How do I unpack this box of ‘holy shit’ without devolving into hyperactive marking-out so let’s take one point at a time, shall we?

The collapse of the Framework, a seemingly spiteful act on AIDA’s part, gives us a truly heartbreaking scene and I have to give kudos to both Henry Simmons and Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Mack and Yo-Yo because it got me on a deeper level than I thought it could. Seeing the strong man-mountain suffer a horrendous emotional breakdown alongside the woman who needed it to happen to get him back is awful but utterly compelling to watch.

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, we had the rest of the team thwarting AIDA’s plans through snark and shady bullshit, which I loved! Between the sleight of hand with Jemma’s own LMD dying in her place or Coulson acquiring the Spirit of Vengeance! Oh shit! That’s both incredibly awesome and incredibly dangerous and the after-effects of Coulson’s ‘deal’ with it will probably be the focus of next season but from even my cursory knowledge of the Ghost Rider mythos, I can tell that it’s going to be bad news.

Then there’s Robbie and Daisy teaming up in a fantastic fight with The Superior (and some other jobber who has multiple LMDs despite us not knowing who he is) and performing a manoeuvre that should really have a name but I can’t think of one off the top of my head.

We finish out the arc on Radcliffe, the man who arguably started all this, as he sits upon a beach as the sun literally sets on the Framework. He muses about how his ambition and his hubris ultimately lead to his current fate, alone within a dying world of his own creation. He doesn’t get to finish his thought before disappearing in one of the most beautifully poignant shots of the show.

The team’s ultimate fate however is much less definitive as they are kidnapped during their meal (paralysed by a device very similar to the Sonic Taser that Obadiah Stane used in the original Iron Man movie) and taken away to parts unknown but we get a glimpse of where that is in the stinger.

Oh. OH. OHHHHHHHHHH BALLS. That’s not good, is it? Because unless next season will be called Agents of S.W.O.R.D. (and part of me really, really hopes that it will) that’s bad news for Coulson and, presumably, the rest of the team.

As a whole, Season 4 has been a rollercoaster of a season thanks to brilliant writing, amazing character development and expanding the MCU in a way that doesn’t feel forced and uninteresting. Multiple arcs with an overarching narrative seems to be the way to go for this show and I hope this continues. We won’t be seeing the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. until 2018, most likely allowing the Inhumans TV show room to breathe and will no doubt take that show’s place after it’s eight episode run in a mid-season premiere.

Would you guys be down for some Inhumans coverage? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you all next year!

As opposed to The Flash this week, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. remains on form with an emotionally powerful episode with action, drama and emotional investment.

In the fallout of escaping the Framework, we see most of the cast in some form of emotional turmoil or another. Except Coulson and May, who are half-flirting, half-catching up on events while fighting Robo-Russians. Because Iain De Caestecker and Mallory Jansen can carry the traumatic emotions no problem. We also see Yo-Yo’s reaction to Mack staying in the Framework and she’s PISSED. So much so that the fiery latina fucks herself by diving into the Framework and awaking strapped to a gurney in a fiery room. Good job!

But yeah, the main focus of the episode is with Fitz and Ophelia/AIDA because they’re both fucked up! Fitz is struggling with dealing with all the bad stuff he did in the Framework as well as Ophelia being a super-creeper who can’t control her emotions and it’s just not his day when Simmons nails him with an Icer. Poor sod can’t catch a break but you feel for him every step of the way and that’s a testament to good writing and a good actor.

Ophelia/AIDA is also killing it; figuratively and literally. From playing an emotionless Life Model Decoy for most of the season, we get to see Mallory Jansen practically explode with emotion, running from delightfully happy, frightened beyond logic, a pretty cool Big-Damn-Hero moment and then seething with rage. It’s a fantastic showcase for her acting ability and for the freshly Inhuman Ophelia. She showcases teleportation, lightning generation and healing so I have to wonder what other tricks she has up her sleeves heading into next week’s finale.

With an enemy that powerful, as well as a possible army of Robo-Russians, the Team is on the backfoot with little to no back-up but miracles come from the most unexpected places and, within the demolished SHIELD base, the Darkhold portal ignites and Ghost Rider returns. Fuck. Yes.

Come back next week for what promises to be an explosive finale as magic, technology and superpowers collide in World’s End!

