, we see Agent Nathanson gathering up all his research. He opens a door to a storage closet and sees something which shocks him. AIDA comes up behind him and snaps his neck (!). Poor Nathanson! AIDA enters the closet, bends down and begins cleaning up a bloody Agent May (!).

On Zephyr One, Coulson finally opens his special bottle of booze and shares it with... Agent May. Gasp!

Thoughts:
• At the beginning of the episode, Mace watches a news report, and is horrified by a photo he sees of himself.

Mace: "It's like a circus out there. And that picture of me on the banner!"
Aide: "Agreed,not your best side. I'll schedule a reshoot for this week."

They're in the middle of a crisis and Mace is worried about his image? Jesus, who is he, President Trumpy?

• Marvel Cinematic Universe Moment! When Mace finds out that AIDA is an android, he's furious for a moment, then says, "Okay. I mean, forget about the fact that I was mildly attracted to her. That totally goes against the Sokovia Accords. Doesn't anyone remember Ultron?"

It's great that the series manages to work in so many references to the MCU. Too bad the movies don't return the favor.

And Mace may be a pompous idiot, but that doesn't make him wrong. AIDA is a bad idea, and letting her read the Darkhold was an even badder one.

• It's always funny to me when a series shows a speedster running in extreme slow motion. It reminds me of Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man series from the 1970s.

I get why they do it— if this scene had happened in real time, then Yo-yo would have zipped out of the building in just a couple of frames and we wouldn't have seen anything. It's still odd though that so often speed is depicted slowly.

• Was Eli Morrow the Molecule Man?

In the comics, a man named Owen Reece worked at the Acme Atomics Corporation. He was involved in an accident with an experimental particle generator, which bombarded him with unknown radiation. This mutated him, giving him the power to control all matter, down to the molecular level. The accident also left lightning bolt-shaped scars on his face. He then went on a crime spree, calling himself the Molecule Man. 

There are a couple of similarities between him and Eli. OK, so Eli didn't have any Harry Potter scars, and he couldn't control molecules. But he got his powers from a particle generator accident, and went through the periodic table and "created" every element. Seems fairly close to me.

• Fitz says Eli's building a Demon Core. Sounds like something from a comic book, but it's actually a real thing. 

It's a long story, but basically the Demon Core was a fourteen pound mass of plutonium that accidentally went critical on two different occasions at the Los Alamos Lab in 1945 and 1946. Obviously this was before OSHA existed! Both times the accident bathed a lead scientist in deadly radiation, resulting in their deaths a week or two later.

• The confrontation between Coulson, Daisy and Mace was very well done. Coulson accuses Mace of collaborating with known Inhuman-hater Senator Nadeer. Daisy's disgusted by his actions as well. Then Mace reveals he cut a deal with Nadeer to save S.H.I.E.L.D. in general and Daisy in particular.

Coulson and Daisy both look suitably stunned and abashed, as they realize the man they've been denouncing actually has their best interests in mind and even suffered to keep them safe. Kudos to the writers for a very well-done scene.

• All season Daisy's quake power has been wreaking havoc on her arms, threatening to pulverize her arm bones. This week she's freely using her powers with no ill effects. What gives?

In this episode, Fitz and Daisy have the following exchange:

Fitz: "Yeah, well, all the same, Daisy, I'd like to look at the new gauntlets after the mission— check that they're calibrated correctly." 

Daisy: "They are, trust me. The effect on my bones is a tenth of what it was."

Kudos to the writers for throwing in this quick little line to explain why she's suddenly able to "quake" without hurting herself. Such a tiny detail could have easily been forgotten.

They know I'm watching…

• Speaking of Daisy, she not only has the power to generate quakes, but in this episode she can suddenly absorb seismic energy as well. That's new, right? I don't remember her ever doing that before. 

And how the hell does that even work? An earthquake is the sudden release of energy stored between tectonic plates. How the hell do you absorb and release that? Comic book science!

