Episode Titles: Episode 6: Life of the Party Episode 7: Monsters
Originally Aired: February 16th 2016
Last night’s episodes of Agent Carter were a major turning point for the season. If this was a movie it would be the end of the second act where our heroes have sustained losses or been beaten back and need to regroup for a final assault on the bad guys. There are only 3 episodes left this season, another 2 hour event next week followed by the season and potentially series finale.
After sustaining a server injury in last week’s episode and the fact that her face is so well known Peggy is forced to devise a plan that she confessed is terrible. She needs someone who will fit in at a glamorous event at the Arena Club and is also extremely capable, and the only person that fits the bill is Dottie Underwood, who needs to be broken out of SSR custody first. In her desperation to save Dr. Wilkes and bring down Vernon and the council of 9 Peggy is willing to risk her career, her freedom, and as usual, her life. In an effort to prevent Dr. Wilkes from disappearing forever they have decided to build him a containment unit that once he is solid again will keep him in his corporeal state. The only thing they need is a sample of the zero matter inside Whitney Frost, and that’s where Dottie comes in.
Dottie and Jarvis will infiltrate the gala at the Area Club and Dottie will have to get a sample of Whitney’s blood. Things get complicated both by Dottie and the arrival of Jack Thompson who once again proves that while he isn’t a BAD guy he is an infuriating coward. The visuals at the event are the best of the night’s episodes from the costuming to the way the club is shot to provide a glimpse of its opulence and hint that Jarvis may be in over his head.
Last week I made an easy prediction that at some point soon Whitney would kill her husband Calvin and we didn’t have to wait long since it came at about the half way mark of tonight’s first episode. He wasn’t her only victim though, she also took out most of the rest of the council leaving only the four member she believed were useful to her. We only see her give orders to two of the four so maybe the others will play a role in the final three episodes. Whitney finally divulges her motivations for everything that is happening with her this season. She is tired of the system that made her feel broken and belittles women and people of color based solely on those two factors, she wants to tear it down and reign over the world with or without Dr. Wilkes by her side. He will either share in the power of zero matter with her or lend his power to her own. The major issue is that she is completely insane and corrupted with power, believing that her path is right and that if you disagree you should die. One thing she did do that had a welcome return was mention that people of color had it rough during this point in time not just women whose mistreatment is present in every episode.
Bridget Regan’s return as Dottie was highly successful, she plays the character with an air of supreme confidence in her capabilities and that everything she wants will come to her in a matter of time. She is very playful, teasing and taunting everyone she interacts with, my favorite is her insistence to refer to Jarvis as Jeeves. She is also a tremendously sad character as you learn a little more about her background and training that has made her the agent she is now. She states that “I’ve pulled out my own teeth, my own nails, my own hair. I’ve burned off my own flesh with a blowtorch,” she was trained to withstand truth serum and can handle any torture thrown her way. Which is proven to be true until Whitney gets her hands on her and begins to break her down with the zero matter in a form of torture that Dottie could never have been prepared for.
The biggest complaint about tonight’s episodes is that during “Monsters” the fact that Peggy is suffering from a major injury is seemingly dropped. Early on she pops her stitches trying to open a door and at the end of the night she is wielding a shotgun on a rescue mission. I don’t think anyone expected our lead to be hobbled for very long but the abruptness of how it was dropped was a little surprising for how well written the show is.
Personal relationships continue to play a major, and the best, role in the show. Peggy is dealing with a love triangle, she has two quality suitors and she has feelings for each. She is the only one that is surprised that one let alone two people could be interested in her, a point that Jarvis doesn’t fail to express. Ana Jarvis makes her return tonight acting as Dr. Wilkes hands and worrying for Edwin’s safety. She married a butler but is now going through the stress of someone who married a cop, soldier or government agent, the waiting, and the fear that while they are out working the may never come back. The central relationship is the friendship between Peggy and Jarvis as always. The two have a bit of a heart to heart about Peggy and her confusing romantic life and Peggy is there to comfort Jarvis at the hospital at the conclusion of the episode. Hayley Atwell and James D’Arcy have developed great chemistry with each other, and their familiarity strengthens the characters’ emotional ties and makes their dynamic rich and engaging. It is the emotions that our heroes are allowed to exhibit that keep us attached during the grand events of the season. Being reminded that they are people who have people who love them and that they care for and that they can be sad, angry and filled with guilty at the same time provide a richness to the world that reminds us of the stakes that everyone has to lose if Whitney gains all the power she desires.
Whitney has the upper hand at the moment but I have faith in Peggy and the rest of the team and can’t wait to see how the bounce back next Tuesday. Hopefully you will tune in with me and help the show gain a season 3.
Channel: Superhero 