Agents of SHIELD: The Only Light in the Darkness Review

After two years of speculation, we finally get to meet the mysterious "Cellist" from Seattle, who was referenced in the Avengers several times in passing, and she happens to be played by fan and personal favorite actress Amy Acker! Also, there was a Doctor Who reference! If you missed it, yesterday was my Three Year Blogoversary so I wrote a retrospective, which you can read here.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Yet another top notch episode that does not disappoint in the least, "The Only Light in the Darkness" opens with Coulson's team be interrogated by Agent Koenig. In this interrogation, which used a special lie detection apparatus that even Agent Romanoff, aka Black Widow, could not defeat, Koenig asked the team a few questions, which gave us some interesting insight into the characters. My favorite was Simmons as to what she would have in the box, a TARDIS, which nearly killed me I laughed so much! Love the reference to my favorite TV series by Simmons (I love her character so much!). Fitz answering Simmons would be in the box was quite assuming, and I glad that Simmons asked about what was wrong. Another very interesting piece of information is that Triplet, who is becoming even more likable very episode, is the grandson of a Howling Commando. The Howling Commandos are, in the films, the team of top soldiers that helped Captain America take down the Red Skull and HYDRA in WWII, based on the comic book Howling Commandos, most of which joined SHIELD after it was created. Logic would imply that Triplet is the son of Gabe Jones, the only notable black Howling Commando in the film, which would be particularly awesome if the Agent Carter series is made and that aspect is tied in with Triplet somehow. 

Going back to the interrogation scene, it was particularly suspenseful when Grant was almost caught by Koenig, which lead to one best of the more edge-of-your-seat moments from the series to date. Also, when Grant arrived, the flashbacks to what he did felt a little unnecessary, but not a big problem. After Coulson and crew headed out to stop Marcus Daniels, May, Ward, Skype, and Koenig are left in the bunker. May decides to leave because Coulson does not trust her anymore. With May out of the picture, Ward murders Koenig! NOOOOO! Why!? He was such a great character! Patton Oswalt was so much fun to watch, but his death certainly paid off for its shock value for the audience. Also, the entire scene up to his death was intense and suspenseful. To convince Skye, Ward tries to use their romantic relationship, but they are stopped after Skye realizes that Koenig is dead. Skye not losing her cool after discover that Ward is bad was a great moment for the character. She was even smart enough to put the penny back on the door. Also, Ward murdering Koenig basically puts him past the point of no return. It would be stupid for anyone to trust Ward now that he has killed so many agents.

Over in Seattle, we finally get a chance to discover the identity of "The Cellist," and how she met Coulson. Also, we get yet another comic book villain introduced into the picture with Marcus Daniels, AKA Blackout. In the comics, he has fought the Avengers on several occasions, usually when working with Baron Zemo's Master of Evil team. His powers were relatively accurate to the comics with using "darkforce." Also, learning that he was experimented on by SHIELD to enhance his powers was an interesting twist.

Making Marcus a creepy stalker of Audrey was an interesting idea, albeit one that has been used in the past, but considering that Marcus is mentally unstable in the comics, it was a solid idea. As for Audrey herself, I loved her character! While I am extremely biased because I love everything that Amy Acker has ever done, particularly in Person of Interest, having the Whedonverse vet play a role in Agents of SHIELD makes me excited for her possible return. I like her character and how she and Coulson met. Also, the team's reaction when she said that she and Coulson were in a relationship was hilarious. My only problem with the episode is that Coulson did not reveal that he is alive to Audrey. At first, I particularly disliked that aspect; however, after considering Coulson's reasoning, it made more sense. Considering the state of SHIELD and the HYDRA incursion, Coulson could end up dying, which would only make revealing to Audrey that he is alive all the more painful, which is justifiable reasoning behind his decision. However, I want to see more Audrey next season!

Did anyone else think of Ghostbusters during this scene?

Overall 9.7/10- Despite my personal biased towards certain elements of the episode, I enjoyed nonetheless, making "The Only Light in the Darkness" yet another high quality episode of TV, not just for Agents of SHIELD.

For another opinion, you can check out Tegan's review by clicking here.

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