Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV Series) The Ghost (2016) User Reviews

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - S04E01 The Ghost

[j_forbesy · 8/10 · 20 September 2016]

If you're like me and you're still watching AoS, then chances are you're invested into this show. For a show that started a bit shaky, AoS has really come into its own. AoS is not the show we thought we were going to get with Avengers cross overs, instead it had formed its own bases and is really excelling.

There are 2 things I look for in a season premier that makes it a success for me. The first one is it has to catch as up as an audience on what's been happening since the finale of the last season and act as kind of a reminder as to what's happening in the show. The second is that it sets up the season to come. This means new story plots and characters that will drive the story forward for the season.

This premier episode did both of those. I thought they did a fantastic job showing the changes in ranks in S.H.I.E.L.D. with Coulson now an agent. I really loved the back and forth between Mack and Coulson. I always thought their chemistry on screen was great in previous seasons but I think we will see a new side to them with them now being partners.

Of course Daisy is on the run like teased at the end of last season. I'm really excited to see Quake play as a form of anti-hero this season and I really hope they keep with it for majority of the season. I thought her action scenes were done really well and I think they are going to have a lot of fun with her as a character.

I thought this episode also did a fantastic job setting up the new plot points for the season. As I've mentioned, anti-hero Daisy will play a big part in the season, but Ghost Rider is the character we are all drawn to. Ghost Rider was the big push for this season and I thought they nailed his introduction in this opening episode. The opening scene with him was great. They presented it in a way that as an audience we knew it was Ghost Rider but we didn't actually get to see him until later in the episode. I thought his scene with Daisy was my favourite scene with him. We got to see his transformation between Robbie Reyes and the Ghost Rider. As an introduction, that scene made me want to learn more about this character and made me excited for his role in this season. I had a bit of background knowledge of Reyes before this season started so I was glad to see that they are taking his comic background and using his brother as his foil. I'm really interested to see how they play this out in this season.

However, the thing that has me both excited yet worried about this season was the AI bot made by Holden Radcliffe. It gave me the vibe of Ex Machina, a movie I loved. For that it has me excited. But my excited level is why I'm worried. Being a TV environment, I'm worried that they won't be able to dive deep into it and it becomes a throw away plot that leads to nothing. It's something we will just have to see how it plays out, but from what we've seen in this episode, I'm excited.

Overall, it was a great premier for season 4. It touched the two points that I want from a premier and for the most part really nailed it. I'm excited for next week's episode and I hope we get to see more on the new director and embed ourselves further back into the MCU with AoS.

8.5/10

The Agents are back, and facing off against a Ghost

[jedly · 7/10 · 22 September 2016]

You would think after four years AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013- present) would find it's footing. I'm not really sure it has. S.H.I.E.L.D. has gone from sanctioned government agency, to way, way off the books secret agency, to somewhat sanctioned secret agency (with the help of General Glenn Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) and President Matthew Ellis (William Sadler)), and once again, thanks to the Sokovian Accords, back to sanctioned government agency with a twist.

Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is now just a field agent partnered with Agent Alphonso "Mack" MacKenzie (Henry Simmons), and they've spent most of their time trying to track Daisy Johnson/Skye/Quake (Chloe Bennett) down. She went MIA at the end of season three. Agents Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) now work in S.H.I.E.L.D. 's science division. Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) heads up the "muscle", Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) an inhuman, must report to S.H.I.E.L.D.for regular check ups and check ins.

With Daisy on the lamb, she encounters a new powered individual,Robbie Reyes / Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna), who has been hunting and killing several bad people throughout the L.A. area. With Daisy wrongfully accused of some of Ghost Rider's murders, her S.H.I.E.L.D. "family" tries to intercept her before the new Director, law enforcement, and the Government find out.

Meanwhile, Fitz meets up with Dr. Holden Radcliffe (John Hannah) who despite his role in season three's events has been pardoned, albeit, he's on a short leash. He has created a female android (because they're always attractive women.) named AIDA (Mallory Jansen) in an effort to 'aid" S.H.I.E.L.D. Fitz is none too happy about this, and he decides to not only keep this new development not only from S.H.I.E.L.D., but also from Simmons as well.

Aside from Fitz and Simmons relationship evolution, these characters more or less kind of bop around life; one assignment to the next, and this new shake up in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy feels more like a step backward. Don't get me wrong-- I do like a show that's not predictable, but AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.feels more like Marvel's middle child Captain America, The Avengers, Iron Man, and even Thor have all had a direct effect on the show. While Marvel's Netflix universe remains relatively untouched by the MCU (For now.), AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D isn't so lucky. It gets tossed from one story to the next like a pinball.

With episode one, of season four, THE GHOST, we're off in a new direction….again. Over all, the individual episode flows well, action, drama, even a little comedy. The show, and it's constant bopping around still has me worried. How the Ghost Rider fits into all of this is anyone's guess. The character seem out of place.

Anyhow, I'm still curious to see how the season pans out.

Best AOS season premiere to date

[pintaxandre · 8/10 · 21 March 2021]

There is both mystery about the new director and ghost rider. Daisy and Coulson are in a place where we are not used to see them. This first episode is well directed, well acted. The figt scenes are well choregraphed. This should be the benchmark for the whole show. Such a pity that this level of quality doesn't show on screen more consitantly. Hope it will keep up for the rest of the season.

And who is that?

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 21 September 2016]

I was pretty stunned to hear Ghost Rider not being referred to as Johnny Blaze in this. Yes, I know other people have taken on the title, but he's just the most well known version. Nicolas Cage may be the more famous actor, but this guy does it better. As we return to this beloved series, we finally get to see another character from Marvel Comics appear. Now, this isn't really quite the focus of the episode as some ads would have you think and I believe it's for the better. We get some nice scenes with the other characters and catch up with what they've been doing.