Okay, so here’s the thing… Last week was a bit hectic for me. My mum went into heart surgery so I was looking after my family, and I had two extra TV shows to cover for Invasion Week sooooo… Deals With Our Devils slipped by me entirely and honestly… Kinda glad it did.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting premise for an episode but seeing things play out twice from two perspectives, which could have been done in an interesting fashion, kind of feels like padding while parts that I was genuinely interested in were barely expounded upon.

AIDA’s reading of the Darkhold is of particular interest because instead of what I expected ie; she couldn’t read it, she not only could but it was in binary as well. The line Thor said about science and magic not being as distinct as we perceive them to be clearly has some merit when it comes to the Darkhold.

Another segment was the conversation between Reyes and the Rider (is it too much of a stretch to call him Zarathos since Eli is flesh and blood?). It could have been a fascinating look at their relationship but was boiled down to it’s barest element; the deal.

The deal we finally see sealed in The Laws of Inferno Dynamics, which is a fantastic title. Again, the most interesting parts are from AIDA and Reyes, the former finally revealed as an LMD and the latter making sure his uncle can’t hurt anyone else.

It’s safe to say that Reyes was never going to be in the show for long so bowing out at the mid-season finale makes sense. Might as well take the opportunity to say that I’ve enjoyed Gabriel Luna in this role and it’s a shame to see him go. Hopefully he’ll be back in the future and maybe this will lead to a solo series in the future but for the short time we had him, Luna was a brilliant Ghost Rider.

I really liked this continuity nod toward the end of the episode. Very cute moment to cement Daisy’s return as a rostered Agent. Good thing Mac and Yo-Yo got together too because holy fuck, that was getting tedious. But this is the mid-season finale so we need a cliff-hanger right? Something to get people interested in the next arc. Something like…

Yeah, May being revealed as an LMD’ll do it! I can only presume she was replaced when she was still having visions. Could Radcliffe also been an LMD? Could Fitz? Anyone who has interacted with AIDA in the house is immediately suspect! Shame about whatsisname. Guy. Snappy.

Not a bad winter finale overall but I can’t wait to see how the show progresses with this rogue AI plotline. I guess I’ll see you guys in January!

You know I’m going to talk at length about it. If you’ve seen the episode, you know I can’t not talk about it so let’s get some other plot points out of the way, yes?

Simmons’ secret mission for the Director can’t be as sinister as it appears, right? I mean, that’s clearly a red herring based on the hush-hush meeting between Mace and Senator Nadeer. I think what that meeting was really about was Nadeer using a little blackmail to get SHIELD’s discreet help with the Inhuman family member still cocooned in her living room. Could be wrong but we’ll just have to see how it plays out.

We finally get to see the origin of Robbie’s ghostly riderness and while it’s a massive departure from the comics canon I really don’t mind it, especially given how it ties in with the back story of Eli and the Darkhold. Having Eli take a severe heel turn in this episode was great, especially after making him seem like a really good uncle to the Reyes boys.

Not so great is him going Full Metal Alchemist and Coulson, Fitz and Reyes seemingly vanishing without a trace. Equivalent exchange nonsense? Quite possibly!

I also like that the utterly boring Season 2 story line from Agent Carter is getting some play in this episode with Momentum Labs being a subsidiary of Roxxon Corporation who bought up Isodyne and all their research on the Darkforce. Bringing that stuff into the modern age can only mean some more metahumans!

But I’ve waffled on about other things for far too long so lets talk about the biggest plot point of the episode.

HO-LEE SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!! Robbie Reyes isn’t this universe’s first Ghost Rider! The appearance of who we assume is Johnny Blaze means there is/was more than one Ghost Rider and our boy is a Legacy hero! Booyah!

Could his appearance in Robbie’s origin be more than coincidence though? Last time I postulated that the Darkhold was buried under Johnny Blaze’s basement so was he on the way to recover it when Robbie called out for vengeance? It’d be great if I was right but either way, it is kick-ass to see the original Ghost Rider on the show and, hopefully, we’ll be seeing a team-up with both Spirits of Vengeance! God, I hope so.

Okay, this week isn’t going to get a fair review because having two Ghost Riders on screen will elevate even the worst episode to goodness but since the rest of the episode was interesting and action-packed, I think this was my favourite episode of the season so far!

Unfortunately, we won’t be getting any follow-up on this until the end of the month… Christ, the show’s improved but the scheduling is still being utter arse and I’m worried the pacing will suffer because of it. Still, I can’t wait to see how this all plays out so I’ll see you all on the 29th November for… Whatever the episode will be called!