• During the Coulson vs Eli confrontation, Yo-yo comes to the rescue and has a Quicksilver  moment. She catches bullets in mid-flight, repositions the bad guys and sets up Coulson for the win. Pretty cool! Hopefully now that she and Mack are making nice, she'll become a regular in the back half of the season.

• It was cool to see Mace in costume, but Jesus, again with the black leather? Man, the costume designer on this show must reeeeeally have something against colors.

I get that he was wearing a modified S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, but Mace seems like the kind of guy who'd want something a little more flamboyant. A dash of color perhaps, or maybe even a cape.

• After Robbie/Ghost Rider disappears, Daisy and Coulson have the following exchange:

Daisy: (Talking about Robbie's car) "We need to get this to Gabe. Belongs to him now."
Coulson: "I wouldn't count out the previous owner just yet."
Daisy: "You think Robbie will make it back?"
Coulson: "The last Ghost Rider did." 
Daisy: "Wait a minute. Wait. What?"
Coulson: "Long story. Regardless, I don't think we've seen the last of Mr. Reyes."

We got a glimpse of the previous Ghost Rider a few weeks ago in The Good Samaritan, and most fans assumed he was Johnny Blaze (due to the bullet hole in the middle of his skull). 

Apparently Coulson is aware of this version of the Spirit Of Vengeance. Does this mean we'll eventually see Johnny Blaze on the show? Here's hoping!

• Daisy finally returns to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Coulson says he's glad she's back.

Daisy: "Got to be honest. I... I don't know how I feel about being back The rules, regulations. But, there were a few things I've missed."
Coulson: "They missed you, too. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the new face of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an Inhuman."
Daisy: "Your idea?"
Coulson: "I thought the new face of S.H.I.E.L.D. should be an Inhuman ... didn't mean him, though." 
Daisy: (realizing Coulson is talking about her) "Yeah, right. Maybe in the comic book version."

This is a shoutout to the comics, in which Daisy Johnson, aka Quake was briefly the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Simmons welcomes Daisy back with a surprise:

Simmons: "Well, now that we're all gathered, I'd like to present Agent Johnson with something. Uh... Your official lanyard. It's just a shame Agent Koenig couldn't be here."

Indeed. Too bad they couldn't get Patton Oswalt to swing by for a few minutes to film a quick scene.

• Poor Agent Nathanson. Not only can no one at S.H.I.E.L.D. ever remember his name, but now he's had his neck snapped by an android.

• So AIDA's replaced May with a Life Model Decoy. I'm betting that's why she was "knitting" a virtual brain at the end of last week's episode— she was making it to put in Fake May's head.

• I have a theory concerning AIDA and her motives. The writers are doing their best to make her motives appear sinister, but that seems too obvious. Plus Marvel already did the "Evil A.I." schtick in Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

What if AIDA's not evil, but simply following her programming? When Radcliffe first introduced her to Fitz, he said he built AIDA to protect agents, so they wouldn't have to risk their lives in the field. She'd become a figurative "shield," so to speak.

Sci-fi author Jack Williamson wrote a famous short story in 1947 titled With Folded Hands, that's very similar to this situation. A man invents a line of robots he calls "Mechanicals," and programs them with a Prime Directive: "To Serve And Obey And Guard Men From Harm."

The Mechanicals then begin taking over every human job and task. Unfortunately they take their Directive seriously, and prohibit humans from engaging in any behavior that might endanger them. They also begin monitoring all humans, to prevent them from harming themselves. Anyone who resists is taken away and lobotomized, so they can live happily under the Mechanicals' rule.

The Mechanicals spread across the world and even onto human colony planets, and humanity is left helpless, with nothing to do but sit quietly with "folded hands."

Maybe AIDA's doing something similar here. Maybe she's systematically abducting the various agents, and replacing them with Life Model Decoys to protect them. Then the imprisoned agents will eventually have to rebel against her to get their lives back.

