'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: 'The Good Samaritan'

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

It's no secret that I've been extremely impressed with the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and how this year has managed to fix every issue that the show has ever suffered from. The plot is moving at a brisk pace, the storylines are grittier and more compelling and most importantly, we've had some wonderful mysteries to keep our eye on this year by way of the Ghost Rider and the mysterious events surrounding the Darkhold and Momentum Labs. 

But it's becoming clear now that the show is not content with the progress it has made. Rather than settle in and provide us with a status quo, the series is trying new things left and right, seeing what kind of boundaries it can push in the process and that was never more evident than it was last night, because 'The Good Samaritan' not only pulled the cloak off of season four's two biggest mysteries, it delivered an absolute tour-de-force of an episode. One filled to the brim with action and tense and moments and when all was said and done, the landscape for this season has changed completely and...we're only six episodes in.

But before we begin to speculate on what comes next for Coulson and the gang, let's take a moment and discuss those two grand mysteries and what we learned about them because they were absolutely breathtaking, especially when it comes to the origin story of Robbie Reyes. We've been hearing the same thing from Robbie since we met him, that he made a deal with the devil and that's why he's the vengeful being he is today but the speculation around that has run rampant. Is he an Inhuman or is he something else? Well, that part is still a touch murky, but what we do know is that on that fateful night when he and his brother found themselves under fire...that Robbie did indeed die, and was visited by the good samaritan that the title refers to. This concerned citizen however was a special one for certain, a man by the name of Johnny Blaze who transferred some of his own Rider magic along to Robbie, giving him the chance to set things right once again. 

Yet despite the awesomeness of seeing another Rider and learning more about how Robbie came to gain these powers, all of that was grossly overshadowed by one big reveal. It turns out that the hit on Robbie was meant for another man, his uncle Eli and that all along, we've been wrong about Lucy and what she and her husband had planned for the Darkhold. All they ever wanted was to make the world a better place and to them, the book was an opportunity to fast track an end to all the world's problems. The planet is running out of wood? Not a problem, the book can create more. A country is suffering from famine? Boom, crops for everyone. It was always about making the world a better place in their minds meaning that our true villain, the monster that wants all of the book's power for their own gain...turned out to be Eli. He orchestrated Lucy and her friends being trapped into containment and beat Joe senseless, all to get to the book and unlock its secrets and unfortunately, the ruse he pulled on Coulson and the gang worked so well...he has now become some kind of ultra powerful being that can create matter at will.

Either way, this wild twist to the storyline left us with a few new questions, for starers, are Coulson and Fitz okay since they were nowhere to be found after Eli fired up the Darkhold's creation, and also, what else does Eli have planned for the world now that he has achieved deity status? That is perhaps the scariest of all the questions posed by the show since it's clear Robbie's uncle is more than happy to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, meaning whatever comes next from him...will be ruthless and terrifying. Either way, this episode...was just stunning. Every single second was a thrill ride and I love the fact that once again, the answers are coming fast and furious and the plot continues to move at a breakneck speed. My only complaint? Is that we have to wait until November 29 to find out the next chapter in the story and I will definitely be on my couch when the hour arrives to find out what happened to Coulson and Fitz (I'm pretty sure Robbie is just fine) and discover what our new villain has up his sleeve. Until then.

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