Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 4, Episode 22 Review

So here we are the fourth season finale of Agents of SHIELD and...boy, there's a lot to unpack here.
Firstly, Robbie Reyes returns to wreck some havoc as Ghost Rider, being the only person able to stop Aida/Ophelia with his fire chain - which can also open Doctor Strange-style portals now too. Sweet. Ghost Rider's return was a welcome one for the series, and while it may have been brief, it was pretty neat to see Coulson himself go full Ghost Rider and destroy Ophelia for good. While I'm not sure what will happen to the rest of the LMDs, it seemed a rather appropriate end for our season big bad, showing a culmination of all of season 4's various threads.
Also weaved into the episode were the deaths of both Hope and Radcliffe, the former played perfectly by the actors on-screen that it was difficult not to feel some of Mack's pain in the moment, while the latter's death was appropriately poetic - even if a little too poetic perhaps. With Radcliffe gone from the series, it's nice to see the main cast shrink somewhat - and getting to see the SHIELD team all together at the end was a really nice send-off for the season.
Certain problems prevent the episode from being perfect though, with the whole "SHIELD on the run" gimmick making an admittedly unwelcome return, and the Simmons LMD was a definite cheat on the part of the writers to help build tension. LMDs seem to allow Agents of SHIELD some wonderful drama (see LMD May's final scene for an example), but can also very easily act as a cheat to said drama - and having Ophelia murder just an LMD Simmons is one of the latter.
However, with the SHIELD team captured and Coulson hiding both a secret from his team and being stuck somewhere in space, where to next for the Agents of SHIELD? Time will tell...

To conclude, the Agents of Hydra pod has been the best this season, and while certain plot threads have been left awkwardly hanging in the air, there's been some stellar stuff. In fact, Season 4 as a whole has been a cracking season, and possibly the best the show has offered so far, blending in some of the more fantastical elements with the grittier elements the show has developed over time. Roll on Season 5 I say!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - Movie Review

Image
The Mission: Impossible franchise has experienced a mixed reception across its four prior installments, with the most popular being 2011's Ghost Protocol. I'm not entirely with the series, only that its pretty much Tom Cruise and co pulling off dangerous missions with some cool action and a catchy theme music, although I did end up watching Ghost Protocol one random night. Despite this, I have very little recollection of the actual film, and it obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me. Suffice it to say though that Rogue Nation is the first Mission: Impossible film I saw the trailer for, liked the look of and went to the cinema to see it, and my expectations were pretty reasonable - cool action, good stunts and an entertaining watch. I guess I got what I expected. The story follows the disassembling of the IMF, while Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is pursuing The Syndicate - a rogue nation that causes havoc across the world. Hunt teams up once again with Benjamin Dun
Read more

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022) - Review

Image
And with that, the Thirteenth Doctor's era has come to a close. It's easy for regeneration stories to be overshadowed by the programme's future - understandable given the show's constant change and renewal - but suffice it to say that The Power of the Doctor makes for a fitting conclusion to this era of the programme. Kicking things off with a heist on a space train, we're reintroduced to the Cybermasters, returning from The Timeless Children back in Series 12. It's good to see them return, even if their ultimate roles in the narrative serve mainly as cannon fodder more than anything else. Their Cyber-converted planet, which I'd speculated to Gallifrey, was a nice idea even if it served as a backdrop to the events unfolding rather than playing a significant role. Quite why Ashad and his Cyber Warriors were brought back, other than fan popularity, I'm not sure. An off-hand comment about the Master cloning Ashad doesn't quite resolve the character'
Read more

Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks (2022) - Review

Image
For Who the bell tolls... As 2022 begins, this year marks the beginning of the end for the current era of Doctor Who , with a trilogy of specials concluding Jodie Whittaker 's run as the Thirteenth Doctor, alongside faithful companion Yaz ( Mandip Gill ) and showrunner Chris Chibnall . The first of these, Eve of the Daleks , makes for the third in a trilogy of Dalek-centric New Year's Day specials from the current production team ( Spyfall : Part One wasn't technically an NYD special after all...), and in a strange quirk of timey-wimey-ness airs fifty years after the iconic Day of the Daleks - the metal meanies first appearance in colour! After the convoluted shenanigans of Flux , and following on from two fairly solid Dalek specials, is Eve of the Daleks worth a watch - or does it deserve to be exterminated...? In short: it's fine. A perfectly solid, watchable hour of television that's standalone enough to satisfy a more casual audience not caught up with Flux ,
Read more