• So when was May replaced with the Life Model Decoy? I'm one hundred percent sure it was when she went on her "milk run" to pick up AIDA and bring her onboard the Zephyr One. That's the only time May was at Radcliffe's house, and AIDA's only opportunity to make the switch undetected.

The real question is— does Radcliffe know about the switch? I don't think so, but it's not clear. He had a private meeting with Mace early in the episode, but it's vague as to whether it occurred before or after the milk run. 

• Last week it looked like there might be a romantic spark developing between Coulson and May. Five dollars says that in the back half of the season, he and Life Model Decoy May will hook up and have a romance. That way the show can get the two of them together without really getting them together, if that makes any sense.

• Best Lines This Week:

Robbie: (before attacking Eli's headquarters) "Yo, I'm not wearing a mask, man."
Mack: "It's not a mask ... it's a balaclava."
Robbie: "Thought that was a dessert."

Fitz: (talking about the impossibility of Eli's actions) "Even in the realm of quantum vacuum fluctuations, there are still laws. So how's he doing it? Maybe it's magic. I do not like magic. Or clowns. Or clowns with knives... in the dark."

Radcliffe: (talking about the equipment AIDA brought) "AIDA thought they could be quite useful."
May: "AIDA thinks?"
Coulson: "Maybe about electric sheep."

Fifty points to anyone who gets that reference!

Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episode 7: Deals With Our Devils

 Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back, after a momentum-killing three week hiatus. 

Jesus, I've said it before and I'll keep saying it— why do these serialized shows keep taking weeks off in the middle of their continuing storylines? Any impetus the series may have built up over the past few episodes goes right out the window when the series takes a break for a month or more. 

OK, I get why the show didn't air on November 8— that's the night the country was busy destroying itself for generations to come. But there's no excuse for it to take off the next two weeks as well. Ah well. I guess it's not as bad as Doctor Who, which is taking off an entire YEAR!

All that whining aside, this was an awesome episode. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is fast becoming my favorite series, as the show's really stepped up its game this year. Seems like the series has managed to improve itself every year, especially when compared to Season 1. Some of those early episodes were absolutely dire, and took a real effort to slog through.

The previous episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, as it appeared that Coulson, Fitz and Robbie Reyes had been vaporized. Anyone who's ever watched a TV show before in their lives knew they weren't really dead, of course.

The Rashomon-like structure of this episode was pretty interesting, as we got to see each scene from two different perspectives. I especially liked how certain scenes didn't seem to make any sense (like Mack uncharacteristically disobeying orders) until we things from the other point of view. Well done!

And Holy Hell, this episode just gave us Mack Rider! It was worth tuning in just to see that! If you thought Mack was physically intimidating before, wait till you see him with a flaming skull for a head!

SPOILERS!

The Plot:

We pick up right where we left off last time, as Coulson, Fitz and Robbie have seemingly been disintegrated by Eli Morrow's whatsit machine.

Eli, who can now spontaneously generate pure carbon (?), walks through the halls of the power plant. Several S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts try to stop him, but he conjures up carbon spikes and impales them through their chests. He then seals the hall with a wall of carbon, preventing May and Mack from following him.

Back on Zephyr One, May, Mack, Daisy, Gabe and Director Mace review the security footage that shows Coulson & the others being vaporized by the blast. May refuses to believe they're gone, and says they need to call Simmons to figure out what happened and bring them back. Surprisingly, Mace agrees. He orders Simmons' recall from the mysterious mission he sent her on in the previous episode.

We then see Simmons in a secret location, analyzing an Inhuman encased in a Terragenesis shell. She's told the subject's name is classified, and he's been in the cocoon for seven months. She orders the lights dimmed and the room cleared. She introduces herself to the person in the cocoon and assures them she's there to help. A crack develops in the back of the cocoon...

May shows Mack the Darkhold book she took from Ghost Lucy's lab, and says she wants to use it to save Coulson and the others. Mack tells her the book is evil and should be destroyed. They clam up when Mace enters the room. Mack wants to track down the Chinatown Gang (which released Ghost Lucy from her imprisonment at the beginning of the season), thinking they'll somehow know where to find Morrow. Mace orders Mack to inter the bodies of the murdered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents instead. Mack disobeys orders, climbs onto a motorcycle and roars off the plane seconds before it takes off.

