Do you ever see some big corporation heads or politicians on TV and wonder if their smile is actually stapled in place? Like they’ve had some secret pins implanted or maybe just spent 6 months in a rigorous mountain training facility having their face hit with rocks until they can frown no more. Sometimes it becomes eerie and disturbing, but we get it: It’s a crucial part of their public appearance. That the minute that smile breaks, the minute their face turns solemn every single person watching them knows something is wrong, like blood in the water drawing in the sharks. If they just keep smiling no matter how absurd things get, we are more willing to believe that things are still under control, that this may even be all part of the plan. That is what it means to be the face of anything:the great big forced smile. Shield has a new director but as in soon becomes very clear through his big smiling features that he’s not just intended as a figure of authority but Shield's very own smiling public face.
Meet the Boss – As Daisy gets to know her new flame, May continues to be affected by her unknown ghost encounter while a closed down laboratory may provide some answers to both mysteries. All while Shield’s new director, Jeffry Mace teases some big changes.
So last week, they sure talked about him a lot but now we finally get to meet this new Director of Shield that’s making the others so uneasy. Although the reveal is initially underwhelming it quickly makes up for this in intrigue as Director Jeffry Mace (the comic persona of The Patriot, the 3rd/70s Captain America) is nothing like his prior descriptions. He quickly comes across as being likeable, reasonable and trusting (“A team that trusts is a team that triumphs”), which immediately flips our perspective back towards Coulson and the team. Are they just being paranoid in the face of change? Is Mace really on their side like Gonzales in season 2? If the last 3 seasons have taught us anything, then Mace could very well be harbouring some secret or betrayal yet to be revealed but from his first appearance at least there are no tell-tale signs poking their heads out. Mace does come across with the slight edge of politician but with good reason as we learn he’s not just there to be the organisation’s director but its literal face the Government looks to make Shield public once more. That in itself is an excellent development for the show as it threatens to shake everything up. The whole underground resistance setup of Shield operating in secret has for the last two seasons has been great but it’s always important to change things before they become tired and worned out rather than scrambling to do it afterwards. This season feels like the right time to least attempt such a big change (maybe try and fail in Season 4 before succeeding in Season 5). Finally, on this meeting of the boss, can we also just take amount to appreciate that Mace is being played by Jason O’Mara, aka the voice of Batman in many DC animated movies? That’s right: Batman is the new director of Shield. Something tells me they’ll be wearing black soon.
This episode continues what already feels like the season’s key approach of marrying science fiction elements with more mystical and supernatural. This is fantastically demonstrated in the Momentum Labs location. The production design is drop dead gorgeous with the giant central reactor contraption looking like it’s been ripped out of an '80's movie. Everything about it, from the low outward lighting to the blue and purple colouring is utterly compelling.... then in the room with it, we have ghosts that appear to be the product of its usage. Not just that but there’s mentions of a powerful book and a “dark hole” that implies any transformations were as much magical and they were molecular. Connecting Robbie “Ghost Rider with a car” Reyes to the lab also provides good means to connect him into the main story and the rest of the Shield team. He’s now positioned as a natural ally in the spirit of needing a ghost to fight ghosts, very simply demonstrated in this episode’s encounter. Elsewhere within the episode, there’s some nice warming of the other team members over to being ghost believers. Simmons is ideally utilised as the sceptical “Scully” figure favouring rational explanations while Mack (the engineer/small tank) gets to be the open minded believer, “or... maybe it’s a ghost?”.
I also really like the way Daisy’s character is being used here as although she does interact with her old friends, the show isn’t rushing her back into the ranks. There are, of course, foundations laid for her return but at the same time it’s good to see Mack and Fitz showing some degree of bad blood towards her for leaving. Fitz says it best when remarking that they’ve all had bad things happened to them at some point (Simmons in space, brain blasted Fitz, May losing Andrew, Coulson losing Rosalind and all manner of team deaths) but she ran rather than standing strong with her friends. At the same time, Daisy’s continued vigilante streak allows her to focus on developing a relationship with Robbie which a lot of the episode is dedicated too. Last week, we saw them going full on thunderdome and this episode slowly but surely moves them towards some degree of at least mutual interest cooperation. The captive scene is the most effective as the pair has a guarded heart to heart that pieces together some common ground between them. Hopefully we’ll get a few more weeks (maybe even until the mid-season) or the pair functioning as a duo, allowing Daisy to be a conduit for deepening Robbie’s back story, before they’re eventual team up with Shield.
Despite many attributes, this is still a fallout/hangover episode from the season opener as most second episodes are but it doesn’t just pick up the pieces it makes something of them. The credits role with several big story arcs in place that will dominate at least these 2016 episodes while still providing some good bursts of action and super powers. What the season needs now is defined central villain, and hopefully that will be developed over the next few weeks. The ghosts mentioned a scientist behind their transformation several years ago. Anyone else wondering if that could be Dr Radcliffe? For now though, this is still Shield standing strong and may well become the boss of this season’s comic book shows..... unless Luke Cage has other ideas.