What I’m Watching: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 4, Episode 10 “The Patriot” (B+)

It’s interesting to see just how publicly S.H.I.E.L.D. is operating right now, and that openness makes them especially vulnerable to the threats that are currently facing them. After proclaiming an embarrassed Daisy as a national hero, things got crazy and Mace did have a superb social media moment when he lifted up the podium and threw it in the air to distance the explosion from the crowd. Everything just went south from there, and then we got the surprising news that Mace isn’t actually an inhuman after all, and that briefcase he keeps nearby all the time holds the serum that gives him his abilities. You’d think they might have a more sophisticated solution to keep him amped up than having to carry something so clunky, but fortunately Coulson and Mac were up to the task of keeping the illusion of his invincibility alive long enough to stall for reinforcements to arrive. It’s good to know that Holden isn’t actually evil and doesn’t want Aida to act on her killer instinct, and it’s disconcerting to see that Aida resists his commands to stop using force and does whatever she needs to in order to accomplish what she sees as her prime directive. Hopefully the decoy May will realize that she’s not real and act on that rather than go through with her mission. Maybe Fitz will figure out what’s going on before the severed Aida head gives anyone too much trouble, and this whole robot business can be put to rest for good.