The Ghost (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

"The Ghost"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode

Promotion for the episode focused heavily on the introduction of Ghost Rider, who was created through a mixture of practical and digital effects.
Episode no. Season 4
Episode 1
Directed by Billy Gierhart
Written by
Produced by
Cinematography by Feliks Parnell
Editing by Eric Litman
Original air date September 20, 2016 (2016-09-20)
Running time 43 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"The Ghost" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division), revolving around the character of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they deal with the enhanced individuals Quake and Ghost Rider. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, and directed by Billy Gierhart.

Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet as Quake, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, and John Hannah. A fourth season was ordered in March 2016, with Gabriel Luna as Ghost Rider being a major introduction as the series began to deal with mystical and supernatural elements leading up to the release of the film Doctor Strange. Mallory Jansen and Lilli Birdsell are also introduced as major recurring characters for the season. With the episode, the series started airing at the later time of 10:00 pm, allowing it to be darker and more mature.

"The Ghost" originally aired on ABC on September 20, 2016, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 6.24 million viewers within a week of its release. The episode received mostly positive reviews, with critics generally highlighting the new status quo, darker tone, introduction of Ghost Rider, and climactic fight scene, but criticizing the sexualised opening featuring Bennet.

Plot

Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Daisy Johnson, now the vigilante "Quake", is hunting gang affiliates of the anti-Inhuman terrorist group Watchdogs in Los Angeles when members of the Aryan Brotherhood are murdered by the fiery "Ghost Rider" in front of her. Agents Phil Coulson and Mack, who were forbidden from searching for Johnson by the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, are tipped off to her location by Agent Melinda May. They fly to Los Angeles under the guise of checking in on Inhuman asset Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, who has signed the controversial Sokovia Accords and is now under the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United Nations.

Agent Leo Fitz visits friend and S.H.I.E.L.D. ally Holden Radcliffe, a transhumanist doctor who is on probation after previous illegal experimentation. Fitz discovers that Radcliffe has secretly transferred his artificial intelligence AIDA into a human-like body, which he intends to be the first in a line of decoys for field agents in danger. Believing Radcliffe's altruistic intentions, Fitz agrees to help him perfect AIDA, and to keep her a secret from his girlfriend Agent Jemma Simmons, who is in the paranoid Director's inner circle, and takes daily lie-detector tests. Simmons realizes that Coulson and Mack are investigating Johnson, and orders May to stop them; May and her new strike force arrive to find Coulson and Mack surveilling Chinese gangsters, who they believe are potential targets of Quake.

The gangsters have bought a weapon off the Brotherhood which can help them fight against Inhumans. They open the box containing the weapon, and unleash a mystical being who turns the gangsters berserk. She secretly infects May as well, as the strike force takes out the gangsters. Johnson meets with Rodriguez, who stole medication from S.H.I.E.L.D. during their brief check with her which can help Johnson heal—her recent over use of her Inhuman abilities as Quake has been fracturing her bones. Johnson then tracks down the Ghost Rider and confronts him, but he defeats her, explaining that he only murders people that deserve it. She later sees his human form, Robbie Reyes, looking after his disabled brother Gabe.

Production

Development

The series was renewed for a fourth season on March 3, 2016,[1] to air at the later time of 10:00 pm.[2] At the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International it was revealed that the series would be adapting the character of Robbie Reyes / Ghost Rider.[3] In September 2016, Marvel announced that the premiere episode of the season would be titled "The Ghost". The episode is written by executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, with Billy Gierhart directing,[4] and introduces a new title card for the series.[5]

Writing

On how much more "mature" the episode is from previous episodes given the later air time, Whedon explained that ABC "haven't really ever given us a note on violence. We've cut people into pieces and hacked them up and shot people point blank in the head. Never got any notes on that. So pushing the envelope for us will be in the sexual nature". This is evidenced by the episode's opening, a "sexy" look at the character Quake getting dressed. Executive producer Jeph Loeb added, "what it does is give us the chance to tell different stories. The idea is some of the material might be more mature, there may be more grit, what we're doing might be darker. It certainly made a lot more sense when we wanted to introduce a character like Ghost Rider into this world."[2]

