AGENTS OF SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 21 – Agents of SHIELD achieves the seemingly impossible, landing every emotional beat in their complex season plot to perfection in “The Return.” The episode expertly ties up narrative loose ends and uses them to catapult the story into its season finale with one last super-sized, super-powered conflict.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 20 – In “Farewell, Cruel World!” Agents of SHIELD bids adieu to its warped alternate reality but brings back psychological consequences and some dangerous antagonists. The episode provides closure in most of the placing where the plot was tiring and replaces the resolved storylines with all-new tension and stakes.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 19 – Agents of SHIELD reveals motivation and takes a step toward escape in “All the Madame’s Men.” One group of our friends moves closer to freedom while another searches for the reason why they’re all trapped in a virtual prison. The episode moves the story forward just enough to set up some kind of conclusion.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 18 – “No Regrets” continues this astonishing run of Agents of SHIELD, mining every aspect of the show and current affairs for its alternate universe. Our friends remain trapped in a VR nightmare while the series knows just which wounds to press and which character traits to tweak for maximum devastation.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 17 – Agents of SHIELD continues to rewrite itself in “Identity and Change” by taking the best ideas from the whole series, reworking them, and forcing the characters to confront their demons. The episode knows exactly which spots to poke and which wounds to rip open for maximum effect, both painful and delightful.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 16 – Agents of SHIELD rewrites the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in “What If…” mixing together painstaking attention to MCU detail with a little real-world politics. The differences between SHIELD regular world and the alternate reality provide tension while nothing is changed so much that you divest from the story entirely.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 15 – After three and a half years, Agents of SHIELD finally fulfills all of its immense potential in “Self Control.” Betrayal, uncertainty, and personal agency are at the forefront of the troubles the team must contend while also deeply examining issues of artificial intelligence, consciousness, and personhood. This is SHIELD at its best.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 13 – “BOOM” takes the usual Agents of SHIELD formula and gives it a spin to put Director Mace’s alienation at the center of the narrative. Balancing robots, magic, Inhumans, and scientific enhancement, the episode manages to touch every base and deliver a satisfying conclusion that moves multiple plotlines forward at the same time.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 12 – Agents of SHIELD tackles philosophy of mind, Russians, and romantic conundrums while Coulson and company race Radcliffe to the Darkhold in “Hot Potato Soup.” Drawing both from current real-life political quandaries and from the series’ expansive past, the episode balances humor and compassion in equal measure.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 11 – SHIELD continues to knock it out of the park in every respect with a beautiful mix of robots, politics, superpowers, and character-driven stories. In this week’s episode, Agent May and her copy both fight against their respective constraints, SHIELD’s three leaders clash over policy decisions, and science might not actually save us this time.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 10 – Agents of SHIELD strikes the perfect balance between action, political intrigue, and characterization in “The Patriot.” Pulling details from the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, this week’s episode mixes robot clones, Inhumans, science-y superpowers, and forgotten plot points from seasons past for a superb blend of plot, adventure, and character development.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 9 – Agents of SHIELD plays with killer robots, mad science, and corrupt politicians in its action-packed return from hiatus. It plays every sci-fi trope just straight enough to pull the rug out from under you in the precise style this show has slowly cultivated through the seasons.

Agents of SHIELD ExcerptSeason 4, Episode 7 – Agents of SHIELD figures out exactly how to come back from a cliffhanger hiatus in “Deals With Our Devils.” Drawing together every storyline of the season, the episode hits the perfect formula for the series with a mixture of action, plot, suspense, and emotion. Just like every great SHIELD episode should.

Agents of SHIELD Excerpt Season 4, Episode 6 – So Agents of SHIELD is basically now on mini hiatus for a month and made “The Good Samaritan” essentially a quarter-season finale and it was amazing. It had a great plot, good backstory, fun character dynamics, and all the crazy you’d expect from a normal pre-hiatus episode—but this is episode six.