Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – S4E4 – Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire

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Previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “Uprising”

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – S4E4 – Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire | Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennett, Henry Simmons, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain de Caestecker, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Gabriel Luna | Writer: Matt Owens | Director: Brad Turner

IN THE DOSSIER

S.H.I.E.L.D. began to connect the dots between Momentum Alternative Energy Labs, its former engineer (José Zúñiga) and the real reason for his incarceration. Daisy is reacquainted with an old friend and Robbie met a pair of Johnson’s former teammates, with all uniting under the single goal of stopping the next Watchdog attack. In the meantime, Fitz and Radcliffe continued to improve upon Aida’s already impressive programming.

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED THEY FALL

It didn’t take long for Coulson to take down Robbie and bring him into the fold… however it took a couple convincing threats and the lure of finding some kind of peace for his uncle. Gabriel Luna continues to be the exciting X factor for a S.H.I.E.L.D. team that’s more by-the-book than ever. Now diving headfirst into the group dynamic, Reyes has to find a way to rely on the abilities of others he doesn’t know (that appear to know everything about him) while taking on a national terrorist force and still look after his brother. If Reyes continues his reluctant partnership with Coulson for the next couple episodes, it won’t be too surprising if he occasionally blows his top out of frustration.

Elsewhere, Jemma and Daisy reunite (also through dubious means), determined to root out the mole/breach within S.H.I.E.L.D’s allegedly impenetrable server network. To Simmons’ amazement, the Watchdogs had access to every byte of data about the inhumans, making their task to dispatch every enhanced individual that much easier. Of course, Daisy gotta be Daisy and do things the hard way, first by forcing Jemma to help her by gunpoint, then recruiting her old pal James (Axel Whitehead) to cause a little mayhem against the anti-inhuman hit squad.

It’s about time Daisy is put on blast for her Lone Ranger act and Jemma, the unlikeliest of her former teammates, calls her out on her salty attitude multiple times. We get it, the lives of inhumans are very important and they deserve better. However, if Johnson continued down the path she chose, who knows if she would have lasted the night if Simmons stayed in the van like she wanted.

In any case, most of the gang was back together along with their new supernatural muscle in the form of Reyes. While Phil and Mack easily subdued the Watchdog cell, Robbie arrived in timely fashion to save the ladies, flash some skull and walk confidently in front of a massive explosive. Because badass.

Although the team won’t be singing ‘kumbaya’ any time soon, Coulson coerced Johnson and Reyes to stick around to find the Darkhold before Lucy (Lilli Birdsell) manages to literally pull the information about its location from her comatose husband Joseph (Kerr Smith). Hopefully the inclusion of magic in the MCU won’t be downplayed or squandered in any series or film franchise. The pantheon of characters within this layer of Marvel’s prolific universe goes beyond Doctor Strange and are deserving of colorful live-action adaptations like the inhumans and other villainous aliens soon to encroach upon our planet.

MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN

Just when you think the Uncanny Valley couldn’t become any narrower, there’s Aida! The perpetually pleasant android was operating within nominal parameters this week, playing the straight woman to Radcliffe (John Hannah) and Fitz’s zingers, barbs and manic reactions. Holden’s become too brazen, especially with May now conscious and interacting with Ms. Near-Perfect Wonder of Cutting-Edge Technology. It’s an impressive achievement by Radcliffe and Fitz, in spite Aida’s existence being highly illegal.

The whole ordeal about Sokovia and Ultron aside, Mallory Jansen has fashioned a character that has already displayed the better parts of our humanity. Yet like many of us during our more impressionable years, this synthetic being is learning very quickly about the nuances of our everyday lives, especially the merits of duplicity. Hopefully this isn’t the beginning of the end for one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s more intriguing plot lines. No doubt Aida will have the spotlight shined on her later this season if Leo continues to crack under pressure and Simmons cannot fool her regularly scheduled polygraph sessions.

QUICK HITS

• At least Daisy made sure FitzSimmons had the (affordable) apartment of their dreams for all the strife she put them through. Who says hacking is a malicious act?
• Talk about self-loathing. It’s partly understandable why Hellfire is in league with the Watchdogs, James made his reasons crystal clear. Plus, the organization needs a vocal figurehead. Otherwise they’re an awfully weak antagonist.
• Robbie’s uncle Eli managed to bridge the connection between the spiritual elements and scientific experimentation conducted at Momentum, but it still feels a bit flimsy. Granted, the Asgardians’ grasp of science appears magical to the average human yet this isn’t so convincing. Not yet. We can only pray that the Rider and the link to Doctor Strange will be proven to be more otherworldly in nature and not construed as some form of alien science.
• Are we kind of tired of the ghosts yet? It feels kinda tiresome already.