In case you haven’t listened to Episode #344 of Mars Needs Podcast, JJ, Jason, and I spoke at length about this review series and how my heart hasn’t been in it for a while so I put it up for a vote; should this article continue and this is what you, the audience, decided…

You rat-bastards sold me out! Yeah, you. Well, fine! You went me to keep reviewing this god damn show? Here’s what I thought about this week’s episode!

It was pretty good. Lockup is more in line with what I wanted from this show. It’s interesting, well-paced and had fun dialogue. I’m serious, guys. I was dreading sitting through another episode of Daisy being the Angsty Avenger but there was very little of that and more of what I actually like about this show.

We see a flashback to Lucy and Joseph Bauer discovering the Darkhold in a musty basement with some curious objects. An old, busted motorcyle, a dusty leather biker jacket and a wall is adorned with a Quentin Carnival poster featuring a motorcycle stunt show. Whether they’ll go that way or not; the show is pointing at Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, and his connection to the Darkhold.

The team’s infil-exfil op into the prison where Eli Morrow is being held is tense, has a few awesome action scenes and puts over Robbie’s inability to control the Spirit of Vengeance. More of this and this article won’t be heading for the back-issue bin.

Over in teen angst corner, Daisy spends the episode sulking (when not beating an ass or two) and I’m glad May goes into full Mum-Mode, taking Daisy to task for her shitty attitude and, more importantly, breaking Coulson’s heart. Good show, May!

The other big thing is the new antagonism between Director Mace and Simmons, who takes him to task for not being completely honest while subjecting her to constant lie detectors. Is Mace lying about being Inhuman and is actually another super-serum test subject? It’s not out of the realm of possibilities given his ties to Captain America… Regardless, it bodes ill for SHIELD when Senator Nadeer finds some dirt to blackmail the new Director and I can’t imagine anything good will come from this situation.

So yeah, Lockup is a great episode but I doubt SHIELD will hold to this level of quality which is why I’m going to be looking into outsourcing this article. Would you guys be happy with this article being written by another writer? Let me know in the comments and we’ll see how the series progresses next week in The Good Samaritan.

Because I’m betting Ring of Fire’s going to make an appearance by the end of the season.

This week on SHIELD, the disparate team is finally reuniting and the story finally progresses. Am I the only one tired of the concept of the team having to get back together every season? We have it all the time on SHIELD, we’ve had it on The Flash this season and even Legends of Tomorrow did it. It’s tiresome.

More intrigue regarding the mystical macguffin, the Darkhold, and Robbie’s familial connections to it and I have to say… I wasn’t expecting the sinister Uncle Eli to be so reasonable. Or nice. Or anything like he’s presented here so he’s clearly not the spirit inhabiting Robbie like the comics so is Robbie possessed by the actual Spirit of Vengeance? Did he make a deal with Mephisto?

Questions for another time because we have a rather cool car chase through the LA River to do and no Grease Lightning jokes to be had. Christ, AoS writers, do I have to do all the puns for you now?

Meanwhile, May is wide awake and is being nursed back to health by Radcliffe and AIDA, much to Fitz’s comedic dismay. I do like AIDA’s understated jokes and Mallory Jansen brings some much needed gravitas to the scenes that need it. I wish we were focusing more on the LMD plot than the ghost plot but what can you do? You book Ghost Rider, he’s getting the most screen time.

Speaking of, Robbie’s got jokes too and it made me chuckle. Nice to see him have a sense of humour because he could easily be played like a grim-dark edge lord but Luna still remains likeable and utterly bad-ass. Matching him up against Hellfire (hurray for the returning Axle Whitehead!) was a good move.

I do like that they didn’t go the cliché jealous girlfriend route with Simmons when she meets AIDA for the first time. FitzSimmons and Radcliffe working on the LMD process is going to be interesting to see but how is Simmons going to keep this secret from her lie detector test tomorrow? Dun-Dun-Dullllllllll! Who cares? I don’t.

Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire is an entertaining enough episode and further proves that the LMD and Ghost Rider stories are infinitely more interesting than Daisy’s crusade. Come back next week when we’ll be breaking into the big house in Lockup.

Okay, more of a subtitle for an arc but still… Plus it sounds super-generic. And that’s probably the best way I can describe the episode. Generic.

Not that Uprising is bad, per se, but it’s plot is weak sauce. Oh, an Inhuman attack leaves a half-dozen cities without power because of the registration act, but it’s not an Inhuman attack but a scheme by the Watchdogs to frame Inhumans. So why are their demands to stop the registration of Inhumans when the Watchdogs are using a leaked version of that list to hunt Inhumans down?

