4,722 Hours
"4,722 Hours" | |
---|---|
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Jesse Bochco |
Written by | Craig Titley |
Produced by | |
Cinematography by | Feliks Parnell |
Editing by | Kelly Stuyvesant |
Original air date | October 27, 2015 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Guest appearance | |
| |
"4,722 Hours" is the fifth episode of the third 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 Jemma Simmons, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who is stranded on an alien planet. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Craig Titley, and directed by Jesse Bochco.
Elizabeth Henstridge portrays Simmons, and is joined by guest star Dillon Casey as another survivor stranded on the planet. Series regulars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, and Iain De Caestecker also briefly appear. The episode was a departure from the norm for the series, focusing on a single character rather than the usual ensemble, and taking place on an alien planet. The episode was filmed in the Californian desert, with a filtering effect used to make it appear to be night on the planet, as its sun rarely rises. The episode took inspiration from multiple science fiction films, and bears similarity to The Martian, which was released close to the episode's airing.
"4,722 Hours" originally aired on
Plot
Simmons uses Will's equipment, including maps he and his team made of the surrounding areas, to try to find a way back through the portal. While out scavenging for food, Simmons sees a metallic reflection in the distance, and follows it to find an old sword and 19th century astronomy equipment. Realizing that she has entered what Will calls the "No Fly Zone", the area where his fellow astronauts all went before they died, Simmons is soon caught up in another sandstorm—this time, she sees
4,722 hours since Simmons' arrival, they see a flare in the distance. Running to it, Simmons finds her S.H.I.E.L.D. partner Leo Fitz. As "it" arrives, Will stays behind to hold it off while Simmons reluctantly escapes with Fitz. She tells him of her ordeal, and Fitz promises to help her return to the planet and save Will.
Production
Development
In September 2015, following the airing of the season's premiere in which the location of the character Jemma Simmons was revealed to be an alien planet, executive producer Jeffrey Bell stated that "at some point we will fully explore what's happened to her". He called it "the craziest thing we've done ... a different kind of episode".[1] The next month, Marvel announced that the episode, the fifth of the season, would be titled "4,722 Hours". It is written by Craig Titley, with Jesse Bochco directing.[2] For "4,722 Hours", instead of the normal title sequence used in the season, the series' title in the episode's typeface silently fades onto the screen over the back drop of the planet Simmons is stranded on.[3][4]
Writing
The decision to dedicate an entire episode to Simmons' time on the planet was made early in the planning of the third season,[5] so that the character could rejoin the rest of the cast early in the season while avoiding having the second season's cliffhanger "feel worthless because she's back and she's fine".[6] The use of the titular hours to mark the passage of time came about after the idea of the planet not having a sunrise was set, as using days was then no longer reasonable. The series' writers room worked together to break the story, which took around an hour and a half rather than the usual few weeks. Series writer and supervising producer Brent Fletcher came up with an idea to split the 4,722 hours into five acts, with each written like the chapter of the book. The acts were given labels such as "The Stranger" and "The Plan", and this structure served as the basis for Titley's script. Though many similarities were noted between the episode and the film The Martian, Titley had not seen the film when he was writing the script, and instead was inspired by the general science fiction trope of "a person alone on a planet" and such films as Enemy Mine.[7]
Having the NASA astronauts travel to the planet in 2001 was a reference to
Casting
In October 2015, Marvel revealed that main cast members
On the series having an episode revolving around a single character, Whedon said, "We have a lot of people on the show and we felt like this year was the year to start branching off into things like this. So, we just committed wholeheartedly".[10] In casting Casey as Daniels, the producers wanted someone who was older than Henstridge, physically unlike De Caestecker, and "doesn't look like [Simmons'] type", to make it less clear that they would end up together.[7]
Filming
Filming occurred in a work quarry in
On how continuity was emphasized during the making of the episode, Bochco explained that for each of the episode's five acts there was a different stage of hair, makeup, and wardrobe so the crew could depict the physical changes to Simmons as time progresses. Rather than try and film the episode in complete order, which was "impossible" due to location scheduling needs, the production just tried to avoid changing from one stage to another, and then back again. On how much the episode shows "the entity" on the planet, Bochco and Titley compared it to the shark in Jaws, with this episode just showing "[its] fin from time to time", and a bigger reveal of the creature coming in a later episode.[7]
Release
"4,722 Hours" was first aired in the United States on ABC on October 27, 2015.[2] The episode began streaming on Netflix on June 16, 2016.[13]
Reception
Ratings
In the United States the episode received a 1.4/4 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 1.4 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 3.81 million viewers.[14] Within a week of its release the episode was watched by 6.40 million U.S. viewers,[15] above the season average of 5.52 million viewers.[16]
Critical response
Eric Goldman of IGN scored the episode a 9.7 out of 10, indicating an "amazing" episode which he called "a standout ... excellent TV". He praised the bold departure from the series' normal "vibe", Henstridge's "fantastic performance", and the way the relationship between Simmons and Daniels develops throughout the episode, and said that "it's a testament to how well this episode was constructed and how well the story was told that [the familiar/predictable] aspects didn't hinder how involving this was".[17] Oliver Sava at The A.V. Club graded the episode an "A", calling it a "high point of the series that shows the value of breaking from the established formula". He noted how the episode played to different strengths than the similar The Martian, focusing on the more personal aspects of Simmons journey rather than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to rescue her. He praised the performances of Henstridge and Casey, the episode's simple-yet-effective use of colored filters (in comparison to the series' usual "drab color palette"), and the depiction of Simmons' loss of hope and developing relationship with Daniels, despite the predictable progression of the story.[18]
