Comic Vine News

12 Comments

5 Developments From Agents of SHIELD: Season 4, Episode 2 [Spoilers]

It's time for Coulson to "Meet the New Boss" as Daisy finds out more about Ghost Rider.

The fourth season of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is underway. With the show moving forward six months after the events of the last season, we've seen a lot of changes with the status of SHIELD and its agents. Last week, Ghost Rider appeared and a mysterious 'ghost' has been unleashed. With the introduction of the new Director of SHIELD this episode, more secrets are revealed.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 2 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, "Meet the New Boss," will be discussed below.

Daisy Confronts Robbie Reyes About Ghost Rider

Daisy left SHIELD and is trying to put a stop to the Watchdogs group. When chasing some weapons dealers, she had a run-in with Ghost Rider. Their fight ended with Ghost Rider choosing not to kill her. Daisy used her computer skills to find out all about Robbie Reyes' past and confronts him while he's at his day job. When Robbie starts to come around and mentions wanting vengeance, Daisy tells him she also wants it but against the Watchdogs. Reyes informs her he's not an Inhuman, but when she mentions his younger brother, he gets angry and transforms.

Ghost Rider still won't kill Daisy until he has proof she deserves it. He leaves her tied up to go after the stolen weapon. His search takes him to an abandoned lab where Fitz and Mack are at.

Fitz and Mack vs. Ghosts

No Caption Provided

Fitz and Simmons examine the empty box that was supposed to contain a weapon. Fitz figures out that you need to use light from outside the visible spectrum to look inside. They detect a type of energy that they've never seen before. This reveals some Mack suggests it could be a ghost based on a report they received. Fitz and Simmons don't believe that's possible. Fitz and Mack head to an abandoned lab to investigate the origin of the box.

It turns out the ghost seen last time worked at the lab. She frees fellow scientists that were locked in other boxes and mentions needing to find the Darkhold book. When Fitz and Mack arrive, Mack gets locked in a chamber and Fitz is about to get touched by the ghost. Ghost Rider arrives and kills the ghost while Daisy frees Mack.

The New Director Is Revealed

Coulson is on a first name basis with Jeffrey, the new Director. When Coulson apologizes for going on a mission to find Daisy without his permission. Jeffrey tells him it's okay and loyalty is a good thing. He still wants Daisy taken care of. Since they're about to officially unveil SHIELD publicly, she could create a bad image for them. He also has a special mission for Coulson. Jeffrey mentions Coulson's ability to get an unlimited budget and has him charm the UN delegates that visit their headquarters. Jeffrey appears to be a good guy, but there's more to him than he lets on.

May Is Infected

No Caption Provided

When May and her squad arrived to bail out Coulson and Mack last episode, the ghost was released from the box. Those around seemed to be infected and had visions that caused them to attack each other. May had minor visions at first, but soon escalates into paranoia. She believes the base has been infiltrated and attacks her squad. The Director arrives and she punches him with no results. She then hits him with a pole and he reveals his secret before knocking her out. She is later taken away to parts unknown.

The Director's Secret

Who is the new Director? Can he be trusted?

When May attacked him, he shrugged off her blows and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. She claimed he was a monster, but he corrected her by confessing he's an Inhuman. Coulson mentioned he wanted a powered individual to be the head of SHIELD to help bridge the gap between humans and Inhumans. While Coulson is on a first name basis with Jeffrey, it doesn't seem like they're the best of friends. The Director is using Coulson to conduct the tour with the delegates but keeps him in the dark about things such as where May was taken to. It's not fully clear how he was chosen to become the Director and what his complete motivation might be.

No Caption Provided

Thoughts

On the surface, it didn't feel like too much happened. We had May go over the edge, learned who the director was and what he could do, saw the ghosts dealt with, and had Daisy and Robbie come to an understanding. Within these plot points, there is a bit to see if you examine each further.

Since May was taken somewhere, it leads us to believe the Director is hiding something. He won't tell Coulson where she's being taken to. This could mean the Director has his own agenda, or perhaps he simply doesn't want to burden Coulson with more than necessary.

The Director being an Inhuman is a good touch. It's not clear how many people are aware of his abilities. May, even though she wasn't thinking clearly, was surprised. Jeffrey most likely has signed the Sokovia Accords. It wouldn't make sense for him to calmly walk up to May and risk revealing his secret to everyone. IMDB also lists his name as Jeffrey Mace. In the comics, Mace replaced Steve Rogers as Captain America after he disappeared during WWII. These two characters most likely aren't connected, but it's interesting that Marvel would use the name. Maybe Mace is an Inhuman that also ages slowly.

The mention of the Darkhold is another interesting twist. We know Robbie mentioned selling his soul to the devil. Could this be Chthon, the elder god that wrote the Darkhold? In the comics, this version of Ghost Rider is controlled by Robbie's uncle, Eli Morrow. Is it Morrow or Chthon pushing Reyes to kill for vengeance? What do the ghosts have to do with the Darkhold and the abandoned lab?

With Mack and Fitz letting Daisy go, we see that old loyalties still exist. Of course, Mack and Fitz might not have been prepared to try to bring her in. Daisy and Robbie have had a shaky relationship. Now that they appear to be joining forces, it'll be interesting to see where they go next.