Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Double Reaction: "Broken Promises" and "The Patriot" (4x09 and 4x10)

Spoilers! Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. contains PG-13 level content.

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After a long wait, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back with new episodes every Tuesday! How has the second half of season four lived up to our expectations so far? Let's find out.

"Broken Promises" (4x09)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned from its hiatus with a new focus: life model decoys. Aida is on the loose with the knowledge from the Darkhold, and she's kind of really evil.

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My Favorite Moments

★ Seeing Mace and Daisy create a tentative trust was nice.

★ YoYo and Mack are, as always, adorable.
★ Simmons' Southern accent was absolute perfection.

★ All the references to evil, killer robots gave me life.

My Least Favorite Moments

★ Despite how pumped I was for the LMD plotline initially, this whole episode made me so uncomfortable. I guess I am more afraid of artificial intelligence and killer robots than I thought. 

★ I like Senator Nadeer even less now. I also felt that the subplot with her brother was very disjointed from everything else.

★ The pacing was a bit off or something--I found myself not very interested in this episode. Then again, it's been a draining week, so this might be a case of, "It's not you, it's me."
★ Radcliffe being bad was not my favorite plot twist because I love him so much.

Overall

This one wasn't my favorite of the season. I felt that there was simultaneously too much happening and yet not enough. However, I think this may have been because this episode was meant to set up the rest of the season, and I can appreciate what they were trying to do there. At least now we know who our real villain is and what we have to contend with... unfortunately.

Favorite Quote: 

YoYo: Someone needs to make Radcliffe watch all the Terminator movies.
Mack: Even Salvation?
YoYo: He brought this onto himself.

"The Patriot" (4x10)

In this episode, we discover a fascinating new initiative called Project Patriot. Unfortunately, what we learn reveals that Mace isn't an Inhuman at all and that his abilities are the result of an enhanced super serum. Awkward.

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My Favorite Moments

★ I really enjoyed the Fitzsimmons moments in this episode--I missed them so much.

★ The pacing in this episode was a lot better than the last one. The action sequences were thrilling, and I felt a lot more invested.

★ Mace became a lot more human to me, and I actually like the plot twist of Project Patriot. It finally made him seem like an actual, three-dimensional human being to me rather than a perfect god. He's relatable! Thank goodness.

★ I like the good character point they made about how May is never at peace unless she's fighting something. That was really good.
★ Coulson is technically back in control of S.H.I.E.L.D., so this should be interesting! I found it kind of fascinating how Mace was basically wiped out of control of S.H.I.E.L.D. in one fell swoop. 

★ I love how obsessed Mack is with his axe.

My Least Favorite Moments

★ Someone stop Radcliffe. That's all I have to say.
★ Why is Fitz fraternizing with Aida's detached head? This is Not Good. (Also, that is a sentence I never thought I'd type.) Bad things are going to happen.

Favorite Quote

Coulson: "And there they go again with the world's most conspicuous briefcase."Mack: "What do you think's in there?"Coulson: "Could be anything. Nuclear codes... hush money... Girl Scout cookies."

Overall

This episode hit all the right notes and put me back into the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. groove. I absolutely loved it. This episode also raised the stakes even more in both good ways and bad. I'm cautiously optimistic about what the season holds, especially because there are so many things building towards the finale. Aida, Coulson, Radcliffe... what's next?!? Stay tuned, of course!

Have you seen either of these episodes? What did you think?