Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4
"First of all, that thing is not a she. It's a damn robot. And second of all, what is the matter with you two chuckleheads? Have either one of you seen a movie in the last thirty years? The robots always attack." - Mack
release year: 2016-17
genre: TV superhero action/adventure
viewing setting: home DVD 6/1-10/20
synopsis: The team deals with a fiery demon from Hell, an infiltration by android imposters, and being trapped in a Matrix-like false world.
impressions: This season had three arcs, which also connected to each other. The Ghost Rider arc introduced that man/demon/creature as well as the evil book known as the Darkhold. Both tied into the LMD arc, which then dovetailed nicely into the alternate-world arc. I need to say that I'm not a fan of the Matrix - the concept never really sat well with me. An artificial world like that could be (and would be, I think) completely controlled by its creator, who should not be defeatable within their own creation. Also, even if the Framework is not "real"...as long as it's real to those within it, then defeating it basically means destroying them and their world. Just something I thought should have been pointed out. But whatever. This season was good and entertaining.
acting: I won't recap the series regulars here, but returning standouts from these arcs include Henry Simmons (whose character gains an emotional side this season), Natalia Cordova-Buckley (whose character gets a more prominent role), and Iain De Caestecker (whose evil persona dominates the third arc.) Notable newcomers include Gabriel Luna as the human side of Ghost Rider, Mallory Jansen as the first android LMD who expands her power over time, Jason O'Mara as the idealistic and well-meaning new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Parminder Nagra as a bigoted U.S. Senator, and Zach McGowan as a Russian bad guy. Adrian Pasdar and Brett Dalton return in limited roles; the latter finally has a chance to be a good guy after all of his past evildoing.
final word: Amazing and highly entertaining espionage-heavy complement to the recent Marvel movies.
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