We then rewind to the beginning of the episode and see that Coulson, Fitz and Robbie are indeed still alive. Well, sort of. They're in some sort of shadowy, desaturated dimension that I'm sure is meant to remind us of Doctor Strange, now playing in a theater near you. Unfortunately they're out of phase with the real world and can't interact or communicate with anyone.

They enter Zephyr One and try to let May and the others know they're there and "alive," but no one can see or hear them. Fitz says they must be stuck between dimensions. Robbie begins feeling sick, saying they're all being "dragged down" and the Ghost Rider demon inside him doesn't want to go. The three note that their world is slowly getting darker. Fitz realizes they have to get back to their own dimension soon, or they'll be stuck in another dimension forever.

Fitz and Robbie follow Morrow, and overhear him call Senator Nadir, telling her he needs Simmons to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately. Apparently the secret mission he sent her on involved Nadir's cocooned brother. Coulson eavesdrops on May and Mack's conversation, seeing her pull out the Darkhold. He screams at her, pleading her not to open the evil book. Coulson sees Ghost Rider leave Robbie's body and enter Mack, which is what caused him to drive off on his motorcycle.

So now we're all caught up and in the present again. Daisy sees Mack roar off, and chases him in Robbie's souped-up car. Unbeknownst to Daisy, Robbie jumps in with her. They chase Mack, who heads straight for the Chinatown Gang.

Meanwhile, May (along with the invisible Coulson and Fitz) visits Dr. Radcliffe, who's studying Eli Morrow's technology. She shows the Darkhold to Radcliffe, who tentatively opens the book. He's horrified by what he sees and closes it immediately, saying it's too much for a human mind to absorb. Fitz tells Coulson that Radcliffe's assistant AIDA is secretly an android, and that she could read the book without harm. Coulson's surprised by this news, but realizes they have no choice. He screams at AIDA to read the book. She apparently senses him on some subconscious level, and tells Radcliffe she could read the book without harm. Radcliffe is skeptical, but May tells her to go ahead. AIDA opens the book and begins rapidly reading it.

Daisy follows Mack to the Chinatown Gang's headquarters. Inside she sees a trail of dead bodies, and finds Mack interrogating a gang member, using his Penitence Stare on him. Daisy yells for Mack to let the gang member go. Mack says he's never going back, and transforms into Ghost Rider (Mack Rider?).

Back at the secret location, Simmons pulls a piece of the cocoon away from the Inhuman, revealing part of his face. He says "Hello," as agents put a bag over Simmons' head and drag her away. Well that was certainly weird.

At the Chinatown Gang's place, Robbie sees Mack is now Ghost Rider. Robbie demands that Ghost Rider repossess him (heh), as they had a deal— vengeance against his Uncle Eli. Ghost Rider refuses, saying he could feed off Mack's pain (?) for years. Robbie offers Ghost Rider a new deal— settle his score with Eli, and he'll settle all his. I guess that means he's offering to let the demon possess him permanently? Ghost Rider agrees. He leaves Mack and re-enters Robbie, who immediately disappears.

Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Radcliffe, May and AIDA have constructed what appears to be a leftover prop from Stargate: SGI. AIDA stands in the middle of the gate and begins "weaving" glowing strands of magic or reality or something. Coulson and Fitz watch her from their darkening dimension. Suddenly Coulson's dragged downward into the darkness. Fitz grabs onto him but can't pull him back. Coulson gets a glimpse of May, and finds the strength to go on. He frees himself and he and Fitz jump through the gate, back into the real world. 

Simmons is returned just in time to reunite with Fitz. Coulson scolds May for using the Darkhold, then thanks her for saving him. Mack sits in the dark, looking at a note that reads "Hope 4/18/16," whatever that means. Suddenly Robbie comes through AIDA's stargate. He asks Mack if he wants to help him settle his score against Eli. He says yes and they run off together.

