The Laws of Inferno Dynamics – As Eli Morrow gets more creative with his new found powers the Shield members must all pull together to stop him before it’s too late. Mace learns about android AIDA and the Darkhold.
Although the show’s only been back for 2 weeks it is mid-season finale time. It’s a time in which the show traditionally delivers some events like Coulson being captured, Sky/Daisy becoming an Inhuman or last season’s introduction of Hive in the body of Grant Ward (Brett Dalton you are missed). Could this season still muster up a worthy plot development after its recent scheduling disruption? Of course it can! First up this an “Avengers Assemble” call to arms of the show’s assets with Daisy, Robbie and Yo-Yo taking the field with the rest of the team while AIDA is fully acknowledged as an android team member. Even Director Mace takes the field as a combatant in what’s best described as a “Captain Shield” outfit (a nod to Jeffrey Mace/The Patriot being a former comics Captain America). It feels like a big team up event to take on Eli Morrow who presents as the most powerful figure they’ve ever presented; that’s exactly what a big episode should be.
This all culminates in a fulfilling high stakes set piece with an impressive balance of fighting and science elements as Fitz, Simmons and AIDA frantically set up their elaborate portal tech on the floor bellow. It’s packed with cool moments like Yo-Yo’s having a Quicksilver style speed re-arrange through the melee (and how cool was her earlier fire escape). The “failsafe” setup makes it tense but the best element by far the writer Paul Zbyszewski (Lost) finds a creative defensive involvement for Daisy’s Quake powers. It was a similar success to last season’s Purpose in the Machine which saw her using vibrations to hold open the portal while Fitz rescued Simmons from the alien planet. Here, having her desperately straining to neutralize the building earthquakes (like noise canceling headphones) was a really effective dramatic tool and Chloe Bennett looked outstanding as she gives everything she’s got with the little arm vibration effects selling the idea that is was too much for her.
The progression and escalation of Eli’s powers is well presented if occasionally drifting into more a science lesson than some would like. After our previous taste of his carbon mastery we get the impression that he’s slowly pushing himself into produce more complex elements (“working through the periodic table”) like a force of nature itself working from its own building blocks. Then to top it all off all there’s a notable link to the recent lore of Doctor Strange by implying that rather than creating matter from nothing Eli is actually drawing energy from a different dimension. Just mentioning that creates an immediate sense of impending doom and that even if Eli is defeated his actions may pave the way for an even bigger threat. Yet even more impressive than his powers is the sudden deepening character by revealing that the Darkhold didn’t create and bitterness or resent in him. Rather than the blunt instrument engineer the Momentum team made him out to be, he in fact holds 2 PHDs and is one of the world’s top physicists... yet because of his background he’s viewed with prejudice as nothing more than ghetto trash rather than a member of the scientific community. It throws his character into a whole new light and even instils some degree of sympathy.
AIDA gets a great episode too as she becomes a more involved part of the team. Not only are many reactions to her Berard/Arnold like reveal hilarious, especially from Mace (“Ok, forget about the fact that I was mildly attracted to her”) but it reinforces the idea of AIDA being a powerful force now she’s processed the Darkhold. She even gets the most emotionally powerfully moment of the episode as the selfless instincts of her programming see her experiencing Radcliffe’s deliberated simulated pain for the first time and not enjoying. It’s a wonderfully messed up scene as Radcliffe sees that such suffering is the direct result of his scientific desires; that he could easily have spared AIDA from this trauma but chose not to. Furthermore it feels like that will become a vastly pivotal moment as AIDA takes centre stage for 2nd half of the season which have the subtitle LMD (Life Model Decoy).
The episode has a good comics Easter Egg haul too. Coulson’s remark about “The other Ghost Rider” is firm hint towards Johnny Blaze but more importantly Coulson’s knowledge of him (maybe even a Ghost Rider spin off series?). Daisy gets a great meta joke implying that although she couldn’t be the new face of Shield maybe her comic version could. Finally this is a mildly cheeky Easter Egg (but personally I loved it); particularly in the end fight end anyone else notice similarities in Yo-Yo’s slow mo music and the CW’s Flash theme music? It felt like a respectful Marvel to DC salute rather than a rip off and hopefully the favour will be returned over on the CW.
Agents of Shield has been on a continuous high standard this Autumn (<insert another “on fire” joke>) and this finale is no exception as it closes a chapter on the season’s first pod. It juggles a large character base skilfully with many people on meaningful personal story arcs while still delivering in action and spectacle. If you know anyone that left the show like season one now is the time to tie them to a chair and deliver a Clockwork Orange style re-introduction (or maybe just invite them round for dinner). Although the show is breaking until January keep an eye out for the 6 part web series “Agents of Shield: Slingshot” debuting on the 13th December and following the titular character through a mission set just before season 4 began. Yet for now, just have a Marvelous Christmas.