Joseph McCabe of Nerdist stated on the episode, "This week's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is so good that it leaves me in a state of pessimism. Because I can't see any way to follow it up that gives a satisfying resolution to the story it so beautifully presents." He called it "one of the very finest episodes S.H.I.E.L.D. has given us, and one of the few a viewer with almost no prior knowledge of the show can fully appreciate", and praised the handling of Simmons' and Daniels' relationship, saying that Henstridge and Casey "complement one another marvelously".[22] Discussing the episode for Vox, Caroline Framke called it "astonishing", praising the decision to dedicate an episode to Simmons' ordeal rather than just reveal it through flashbacks in "normal" episodes, as well as the efforts of Bochco, Titley, and Henstridge, and the use of the "sinister" on-screen hour counter.[23] Also reviewing the episode for Den of Geek, Marc Buxton scored it 4.5 stars out 5, calling it "the most experimental episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to date, and ... it might have been the finest hour of the series so far". Buxton felt that the episode retroactively improved the earlier season three episodes, which he had called "anticlimactic" due to their handling of Simmons' storyline, and praised Henstridge's performance. He also positively compared the episode's villain, which he described as "hard to grasp, mysterious, and ever present", to "the best Steven Moffat Doctor Who villains".[24]
Accolades
Henstridge was named TVLine's "Performer of the Week" for the week of October 25, 2015, for her performance in this episode, particularly for appearing throughout the whole of it, and for the more "heartbreaking" scenes near the end.[25] The episode was named one of the best television episodes of 2015 by The Atlantic.[26] In June 2016, IGN ranked the episode as the best in the series.[27]
References
- ^ Abrams, Natalie (September 30, 2015). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. postmortem: Where the heck is Simmons?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Episode Title: (#305) "4,722 Hours"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ Sava, Oliver (October 28, 2015). ""4,722 Hours" hits a series high point by ditching S.H.I.E.L.D. for space". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ScreenCrush. Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ Agard, Chancellor (August 11, 2020). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stars and bosses reflect on the show's standout moments". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Radish, Christina (September 27, 2015). "'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Bosses Tease Tonight's Simmons Episode, Season 3 Plans, and More". Collider. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Zalben, Alex (September 29, 2015). "The Inside Story Of How 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Pulled Off The Incredible '4,722 Hours'". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ComicBook.com. Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 27, 2015). "'Agents of SHIELD': Elizabeth Henstridge Dives Deep Into What Happened to Simmons". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ a b c Radish, Christina (September 28, 2015). "'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Bosses on Last Night's Emotional Episode and 'Civil War' Connections". Collider. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ Cairns, Bryan (December 8, 2015). ""Agents Of SHIELD's" Lost Astronaut Awaits The Team's Arrival, But As Friend.... Or Foe?". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^ Towers, Andrea (December 28, 2015). "Best of 2015 (Behind the Scenes): Elizabeth Henstridge talks filming her S.H.I.E.L.D. bottle episode". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- ^ Gennis, Sadie (May 23, 2016). "Here's What's Coming to Netflix in June". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 28, 2015). "Tuesday final ratings: 'Fresh Off the Boat,' 'The Flash' and 'NCIS' adjust up, 'Wicked City' stays under 1.0". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ Porter, Rick (November 16, 2015). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' and 'Blindspot' top week 6, 'Quantico' doubles in 18–49 and viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (May 26, 2016). "Full 2015-16 TV Season Series Rankings: 'Blindspot', 'Life In Pieces' & 'Quantico' Lead Newcomers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (October 27, 2015). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "4,722 Hours" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Sava, Oliver (October 28, 2015). ""4,722 Hours" hits a series high point by ditching S.H.I.E.L.D. for space". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Leane, Rob (October 29, 2015). "Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 episode 5 review: 4,722 Hours". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Freeman, Molly (October 27, 2016). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4,722 Hours Review & Spoilers Discussion". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ScreenCrush. Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ McCabe, Joseph (October 28, 2015). "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: "4,722 Hours"". Nerdist. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Framke, Caroline (November 1, 2015). "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spends 4,722 hours away from Earth for an astonishing episode of survival". Vox. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Buxton, Marc (October 28, 2015). "Agents of SHIELD: 4,722 Hours review". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "TVLine's Performers of the Week (tie): Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Henstridge". TVLine. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Sims, David (December 18, 2015). "The Best Television Episodes of 2015". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (June 7, 2016). "The Top 10 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
External links
- "4,722 Hours" at ABC[dead link]
- "4,722 Hours" at IMDb