After a skip week because TV is stupid, Agent Carter is back in an episode of spy gadgets, drunks, automatic pistols and a Stan Lee cameo — and that’s the only time I’m going to address the Stan Lee cameo because come on, already.
As a note, spoilers are perhaps unavoidably discussed.
1. A Surprise Lull
As much as I enjoy this show, I have to admit: last night’s episode was kind of dull. While every episode so far has had some kind of fun hook, this episode didn’t really; too many plates spinning, not snappy enough dialogue and a whole of side-plots that I don’t think anyone really cares about. The SSR seems to be gaining on the trail Peggy is leaving them, but it felt like last night was sacrificing Peggy-related story time for other things, and I can’t say it was too enthralling.
Or maybe I was just too sleepy at 9 PM EST. Who knows?
2. Smuggling Stark
Last night also brought back Dominic Cooper to continue his reprisal of the Howard Stark role, which is probably the second best thing about Agent Carter overall. I’ve quite liked Cooper as an actor since I saw him in The History Boys, so getting to see him really turn Howard Stark into a somewhat three-dimensional character is definitely a pleasure. Stark is definitely rascally enough to loathe, dangerous enough to fear and compassionate enough to sympathize with, and Cooper brings out all of that in spades.
Stark also offers the only real foil to Carter that we’ve seen so far in the show. There are challenges, sure, but if the final shot-off between the two is any indication then these two are the only characters that really matter — which makes sense, given that they’re the only two characters we knew before the show started. Stark and Carter have both had the most time to grow as characters so it’s only natural that they’re the ones who end up the most interesting on screen, especially when they’re together and mad at one another.
3. The Closed-Off Universe
This is a problem that SHIELD has (had?), and I can’t help but feel a bit nit-picky when I bring it up, but I am continuously surprised how often this show puts its feet into the Shared Universe water only to pull it out so quickly. Last night brought us a bevvy of name references and a couple new faces, but out of all of those only one was a character from the Marvel U: Ernst Mueller, a Nazi villain from the late 60s who has apparently appeared in about 8 issues. What’s surprising is that this week’s bad guy, Mr. Mink, was nobody.
It’s not a big deal that Marvel continuously shies away from name-dropping characters to build their expanded universe, but I wish they’d be a bit more brave with it. Mr. Mink is a neat name and all, and I guess “John McGinnis” was a name drop to something (Stark mentions Lana Turner and Jane Russell, who were both real actresses, so I assume I’m missing something with McGinnis), but I don’t particularly see the point of not utilizing the rather lush landscape that World War II has provided Marvel Comics — whether it be the post-War dummy Cap and Bucky’s, the various people and threats Nick Fury encountered, etc.
4. Sorry You’re A Woman, Peggy
A lot of deal was made last night about names and sex — names in regards to the role of “Agent” Krzeminski, and sex in regards to that Peggy is still — shock — a woman. But man oh man, did this show decided to remove any pretense of subtlety when Agent Thompson decided to tell Peggy that she’ll never amount to anything because she’s a woman. As if repeatedly calling her the wrong name wasn’t bad enough.
A lot has been said about the show’s handling of the time and its specific use of institutionalized sexism as a crutch that Peggy has to deal with, so there’s no big surprises here. I did kind of prefer when other episodes were a bit smarter with it, though; not that subtlety has to be the main factor to the show, but it’s not great seeing your hero receiving abuse and just accepting it. You can kind of sympathize with the world Peggy lives in and why she would just allow Thompson to berate her, but at the same time if she doesn’t punch him square in the jaw by the finale then that is a waste.
Continued belowThat said, all of her rage this did lead to what was ultimately my favorite line last night, which went something like:
Peggy Carter (to Howard Stark): You’re the kind of man who tells a woman I love you while looking over her shoulder into the mirror.
Don’t let them get you down, Agent.
5. The Woman in 3F
So it appears a new wrinkle to the show’s dynamic has been added, as Dorothy “Dottie” Underwood — the literal girl next door — appears to be more than a ballerina. I had initially somewhat ignored Dottie’s addition to the show (unlike every oh-so-smart person I follow on Twitter, apparently) as the previous weeks episodes had so much going on that a character getting a name isn’t always worth digging into (see: Mr. Mink). Clearly I was wrong.
Who is Dottie, then? Besides just Dottie, of course. Is she here to help Peggy? She has saved Peg’s butt twice now without Peggy noticing, albeit with the first time being a less than admirable way to do it. It seems likely Dottie leans closer to the villainous Leviathan side of things rather than the anti-hero one, but either way it is worth noting that now we have two women in lead roles on this show, ostensibly on either sides of the good gal/bad gal spectrum. So, take that, Thought #4.
