Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Reaction: Looking Back on Season 4

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fourth season concluded a few weeks ago, and I don't know about you, but that season left me pretty breathless. One reason for that was because it was stuffed full of good things (and some bad). It contained Ghost Rider, actual ghosts, artificial intelligence, and even a virtual reality where HYDRA was in charge. Now that the season is complete, let's look back on how it all went down.

Spoilers for the entirety of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Season 3.

Last year, I had a lot of high hopes for season 4. How many of them came true? Let's check it out.

★ More of Elena, Joey, and the Secret Warriors ✔ / ✘

This one is kind of a yes and no. We got a ton of Elena, but not so much on Joey or the Secret Warriors. Ah, well. Maybe next season? (Doubtful, but we can always hope.)

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★ For Fitzsimmons to be okay ✘✘✘

Hahaha... excuse me. I need to curl up in a fetal position for a moment.

..................

Okay, I'm back.

This did not happen. At all. Not only are Fitzsimmons not okay individually, I don't even know if they'll be able to be a couple anymore. Whoops, I need to stop talking before I go into a fetal position again.

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★ For Brett Dalton and Luke Mitchell to return via LMD technology ✔

Aw yiss. I'm gonna go ahead and give a check mark for this one because having Brett Dalton back was more than enough to satisfy me. (Plus, having Ward and Lincoln back in the same plot line would be sufficiently awkward, wouldn't you say?) Anyway, Ward did come back, and it. was. awesome. Not only that, but Tripp did too! And my fangirl heart wept with joy.

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★ For cool things to happen with the LMD technology ✘

Oh my gosh! Young!Sky was so naive. And I quote myself,

Whatever happens, I hope Dr. Radcliffe, Aida, and the LMD program will be a huge part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s future, and I can't wait to see what happens.

NO!!! What the frickfrackpaddywhack was I thinking? I want to build a time machine, go back to Saturday, June 11, 2016, and talk some sense into myself. Yikes. Anyway, I waffled for a while on whether to give this one a checkmark or an X, but I decided on an X because while we got a ton of stuff that happened because of LMD technology, it was decidedly Not Cool.

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★ More of down-to-earth Coulson ✔

Aww, yes. This definitely happened, and I feel like both Coulson's character and my love for him grew by leaps and bounds this season.

★ Who is the new S.H.I.E.L.D. director? ✔

I found him. I loved him. I lost him. My heart shattered.

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★ Answers to where Daisy is ✔

Not only did I get my answers, but I feel that they happened fairly quickly. Daisy's arc wasn't dragged out too long, and she came back to the fold in good time. (We have Robbie Reyes to thank for that. I totally ship it. #quakerider)

Wishlist items fulfilled: 4.5/7

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My Favorite Aspects of Season 4

★ The pods. The season was divided into three separate arcs, which I thought was an incredible idea and helped keep the momentum of the season going. Each pod was unique and trend-setting. This idea helped set this season apart, not only from past seasons of AOS but also from other seasons of other television shows.

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★ All of the character development. Is it just me, or did everyone grow in leaps and bounds this season? Not all of it was positive, but not all of it was negative, either. They have all come so far from the babies they were in season one.

Those hairstyles. That trench coat. ACTUAL BABIES.--(source)

★ The messages. I feel like the Agents of Hydra storyline allowed the showrunners to bring a very relevant and powerful message about rebellion, oppressive regimes, and holding onto hope and bravery when everything is pushing you into the ground. Stories have so much power to bring hope in times of darkness, and I admire the AOS writers so much for using their show as a vehicle to do so.

These lines were pretty badass too.--(source)

★ Robbie Reyes. Oh my goodness, what a babe. I'm in love with him. I was ambivalent to the Ghost Rider plot line at first, but Robbie quickly won over my heart and my affections with his pure heart and cinnamon roll demeanor. He's just so good. And so sweet and kind. I want him back next year. I want him in every episode. I want him in the MCU. I want him everywhere.

