Agent Carter 2.04.

[selenak]

It's flashback time!



Last season we had flashbacks for both Dottie and Dr. Faustus, but not Peggy; this season, in a further parallel/contrast, we get flashbacks for Peggy and Whitney/Agnes through the episode. In a great variation to an American narrative trait I mentioned a couple of posts ago, neither of them has daddy issues (though both have to struggle with the patriarchy). Instead, it's their mothers who hand down the "how to be woman" rules. Peggy at first accomodates and goes from the girl who wants to fight dragons and save people to, while still wanting to contribute to the good fight (hence Bletchley Park), choosing a safe life and her mother's dream wedding until the death of her brother makes her break out of this and in a pretty straightforward following of the Joseph Campbell model accept her hero's call; while Agnes at first refuses to accept the feminine role her mother and society prescribes (and gets rejected in her effort to join the scientific world early on) until she decides to remake herself as Whitney Frost and use the rule book to her advantage. Considering last season's red room and Faustus flashbacks turned out to have an impact on the present day plost later on (the reveal of Dottie's true identity and the existence of the Black Widow program in the MCU this early on, the power that allows Dr. Faustus to sabotage our heroes), I expect there'll be more to these flashbacks than to show why Whitney is the way she is as well.

(And in addition to the tv series, establishing Peggy had a brother named Michael presumably will be useful for the next Captain America movie if/when it turns out MCU Sharon, like comics Sharon, is related to Peggy.)

In the present day, we got the heavy hint to Whitney's comic books identity with the camera showing masques in her first scene, and since the cracks in her face keep getting bigger, I expect she'll soon need one. Though this Whitney might not want it, because she's not obsessed with her looks (other than as a way to earn a living and fool everyone) that way, and she's come to see her new power as, well, empowerment. Her experimenting on using it deliberately and controlling it in the full awareness this keeps destroying her face was a clear choice, and the pay off when she loses it deliberately on a human in the last scene was great. (BTW, I think she did it not just because of the necessity to get rid of Hunt, but in order to scare the hell out of her husband and make it clear the rules have changed.)

Jarvis continues to be love, and the writers are welcome to run with the ongoing Jarvis versus Howard's animal menagerie gags a while longer. I also found myself very fond indeed of Daniel Sousa in this episode, making a very efficient crime fighting team with Peggy as well, and like her refusing to be intimidated by Corrupt War Ministry Official's McCarthy-esque threats. Also, as with Wilkes' current body-less state, I think Sousa's engagement in a way freed Peggy to show she cares.

Peggy efficiently bluffing Hunt into confessing without violence but with a cold and then planting a bug on him and letting him escape: that's why she's a great spy.

Comments

[endeni]

Such a delightful episode indeed! I loved Peggy's flashback scenes so much! *_*

[selenak]

This season makes me happy all around.

[endeni]

So happy! *_* What will I do once it's over??

[saturnofthemoon]

It has been confirmed by the producers that Sharon is indeed a Carter. However, Michael's early death makes me wonder if MCU Sharon is Peggy's cousin instead of niece. It would reduce the potential squick factor if Steve and Sharon become involved. Then again, Michael could have left a family behind or, as someone else theorized, his death was faked by the SOE.

Also, I am highly impressed that two men have died and forwarded Peggy's character development. It's usually the other way around.

[selenak]

Considering Michael needed just one night with someone to procreate, I don't see the early death as an impediment, with Sharon then being Peggy's grand niece rather than her niece. Though I like the "faked by the SOE" theory!

[saturnofthemoon]

Michael's return would be an interesting plot line if the show ever makes it to season three.

[sholio]

I am loving this season, and it was such a delight to see these glimpses of Peggy's backstory, and the various ways it reflected Whitney's, through a rather twisted mirror.

[selenak]

I really appreciate Whitney as an antagonist. I mean: Peggy against evil rich old (and not so old) men is also fun, but they're not interesting in themselves. Whitney is, and the showdown between her and Peggy is something bound to be far more interesting, because Peggy knows where Whitney is coming from.

