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Agent Carter: Life of the Party

“I have a terrible idea.”

After last week’s fast-paced hijinks, this week we got… fast-paced hijinks. And I, for one, am not complaining.

As for the arc stuff, I can take it or leave it, which is remarkably similar to how I felt about last season’s arc. At least it moved faster this week than last. Whitney Frost staged a would-be coup that quickly turned into a slaughter which in turn turned into an even larger coup. I can’t believe genius Whitney Frost couldn’t tell her husband was playing her. It’s as plain as whatever the growing black veiny thing on her face is.

So she killed all the extras of the the Arena Club, leaving just a few recognizable faces alive to do her bidding. And now they’re terrified of her, as they well should be. Oh, and her powers have somehow progressed so that she no longer needs physical contact to kill. Fun times. I’m curious to know what she has planned for Dottie. She has to have a reason for keeping her alive.

Most of the show was pretty predictable this week, but I didn’t see Dottie’s capture coming. Last season, she outmaneuvered Peggy Carter herself. As soon as she had the vial of zero matter, I was sure she was going to take off. Not that she didn’t try. Are they attempting to try to prove Whitney’s worth as a villain by having her best last season’s baddie? She’s still not totally doing it for me. You can really see the actress working and that’s not a great thing, in general. Plus zero matter is still such an unknown that it’s hard to really comprehend how much danger our heroes are in. Seeing Whitney energy suck half a room was a start, I suppose.

Onto the fun stuff. Peggy, still badly injured from the whole impaling incident, needs to find someone as cunning and resourceful as she is to infiltrate Chadwick’s political fundraiser. Of course, there is no other option than breaking Dottie out of jail. Where was Dottie being held? Did they fly back to New York for her or was she in L.A.? If so, why was she moved there? Not that it matters. I’m glad that they thought of using Rose before ultimately deciding on Dottie. She’s proved herself more than capable. Still, it would have been a much less thrilling episode if Rose had gone in as the entire operation would have been pulled off without a hitch.

Watching Jarvis sashay across the dance floor with Dottie was, as it should have been, terrifically fun. Everything Jarvis did this week was amusing. Particularly accidentally overhearing a very private conversation between Peggy and Souza who, oh my Stan Lee!, almost kissed! And how cute is James D’Arcy in glasses?

In other news, Violet dumped Souza and I have returned to thinking she might be evil. Because, really, you’re going to hire Sarah Bolger and then just use her in a couple of episodes? So either she’s evil, or Agent Carter is guilty of wasting a fantastic talent.

I’ve been wondering what’s up with Thompson this season. He’s never been a particularly likable character, but throwing in with Masters seems especially evil. I’ve been thinking that he’s possibly infiltrating the Arena Club to bring them down. Or that he’s infiltrating the Arena Club to join them or bring them down, depending on which way the wind blows. I did like that he flat out refused to kill Peggy. Although, let’s be honest, I don’t think he could if he wanted to. We also got a nice reminder that Peggy knows the true story of Thompson’s supposed heroism, although, personally, I don’t think she’d tell anyone. I don’t think it would even occur to her to attempt to use that as leverage over him.

Intel and Assets

As Whitney Frost stressed over the black vein on her face, her husband managed to find a hat with a left side of the face concealing veil, that not only matched her dress but was even made out of the exact same fabric. And it was just sitting there, on a nearby shelf. Will wonders never cease? It reminded me irrepressibly of this How I Met Your Mother moment.


Clearly no one is listening to me because Peggy Carter once again donned some supremely unflattering bangs. Sigh.

Dottie: “How fabulous. I’ll be sure to return the favor with a choker of my own someday.”

Dottie: “Want me to kill him?”
Peggy and Souza: “DO NOT KILL HIM!”

Thompson: “Some advice for you: a little baking soda will help get the stains out when you’re doing Stark’s laundry.”
Jarvis: “Well, everybody knows that.”

Jarvis: “I am presently engaged in a frenzied search for her while speaking to my glasses like a madman.”

three and a half out of four vials of zero matter
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sunbunny

2 comments:

  1. That episode was fun! I also liked:
    Peggy: "Where's your wristwatch?"
    Jarvis: "It's a wristwatch, Miss Carter. It's on my w Oh."

    I agree that the hat scene was awkward.

    I think the purpose of the bangs is practical rather than fashionable. They cover up part of her face, making it that much harder to recognize her. Just like using the fake American accent when I think we can all agree the English accent sounds much better.

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  2. Better than the previous one, I must say, but still — not incredible. And Peggy-Souza romance is... forced. I'm not saying the chemistry isn't here; it is. But leaning for a kiss in a van during the highly important mission is such an overused trope.

    And yes, Thompson's back, and it's great. And they didn't forget that, asshole that he is, he is also a highly skilled agent. So, him capturing Dottie is not surprising.

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