Agents of SHIELD S04E04: Lola vs the Ghost Rider

Agents of SHIELD, Season 4, Episode 4: Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire

After the more filler-y episode last week, the fourth episode brings the entire team together as Aida, Quake and Ghost Rider are all brought into SHIELD in differing ways. The main plot of the episode had Quake fool Simmons into showing up and enlist her help in tracking down the leak within SHIELD that allowed the Inhuman list to leak out to the Watchdogs. Simmons and Quake do this little buddy cop routine as they head off to try and protect an old rehabilitated enemy, James (a.k.a. Hellfire). What happened to James was one of the unanswered questions of the third season's finale, and it's hilarious that he's just working in that fireworks shop.

It's a bit of an obvious plot twist that Hellfire's actually evil, but credit to the actor's acting, I actually bought it when he gives his speech about how he's just trying to live a normal life, how the fireworks are a reminder of what happens when he breaks loose, just like his coworker's cigarette butt. And when he reveals his complicity with the Watchdogs, painting himself as a self-styled hunter of his own kind and later being the last one to die, is actually far, far more depth than James had gotten all throughout the third season. 

Meanwhile, Coulson and Mack catches up with Ghost Rider in a very, very awesome car chase scene involving Lola and Ghost Rider's awesome muscle car, and Coulson ends up getting Ghost Rider to trust him enough as an ally, getting Ghost Rider to get a story out of his imprisoned uncle. We don't exactly get to learn much other than the fact that the ghosts are trying to create some kind of impossible matter-creating machine, and it blew up in their faces and turned them into ghosts, but it's nice now that the in-show character knows. And Lucy the ghost wakes up her husband, and they're going to get this Necronomicon Darkhold book.

And, well, holy shit, that final battle between Ghost Rider and Hellfire, with Robbie catching the flaming chain and then transforming? That was awesome as all hell. Coulson's line about how it's inevitable how two fire guys falling into a fireworks shop is also hilarious.

Quake's single-minded pigheadedness to just try and rescue Inhumans all the time, pushing away all her allies and demanding or guilt-tripping that they help her when she needs them is finally confronted by both Coulson and Simmons, and Coulson tells her to shut up. The Watchdogs may be hunting the Inhumans, but they have bigger problems. More eldritch, ghostly problems. 

Meanwhile, Aida finally meets people outside of the Radcliffe/Fitz team, talking to May who really, really likes her for being all business. We also get May cursing in Chinese (eat dog fart) which is hilarious. Simmons immediately sees Aida and knows she's an android (which causes Fitz to try and cover up the possible misconception that Fitz is hanging out with Radcliffe to see a pretty lady) and doesn't really care, before realizing that she has to care to Director Mace... not just about Aida, but possibly about a whole bunch of other things she went through in this episode.

Speaking about lying, Radcliffe has this long conversation with Aida how sometimes it's okay to lie if it's to save someone's life, though in this case, it is Aida's own life. Will this turn out badly, or will it lead to a heartwarming moment later on down the line? Who can say. I'm really interested in the Aida story, to be honest.

It's overall a pretty cool episode, very solid. I'm not sure if the Darkhold and ghost stories have enough substance to make me actually care all that much, because right now it's knowing the stories of Ghost Rider, Aida and Quake that're the main appeal of the show. So far, it's definitely working.