‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recap and Reaction: “The Ghost”

Alex
TV Marvel
TV Marvel

Season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. kicked off with a bang as we meet a fiery new character in the season premiere “The Ghost.”

James Akinaka: It’s astonishing how “The Ghost” included throwbacks to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s first season. Daisy is again on her own, and it looks like she’s even living in her original van. Coulson is a field agent once more, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has regained its legitimacy as a public organization. But S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t the same, nor will it ever be.

Alex Mayes: Now that it’s run by the government again, who’s running it? Will we find out? Did Coulson step down or was he forced to be a field agent again?

James: It’s easy to forget that at the end of last season, S.H.I.E.L.D. lost — big time. The agency’s reputation must have suffered severely when Hive‘s Primitives sacked Coulson’s base. On top of that, the only reason that Hive died was because Lincoln Campbell sacrificed himself. S.H.I.E.L.D. is still feeling the ramifications of that defeat, which is why the agency has changed so dramatically.

However, “The Ghost” didn’t concentrate on explaining how the new S.H.I.E.L.D. works. Instead, the show’s writers wisely focused on how the main characters are adapting to the organization’s evolution. Mack has yet another new partner, now Coulson. May is busy training commandos, and Fitz is collaborating with Dr. Holden Radcliffe. The most striking change is Simmons, who must navigate between appeasing S.H.I.E.L.D.’s new director and preserving her friends’ trust in her.

Alex: I was most intrigued to see how Simmons is so far handling her new-found power. She had the guts to give May an order. Of all people! I have to admit, it was impressive and perhaps a little bit of a turn on. Will her new leadership hurt Simmons’ relationship with Fitz? Now that they finally got together, I pray it doesn’t.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

James: Based on “The Ghost,” one of the series’ most noticeable sacrifices is the team’s vivacious camaraderie. The series has always benefited from its characters’ compelling interactions, from May’s team-up with Bobbi in “Among Us Hide…” to Daisy and Mack’s partnership during season three. Yet, with Daisy gone, and Coulson and his fellow agents scattered throughout different departments at S.H.I.E.L.D., their interactions are much more limited. As season four continues, it will be interesting to see how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. handles its characters’ interactions.

Alex: Now that May has been exposed to The Ghost – if that’s what it was – what will happen to her? Honestly, I feel like May gets taken advantage of or beat up a lot more than necessary. How will she survive this?

More importantly, will Daisy survive her next encounter with The Ghost Rider? Will Daisy ever return to S.H.I.E.L.D.? I hope sure so. Agent Daisy has been one of my favorite characters throughout the entire show. I just love her character development, and I’m happy that Yo-Yo is helping her, especially now that Daisy’s arms are injured because of using her ability too much. If Daisy does return, what will the new S.H.I.E.L.D. do to her? What will they do to Yo-Yo if they find out that she was helping Daisy?

The episode had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and raised more questions than answers, but at least it’s keeping our interest. For now. I just hope that all these new and old questions get answered soon and if this episode was so eventful, will the rest of the season be like this? I expect so.

Alex