By: Vincent Justin Mitra

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the broadcast television arm of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), whose recent conclusion of its fourth season saw what many found to be its most compelling season yet.

First airing in September 2013, Agents follows a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division) operatives as they keep the peace in a world of increasing superpowers while having none of their own. The team, as it stood in the first season, included Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), the handsome, by-the-book special operations agent; Skye (Chloe Bennet), a rebellious hacktivist; Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), the stoic ace pilot still haunted by a past mission; and Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) as the star-crossed science lab power couple. The team is led by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), the agent who is mysteriously alive again after his death in the 2012 film The Avengers.

This ability to connect to the MCU films is one of the most unique aspects of Agents and a favourite among fans. In early seasons, the episodes would often synchronize with the latest film release and offer a more personal view of the events, or detail the ramifications of what happened on the big screen.

While the show is great on its own, those looking for the full experience are encouraged to also watch the films released between certain episodes each season.

These film connections have ranged in scale from the upfront and obvious such as the episode showing the characters as part of the cleanup crew in the aftermath of the second Thor film, to more subtle examples like the use of the exploding bullets from the Luke Cage Netflix series.

While the direct crossovers have slowed slightly since the first season in favour of more thematic connections, the most recent season is evidence that Agents can still deliver strong stories without them.

Structurally, the fourth season differs from previous seasons in two ways. First, the show moved to a later time slot. This allowed the episodes to take on a darker, more serious edge with emotive moments which hit that much harder. Second, the season was split into three mini story-arc pods rather than two as in previous seasons. This meant that there was no space for meandering ‘filler’ episodes and saw the season move at a more brisk and lively pace.

The start of the fourth season in September 2016 saw the introduction of the mystical Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna) in the first pod and with him the existence of magic, an element largely absent from the MCU until the release of Doctor Strange several weeks later in November. The second pod made a dramatic but effective shift in subject matter, transitioning from magic to technology with the introduction of Life-Model Decoys: robot replicas made to keep people safe. The third pod was described by the cast as one that would “reward loyal fans of the series,” as reported by IGN and focused on a deep study into the main characters.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a unique show, not only for its connection to a larger universe of films, but in its complex heroes and villains and in how it fleshes out the MCU. In a space which normally revolves around Norse gods and iron men, the show instead looks to the smaller, more street-level characters and makes you care about them.

The fourth season boasted strong performances by new and returning cast members alike, with particularly notable performances by Henstridge and De Caestecker. Fitz and Simmons have often contributed heavily to the emotional core of the show, and definitely delivered this season. Add on top of this the impressive special effects, like the flaming skull of the Ghost Rider, and you’ve got a show that can stand its ground among the blockbuster films whose world it shares.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. concluded its fourth season on May 16, 2017 and will return for a fifth season.