At Radcliffe's house, AIDA secretly "weaves" a new brain for herself, which can't possibly be a good thing. Haven't any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched Avengers: Age Of Ultron?

Thoughts: 

• In the previous episode (The Good Samaritan), Director Mace boarded Zephyr One and ordered the immediate arrest of Daisy and Robbie. Apparently he forgot all about that during the three week hiatus, because he makes nary a mention of it in this episode. 

Granted, in The Good Samaritan Coulson talked Mace into postponing Robbie's arrest until after Eli Morrow was captured, but I don't remember him making any such deal about Daisy. Mace walks right past her in this episode & doesn't even glance in her direction.

• When Coulson, Fitz and Robbie are caught between dimensions, they can see and hear everyone. Yet for some reason, no one in the real world can see or hear them. Funny how that worked out, eh? Seems like it ought to be the same for both parties.

By the way, Ghost Lucy was able to touch objects and interact with her environment. So why can't Coulson & the others do the same? Are they not the same kind of ghosts? Were they FULLY shifted into another dimension, while Lucy was only partially shunted?

• Poor Nathanson. This is his fifth appearance so far this season, and despite his constant reminders, no one knows his name.

May: "What's your name?"
Nathanson: "Nathanson, ma'am. What can I do?"
May: "Get lost, Nathanson."

• This week Simmons goes on a classified, top secret mission to free Senator Nadeer's brother, who's been stuck inside a Terragenesis cocoon for the past seven months.

So just how does our resident genius Jemma Simmons release Mr. Nadeer from his stony prison? Does she cut him out with a laser beam? Use sound waves to shatter the cocoon? Phase him out with Avengers tech?

Nope! She politely introduces herself to him, than pulls a piece of the cocoon off his face.

THAT. IS. BRILLIANT! Only an advanced theoretical scientist like Simmons could have come up with such a highly sophisticated method like that!

• Let's talk about AIDA speed-reading the Darkhold, shall we? While it was an interesting idea to spare the minds of the human characters by giving the book to the robot, I'm not convinced she would have been able to read it at all.

Bear with me here. A few weeks ago in Lockup, we saw a flashback in which Lucy Bauer and her husband Joseph finally acquire the Darkhold. Lucy opened the book and saw it was in English, while Joseph saw it in German.

The implication here is that the magical book scans each sentient mind that opens it, then adjusts itself accordingly based on their native language.

So this week, AIDA the Friendly Android convinces May and Radcliffe to let her read the Darkhold. She opens the book and can immediately see the contents and reads the whole volume.

Why would the Darkhold respond to her though? She isn't alive or sentient. Even her creator Dr. Radcliffe admits that she's "just a program," and if the book somehow corrupts her he can reboot her. So why did the pages show up for her? It's like a toaster or a lamp looked at the book. I think the pages should have remained blank, no matter how long she stared at them.

By the way, when AIDA opens the book, she sees the pages are filled with binary code. That was an awesome touch, even though I don't think she should have been able to see anything in it.

• That AIDA really knows how to get things done! After she reads the Darkhold, we cut away for a few minutes to check in on Mack & Robbie. When we cut back, we see that in the space of what appears to be fifteen minutes at most, AIDA, Radcliffe and May have constructed a large Stargate-like ring in the middle of the room. 

I guess they just had some spare dimensional gate parts lying around, and were able to cobble the thing together in just a few minutes?

By the way, the gate AIDA builds looks a LOT like the dimensional portals in Doctor Strange. Same glowing ring of yellow, sparkly energy and everything. I'm assuming that was intentional, to help tie the show in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (even though the movie people couldn't give two sh*ts about the series).

• Seeing Mack as Ghost Rider with his shotgun axe on his back was very reminiscent of 1990s comics. 

