History Recap / AgentsOfSHIELDS1E19TheOnlyLightInTheDarkness

* LieDetector: Despite it's impressive 96 variables of examination, Ward still evades it by saying things that are [[ExactWords technically true]] but don't expose him and also utilizing his self-inflicted injuries as cover for false-positives/variances in the readouts.

Things get personal for Agent Coulson, who must race against time to save his one true love, the cello-playing Audrey (Creator/AmyAcker).

** Ward takes the opportunity to leave Providence with Skye while the rest of the team are away, potentially circumventing the need to "deal with" them. He still killed Koenig, of course, but he seems genuinely hesitant to harm the people he's lived and worked with for so long. Even Ward's killing of Koenig was driven by necessity as Koenig would be able to see what really happened at the Fridge, giving no Ward no choice in order to keep his cover.

* StalkerWithACrush: Blackout's obsessed with Audrey, who he considers to be his "light in the darkness".

** Ward takes the opportunity to leave Providence with Skye while the rest of the team are away, potentially circumventing the need to "deal with" them. He still killed Koenig, of course, but he seems genuinely hesitant to harm the people he's lived and worked with for so long.
*** Even Ward's killing of Koenig was driven by necessity as Koenig would be able to see what really happened at the Fridge, giving no Ward no choice in order to keep his cover.

* CannotSpitItOut: Fitz just can't bring himself to admit his increasingly obvious feelings for Simmons, even when Ward urges him to. Coulson subtly sets things up for him to do so, and Simmons is noticing his jealous hostility towards Triplett.

* TookALevelInBadass: Skye. For someone who had no covert training a few months ago, she not only pulled herself together after the shattering discovery that Ward was HYDRA and had killed Koenig, but figured out that he left a penny wedged in the doorframe to check if anyone had entered the supply closet where he stashed Koenig and put it back so he wouldn't be suspicious. Then she successfully conned him into thinking his cover was intact, and it's implied she left some form of message behind for the team before leaving with Ward.

* MythologyGag: Marcus Daniels' powers are used via [[CastingAShadow the Darkforce]], a known darkness-related energy force in the Marvel Universe.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If Coulson hasn't chewed out May, prompting her to leave the team, she ''might'' have been around to stop Ward from killing Koenig and abducting Skye.

* SealedEvilInACan: Daniels was this, by Coulson, prior to the events of the previous episode. When Daniels attempts the same thing after being freed, Coulson decides to kill him outright this time.

* ExactWords: How Ward eventually passes the lie detector. He truthfully says he only came to Providence for Skye.

* LieDetector: Despite it's impressive 96 variables of examination, Ward still evades the lie detector... through very rudimentary tricks. Namely, saying things that are [[MetaphoricallyTrue technically true]] but don't expose him and also utilizing his self-inflicted injuries as cover for false-positives/variances in the readouts.

* ActorAllusion: Melinda May's mother states her agency hasn't fallen apart. She is portrayed by actress Tsai Chin, who played the undercover MI6 agent Ling in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice .

* ActorAllusion: Melinda May's mother states her agency hasn't fallen apart. She is portrayed by actress Tsai Chin, who played the undercover MI6 agent Ling in the James Bone movie "You Only Live Twice".

* GenreSavvy: Coulson has Simmons do all the talking when rescuing Audrey, presumably because she's far more likely to respond to another woman trying to help her. The scene where she's urged to get in a car with a complete stranger to escape the guy following her would probably have played out a lot differently if he'd sent a male team-member to be the face of the operation.

* MarySue: [[spoiler:Literally, Skye's adopted name was Mary Sue Poots.]]

** Bruce Banner designed the energy absorption device used to take down Daniels. Coulson snarks that knowing Dr Banner was responsible for a device utilising gamma radiation doesn't make him feel much better about the potential safety of the design.

** Bruce Banner designed the energy absorption device used to take down Daniels. Coulson snarks that knowing Dr Banner was responsible for a device utilising gamma radiation doesn't make him feel much better about it.

** He also tries to convince Fitz to tell Simmons how he feels about her, in case he doesn't get the chance to later on. Of course, this is made a bit less heartwarming by the fact that he's probably planning to kill them both quite soon, but still, he didn't really gain anything from saying it, and his irritation when Fitz feigns ignorance makes his initial attempt to be kind seem genuine.

* [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil TV Guides Always Spoil]]: The fact that Audrey is a former girlfriend of Coulson's was ''probably'' supposed to be a surprise to viewers. Except, most TV Guide entries gave that plot point away in their episode summaries.

* ShipperOnDeck: Ward tries to convince Fitz to tell Simmons how he feels about her, and Coulson seems to be trying to help set up some sort of conversation between them at the end of the episode.

* PetTheDog: Ward was preparing to kill May, but when he sees she's leaving and therefore won't be a problem for him, lets her go unharmed.
** Ward also tries to convince Fitz to tell Simmons how he feels about her, in case he doesn't get the chance to later on. Of course, this is made a bit less heartwarming by the fact that he's probably planning to kill them both quite soon, but still, he didn't really gain anything from saying it, and his irritation when Fitz feigns ignorance makes his initial attempt to be kind seem genuine.