What a return to form for Agent Carter. In a week when Deadpool dominated the social media landscape it was hard to imagine anything else holding a candle to it. The Flash certainly delivered with Welcome To Earth-2 and now it’s Marvel’s turn to shine.
Even though Deadpool is technically owned by Fox it’s still mostly true that Agent Carter and Deadpool exist in the same universe. Certainly the same multiverse. Which is outstanding and cool, even if Mr Jarvis would gasp at the idea of the Merc With A Mouth.
“I heartily concur” Peggy replies to him throughout the episode. After the R-rated debauchery it was refreshing to calm down with some civility.
The plot continued along all the existing storylines without a lot of fuss. That’s not to say that there wasn’t any tension – a few times the episode could have cut for a convincing cliffhanger – but that events that drove everything into motion were more natural than other shows.
As Whitney Frost’s search for zero-matter and overall power gains momentum she determines her best course of action is to steal an atomic bomb. She coerces an ex-lover to lend him her goons, further compromising her aspiring Senator husband, and storms the facility.
Peggy, her sometimes-tangible flame Wilkes, Jarvis and Sousa concoct a plan to steal the bomb first. It involves Jarvis in his recreational tie alongside Peggy in a morgue air vent, some humorous espionage with a belt buckle and some team assembling that would make Captain America himself shake his head in shame.
To infiltrate the facility holding the nuclear weapon Peggy needs a team. Jarvis is a shoe-in, naturally, and so is Sousa. The quick-witted door guard Rose that’s appeared sporadically through both series is next on the list. She’s unassuming but capable, though untested, and Sousa’s hesitance to bring her is understandable.
Finally the gang needs gadgets, which means another trip to the tech division of the SSR. This portion of the show has been omitted from these reviews as they’re a bit hammy and don’t do a lot to progress anything. It seems it’s all been lead-up to this daring adventure, as the inventor of the SSR’s tools makes up the fifth member of the team. No need to worry about Rose, this fool is the real dopey liability.
The fivesome race to beat Whitney and her husband to the bomb. Peggy, the bone fide hero she is, can’t help but confront the probable-mutant. After a scuffle Whitney Frost sends Peggy off the side of the walkbridge, impaling her on a metal rod. Shocking! Our title hero is clinging on to life and although the chances of her death are slim it still meant something. Frost wounded her and now Carter will be even more persistent (if that were at all possible).
There are three other big pieces of information to take from tonight. Unimpressed with Whitney’s growing obsession the Senator-to-be has called for his conspicuous Council to hold a secret meeting. Their full power outside the absent Kurtwood Smith will be shown.
Sousa, now a fully-realised character, proposes to his girlfriend goofily and she accepts. Later she patches up Peggy and discovers the series’ endgame is Sousa and Carter. She leaves him immediately.
And at the episode’s conclusion as the heroes all retired to bed Peggy’s (current) man Wilkes dropped a hint that he had visited the place the goo originated. Was this before his meeting with Carter? Is this a parallel dimension? Is the goo the thing that links this to Doctor Strange? That seems unlikely. Or is the goo the same thing that allowed Coulson and co the ability to travel to the Kree planet on Agents of SHIELD? They look similar, but it could just be budget.
Who knows? We’re at the half way point now. If this continue steadily we’re in for one hell of a series.
