Agent Carter 1.01 and 1.02

[selenak]

That started promisingly.



So far, I really like it, with the one nitpick that the scene where the male SSR agents beat up the captured guy to "interrogate" him while Peggy uses the time to do heroics elsewhere is just there, without the show indicating whether it's meant to be an okay tactic or as a sign of the supposed "good guys" being morally compromised far beyond being chauvinists. (Sorry, but I can't turn off the real life relevance here.) The other nitpick I have is more on the funny side: is that a yellow Volkswagen Beetle Peggy is driving early on? In 1946? Guys, I know the Wirtschaftswunder was something to behold, but it didn't happen that fast.

Okay, on to why these two episodes were very well done. First of all, of course, Peggy. Who is great: fiercely competent, still grieving for Steve but also determined to handle current day life instead of longing for the past. And whom the show gives various relationships both existant and developing: the friendship with the waitress (cause for regular Bechdel passing) and until her demise with Colleen, de Souza, played by Enver G. whom I last saw being fabulous in Dollhouse as Victor/Tony, Howard in his one scene and of course Original Edwin Jarvis, who looks like he's going to be Peggy's primary sidekick on this show. All these "Agent Carter"/"Mr. Jarvis" conversations have a vibe of "Mrs. Peel, we're needed", don't you think? Only in this case with Peggy as the boss. (Aside from the part where he's keeping something from her on Howard's behalf, but given the time frame, I suspect that "something" is Peggy's future job as an end goal.) It's a neat developing dynamic between them, and I wonder whether Jarvis got an (so far off screen) wife on this show to make it clear from the get go that it's not going to be a romantic one? Whereas Agent de Souza, fellow war trauma survivor, looks like an intended potential love interest, unless of course he's really the true traitor, which isn't mutually exclusive. (His actor being so incredibly versatile actually makes me suspect the later, in which case, poor Peggy, because they have a nice low key friendship at the office going.)

The show also tries for a greater nod to history than the costumes, with Colleen and the waitress (damm, I wish her name hadn't escaped me!) in their conversations with Peggy mentioning that the employment situation for women is now worsening because of all the returning GIs. The Captain America radio show which vexes Peggy so with its swooning damsel and ra ra ra dialogue is a hoot, but only because the show proper actually really does avoid those clichés and the CA movies have as well.

Speaking of knowing meta on genre conventions: Peggy's "must not allow anyone get close else they become target" angst is immediately dealt with instead of hanging over the rest of the show, and Jarvis gives her the "heroes need a support team, and cutting yourself off the world you want to protect is stupid" speech which is basically the anti Nolanverse interpretation of Batman credo. Since Peggy isn't Bruce (who btw does have a support team in most versions, including the Nolan one), she listens. It also reminds me of one of the endearing attributes of the MCU - not in every movie, I'm not claiming that, but if they're on, they take care to include acts of support and heroism from the "civilians" instead of presenting them as mere set decorations.

Lastly: part of the fun of any spy show are the disguises, and so far Peggy is doing fine in this regard as well. My favourite so far was the ice truck inspector.

Comments

[likeadeuce]

I took it we were supposed to see the rough interrogation as a manifestation of the jerks at SSR doing it wrong - hence Peggy's cup of tea comment - but I definitely wish it had been handled better. Also Sousa's collaboration w/ the rest of SSR in all things except being mean to Peggy seems to support the theory of him being the secret bad guy. ( I've seen speculation it might be Angie - the waitress- but I think if she's working for anyone it's likely Stark).

[selenak]

Angie, right, that was the name! I agree, she's unlikely as a secret villain. Also, good point re: Sousa collaborating with the rest of SSR in all things except Peggy.

If this was a cop show there'd be at least a decent chance that in the next episode, the prisoner would have died of internal wounds and there'd be an investigation while he'd also not have said anything useful whatsover, but I strongly suspect the issue won't be raised again here and it will be treated as comic book violence, i.e. without consequences. Which rl unfortunately has made me too twitchy about to accept.

[likeadeuce]

Totally understandable.

I'm really glad to see Enver G in this though it keeps reminding me I thought he should have played Bucky Barnes. Though considering the route fandom has gone with Bucky that might be just as well.

