This week Howard Stark returned to New York, Dottie's true nature was revealed, and Stan Lee finally made a cameo appearance. Excelsior!
Now that all of Stark's weapons have been recovered, the wind has kind of gone of this series' sails. The search for those weapons gave this show a sense of urgency that now seems to be lacking. The investigation into Leviathan continues, but without that there is no momentum to drive the action. We're halfway through this series and we still know zilch about this group or their ultimate goal. Of course, I could just be getting ahead of myself. This could just be a momentary lull before the pace picks up again.
What's more satisfying than seeing Peggy Carter going all Batman on a bunch of gangsters? Seeing Peggy Carter give Howard Stark the verbal smackdown he so richly deserves. Howard may have aided Captain America, helped fight HYDRA and fathered a future Avenger, but he's a bit of a sleazy git. He's basically what Tony was like before he had an electromagnet strapped to his chest that made his heart grow two sizes. He's essentially this guy (which would technically mean that Jarvis is Zhu Li).
I don't doubt that Peggy was right and that Howard planned to use Steve's blood to buy himself a new mansion to frolic around with film stars in (let's not forget the guy is an arms manufacturer who probably profited immensely from the war). And that really enraged her: not that Howard lied and used her -- she's smart enough to know that Stark is not the most trustworthy of individuals -- it was that he used her to steal back Steve Roger's blood. Steve is dear to Peggy and she will not have his memory tarnished, or what little remains of him exploited just to increase Stark's bank balance.
While the boss was away, Thompson was in charge and he wasted no time throwing his weight around. Not only that, but he started being even more of an obnoxious jerk to Sousa. I would've thought an ex-soldier like Thompson would be more respectful to a fellow vet like Sousa. But the really annoying thing about him (besides his general personality) is that he's aware of how unjust society is and just accepts it. He tells Peggy to her face that she will never be considered a man's equal and that it is sad, but it is just a fact of the universe and she should just accept it. Thompson is someone who doesn't think the world can be change so he doesn't see a point in trying.
In the comments of the previous reviews, Korlis suggested that Dottie could be some version of Yelena Belova, the second, blonder Black Widow. That is starting to look increasingly likely. Her fighting style is reminiscent of Black Widow's. I like how she killed Mr Mink, not just because she thought he was a threat, but also because she wanted his mini-machine gun. There was something almost childlike in the way she said "I want that". So what exactly is Dottie's mission? It can't be to kill Peggy otherwise she would've tried by now. Whatever it is, at least this rules out the possibility of Angie being a spy. I hope.
Intel and Assets
--So who or what did kill all those Russian soldiers during the "Battle" of Finow? Was it a HYDRA super weapon? Aliens? An Inhuman?
--Of course Howard Stark would have his own luxury train car, complete with pool table. I'm also not surprised that he has a history with the Peggy's apartment building.
--I don't think Dottie is going to be using that pocket for pickles.
--I loved Dooley's trick with the breath mint.
Miriam: "Are you familiar with the Id and the Ego?"
Peggy: "Are they children's characters?"
Peggy: "I can trust the actions of men who don’t respect me more than those who do."
Scientist: "Howard Stark is either an ignoramus or a genius."
Peggy: "Most likely both."
Two and a half out of four breath mints.
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Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011. More Mark Greig.
Now that all of Stark's weapons have been recovered, the wind has kind of gone of this series' sails. The search for those weapons gave this show a sense of urgency that now seems to be lacking.
ReplyDeleteThis episode definitely lagged a bit, but I'm sure that the next four will be excellent. One interview I read before the season started described these entire eight episodes as, essentially, four movies. So I think we'll see some exciting changes and shake-ups in the next two "movies."
(Wow, I hope this show gets renewed.)
At this point, I'm having a hard time defending my Souza-is-evil theory. Hooray! I want Souza to be good. But if he's not evil, who is? Someone must be a double agent, right?