Marvel's ABC drama "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has hit that point in its season. If you've been following the show the past few years, you know the one we mean. Disparate plotlines are starting to coalesce. Long hidden secret have come into light. The characters are reaching their breaking point. In short: things are getting good.

But whether the past seasons' version of this hot streak centered on the midseason finale or not, the series has repeatedly delivered big satisfying moments only to backslide in their wake. However with tonight's "Closure" episode, the show is making a case for why this season could provide a much more consistent run in the end.

The hour begins with a moment of quiet charm before pressing the pedal to the floor and leaving it there. Finally sharing a long sought dinner alone with his thankfully non-traitorous love interest Rosalind, Director Coulson seems at peace for the first time in a long while. So of course renegade S.H.I.E.L.D. turncoat and Hydra golden boy Grant Ward shoots Ros through the throat via sniper rifle three minutes into the episode. The event finally makes the fight between the two former teammates personal for Coulson in a way it's never been before. Sure, Phil has had times in the show when he's wanted to take the fight to Hydra, but up to this point we've never seen the Avengers quippy mascot fueled by rage. The turn in the character makes for a fast-paced and tense hour of TV.

The spine of the story is, of course, Phil himself. He lines up his own team members in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interrogation room in order to pick apart Ward's story and find a weak spot. The interview scenes prove a little anticlimactic with everyone from May to Simmons recalling snippets of Ward's character from two season's back that do little to either push fan buttons or drive the narrative. But Daisy's own tentative exploration of her relationship with the villain (remember when that was a big part of this show?) provide a little spark both for its insight into the villain and for the way it highlights the growing rift between her and Coulson.

Best of all though is Clark Gregg's performance as Coulson. Driven and intense, the Director never flinches to dig into personal bedroom details with his own staff and then wildly lashes out at Hunter, the man who should have killed Ward earlier this year. When the fight breaks, both men put themselves on a collision course with Ward by any means necessary -a development that feels as worthy screentime as any mission the team has undergone this year. With Bobbi Morse riding along as the only unwilling participant in this off the books hit, the story pulls no punches in the best way.

Elsewhere, Ward himself proves more controlled than his adversary if every bit as emotionally compromised in the end. After killing Coulson's lover, the would-be heir of Hydra insists on pushing forward with his S.H.I.E.L.D. revenge scheme even as his would-be mentor Gideon Malick urges him to let the past go and focus on their future. Malick wants nothing more than to contact the alien entity trapped on a barren planet across the galaxy to fulfill Hydra's original ancient mission, but Ward can't shake the need to get payback for indignities that have haunted him his whole life.

The third plank of the episode focuses on those left behind at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ -particularly the frequently underutilized Agent Mack who gets the unenviable task of becoming Acting Director when Coulson goes off the reservation. Though he's as opinionated as anyone on the team, the role of leader sits uneasily on Mack's shoulders as he watches Fitz, Simmons and a cohort of Rosalind's former coworkers track a lead on the NASA-esque research project that sent Simmons' long distance love Will to the barren planet on Hydra's dime. When the mission turns out to be a trap set by Ward and company, the threads from the episode come together as quickly as those of the whole season have in recent weeks with spectacular results.

The climax of the episode tests everything we've been tapping into about these characters all season long. Coulson -unhinged as he is - remains dedicated to completing his mission to save the world and defeat Hydra by threatening the life of Ward's brother. Ward in turn reluctantly accepts a role as the field leader for Hydra's planet-bound strikeforce - a mission that's only been made possible thanks to his torture of Simmons to elicit Fitz's compliance in giving the force a path back to earth with their space god in tow. Fitz agrees to the task even if it means the end of the world because he's so desperate to prove himself worthy of Simmons' love - whether she choses Will or not. And finally, Mack and Daisy own up to the roles they've been unknowingly lobbying for all year -leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. and of the team of "Secret Warriors" who must now jump in and save Coulson from himself.

When Ward, Fitz and company step through the inter-dimensional portal, it's no surprise that Coulson leaps in after them (it's kind of a surprise that he was able to hit the mark in their oddly open air ceremony from hundreds of feet up, but whatever. We'll go with it). The cliffhanger ending is less a winner because of the surprise it delivers than it is for the finale it promises. Coulson being concussed and alone on the alien world against Ward's Hydra commandos is a killer hook to lead us into what could be a great final battle. And the character arcs surrounding it -Fitz, Simmons and Will's love triangle chief among them - are the kinds of stories that superhero TV strives to elevate but rarely pull off so well.

The hour was so confident and promising that it seems a shame to end on a cautious note, but this is "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." so where else can we go? In the past, the series has built to big battles only to shift in tone dramatically afterwards -particularly last season when the winter break turned the show from electric espionage epic to second rate Inhuman family drama. If next week really represents the end of the story of Grant Ward's Hydra, where will the show go from there? We know that the Secret Warriors arc is the promised land based on Marvel's promotions for this season, but will it continue Season 3's hot streak or slam the breaks on the fun the show has provided so far? We only have one week to find out.