[selenak]

I shall keep both my Sebastian Stan and my Bucky Barnes heresies to myself in order not to incur the wrath of accidental readers. :)

[endeni]

/unless of course he's really the true traitor, which isn't mutually exclusive. (His actor being so incredibly versatile actually makes me suspect the later, in which case, poor Peggy, because they have a nice low key friendship at the office going.)/ - OMG, did think of that! But now the more I think about it the more plausible it seems... If that's going to be the case poor Peggy indeed. ;(

[selenak]

It's just that assuming they hired Enver Gjokaj because of Dollhouse and the great range he showed there, I can't imagine they'd let him play "solely" a good guy discreetly pining for Peggy. There must be something up with his character. And a miniseries with only a few episodes doesn't allow for many possibilities.

[endeni]

LOL, that's the danger of being too genre/tv savvy then, nothing surprises you anymore... *shakes head*

[likeadeuce]

I admit I'm partly rooting for Sousa to be a traitor because I'm hoping they'll make more EPs with Gabe Jones as the love interest...

[endeni]

OMG, yes, that be so cool! *_*

[katta]

As I understand it, he auditioned, the part wasn't written for him, so he'd be hired for his ability to play the part regardless of what the part is. Of course, it's entirely possible that they hired him for a flat part and then thought, "What are we doing, let's make use of what we've got!" and made him the traitor.

...I kinda don't want him to be the traitor? I don't really ship him with Peggy beyond "well, he's better than the other m/f options" but I like their dynamics. Besides, it wouldn't be a very good twist, what with half of fandom going "He's totally evil, isn't he?" and half going "PLEASE DON'T BE EVIL!"

Then again, I don't want Angie to be the traitor either. (And I do ship her and Peggy!) I don't want anyone to be the traitor... I'm totally too soft-hearted for espionage stories. (Seriously, I'm one of very few Swedes who downright hated The Brothers Lionheart as a kid because I couldn't cope with the thought of someone who had been nice to you actually being a traitor all along.)

[selenak]

Hush, you're spoiling the children for Astrid Lindgren. :) But I know what you mean. One reason why I still have't read Dorothy Dunnett's Niccolo series is because I was told something like this happens there.

[jesuswasbatman]

I heard this was always intended as a short-term miniseries, making this less of an issue, but I was really put off by this given the implication that all of this heroism will be counterbalanced by SHIELD paperclipping Arnim Zola and setting up the events of Winter Soldier. Is there any sign of this?

Although what I've heard about S2 of Agents of SHIELD gives me the impression that the people behind Marvel film and TV are backing away from what actually happened in Winter Soldier as fast as their legs can carry them.

[selenak]

The time frame of the miniseries - 1946, with Peggy still working for SSR, and SHIELD not yet founded - makes it unlikely to me right now that they'll adress the paperclipping of Zola. The plot kicks off when Howard Stark gets accused of having sold weapons designs and plain old weapons to the enemy and asks Peggy to clear his name and find the real person responsible before going on the run. (Btw, I suspect this is the last we'll see of Howard in the miniseries before the last episode.) (BTW, since Howard in the Marvelverse worked in the Manhattan Project, there's an obvious real life parallel here.) So basically you have an narrative arc where Peggy has to hunt down the various Stark McGuffin on the market now and figure out the overall people behind it while also putting her life back together and finding a role for herself in a post war world, and that it will be completed by the time the miniseries ends.

This being said, there's some room for speculation as to whether we'll get some intended shadiness (other than the sexism and the beating up of a captive by the male SSR agents), because Jarvis and Howard have a conversation in the pilot that makes it clear there's been something Howard hasn't told Peggy (so it may not be as straightforward as "I got framed!"), and also, the two scary Bad Lieutenants who showed up so far hunting for the McGuffins have undergone some sort of operations (they have scars on their throat and aren't capable of speaking without artificial sound enhancers). They're also tall, strong and blond, and since a favourite Marvelverse trope is that villain x tries to replicate Erskine's supersoldier serum, and since Peggy for different reasons checked out Steve's original file from project Rebirth (thus reminding the tv audience Steve started out as a thin kid and was artificially changed), I suspect these guys will turn out to be failed attempts at super soldiering. And not by the Russians.