Say the world governments complied; what then? Inhumans go back to being anonymous and thus harder to find? How does that help the Watchdogs?

Why is Anti-Inhuman senator Rota Nadeer declaring Inhumans to be a menace on TV, leaking the list to the Watchdogs while having her seemingly Inhuman brother remains chrysalised in her living room? As Val Kilmer said in Batman Forever; it just raises too many questions.

Still it’s always nice to have an excuse to have Natalia Cordova-Buckley to reprise her role as Yo-Yo and be a cheeky sprite onscreen, even if it means arguing with Mack over her involvement with Daisy.

Speaking of, over in her neck of the woods, we get to spend some time with Robbie’s brother, Gabe. Unlike his comic counterpart, this Gabe doesn’t suffer with developmental disabilities and is only in a wheelchair because of some random gangbangers. That kinda sucks because Gabe’s severe handicaps were what made Robbie’s dedication to do right even more compelling but hey, it is what it is.

We also learn how to cure someone of the Darkhold infection thanks to Simmons and Radcliffe; kill the patient! Okay, so a hard reboot often is the best solution to problems but that’s usually for technology, not biology! Good thing Radcliffe used AIDA’s power battery to revive May but that may tip off Simmons to her existence also.

Jeffrey Mace continues to be way too nice… I can feel the heel turn coming. Still SHIELD is now back in the light and they can operate openly once more.

Really struggled with a review for this one because it’s pretty middle of the road. Hopefully I’ll have more to say next week when SHIELD finally come face to skull with Ghost Rider in Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire.

Welcome back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed, agents! It’s been a long time. Too long, for my tastes. So what’s happened the new status quo for our team?

In short; shit’s fucked. The (yet unseen) new Director seems like a bureaucratic douche-nozzle; separating the team, initiating a colour-coded security hierarchy and wrapping SHIELD in a mountain of red-tape. Not that Daisy is fairing any better as a fugitive but soon the two camps are on a collision course due a new, flame-headed player.

I’m glad to see the gang again but even less so that they’re not working together as a tight-knit unit. Mack and Coulson are field agents while Fitz and May lead their own departments while Simmons has become part of the Director’s inner circle in a sly effort to maintain control.

Fitz has maintained his friendship with inventor Holden Radcliffe, who decides now is the best time to unveil his first Life Model Decoy, AIDA. Mallory Jansen does a pretty good job of making a benign robot be utterly sinister. Or maybe I’m projecting because she’s going to go rogue, right? She has to. It’s like Chekov’s Sexbot or something.

During the course of the episode, a deal between the Aryan Brotherhood and the Korean mob goes south (who’da thunk?) and something is unleashed. Well… Someone. Not named in the episode, this spectral being known as Lucy seems to have the ability to warp people’s perceptions and drive them mad. Is she powered, Inhuman or maybe even a g-g-g-ghost!? Given the supernatural leaning this season, it’s safe to say this is one of the mystic Marvel characters but I have no idea who that could be off the top of my head.

But, of course, this is all an appetiser for the main course. Flame-broiled and spicy hot, the latino Robbie Reyes (played by Gabriel Luna) makes on hell of an impression in his first appearance. I really dug the car-flipping call back to the comics in the cold open and Luna’s performance is… interesting. I know Reyes’ deal but I’m wondering how much of that is being played with here or if his bipolar performance is just bad acting. I hope it’s the former. We also get a peak at another important plot point for Reyes; namely his brother, Gabe.

The skull CGI is much more impressive than I thought it would be and actually looks like a decent mix between Reyes’ silver noggin and the bone skulls of previous Riders. It also emotes! That’s pretty cool.

SHIELD’s return is an explosive, fuel-injected, enjoyable ride and sets up tons of new plot lines for the rest of the season. Next time we’ll be getting even more as we finally get to Meet the New Boss.

JJ and his amazing friend Aaron (not Arren, or Erin) recap recent events in the realm of comics. The Avengers trailer is dissected, the movie is prognosticated, and the Black Widow’s worth to the group is pondered. JJ issues a formal apology to a Mr. Andrew Garfield, it seems that his turn in the spider-tights will be more fun than “first impression boy” was willing to admit. You get the point, if you want to hear what two enthusiastic comic fans think of the upcoming year, please tune in. If you don’t, boy, do we have the wrong podcast for you this week.

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