Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S4 Ep2 – Meet The New Boss

After an excellent episode to introduce the season last week, we learn a lot more about several of the key plotlines this week. (Nothing on Aida, but I’m sure she and her creator will turn up again soon.)

If last week’s theme was attachment, this week’s is doing what’s necessary.

First of all, Daisy decides it’s a good idea to confront Robbie directly, again. She shows off the research she’s done on him while her van gets fixed at his garage. Then she unwisely mentions his brother. The Rider attacks her again, but still doesn’t kill her. Instead, he ties her up and tries to figure her out. He correctly guesses that while his thing is vengeance, hers seems to be penance.

They’re all smiles in front of visiting congresspeople, but just what is the Director’s agenda here? (Photo credit: ABC)

Meanwhile, Mack and Fitz head off to investigate a possible source for the creepy apparition of a woman that SHIELD’s cameras caught at the scene with the Chinese gangsters. It’s an abandoned research facility (when are those places ever good news?) in Pasadena. But Creepy Apparition Crazy-Making Lady is already there. Her name is Lucy, it turns out. And she’s not the only Creepy Apparition. She was on some kind of team with at least four other researchers, when something went wrong and they became non-corporeal. Once she lets them all out of their boxes, Lucy promises they’ll find “the book”, called Darkhold, and kill the man who did this to them.

Back at the base, May and Coulson meet with the Director. His name is Jeffrey, and he’s all about making sure SHIELD looks really good when they go public as an organization again soon. He’s also, by the way, a super-strong Inhuman. This turns out to be handy when May goes full on crazy and tries to “do what has to be done” with all the “infected” people on the base (the ones she’s hallucinating as all corpsified and gross). The Director subdues her. However, he refuses to allow Coulson to have a hand in dealing with her, since Coulson’s not objective. The last glimpse we get of May is her strapped down, in a Quinjet, being taken somewhere very much against her will. This is not good. Do not mess with May, Director Jeff! I’m curious to know more about you. You don’t seem like a bad guy, necessarily, though kind of annoyingly cheerful and I don’t like how you’ve split up the team. But I will quickly hate you if you mess with May!

I’m intrigued to see where the reluctant partnership between Daisy and Ghost Rider goes from here. The two obviously still don’t trust each other much, but they recognize each other’s strengths: Robbie sees Daisy’s gifts as an investigator, and, well, Daisy has to see the benefits of someone who’s practically indestructible as an ally. It’s very in-character that she doesn’t believe in his “possessed by the Devil” story, though she’s pretty sure by the end of the ep that he’s not Inhuman.

This is not okay.

Also, that scene with Daisy, Fitz, and Mack together after Ghost Rider destroys the incorporeal bad guy was excellent. I’m still hoping Daisy will reconcile with the team soon, but there’s a ways to go, clearly. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Mack and Fitz report this encounter. Will they mention Daisy at all? How will they describe Ghost Rider?

What did you think about the second episode? Any theories about Lucy, or when Daisy will be back with SHIELD? Let us know in the comments!