See, there've been several different versions of our favorite Spirit Of Vengeance over the years. In the 1970s, Johnny Blaze was the Ghost Rider. In the 1990s, a man named Danny Ketch took over for him. Johnny Blaze then became a demon hunter, who used a shotgun that blasted hellfire.

Mack didn't shoot anything supernatural out of his shotgun axe, but he still reminded me of Blaze.

• So what do we think of Coulson's glimpse of May giving him the strength to claw his way out of the dark dimension? Is this the seed of a Coulson/May relationship? Gods, I hope not. They've got one of the best platonic relationships on TV, and I'd hate to see it ruined by an ill-conceived romance.

In a similar vein, Simmons seemed awfully chummy with Mr. Nadeer while he was in his cocoon. I hope they're not setting up another love triangle between her, Fitz and someone else (remember Will from Planet Maveth last season?).

• Daisy's really starting to piss me off again. After all that's happened the past few weeks, at the end of the episode she decides she still needs to play martyr and leaves again. Jesus, climb down off the goddamned cross and rejoin the team already, eh?

• This Week's Best Lines:

Daisy: (trying to convince May not to give up) "May, I know it's crazy, but Coulson came back from the dead, Fitz pulled Simmons through space through a rock, and Robbie's head lights on fire."

Coulson: (secretly observing May and Mack silently and intently listening to their radios) "Do we look that stupid on comms?"

Fitz: (thinking about Simmons) "They're gonna tell her I'm dead. I've got to phone her, let her know that I'm in another dimension. That's not gonna work."

Mace: (exasperated after possessed Mack drives off on his bike) "Driving off against orders... With no helmet? Mack knows better."

Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4, Episode 6: The Good Samaritan

This week on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ghost Rider continues to slowly inch his way front and center, as we finally get to see Robbie Reyes' "Deal With The Devil" he's been talking about for several weeks.

Ordinarily I'd be wary and upset of this shifting of attention from the core cast, but honestly I'm enjoying this version of Ghost Rider so much I don't mind it a bit.

We also get a glimpse of the Original Ghost Rider, which was hinted at just last week. That was totally unexpected, and just plain awesome. I'm hoping now that the show's firmly cemented him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that we might get a Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider series on Netflix. How cool would that be?

I'm assuming the very odd treatment of Simmons in this episode is the herald of a new subplot for her, and not just a clumsy way to get her out of the picture in an already crowded episode.

SPOILERS!

The Plot:
We begin with a flashback ("Back In The Day") at Momentum Energy Labs. We see a pre-ghost Lucy Bauer, her husband Joseph and Eli Morrow (Robbie Reyes' uncle) all working on their Quantum Power Cell device. Joseph tells Eli they're ready to test it ahead of schedule. When Eli asks how that's possible, Joseph says he found something that advanced the project by years (he's talking about the Darkhold, the ancient "Book Of Sins" everyone's trying to get their hands on). They activate the Power Cell and it bathes them all in some sort of energy wave. Joseph opens the device and finds a hunk of carbon inside. Apparently the machine just made something out of nothing, which of course is impossible under our laws of physics.

The scientists then celebrate their success. Joseph says with the Quantum Power Cell they could end starvation, by creating food out of thin air. Eli goes over the results of the experiment and says it doesn't make sense. Lucy says nothing's impossible with the Book. Joseph overhears them and jealously tells Eli to stay away from the Darkhold.

In the present, May and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. grunts enter Momentum Labs, expecting to apprehend Ghost Lucy and Eli (who Lucy captured last week) there. Unfortunately the lab is empty. Coulson says Lucy's smart, and must have set up a new lab somewhere.

Back at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Director Jeffrey Mace tells Simmons he has a top secret assignment for her. Apparently it's so secret that she has to wear a hood over her head on the trip there. That doesn't seem suspicious or sinister at all.

Meanwhile, Gabe's worried that his brother Robbie hasn't been home for days. Daisy shows up and tells Gabe she's taking him to see Robbie. She brings him on board the Zephyr One, where he's reunited with his brother. Gabe is impressed when he sees Robbie's apparently working with S.H.I.E.L.D., and thinks he's a secret agent. Robbie tells Gabe he sent for him because he's afraid Lucy will come after him.

