S4 Review

Absolutely enjoyed S4. Enjoyed it week-to-week as well as mini-binges during the hiatuses. Probably only the second time that’s happened for me (S1 being the other). There were parts of S2 and S3 that I wasn’t thrilled about during regular weekly viewing nor in binges….

Introducing Ghost Rider early in the premiere was a smart move; it created the word-of-mouth needed to get people talking about the show again (especially since it wasn’t hyped or properly promo’d by ABC before the season started). As far as I’m concerned Robbie Reyes was the right Ghost Rider to bring to the show; the writers and Gabriel Luna did a great job introducing the rider into the MCU. I know many fans were disappointed that it wasn’t Johnny Blaze, but if they look(ed) at it objectively, JB is an A lister and deserves to be in an MCU movie whereas a lesser known Reyes was a perfect fit for the small screen. Whoda thunk that AoS would be a great launching pad for Ghost Rider’s return home to the MCU? I think it’s awesome and finally shows the value that AoS can provide to the MCU (outside of just being great television, that is).
The Darkhold was the best McGuffin, yet. The Monolith (better known as Simmons’ Rock) and The Obelisk/Diviner were basically “things” but The Darkhold was practically a character as it was so integral to the three Pods and practically treated as a living thing. That was pretty damn cool. The Darkhold was the centerpiece for Uncle Tio, Lucy and her band of interdimensional apparitions, AIDA’s dreamscape, AIDA’s genesis and….. as it turned out…… Ghost Rider himself (along with a Strange sorcerer that went unnamed).
Speaking of Pods: Great concept; too bad they didn’t think of it sooner. Three distinct storylines with a short(er) hiatus between Pods (as opposed to one or two storylines with a three-month hiatus) was brilliant, with one exception (more on that later). The three Pod format maintained a quick pace and held viewer interest. I wonder what they’ll do with a 22 week straight run next season?

As for the LMD Pod: Thank you, Lord, for the gift that was Mallory Jansen. She was amazing. Now don’t get me wrong, she needed great writing to be able to do what she did, and she had it. AIDA’s development was superbly written and Mallory knocked it out of the park. I appreciate how they touched on AIDA’s treatment while she was an LMD, but do wish they’d have explored “sentience” a little more. Even if influenced by the Darkhold, it seemed she reached sentience long before she got an organic body. Would’ve been nice if they’d have spent some time having the “does sentience mean she’s alive?” discussion before she became organic. Yeah, time was an issue with the Pod format, but if they could have squeezed that in it would have made for a more complete package, IMO.

I liked the third Pod a lot more than I expected to. I kind of had a feeling it would seem like filler, but they pulled it off. It was entertaining and soon became obvious that the butterfly effect will ripple into the fifth season. During weekly viewing, I was hoping they’d also show what was going on in the real world but, in retrospect, they did the right thing. The roles the characters played in The Framework were believable, even though Fitz’s role was difficult to take in. Yet again, Ian got the opportunity to show his range and he didn’t disappoint. The show runners came up with an ingenious way to introduce Daisy and Jemma into The Framework. Daisy waking up as Skye and hooked up with Ward was both an interesting Framework intro for Daisy and a great way to bring Ward back into the picture. And Jemma crawling out of a grave…………… damn, who thought of that? Daisy had to put her improvisational spy skills to the test and poor Jemma had to figure out how to just “exist”. Tons-o-fun to watch that all unfold. It actually was nice to see “good guy” Ward again, and having Trip back was fun(ny). Also, once again, I need to take a moment to thank the Lord above for Mallory Jansen. God, she was great in the many portrayals of AIDA/Agnes, et. al.

Before I get to the finale, a quick word about the behind-the-scenes peeps. The season, as a whole, was well written and you gotta give props when they’re due. There were multiple writers and the season flowed like there was only one person telling a story; pretty incredible. Same for the direction, multiple directors and all did a great job; especially my favorite: Kevin Tancharoen; always brings his A Game and easily gives the show runners what they want (easy to do when an EP is your spouse). Kudos, as well, to Jed Whedon for writing and directing one of the best eps of the season. The VFX team had their biggest challenge in S4 and they absolutely nailed it. To do what they do on the budget they have, and in the time they have in which to do it, is insane. Utmost respect for them folks. Practical effects and makeup were on point (except for one prop “oops” that stood out). And there’s no question that Bear McCreary was the absolute best choice for doing the score on this series.

The finale is where I get to the “one exception” mentioned above. The three Pod format caused an incredibly rushed ending to the season. They’re good at wrapping things up and tying loose ends but it always seems rushed; this season especially. On more than one occasion, they hinted at how dangerous Ophelia was but they didn’t spend enough time on it. As possibly the best villain of the series thus far, AIDA/Ophelia deserved a little more respect, IMO. She was supposed to be OP (and she was) but they didn’t play that out as well as they could have. One more ep and they’d have been able to do her proper justice; or just trim a little fat here and there in the third Pod and they’d have been able to give their best villain the story she deserved. What “fat” you ask? Well, IMO, The Inferior was the fat they could have trimmed earlier on in the third Pod. He was a waste. The only purpose he really served after decapitation was a vehicle for AIDA to eventually obtain the oil rig and sub. She could have killed him straight away and had a fleet of AIDAs run the platform and sub. Take him out of the third Pod and use that time to display AIDA’s powers and psychotic turn, and they’d have had a dynamic end to an exceptional villain. Oh, and Robbie’s Sling Chain was an awesome way to close out the Darkhold and show they were tying in to Doctor Strange. That was a nice little present there at the end.

Speaking of the ending……. WTF? Who the hell were The Men in Black? And…. where the hell is Coulson? And…. why the hell is he there? And… what was the deal Robbie brokered between The Rider and Coulson? And…. What price will Coulson have to pay? And…. Is Coulson’s current predicament the result of the deal with The Rider, or due to The Men in Black? And…. Is Coulson Space truckin solo or is the team there? And… if Coulson is Space Truckin alone, who’s in charge of SHIELD? And…. IS there a SHIELD? And…. Is it January 2018, yet?

Can’t wait for S5…….

EDIT:
I inadvertently described Kevin Tancharoen as an Ep "spouse".  I meant to say "relative" and failed to catch it on my pre-post edit.  OOPS!