Discussing Quake's mindset when the episode picks up, actress Chloe Bennet said, "She's not doing well. She's had a rough couple of years. She's taking some time and I think it's kind of her way of protecting the people that she cares about. Everyone she's gotten close to, something bad has happened to them. It's her weird, selfish way of protecting them". This, the character's assertion in the episode to Ghost Rider that she "deserves to die". Concerning the character Fitz keeping the android AIDA a secret from his girlfriend Simmons, actor Iain De Caestecker said, "They're trying to maintain a healthy relationship while being secret undercover spies that have secret assignments ... it's with the best intentions, keeping stuff from her, I suppose. It's going to get interesting. Lying is a strong word. I'm just keeping stuff from" her.[2]

Casting

In August 2016, Marvel confirmed that series regulars for the season would include the returning Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Bennet as Daisy Johnson / Quake, De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, and Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mack" MacKenzie.[6] They are joined by John Hannah as Holden Radcliffe, promoted from his third season recurring role.[7][8]

When Ghost Rider was confirmed to be joining the season at Comic-Con, after months of speculation,[9][3] Gabriel Luna was revealed to be cast in the role.[3] Lorenzo James Henrie was later revealed to be cast as his younger brother Gabe Reyes.[4] Shortly after the event, Lilli Birdsell was revealed to be cast as the mysterious Lucy.[10] In August, Mallory Jansen was cast as the android AIDA,[11] whose artificial intelligence was briefly voiced by Amanda Rea during the third season finale.[12][13]

In September 2016, Marvel confirmed that Luna, Henrie, Jansen, and Birdsell would guest star in "The Ghost", and that they would be joined by Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, Briana Venskus as Agent Piper, Max Osinski as Agent Red, Ricardo Walker as Agent Prince, Edward Gelhaus as skinhead, Ian Hutton as Blondie, Blaise Miller as lab tech, Samuel Barajas as Felix, Bryan Rasmussen as warehouse manager, Wilson Ramirez as Diego, Jen Kuo Sung as Chen, and Jerry Ying as thug #1.[4] Cordova-Buckley, Venskus, and Osinski reprise their roles from earlier in the series.[14][15]

Filming and visual effects

Production for the season began on July 21, 2016,[16] in Los Angeles.[17] Filming for "The Ghost" was completed by August 16.[18] The effect of Ghost Rider and his flaming skull was imitated on set by Luna wearing a hood fitted with flickering lights that could be adjusted to match different temperature fire for different situations. The skull was then produced with CGI, with Luna wearing tracking markers on his face to provide performance-reference for these sequences.[19] The character's 1969 Dodge Charger was driven by Eric Norris for stunt work,[20][21] while a CG double was used for more complex stunts:[22] for the introduction of Ghost Rider in the car during the episode's opening sequence, the series recreates a scene from the All-New Ghost Rider comic that Robbie Reyes was introduced in, where the car is hit by a rocket, flips in the air, and lands with its Ghost Rider flames on driving towards the gang members; the flip and flames were achieved through visual effects.[19][23]

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

On the mystical weapon released from the box in the episode, Whedon said, "We are introducing a different supernatural element of the MCU, which happens to coincide with the release of Doctor Strange. So that's what's in the box ... something along those lines." On how it will affect May now that she is infected by it, Wen said, "You never want May out of control. You don't want her to be paranoid." Whedon added, "You can assume that what happened to those other people might happen to her. It's not good."[24]

Release

Broadcast

"The Ghost" was first aired in the United States on ABC on September 20, 2016.[4]

Marketing

Promotion for the season and its premiere focused heavily on Ghost Rider, through promos and viral marketing teasers, with the season promoted as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Ghost Rider.[25][26] The premiere episode was first shown at a special fan screening event held for the season on September 19, 2016, at Pacific Theatres at The Grove in Los Angeles.[27][24]