Lucy shows Eli her new lab— an abandoned power plant, that can provide them with all the energy they need. It could also kill thousands of people if the experiment goes wrong and the thing explodes, which sure sounds like foreshadowing to me.

On Zephyr One, Coulson gets an ominous call from Mace— he's heading toward them in a Quinjet, and intends to board the ship and arrest the known fugitives Quake and Ghost Rider. Mack immediately loads Daisy, Robbie and Gabe in a Wonkavator, er, I mean Containment Unit and hangs it out of the bottom of the Zephyr to hide them. Mace boards the ship (in a very Vader-ish manner) and orders his troops to find the fugitives.

Inside the Wonkavator, Gabe asks why they're hiding if they're good guys. Robbie says it's time he knew the truth, and infodumps his origin story. "Back In The Day," Robbie secretly takes his uncle's Charger, intending to enter it in a street race. Gabe goes along for the ride. A car full of gang members pulls up alongside him and begins firing. Robbie and Gabe are both shot multiple times. The Charger flips over, throwing Robbie through the windshield as it lands upside down. As Robbie sails through the air, he prays to anyone listening, saying he'll do anything to save his little brother Gabe. He hits the pavement and is instantly killed.

Meanwhile, Gabe can't move his legs, and sees Robbie's lifeless body lying a few feet away. Suddenly a "Good Samaritan" rides up on a motorcycle. It drags Gabe from the wreck, then bends down to check on Robbie. He touches Robbie's forehead and  brings him back to life. The "Good Samaritan" turns out to be Johnny Blaze, the freakin' original Ghost Rider himself, who may or may not have transferred whatever possessed him into Robbie.

Back in the present, Robbie's afraid that Gabe will see him as a monster, but instead he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. Robbie tries to explain that it's not HIM that's been killing gang members, but the thing inside him.

Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Fitz accesses secret SSR files and finds out that much of the equipment at Momentum Labs was originally manufactured by Isodyne, a company which played a big role in Season 2 of Agent Carter. Fitz says that Isodyne worked with zero matter and dark force energy. They were purchased in the 1950s by Roxxon Oil. Fitz believes Lucy is using an old Roxxon power plant as her new lab. He and Mack head to the plant to stop her.

Meanwhile, Mace's troops search the entire Zephyr One but can't find the fugitives. Mace pushes a button, and the Wonkavator containing Daisy, Robbie and Gabe rises back into the hangar. Mace tells Robbie he'll see that he gets a fair trial. Robbie says he'll go quietly if Mace will let him save his Uncle Eli. Mace refuses. Robbie turns into Ghost Rider and escapes the Wonkavator. He attacks the superstrong Mace, and the two fight. Ghost Rider gets Mace on the ropes and begins pounding the stuffing out of him. Gabe yells for him to stop before he kills him, and Ghost Rider hesitates and transforms back into Robbie. Coulson talks Mace into letting Robbie help them stop Lucy.

At the Roxxon plant, Lucy and Eli prepare their experiment. I think they're trying to turn Lucy back to normal? I'm honestly not sure what their goal is. Coulson, Mace and Robbie land and meet May, Fitz and Mack, who are already there. They all infiltrate the plant. Daisy can't shut down the plant remotely, because it predates the internet (!) and isn't on any network. Robbie tells the others to find Eli, while he deals with Lucy.

Robbie manages to track down Lucy. She tells him that she and James hired a gang to kill Eli, and didn't mean for Robbie and Gabe to get hurt (the gang saw Eli's car, which Robbie "borrowed," and thought he was in it). She walks through Robbie, intending to infect him with the "ghost virus." Curiously, he's unaffected, and grabs hold of Lucy's arm. She says that Eli was the one who became obsessed with the Darkhold and turned everyone into ghosts. Robbie doesn't care, and burns Lucy away.

