Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns from its interminable one-week hiatus on Tuesday, and we’ve got a few clues for what to expect from “Closure.”

Ward’s history is (further) illuminated

Love him or loathe him, Grant Ward has been one of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s most perplexing threads since his season one betrayal. That betrayal, and Ward’s actions both before and since, is the unifying focus of “Closure,” as Coulson peers deeply into what makes his former agent tick.

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What he finds is not pretty, but whether or not anyone’s minds are changed about Ward remains to be seen.

Coulson is 1000% done

Coulson’s edges have grown visibly sharper as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 has progressed, but in “Closure,” the Director officially takes his knives out of the drawer. The pressure of Hydra, the alien Monolith, and most particularly Ward work a specific kind of alchemy on Coulson — and it isn’t necessarily flattering.

“Closure” shows us Coulson at his most desperate, furious, and determined. It is by far his darkest incarnation yet, with drastic consequences that are only just beginning.

Daisy gets her team, ish

There aren’t a lot of light moments in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3×09 (like, at all) but we do get to see what might be the official beginnings of Daisy Johnson’s Secret Warriors. Through the gloom of “Closure,” there is an undeniable charge to the potential represented by a team of powered people… even if Daisy’s team might conceal its own heart of darkness.

Characters are taken… away

If Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has shown us anything, it’s that there’s more than one way to lose a character. This week’s episode explores several of those mechanisms, but let’s just say that not everyone who is present at the start of “Closure” is there at its end.

It’s cliffhanger time!

For an episode titled “Closure,” there isn’t much resolution to be had — which, granted, isn’t that surprising for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But the story is only stepping on the ignition by the end of Tuesday’s ridiculously intense hour, leaving many characters in various states of peril — oh, and the fate of the universe in question.

Bonus: Listen closely for what we think is a reference to Broadway’s Hamilton in Tuesday’s episode!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3×09, “Closure,” airs on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.

What kind of ‘Closure’ do you expect in ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 3×09?