Reception

Ratings

In the United States the episode received a 1.1/4 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 1.1 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 3.44 million viewers.[28] This was down from previous season premieres, but average for the series.[29] Within a week of its release, "The Ghost" had been watched by 6.24 million U.S. viewers.[30]

Reception

Terri Schwartz of IGN scored the premiere 8 out of 10, indicating a "great" episode, and praising the introduction of Ghost Rider and subsequent darker tone which "will eventually allow [the series] to sit more comfortably beside its corporate cousins over on Netflix". Schwartz was positive about the smaller cast compared to the previous season, which meant that the episode "doesn't feel as overstuffed as it would have", and of Coulson not finding Johnson and asking her to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. straight away after the newly established status quo. Schwartz did feel that there were some "growing pains" with the transition to more mature material, particularly criticizing the "sexy" opening of the episode with Johnson because "S.H.I.E.L.D. has already done a great job establishing Daisy as a sexy character without needing to depict it in this unsubtle way. Hopefully the inclusion of more overt sexuality in the show feels a bit more organic to the show as it continues".[31]

The A.V. Club's Alex McCown-Levy graded the episode a "B", calling it "a standard first episode back, in that it once again does a lot of table-setting, and not always in the most compelling manner". Levy felt that Ghost Rider's introduction was handled well for non-comic fans discovering the character with the show, but that the new positions of the series' main characters were more interesting and should have been focused on more.[32] Kevin Fitzpatrick of Screen Crush said, "I'm nervous for Season 4 overall, especially if said reinvention doesn't goose the ratings like Marvel and ABC hope, but 'The Ghost' is reason enough for some casual optimism." He was positive about the new similarities to the darker series Daredevil, but felt that the series "doesn’t have the firmest handle" on Ghost Rider, either "who Reyes himself is in relation to his murderous alter-ego", or in the blend of practical and digital effects, on which he said, "the finished product isn't seamless just yet". He said, "The junkyard battle with Daisy [and Ghost Rider] was an understandable highlight", and praised the episode's smaller character moments like "the moment of Daisy feeling as though she deserves to lose her life in battle, only for the Rider to silently disagree."[33] Rob Leane at Den of Geek compared the series' new status quo to Red Dwarf VIII and called it and many of the season's storylines being set up as "pretty strong", but "nothing grabbed [his] attention" like the introduction of Ghost Rider, which Leane felt was "a complete slam-dunk". He praised the effects for Ghost Rider and his car, and Luna's performance.[34]

Evan Valentine, writing for Collider.com, gave the episode a "good" rating of 3 stars out of 5, saying that the series "certainly benefits somewhat from taking a page from" Daredevil and Jessica Jones, highlighting the number of more mature elements in the episode's opening as "a nice introduction that shows you this may not exactly be the same show you’ve gotten to know over the years." Valentine called Robbie Reyes "satisfactory" and the Ghost Rider "where things really shined"; "ABC pretty much nail the look [of Ghost Rider], and while he's obviously been tweaked to more accurately portray this new interpretation of the Spirit of Vengeance, he looks great in motion all the same ... his car has a particularly cool scene where it transforms mid air and lands in a fiery blast." He called the Ghost Rider/Quake fight a highlight, and the latter's health issues "an interesting twist". He concluded saying, "the show still has all the flaws and strengths that [it] is known for ... [but] if you're looking to rejoin your favorite agents for another solid romp with the added twist of throwing Ghost Rider into the mix, this one's for you."[35] Marc Buxton, also of Den of Geek, gave the episode 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a fun way to kick off the new season". He criticized the Ghost Rider transformation scene as "way too CGI cartoony" and negatively compared it to Grimm, but otherwise said that "Ghost Rider feels right" and much improved over the Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider films. He also criticized the opening shots of Johnson, calling them "misogynistic" and saying, "Seriously Marvel, you’re better than that."[36]

