'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: 'Meet the New Boss'

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Last season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was all about the long buildup. We would spend weeks filled with wonder as to what mystery was going to unfold or be introduced in any given episode and when the magic moment arrived where all was revealed, it often came in the form of one wild episode packed to the brim with action and answers and while that brought its moments of joy, it also brought forth frustration. 

After all, we could tell the show was drawing every little thing out and teasing us every step of the way when it would have been simpler to just fill us in up front. But not to worry, this show continues to evolve, and in addition to becoming a little grittier in its look and storytelling design, the show is also taking us to new places when it comes to giving us answers and progressing the plot since 'Meet the New Boss' delivered in both areas since we finally got the chance to meet the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., were treated to a better understanding of where the Rider comes from, and just what kind of threat our intrepid agents are up against. 

So, with all that in mind, just who is the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Well his name is Jeffrey Mace and he is nothing like what we expected him to be. The season premiere painted us a picture of an obsessive man, one who enjoys pouring over as much policy and procedure as possible, so one would expect a hard boiled and furious man to be sitting behind that desk. But instead, we met a charming and bubbly man, one who seems to enjoy his job, serves bottled water at meetings, and just so happens to be an enhanced individual. That matters because for starters, it was Phil's idea to put an Inhuman in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. to no doubt bridge the gap and quell fears when the agency returns to legitimacy, but also because of the fact, the man is super strong, outright invulnerable it would seem and that came in handy in subduing a suffering Agent May, but more on that in a moment, since last night also taught us that this man...while he may be full of joy and open to new ideas...is all about the fundamentals of this agency and dedicated to the job, and that's where these new policies and procedures come from. It's about doing things by the numbers, and staying objective and that's definitely new for Phil and the gang. 

But, while it was neat to learn more about the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. this quickly into the season, we need to get back to Agent May and her subsequent mental collapse from meeting the 'spirit' from last week that was quite literally let out of the box. Because the 'ghost' in question, is not a being from beyond, but a failed science experiment. She and a few of her cohorts were in possession of a book known as the Darkhold (a nice little Marvel comics tie in for all the hardcore fans), and worked for a lab where they were clearly transformed into these non corporeal beings by a mystery man they all hate, and now they desire revenge against him. But...before it seems as though this plot was about to go in a different direction without the Ghost Rider, have no fear, he apparently has ties to this lab as well. He knows where it is, he can fight these mystery beings and judging from that shot of him ripping down a picture in the lab and growling...he is not a fan of this place as well and it seems he finally realizes that Daisy can help him since they appear to make peace at the end of the episode.

Yet, while this episode served up plenty of answers on a hot platter, it made sure to keep some mysteries off the menu. We still have no idea what the lab's purpose is, how our ghosts became ghosts that drive people insane and the Darkhold's purpose either for that matter. But the fact that we know now that the Rider is tied to this mess, and that we met the new director and found out just how no nonsense he is is absolutely wonderful. We got just enough last night by way of answers and future plot points to keep us hooked, and the show didn't lose sight of its newfound darkness, since the sight of May in a straight jacket was pretty jarring and poor Mack came to realize that Yo-Yo has been playing S.H.I.E.L.D. all along. Either way, the show continues to reel me in, season four continues to be a rousing success and next week should hopefully continue to move this fascinating new story along. Until next time.

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