What happens when S.H.I.E.L.D ceases to exist? Chaos.

Even though Coulson and his team secured the Hub, they weren't safe there. Colonel Glenn Talbot was on his way and ready to interfere with their freedom and search for Hydra on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 18.

Unclear on who to trust, the team got on the bus and went rogue.

Watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 18 Online

Coulson and his team haven't been working together for very long, but they all trust each other with the exception of the two long time friends. The divide between Coulson and May continued. With Director Fury dead, she worried that Hydra implanted ideas and thoughts into Coulson's head during TAHITI.

While her concern wasn't entirely unfounded, Coulson hadn't done anything but support S.H.I.E.L.D. and the team since the beginning and hasn't done anything suspicious since Hydra was revealed. She should have had a little more faith in him. In the end, she supported his decision to with the rest of the team to go to the coordinates that appeared on his badge.

Coulson is a good guy and a great leader. He inspires rather than threatens. His team may have had doubts about the path they were on, but they stood by him. Yes, they grumbled on the long, snowy walk, but seriously who wouldn't? Only Coulson. There have been traitors in their midst, but Coulson isn't one of them.

Now that they are at Providence, they will have access to the information they need in order to help defeat Hydra. May will be furious when she finds out Coulson kept Fury's status secret. She should understand, if she doesn't, he just needs to remind her of who was full of distrust first. 

The biggest threat to them now is Ward! He really is a traitor and supporter of Hydra. When he explained all the steps he took to gain the trust of Coulson's team, I cringed. He really had them fooled. He played them from the start and was extremely effective at it.

One theory after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 17 was that Ward was really a double agent. While that remains a possibility, I don't buy it. He's indebted to Garrett for saving him as a teen and that allegiance is stronger than any other he has. At the same time, it was encouraging to see him display some affection for Skye and the rest of the team.

Ward can still be redeemed. I have to believe that. He may not be, but that sliver of hope that he will see the light makes it much more intriguing. Love can overcome a lot. When he was reunited with Skye, he was ready to use her to break the lock on the drive. Due to his directive, I expect it will get worse before it gets better though.

Once someone starts to suspect that something's up with him, perhaps he can take that opportunity to turn away from Hydra. If he knows they care about him, it might be enough to break the bond he has with Garrett. 

Garrett's gathering a team of his own, including Raina and Quinn. It's quite scary to think of all the devices and artifacts from the Fridge that are in Hydra's control now. Those were contained for a reason. Wouldn't it be funny if Garrett and Hydra were taken out by their own greed. Many of those items could easily destroy their facility and the occupants too.

Raina's experiments in search of the compound that saved Coulson is dangerous. She has no idea what she's messing with. And, Quinn with Gravitonium? That's a disaster waiting to happen.

Garrett's going to have to do much more to gain their complete loyalty. Neither of them were thrilled to find out they fell for the farce that was the Clairvoyant. Unlike Coulson's team, Garrett's group is newly formed and much more likely to act out against one another. A Hydra in the open could easily begin to self-destruct.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. held up its intensity this week. It's going to be a difficult level to maintain, but now that the team as a real nemesis to pursue it helps. I'd love to see this story come to some sort of conclusion by the end of the season, but also carry over aspects into season 2.

Who will begin to question Ward's loyalty first?

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.