References

  1. ↑ Strom, Marc (March 3, 2016). "'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Renewed For Season 4". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 20, 2016). "'Agents of SHIELD' Team Talks "Supernatural" Season Premiere Twist, Possible 'Doctor Strange' Link". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Abrams, Natalie (July 22, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. adds Gabriel Luna as Ghost Rider". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "(#401) "The Ghost"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ Mangione, Nick (September 21, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gives us the Ghost Rider we didn't know we wanted". Geek.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ Lovett, Jamie (August 2, 2016). "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 Synopsis Released". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ Knox-Smith, Michael (September 21, 2016). "Agents of SHIELD: Season Four Premiere 'The Ghost' (Review)". Mike's Film Talk. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  8. ↑ Damore, Meagan (July 29, 2016). ""Agents Of SHIELD" Reveals Ghost Rider Details, Talk Up The New Director & More". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  9. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (June 22, 2016). "Could Ghost Rider Be Headed to Agents of SHIELD Season Four?". SuperheroHype!. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 25, 2016). "'Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Casts Lilli Birdsell In Recurring Role For Season 4". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  11. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 16, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Taps Galavant Star Mallory Jansen to Do the Robot". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (June 30, 2016). "Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time, Legends, POI, Rizzoli & Isles and More". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  13. ↑ "(#321/322) "Absolution/Ascension"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Scoop: MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D on ABC - Tuesday, March 8, 2016". Broadwayworld. February 23, 2016. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ "(#319) "Failed Experiments"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ Ming-Na Wen [@MingNa] (July 21, 2016). "Day one. #AgentsofSHIELD Season 4 begins filming. Early calltime. The Cavalry is back on her horse, peeps! Yeah, still hate waking so early" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via Twitter.
  17. ↑ Siegel, Lucas (September 8, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Set Videos Show Ghost Rider's Car in Action". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  18. ↑ Bucksbaum, Sydney (August 16, 2016). "Meet 'Agents of SHIELD's' Ghost Rider: Gabriel Luna Talks Playing First Live-Action Robbie Reyes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Marvel Entertainment (September 22, 2016). Creating the Ghost Rider – Forging Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. YouTube. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  20. ↑ Osborn, Alex (September 12, 2016). "First Image Of Ghost Rider From Agents Of SHIELD Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ Mark Kolpack [@MarkKolpack] (September 21, 2016). "Eric Norris. Son of Chuck Norris" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016 – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ Mark Kolpack [@MarkKolpack] (September 21, 2016). "We have two. One is for stunts and the other is the beauty and one is CG" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016 – via Twitter.
  23. ↑ Ryan Penagos [@AgentM] (September 21, 2016). "Love love love how they took this scene from the All-New #GhostRider comics for GR's #AgentsofSHIELD intro!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016 – via Twitter.
  24. 1 2 Abrams, Natalie (September 21, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: What's in the box?!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ Ching, Albert (September 4, 2016). "Ghost Rider Stars in New 'Found Footage' Agents of SHIELD Teaser". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Ghost Rider Burns Your Soul in First 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 4 Footage". Screen Crush. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Find out what's up from our Premiere Interviews for Season 4 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Ghost Rider)". Red Carpet Report TV. September 20, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  28. ↑ Porter, Rick (September 21, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'NCIS', 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' adjust up, 'This Is Us' & 'Bull' steady". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  29. ↑ Lovett, Jaimie (September 21, 2016). "Ghost Rider's Agents Of SHIELD Debut Draws Middling Ratings". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  30. ↑ Porter, Rick (October 4, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' is your premiere week DVR champion: Broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (September 20, 2016). "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: "The Ghost" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  32. ↑ McCown-Levy, Alex (September 20, 2016). "Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back, and confronting an iconic antihero". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  33. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (September 20, 2016). "'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Review: 'The Ghost' Rides High on Season 4's Dark Energy". Screen Crush. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  34. ↑ Leane, Rob (September 21, 2016). "Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 1 review: The Ghost". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  35. ↑ Valentine, Evan (September 20, 2016). "'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 4 Premiere Recap: "The Ghost" — Highway to Hell". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  36. ↑ Buxton, Marc (September 21, 2016). "Agents of SHIELD Season 4 Premiere Review: The Ghost". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.

External links

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