[katta]

Although what I've heard about S2 of Agents of SHIELD gives me the impression that the people behind Marvel film and TV are backing away from what actually happened in Winter Soldier as fast as their legs can carry them.

Agent Carter has the same writers (at least in the pilot) as Winter Soldier, though, so maybe not? I hope not, anyway - TWS was so interesting, it's a pity to undo it.

[wee_warrior]

I haven't watched any of the Captain America movies (nor really anything Marvel after 45 minutes of Avengers, in which I decided I wanted to watch a spy drama with Black Widow and Bruce Banner instead of what we got* and that superhero movies are probably not really my thing), and I'm happy to report that at least the first episode of Agent Carter worked fine on its own. Although I didn't know it was only a miniseries? That's disappointing. This is so much better than the Shield one. Ah well.

--
*My inner baby mythology geek is still crying at the thought of Loki Odinsson. Blasphemy! j/k, but I had troubles of the irrational sort here, thus obviously no Thor movies for me, either.

[selenak]

I've been staying away from anything Thor related in the Marvelverse for years for that reason before the movies. I'm over it now in that I can see the people in the MCU bearing the names Loki etc. as utterly separate from Norse mythology, though one of the reasons why I'm hoping that tv version of American Gods will work out eventually is that the Odin there, Mr. Wednesday, is such a marvelous version of mythological one, and ditto for the Loki who is most definitely not in any way his son. But back to the Marvel movies: in various degrees, I enjoy to love them, but I understand them not being everyone's cup of tea. All the better that Agent Carter works on its own! And yes, so far they've planned only a miniseries, but I suspect they're keeping their options open (and their actors contracted) depending on how much of a success it is. After all, BSG started out as a miniseries, too...

[wee_warrior]

American Gods: Oh yes, that's another great reason for it to be developed. Most TV or screenwriters somehow seemed to think that Odin is like their idea of Zeus, which actually has little to do with Mr. Hit-On-Anything-Even-If-It-Runs-Away, and a lot more with Arielle the mermaid's Dad (or rather, a kiddie book variety of the Judeo-Christian God), which tends to be a bit irritating. (See also: bad guy Hades. Lives downstairs, must be evil. Sigh.)

Marvel movies: I salute your laid-back attitude. Not that I expected differently, but after being thoroughly chastised for apparently NOT SEEING the intense genius of the divine Mr. Hiddleston* performing "Loki: The Emo Years" I tend to be a bit more careful.

Ohhh, a follow-up TV show à la BSG, that would be great! *keeps fingers crossed*

*(I'm totally willing to believe that Hiddleston is the best acting thing since sliced bread and Laurence Olivier combined, alas, still not a fan of the character. *shruggeth*)

[selenak]

As you know, I'm not a fan of Marvelverse Loki. Though I find it increasingly hard to hold out against Mr. Hiddleston, who has a sneaky tendency of doing endearing stuff (like giving interviews to Miss Piggy). As for his acting, he's good, but I don't think you're missing any immortal performances so far. (I was immensely amused to find him in a bit part in Miss Austen Regrets where he's a shy vicar romancing Jane Austen's niece and sports a head of blond curls which I was told were actually his natural hair.)

Most TV or screenwriters somehow seemed to think that Odin is like their idea of Zeus, which actually has little to do with Mr. Hit-On-Anything-Even-If-It-Runs-Away, and a lot more with Arielle the mermaid's Dad (or rather, a kiddie book variety of the Judeo-Christian God), which tends to be a bit irritating. (See also: bad guy Hades. Lives downstairs, must be evil. Sigh.)

Triple sigh. Odin is so not Zeus (neither the Hollywood version nor the mythological one), and Zeus is so not Hollywood Zeus, either. As for Hades, no kidding. As far as Hollywoodized tv versions of the gods go, I have to admit to a soft spot for the Xena ones, where the scriptwriters have at least a sense of humor about the clichés they use. Also, Ares was hot. Otoh, as far as the actual myths are concerned: Yuletide regularly delivers great stories using both Greek and Norse myths, so there's at least that.