The subplot with Fitz is quite entertaining, as it features him meeting a female robot who is revealed to have the sole purpose of acting as a literal shield to the organization. Fitz may in fact be my favorite character, if only because he's the most amusing. We slowly build up to Ghost Rider's debut. It's great to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe expand. Well, I guess it's now the Marvel TV Universe as well. Great to have everyone back! ****

Re-watch thoughts

[noorea-85147 · 25 March 2019]

In a true Agents of shield fashion, this episode flips the show on it's head once again, there is a shift into a darker, more mature tone, not a good thing on itself, I hate when people equate darkness with quality, but this show manages to do it in a way that feels earned, especially following the events of last season and the state the team finds themselves in. The status quo is all different too, the new team dynamic is mostly depressing, though I am here for nonsense Simmons giving orders, I also love the idea of pairing up Mack and Coulson, the show continues to strike gold with team-ups. Fitz's storyline made me a bit worried the first time I watched it, but now that I know how it all unfolds and what little hints we are laying out for the future I am amazed at how good this storyline is, once again I am ashamed of doubting the writers who continue to prove me wrong. Speaking of doubting the writers, I had my doubts about Ghost Rider, I wasn't afraid they can't pull it off like most GR fans complained leading up to this episode, I honestly didn't care for the character, I was more concerned the show will become the Ghost Rider show instead of our agents, but I was once again forced to eat my words as not only did the show find good balance for the characters, it also got me to fall in love with Robbie and the rider from day one I was suddenly on board with him taking over .In addition they introduced some other supernatural elements with the "ghosts" that the GR more mystical aspects didn't feel so out of place. Honestly though, how good was that "I'm not the one who decides moment"? I must also praise the wonderful Mallory Jansen who kills it as Aida,she got the perfect robot mannerisms .

Civil War Aftermath

[rbr-41299 · 8/10 · 21 September 2016]

Well, the opening episode for the fourth season sure set the stage for a very different series. Captain America Civil War essentially made a mess of everything, creating several dilemmas without solving any. The future of S.H.I.E.L.D. was left to be controlled by a United Nations panel (a stupid idea of gigantic proportions). We're supposed to believe that the fictitious United Nations is more enlightened than the real one that excuses all the "collateral damage" of Jihadist terrorism. So S.H.I.E.L.D. has a new director. Coulson has been demoted back to agent. Jemma has been promoted over everyone on her former team and can now give orders to May. The soldiers are still loyal to the organization even when I'd really love somebody to tell the Director what he can do with the job. Then there is Daisy, aka "Quake." Her arc has become very dark as evidenced by the eye makeup, black attire, black van and death wish.

The dramatic change in the series is emphasized in the appearance of Ghost Rider, which takes the quasi-science fiction series into the supernatural-fantasy realm. Apparently there are many fans that love the inclusion of Ghost Rider, but I'm not one of those. Contrary to the pop culture of television series in which there is no holy God of the Bible, but plenty of personification of evil, I do not believe there can be anything good about Satan, the devil or demons. Ghost Rider is presented as a sympathetic character because he takes care of a disabled brother and only kills bad guys who deserve to be killed. Daisy appropriately informs him that he doesn't have the right to decide who deserves to die. Of course, we can be sure that Daisy's opinion won't be persuasive and the body count will go up with every episode he is in. Another introduction was of an apparition that was released from a special box. One can only wonder if this malevolent character is a replacement for Hive. I mean without Hydra and Hive what are you going to do?

The positives of this episode begin with the partnership of Coulson and Mack. Jemma and Fitz are sharing a bed (yay!). I particularly enjoyed the character of Radcliffe and his LMD Aida and think they have great potential for the series. (Fitz's embarrassed reaction to the naked Aida was really funny. Why should he cover his eyes?) On a nostalgic note I really miss Hunter and Morse and hope they can be brought back during the season. In closing the episode left me with grave reservations about the season. Will there be any lightness and joy? Will good overcome evil? Will there be a happy ending for anybody? I have high expectations for this season and I hope I won't be disappointed.

Ghost Rider is a huge misstep

[guillermo75 · 6/10 · 24 September 2016]

I've watched Agents of Shield since the beginning but I was not aware of their announced intention to include Ghost Rider in this season. At this point it seems like a mistake.

The whole Ghost Rider mythology has never fit-in well with most of the Marvel canon and it seems like a particularly bad fit with Shield. There's really no way to address Ghost Rider well without getting into some religious discussion that can only serve to alienate at least part of an audience that is used to a pseudo-science-fiction show.

Of course, the whole overtly Christian overtones started in the last few episodes of the previous season with the incessant focus and closeups of that crucifix chain. But, as long as it was treated as a charm that people happened to be gifting around and wearing, it appeared to be harmless. With Ghost Rider however, the producers seem to have doubled down on that worldview.

I'm sure some audience members are Christian enough to feel comfortable with the new direction and yet not so religious as to feel it turns their beliefs into a joke. The rest of us, who belong to other religions or are non-believers, are now forced to swallow this dose of blatant proselytizing if we want to continue watching a show we've followed for several years now. I, for one, would rather not and I think the producers would do well to reconsider this, find some pseudo-scientific explanation for the Rider (a tough undertaking), close that chapter in a few episodes and move on to something more consistent with what the show has always been about.

They can always give Ghost Rider his own show.

Wait, but... I'm confused

[SureCommaNot · 11 August 2020]

I thought season 3 made absolutely clear that the Aussie was becoming Ghost Rider. Why else have that scene where he lights a long chain on fire (without it combusting) and using it as a weapon, when in all other scenes his ability was to turn objects into explosives?