[wee_warrior]

This season shapes up to be even more fantastic than last season I think. Loved the flashbacks, not least because it was full of actors I recognized from elsewhere (Samaire Armstrong, who played Agnes' Mom, used to be on The OC aeons ago, while her lover, Chris Mulkey, played a dubious sort on Twin Peaks, and Max Brown, who was Michael, is one of these British actors who show up everywhere at the moment.).

I totally thought that Michael's death was faked - they didn't really explain what he was, but he had enough weight to suggest Peggy for spy work? That seemed mysterious enough to be groundwork for a deep undercover mission - but it also amused me that Peggy seems to have lots of men dying (or "dying") while she has to soldier on.

Since they mirrored Sousa and Michael a couple of times, I'm thinking they're really done with teasing him as a potential love interest for Peggy, and establishing him as a trusted friend instead. I'm glad for it, too - I think they have nice chemistry, but at the same time, Wilkes seems clearly more of a romantic partner for her, and it's nice to have a show that does away with (most) love polygon potential for once.

Meanwhile, Whitney shapes up to be a fascinating villain, who sadly shares her mother's horrible taste for men. I got the feeling in previous episodes that she actually loves Whatshisface in some way, even though he's trying her patience. I guess that means we're stuck with him for the time being.

[selenak]

Undercover!Michael seems to be a popular theory. In which case I'm assuming we'll see the character again this season, possibly still undercover, and Peggy will have a horrible interlude in which she'll have to be believe he's gone darkside until All Is Revealed. I know my tropes.

Agreed re: the mirroring of Sousa and Michael and the implication for Peggy's relationship with the former. Re: men dying (or "dying") on Peggy: She should have a drink with either Emma or Elizabeth Swan(n). :)

re: Whitney and her husband, I think there's some emotion beyond "we can use each other", but I'm not sure about love. At any rate, my reason for guessing the husband won't die until much later in the season is that he's the narrative link to the Arena Club.

[likeadeuce]

I was a little annoyed by the scene where Michael berates Peggy about her choices and tells her HE knows what she really wants...I see how it functioned in the story but I wish it had been less one-sided.

Otherwise a very enjoyable episode. Peggy's fakeout about the disease reminded me of a similar plot device I've seen but for the life of me I couldn't remember if it was in an MCU context or somewhere else. Does seem a bit like something Joan Watson would do...

[selenak]

Usually I'm annoyed by scenes where character A tells character B what she REALLY feels/wants/needs as well (they tend to come more often than not with B being female and A being the "bad boy" she's TRULY lusting for, which of course isn't the case here), but here I accepted it as narrative shorthand. Basically both Michael and Peggy's mother got to voice her inner struggle because Peggy's not the type to monologue to someone about being torn. (*has sudden vision of Peggy being stranded in Game of Thrones and getting a sexposition scene*)

Joan would, but didn't as far as I recall (maybe I forgot, though), but you're right, the ploy does feel vaguely familiar from SOMEWHERE.

[nenya_kanadka]

Someone had said in my hearing recently that we hadn't got much backstory for Peggy as yet, so I really especially loved it here. And the dragonslaying! Oh my god. That child was me (fifty years later). And I was holding my breath through the Bletchley/engagement scenes, because seeing Peggy knuckling under, even temporarily, was so difficult to watch. But totally believable.

And wow, Whitney/Agnes is fascinating. I absolutely agree that she killed Hunt to show her husband what she could do now. Half the time I'm going "Rock on, girl!" while the other half, of course, I'm going "Look at your life choices, stop killing people, omg."

Wilkes is still adorable. And I'm really enjoying Sousa this season too. Their conversation about blah blah communism, yadda yadda threats, while he's stolen/saved some evidence, was awesome. :D

[selenak]

And I was holding my breath through the Bletchley/engagement scenes, because seeing Peggy knuckling under, even temporarily, was so difficult to watch. But totally believable.

Yes. I think if Peggy had remained ALWAYS able to hold true to her original dreams and never been influenced by (nearly) everyone around her telling her what was supposed to be her ideal, she'd be a less human character.

[nenya_kanadka]

Yes! I love that she didn't always 100% know what she was going to do and how she was going to integrate her personality and desires with social/cultural/family expectations, or even exactly what she did want to do. It's much more realistic and human to have her try several modes of being before finding the one we see on the show.