I cry.--(source)

★ Jeffrey Mace. I looked back on my reactions from this season, and it was hilarious to watch my journey with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new director. At first I wasn't fond of the idea. Then I was suspicious of Mace. Then I flat-out didn't like him. Then at a certain point, I started to like him. Which turned into full-on love.

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I also discovered that I, unfortunately, predicted his death. I hate this, but... here we go:

I swear, he's going to get himself killed. I was internally screaming when he threw himself on the metaphorical Inhuman bomb. If he dies this season, especially as a sacrificial death, I will not be happy. Do not do this to yourself, Mace. If you die, I will kill you again. -AOS Reaction: "Boom" (4x13)

Looks like I need to go kill him again... (Not really. My heart can't take it.)

A depiction of my journey with Jeffrey Mace.--(source)

★ Ward and Tripp's return. This was one of my greatest hopes for the season, and the show did not disappoint. I love that Ward got a small redemption arc, and I hope that they can bring him back to explore that even further. Even if they don't, I feel that Ward's story was done justice. (Though I'll definitely take more of it, please!) I would love for Ward and Tripp to return next season through that device that builds bodies. Though, I'm almost afraid to wish for it--I'm sure there's a way for it to go badly like the LMD technology did. Speaking of...

My Least Favorite Aspects of Season 4

★ The LMD technology. However, it's not my least favorite aspect for the reasons you'd expect. It's not because it was badly executed or a terrible story. It's just because of how hard some of the plot twists were to watch. I don't even know why I hoped for this to be a big part of season 4, as I've already mentioned. Artificial intelligence has definitely skyrocketed higher on my list of greatest fears. (Why are we messing with Alexa? Siri? Did we learn nothing from the multiple story lines about robots/AIs taking over? Wake up, people.)

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★ Lucy's storyline. I found it a little weak, but I did like the addition of "ghosts." I also found Eli's story line weak, but I did find the way it tied into Robbie's plot line pretty cool, and Eli's actor was awesome.

★ The first pod. If I had to pick a weak pod or weak aspect of the season, I'd say that one. But we still got Ghost Rider, so I really can't complain too much about it. He made up for any weakness in storyline, honestly.

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My Lack of Complaints This Season

★ I genuinely don't have much to complain about this season. While there was the odd episode where the pacing was off or the storyline didn't grab me as much as I would have liked, the season as a whole was rock solid and one of the best yet.

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The Most Emotional Aspects of Season 4

★ Losing Jeffrey Mace. I don't want to talk about it. I probably never will.
★ Um... Fitzsimmons. I'm not okay. Are they? Doubtful.
★ Hope. Just... Hope. When she disappeared from Mack's arms... Oh my goodness. No.

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Favorite Episode: "Self Control" (4x15)

In Season 3, I had a clear favorite. Not so much in this season. However, I'd definitely have to say my favorite was the episode that introduced the Framework, one of the most genius and brilliant plot devices this season. As much as I loved Ghost Rider (you will always have my heart, Robbie), the Framework took the show to a heightened level of awful, and I mean that in the best way. The end of this episode especially blew my mind, which is the main reason why I'm giving it the spot for best episode of the season.

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Least Favorite Episode: "No Regrets" (4x18)

Jeffrey Mace may not have any regrets, but I definitely think the showrunners should consider some slight regret about killing him off. While his character arc was positively beautiful, he was one of my favorite characters on the show and will be extremely missed.

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Overall

Season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was incredible. Actually, I'm going to just go for it: Season 4 was the best one yet. It's made me even more excited and grateful to be a Marvel fan. The set-up for Season 5 was also incredible, if confusing, and I can't wait to see the resolution to that cliffhanger. But in the meantime, Season 4 was an incredible (ghost) ride(r). (Wow, I'm sorry, that was a terrible pun.) It was filled with plot twists, heartrending moments, perfect jokes, and the characters who have become family to me. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of Season 4. You've made this Marvel fan extremely proud, and I am incredibly pumped to see what happens next.

This is definitely me.--(source)

What did you think of Season 4?