Agent Carter "Now is Not the End" & "Bridge and Tunnel" (REVIEW)
written by Omar Castillon (@omar_castillon)
It is 1946, World War II is over. Not super soldier to be found except for the strong independent agent who accompanied Steve Rogers in their collective mission to stop the forces of Hydra. But since this is 1946, Women in this era were considered more suitable for secretarial work, housewives and nurses. Peggy Carter shatters that glass ceiling with a bad ass fight scene just minutes after the intro to the pilot episode. The running start feeling is what keeps from being another period piece show that is based in an established universe. There isn’t one that I can think of at the top of my head but to sum it up, Agent Carter doesn’t disappoint. Just a disclaimer before I get into the bits of plot details for both episodes, this is Marvel’s attempt at a mini-series. Agent Carter will be a seven part event. Think of the Agent Carter series as a sort of seven hour movie expanding the universe that Captain America: The First Avenger established.
The problems hit immediately when news reels and SSR (the organization before SHIELD) make it seem as if Howard Stark was selling his weapons based inventions to enemies of the state. Peggy is the only one who still thinks Stark has good intentions, but then again she is working with stereotypical misogynistic men that see Peggy not as an agent but as a secretary who brings coffee and takes messages. I know that was sort of the attitude with men at the time, but man, that seems pretty harsh since Peggy does have a decent resume to fight alongside the boys. With that being said, she does use her quick wit and agent skills (so to speak) to investigate a lead into who is buying the weapons Stark helped produce. Of course Stark isn’t the one behind it (or is he) but the buyer starts to connect with some strange guys that have Peggy dress up to gather some intel. Three of the SSR agents did try to infiltrate a flashy party but once they arrive, Peggy had already gathered intel and fought off the bad guys like a boss. It turns out that she does end up diving deeper into the rabbit hole with the help of Jarvis (who is Stark’s butler/helper) and their crazy awesome chemistry on screen. Long story short, the name “Leviathan” is brought up and the mystery continues.
The second episode consists of the continuation of the investigation about the “Leviathan” clue. This time the investigation leads to someone who uses a milk distribution truck to transport the highly explosive material to a mysterious person with a scar on their throats. Peggy once again uses disguises and genuine detective skills to track down the missing milk truck. What makes this a little more tense is that Peggy’s encounter with the mysterious buyer was caught by a photographer. Luckily for her, she was looking away from the flashing light and never really gets caught. Peggy does continue to kick ass throughout the second episode as well getting into gunfights and even having her own car chase with Jarvis. It’s quite thrilling to see how independent Peggy is and even how comfortable Hayley Atwell who plays Peggy Carter looks on screen.
From car chases to gunfights and even a look into the world of 1946 through a woman’s eyes, these two episodes have established a solid foundation for things to come in the mini-series. I like how the show just has fun while telling a story that is thrilling and leaves the audience wanting more. Hell I was bummed out when I realized the episode had ended and yet I welcomed the opportunity that the show presented for next week’s episode. I did miss a few little details in both of the episodes but that is only because you need to see them to believe me. And surely, you too will get addicted to watching Agent Carter even if it is only a seven part series. So go out of your way and get another fix of the Marvel universe.
