In light of the Sokovia Accords, and with Hydra obliterated, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been legitimatized again and no longer needs to operate in the shadows. Since the world presumes that Coulson is dead, the organization needed a new Director to be the face of the organization. Coulson finds himself back in the role as an agent and teamed with Mack, and together they are tasked with tracking down and confirming the presence of Enhanced people, aka Inhumans. Agent May is tasked with training specialist strike teams, and Fitz and Simmons have taken a big step forward in their relationship.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. kicks off its fourth season with what might be its strongest episode and one of its best episodes. With things shaken up, some clear budget changes, and new characters, the episode really sets things up with a great flow and little cheese.

The episode dives right in and introduces us to Ghost Rider, teasing just enough to get us intrigued by what’s going on. And it’s a bloody introduction driving us towards a horror vibe of it all. It’s a much more violent opening than we’ve seen (thanks 10pm time slot!). The issue is Quake is on the run and Ghost Rider’s bloody path is pointing to her being the cause, on top of the fact she’s labeled a terrorist. All of that causes issues for the SHIELD team who don’t want to kill their friend, want to bring her in safely, which doesn’t jive with other’s plans.

The series also touches upon the events of Civil War which has impacted how things role. There’s new restrictions for Inhumans working with the team and new processes that have to be followed. It feels like the show has been brought more into the live action universe more due to that simple decision.

There’s new roles for folks, Life Model Decoys, some solid humor, it all really works in this episode, the first I’ve enjoyed from start to end all the way through. I don’t know what changed during the break, but please keep it up!

Overall Score: 8.95