Coulson finds the Darkhold in the lab and gives it to May, telling her to leave and hide it someplace safe. Fitz and Mack try to shut down the chamber in the lab, but can't. Mack goes back to the Zephyr One to grab an EMP device to short out the plant. Coulson finds Eli, and tells him to shut down the machine. Eli says it's impossible, and locks himself in the chamber. Coulson realizes that Lucy wasn't the villain who turned everyone into ghosts; it was really Eli, who wanted the power of the Darkhold for himself.

The machine powers up as an energy wave blasts through the plant. Coulson, Fitz and Robbie are all caught in the blast and... disappear. Eli steps out of the chamber and holds out his hand. He creates a chunk of matter out of nothing, just by thinking about it.

Thoughts: 
• All the flashbacks in the episode are captioned, "Back In The Day." Is that so they don't have to specify a year, and instantly date the series? Or is it supposed to sound like gang lingo? 

• Fitz mentions Isodyne, zero matter and the dark force, which of course were all shout outs to Season 2 of the late, lamented Agent Carter. It was also a nice touch to link Momentum Labs to Roxxon, which is of course the go-to name when the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs a corrupt, evil corporation.

• I loved Mace's Empire Strikes Back entrance when he came down the ramp of the Quinjet to meet Coulson. He looked very much like Darth Vader deliberately striding down the ramp of the Shuttle Tyderium— complete with jets of extraneous and unnecessary steam shooting everywhere. There's no way all this wasn't deliberate.

• The best part of the episode was of course the surprise appearance of the original Ghost Rider, aka Johnny Blaze.

We got a couple of Original Ghost Rider Easter eggs in last week's episode, but I figured that would be the extent of it. I never dreamed he'd actually pop up on the series.

In the comics there've been several hosts for Ghost Rider over the years, including Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch. There's some argument among fandom as to just which particular Ghost Rider this is. For the record it's definitely Johnny Blaze. You can tell by the very prominent bullet hole in his flaming skull. Apparently at one point in the comic Blaze was shot in the head by a priest (!) and sent to Hell.

• Seconds before Robbie dies in his flashback, he pleads with anyone listening to save him. Apparently the Original Ghost Rider heard him, and comes a runnin.' He bends down over Robbie, touches his lifeless head, and brings him back to life. From that point on, Robbie's body houses a flaming Spirit Of Vengeance.

What's not quite clear yet is just exactly what the Original Ghost Rider did to Robbie. Did he put just a small portion of his power into him, effectively creating a second Ghost Rider? Or did he transfer the demon possessing him completely into Robbie's body? It's impossible to tell just yet, but I have a feeling it'll be cleared up before the mid-season break.

By the way, Johnny Blaze, the Original Ghost Rider, first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5, way back in 1972. He was created by Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas and Mike Ploog. As you might expect, in the comics he had absolutely nothing to do with Robbie Reyes.

• This episode's big twist is that Lucy Bauer isn't the real villain after all, and Eli Morrow is. While that is indeed a pretty good twist, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense given what we've seen in previous episodes.

See, last week Lucy kidnapped Eli from prison, and forcibly took him to her lab. This of course implied that he didn't want to go with her. She also forces him to read the Darkhold and tell her what it says, since she couldn't do so in her ghostly state.

But this week we find out that Eli is really the one who became obsessed with the Darkhold, and conducted forbidden experiments that turned the Momentum crew into ghosts. Lucy even tries to explain all this to Robbie before he kills her.

So if Lucy knows Eli is bad news, why would she kidnap him and give him access to the Darkhold? Why hand him what is essentially an atom bomb? Her actions seemed designed to keep Eli's true nature from the audience, but made little or no sense in her reality.

• Eli Morrow appears in the comics, but in a radically different form. There Morrow was a serial killer who was sent to Hell. He was somehow grafted onto Robbie Reyes' soul to form the newest version of Ghost Rider.

• For some reason Agents Of SHIELD won't be back until November 29. That's a month from now! The networks are already splitting their seasons in half— are they splitting the half seasons in half now too?