Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Only Light in the Darkness” Retrospective. Return of Coulson

Season 1, Episode 19

Air Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 8/7c on ABC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“I don’t know if it’s wise but it’s right” – Coulson

Amy Acker as Audrey aka the Cellist

Dozens of inmates once held at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility nicknamed “The Fridge” are on the loose following a prison break led by HYDRA agents Garrett (Bill Paxton) and Ward (Brett Dalton). Despite being on the run, Coulson (Clark Gregg) decides it’s up to his team to bring the prisoners in. But when Coulson learns Marcus Daniels (Patrick Brennan), aka Blackout, is on the list of escapees, it no longer is just the right thing to do—now, it’s personal.

The writers do a wonderful job in “The Only Light in the Darkness” by taking a casual mention of the cellist in The Avengers and turning her into a real character. We now know the cellist’s name is Audrey (Amy Acker), and with the back story the writers provide, viewers find themselves caring about her. Additionally, the way the writers incorporateBlackout’s story with Amy’s fits perfectly without feeling forced, making the fans happy to finally meet the cellist.

Brett Dalton as Agent Ward

Before Coulson and his team can leave the top secret base, they must pass a lie detector test. This isn’t just any old lie detector test, though, it was designed by Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) himself. I was amused by the lie detector scene, especially with some of the quirky answers given by people like Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) to the simple questions being asked. Koenig (Patton Oswalt) gained my full attention when he pulls a gun on Ward because I thought things might get interesting. Instead, Ward shifts his conversation to Skye and while his motives are never questioned, Ward is, in a twisted way, telling the truth. It got me wondering whether a lie detector test has ever worked on a TV show.

Growing up, you never wanted to see your dad cry or be worried about anything; it just wasn’t something fathers did because if they were to lose it, you knew things were bad. That’s how I feel about Coulson when it comes to danger. As I said in my review of “Providence,” seeing Coulson have his breakdown in that episode really bothered me because it didn’t fit his character. I was concerned that like Coulson’s death, the writers would overplay the desperation storyline.

Patton Oswalt as Koenig

That being said, what a difference an episode makes. I was excited to see Coulson almost back to his old self again. When it comes to the scenes involving Audrey, I almost hesitate to use the word ‘beautiful’ out of sheer embarrassment, but Gregg’s performance is beautiful to watch. The writing is excellent and Gregg’s facial expressions perfectly convey the love and longing Coulson still has for Audrey. The reaction of Coulson’s team as they hear Audrey tell her story about Coulson, who she still believes died in the attack in New York, is heartbreaking to watch. It serves as a reminder why Gregg’s character has become such a fan favorite over the years, both in this series and the Marvel film franchise.

Despite all that has happened to the team, including Skye (Chloe Bennet) being shot and essentially dying, “The Only Light in the Darkness” is the first time I genuinely worried about the safety of an agent. When Ward searches the bunker for Skye, I tensed up while watching as Skye processes everything going on, realizing Ward is HYDRA. Then, to see her act all calm, cool, and collected when Ward finds her was almost too much for me to take. Does Skye somehow leave a message behind for the others or is she on her own to take Ward down? Does Ward have it in him to kill Skye when his mission is over, or does he really love her?

Speaking of missions, with Fury still thought to be dead and Coulson knowing the real reason why May (Ming-Na Wen) joined his team, she decides it’s time for her to move on. We later see her walking along the side of a road in Canada when a car pulls over to pick her up. Turns out the driver is May’s mother (Tsai Chin), who works for another agency. The woman hands May information about Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), asking, “You’re not going to take her out, are you?” May replies, “No, Mom, I just want to talk.” Really? What do you think May has up her proverbial sleeve?

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Only Light in the Darkness.”

For more on the show, go to http://www.agentsofshield.com/.

Follow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on Twitter, as well as some of the cast: <Ward> Brett Dalton, <Coulson> Clark Gregg, <Simmons> Elizabeth Henstridge, and <May> Ming-Na Wen.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.