[wee_warrior]

I also find his willingness to replay Loki scenes for fans, no matter how silly they seem out of context, and his unabashed joy at playing in such geeky fare despite being a theatre actor of apparent reknown quite charming, I admit it. I've come to genuinely despise a certain subsection of his fans, but what else is new? Flies are in every ointment. And yeah, he makes more sense as a blonde than a raven-haired one. I would have guessed redhead, even.

I don't remember much of the Xena gods I'm afraid - though wasn't Karl Urban Cupid, in addition to also playing Caesar? - but a former boyfriend of mine was very fond of their Aphrodite when we watched (which I understood perfectly, since she was a pretty well-cast Aphrodite). And thanks for the Yuletide tip. I'm actually curious about those stories, as opposed to most fanfiction for shows I watch. Although what do I know: if there is biblical slash, there are likely also mythological shipper wars. I wonder how those would look in terms of Zeus/Anyone or even Apollo/Anyone? (And would Hera be a rabid In-Universe shipper who bashes all other ships?)

Also, to return to the original topic, having now watched the second Agent Carter episode, I am strongly opposed against Angie OR Souza being a traitor. They are adorable! (As is Jarvis, naturally) I'm kind of suspecting the Career Cop, though that's probably because somehow all blonde guys so far have been evil.

[selenak]

The written for Yuletide mythology tales are really of a high avarage quality; I've recced some in the past, see Yuletide tag, but you could also just browse the Yuletide archives. (The problem with going directly for "Norse myths" at the AO3 is that you could then run into a couple of Marvelverse stories, which, yeah.) Many are straightforward - two years ago there was this amazingly creepy story about Pentheus and Dionysos of Bacchae fame, and this year there was one about the mothers - but some are, well, twists I suppose one could call it. Two of the outstanding stories I remember from years past without looking them up were mashing Greek myths with 20th century genre fiction and had amazing results. One had Orpheus as a first person narrating noir detective (used to be musician until loss of beloved) in Los Angeles hired by Demeter to find her daughter. (Demeter, Zeus and Hades were siblings there, too, seemingly members of a creepy Mafia like organisation with a legitimate business front, which is why you get distinctly Chinatown overtones in the characterisations of Zeus and Hades, but as Orpheus finds out, there's more to it.) And yes, he finds Eurydike there, too.

And then there was a story which really shouldn't have worked on me, because Agamemnon is one of my most disliked characters in Greek mythology, and yet it totally did: after Helen gets abducted the first time, by Theseus, as a twelve years old, teenage Agamemnon and Menelaos (currently in exile in Sparta because Thyestes has just taken Mycenae) and her sister Klytaimnestra set out to rescue her. It basically uses the YA format and somehow manages a likable Agammemnon who still feels a plausible young version for who he'll become (those traits are there, just not yet written large), and he, Menelaos and Klytaimnestra as bickering teens are endearing heroes of the tale without sledgehammer foreshadowing, and yet, and yet.

As for shipping feuds, I don't think Apollo or Zeus get shipped by anyone. (In the positive sense.) There was one Yuletide with a huge number of Hades/Persephone fics, though, and not in a negative way; it's the Phantom of the Opera effect, I tell you. :)

Oh, I don't want Angie or Souza to be traitors! But the genre being what it is, I suspect one of them will be. The blond guy is unlikeable and hence probably totally not the traitor.

[wee_warrior]

Those do sound pretty interesting. *notes down*

Hades/Persephone: I've seen the phenomenon (with people largely acknowledging the Values Dissonance dilemma of kidnapping leading to happy marriage, etc.). Apparently, Persephone was quite scary, and to that Hades usually gets cast as the socially awkward goth guy who takes care not to get in her way and otherwise worships the ground she treads upon.

Hmm, true. I thought at first that Chad Michael Murray was the most famous of the TV actors, leading to a possible Jessica Fletcher "the recognizable guest star did it!" twist, but Angie/Lyndsy Fonseca should have the same level of fame he does. Well, I hope if it's her, she'll keep her relentless perkiness even when evil, and if it's Souza, that he'll pull a Keyser Soze and the limp will turn out to be fake.

Although I do admit if Jarvis' allegiance wasn't basically a foregone conclusion and without the hint of him keeping secrets from Peggy, he'd be my No. 1 suspect. He seems the one person who has Peggy's level of competence, hence he'd be the most worthy adversary.