Meet the New Boss

"Meet the New Boss" is the second 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., it follows 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) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg, and directed by Vincent Misiano. 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, and Henry Simmons. The episode introduces the titular new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by recurring guest star Jason O'Mara, after a new director was first teased in the third-season finale. The character is revealed to be Jeffrey Mace, and was made an Inhuman for the series in response to the events of the film Captain America: Civil War. The episode also explores more mystical elements introduced at the end of the previous episode. It is part of the first "pod" of eight episodes for the season, subtitled Ghost Rider. "Meet the New Boss" originally aired on ABC on September 27, 2016, and was watched by 5.39 million viewers within a week of its release. The introduction of Mace was praised by critics, particularly for O'Mara's more subdued performance than many suspected for such a role. The episode was also praised for continuing the development begun in the previous episode, but received criticism for its antagonists and the effects used to make them appear "ghostly". Plot A "ghostly" woman, recently escaped from a mysterious box and having apparently infected S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Melinda May in the process, returns to her previous home where she terrifies its new occupants. Robbie Reyes is followed by Daisy Johnson, the vigilante Quake, to the mechanic where he works after she confronted him the previous night about his actions as the Ghost Rider. Johnson believes Reyes when he says that he, as the Ghost Rider, only murders people who "deserve it", and now wants him to kill her. He refuses until he finds something that proves she deserves it, despite her thinking she already does.