This Agents of SHIELD review is spoiler-free.

Agents of SHIELD Season 6 Episode 1

Fans of Agents of SHIELD are used to fall premieres and twenty-two episodes for their beloved show that lives on the fringes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so they may be wondering what a shortened summer season looks like and if it will have the same impact as previous runs. Fortunately, the series has not lost its edge; in fact it feels much tighter, like a season 4 “pod” from the Ghost Rider days that most remember fondly. Roles have shifted and the scope has broadened, but the rebuilding of the SHIELD organization feels like a logical next step in a story that allows this strong ensemble cast to really highlight each character’s evolution.

For example, Daisy, who has certainly had a long journey towards realizing her Inhuman powers, has truly become Quake in Agents of SHIELD season 6. Rather than using her powers to pummel people, decimate her surroundings, or impact the ground to jump onto the roof of a building, she appears to have fine-tuned her abilities to more closely resemble the Quake of the comics, shaking apart weapons, for example, to intimidate her enemies. In this new season that includes the aliens of the Confederacy, which gives the search for Fitz a very Guardians of the Galaxy-like feel right from the get-go.

The investigation into the whereabouts of their cryo-frozen friend will keep part of the team separated from Earth, but Agents of SHIELD excels at maintaining separate storylines quite skillfully, and with favorite recurring agents Piper and Davis along for the ride with Daisy and Jemma, there’s potential for plenty of adventure onboard the Zephyr. This particular story arc takes a surprising turn at the end of the very first episode, so from that standpoint alone, the season will begin with enough unexpected twists to satisfy the most scrutinizing viewer.