The Only Light in the Darkness

The Only Light in the Darkness is the nineteenth episode of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Synopsis
With their WORLD turned upside down, Coulson races to save the life of his one true love as the mystery of "The Cellist," which began in Marvel's The Avengers, is finally revealed.

Plot
Agent Koenig subjects Coulson's team to a rigorous lie detector test, which Ward narrowly beats to maintain his cover. Afterwards, Coulson takes Fitz, Simmons and Triplett to stop Marcus Daniels, a superhuman possessing the Darkforce and who was freed from the Fridge by HYDRA, who is obsessed with cellist Audrey Nathan, Coulson's former love interest. After rescuing Audrey, they devise a plan to lure out Daniels. The group overload him with energy, causing him to explode, and incidentally knocking out Audrey. Coulson briefly comforts her while she is only semi-conscious before withdrawing, as he plans on telling her he is alive someday. This leaves Audrey still unaware that Coulson is still alive.

Meanwhile, May leaves the team after repairing the Bus, tired of Coulson not trusting her. Skye and Koenig hack the NSA to get eyes on the HYDRA attack at the Fridge, forcing Ward to murder Koenig to prevent discovery. Skye finds Koenig's body and realizes that Ward is with HYDRA. In order to avoid suspicion by Ward, Skye joins him as they steal the Bus before Coulson and the others return to Providence. Later, May is picked up by her mother in Ontario, Canada, and is revealed to be searching for Maria Hill.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
 * Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May
 * Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward
 * Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye
 * Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz
 * Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons

Guest Stars:
 * Patrick Brennan as Blackout
 * Amy Acker as Audrey Nathan
 * B.J. Britt as Agent Antoine Triplett
 * Patton Oswalt as Agent Eric Koenig
 * Tsai Chin as Melinda May's Mother
 * Potsch Boyd as Portland man
 * Bill Paxton as John Garrett (stock footage)

Locations

 * Portland, Oregon
 * Ontario, Canada
 * Providence

Items

 * D.W.A.R.F. Drones
 * Darkforce
 * Lie Detector
 * Captain America's Shield (mentioned)
 * Coulson's Team Hard Drive (mentioned)

Vehicles

 * The Bus
 * Lola
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV
 * S.H.I.E.L.D. Jump Jet

Organizations

 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * HYDRA
 * NSA (mentioned)
 * CIA (mentioned)
 * NATO (mentioned)
 * Howling Commandos (mentioned)
 * Rising Tide (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Abner Croit
 * Natasha Romanoff
 * Nick Fury
 * Project Insight
 * Alexander Pierce
 * TARDIS
 * East Lansing, Michigan
 * Dublin, Ireland
 * Rabat, Morocco
 * Morocco Law Enforcement
 * L. Tompkins
 * Project T.A.H.I.T.I.
 * Steve Rogers
 * Maynard Ward
 * Bruce Banner
 * 0-8-4 (Weapon)
 * Maria Hill

Trivia

 * It is revealed that Antoine Triplett is grandson of one of Howling Commandos, presumably Gabe Jones, notable for being the sole African-American member of the squad during a time prior to the desegregation of the United States Military.
 * Amy Acker (Audrey Nathan) is best known for playing Winifred "Fred" Burkle and Illyria in the series Angel alongside J. August Richards and Alexis Denisof, Whiskey in Dollhouse and Beatrice in Joss Whedon's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing with Denisof and Clark Gregg. Acker also appeared in The Cabin in the Woods, a movie produced by Whedon and directed by Drew Goddard.
 * Tsai Chin previously co-starred with Ming-Na Wen in the film The Joy Luck Club in 1993.