-Says here that it was the Father Who rescued us. The word is rhyomai, to rescue or deliver, and can be applied to anything which rescues one from danger which is severe and acute. The focus is usually on the danger (as opposed to being saved by or to something, which is sozo), and in the NT is typically more of a physical danger as opposed to a spiritual one (cf Luke 1.74, Romans 7.24, 15.31, 2Corinthians 1.10, 2Thessalonians 3.2).
-But clearly in this instance the danger actually is of a spiritual nature. Paul says that we - referring to those who have trusted in Christ but like every other descendant of Adam - were in the authority of darkness, that power which has stood in opposition to the Light for as long as anyone knows. From a purely physical standpoint, darkness simply refers to any place where light is not present, and has since the beginning of creation, as we read in Genesis 1.3-4. Darkness and light become a powerful recurring motif in Scripture, and we see that darkness comes to signify any place where God is not actively present (altho we know that He is of course present everywhere)(cf 1John 1.5), as well as that realm where those who are in rebellion against God reside and operate. Light then, signifying God’s great power and love and goodness, is that which dispels darkness - it is always this way. Those who do desire to live apart from God or in rebellion to Him thus prefer to live in the darkness. And in fact, we were prisoners who were being held captive in darkness by the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6.12, 2Timothy 2.26), no ability to truly see or get around or ultimately survive, hence the immense goodness of the Good News (Isaiah 9.2, 60.1-3, 61.1, Matthew 4.16, Luke 1.79, 2.32, 4.18, John 12.46, Acts 26.18, 1Peter 2.9). Granted, there are many prisoners of darkness who actually prefer to stay there (John 3.19, Ephesians 4.18), in order to continue in a lifestyle and evil deeds lived apart from God (and of course in the process of rejecting God they will ultimately be rejected by Him).
-Note the contrast here between these two places. One is a Kingdom - there is a Sovereign Ruler Who provides order and justice. The Kingdom also belongs to someone. It was given to God the Son by His Father. The Kingdom is also a place of love. Thus we can assume that the Kingdom is a place of caring - the Kingdom itself and its subjects are looked after and cared for and nurtured. The darkness however would be characterized by none of this. It is also a place where there is some exercise of power and authority, but again darkness is defined more by the absence of Light, the absence of God’s active presence - which means it is populated by a bunch of godless would-be kings who are not ultimately in charge. It is more akin to a state of anarchy - where disorder and chaos reign. There is no love or caring or any goodness in that place where God is not active. It is rather a place of hiding and stumbling, ignorance and uncertainty, deception and lies and distrust, a place of fear and anxiety, and ultimately the death of your soul. That is where we were being held captive (by our own choosing remember), and God Himself came after us, launching the ultimate rescue mission, one which continues to this day. Darkness is the place out of which we were rescued, and we have now been brought into the Light, into that place of love and caring and life forever. Oh, what a glorious day...!
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