Agent Carter episodes 1-3 review

Marvel has a new venture, a mini-series delving into the life and antics of Captain America's former love interest, Peggy Carter. Bridging the gap between now and the return of SHIELD in March, can this show live up to it's hype, let's dig into the first 3 episodes and find out

Now is not the end

In part 1 of this 2-part premiere, we get pretty much what you’d expect in a pilot, it’s done decently, but it’s nothing to shout about, then again, neither was the pilot for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So, our opening premise: Howard Stark is accused of treason as weapons have been stolen from his office, fearing the worst he abandons court procedures and trusts the underrated Agent Carter sided with his butler Jarvis to clear his name.

Just to be clear here, I’m already bored of the ‘men don’t know how to treat women with respect joke’ and while I know it was common in the 1940s, it begins to grate on me the more they shove it down your throat.

Peggy’s living in an apartment with a girl, who I’m just gonna call Dead Meat, and what a shock, she dies, leaving Peggy to find other people to live a double-life with.

More important stuff, Peggy goes undercover in a blonde wig to try and find out about a sale of a formula for a bomb, but finds out that the formula had already been weaponised.

It’s tracked to Roxxon oil where we here that an organisation called Leviathan is responsible for this. Leviathan is an organisation spawned out of Russia which had unknown ties with HYDRA at one point or another.

The foundry explodes with Peggy escaping just in time, the entire factory had been crumpled into a ball.

This show has some potential, the lead actor is excellent, Jarvis is funny (not sure what his angle is, I hope he was talking to Stark on the phone) but it’s not yet done enough to earn my full attention. Peggy Carter is a strong woman, but they make her strong at the expense of pretty much every other on screen character

Rating 6.5/10

Bridge and Tunnel

Agent Peggy Carter is, at this point at least an 7-episode mini-series, so there are only 5 more weeks of content to follow this episode. And to be honest, I’m probably gonna end up sticking with it for the long haul. The quality of the episodes are nothing special, but it’s decent and I understand most of what’s going on (unlike with Constantine)

So, in tracking down the remaining bombs, Peggy has to worry about her team catching up with what she’s up to, as they have photos of her wearing the wig, and is reluctant to accept a place to stay, hoping not to incite loss once again.

Yes, that 10pm curfew, I’m certain that’s gonna be a problem at some point.  Anyway, Jarvis tries to help where he can despite her insisting that he doesn’t, but comes up against it when Leviathan begins to strike at the bombs. (I assume whatshisname stole the bombs from them for some reason, hard to tell)

Anyway, we also get the Captain America radio show, set here to remind us (as if the story doesn’t beat it into your heads enough) that the 1940s was a tough time for strong women to be recognised. I’m hoping there are twists and turns in this story, thus far it’s interesting, don’t get me wrong, but it hasn’t sold me on the concept.

I think the actors however are doing a fine job with the roles they’ve been given, I just hope the roles are expanded as the show allows time for development as well as plot

Rating 6.5/10

Time and Tide

Days like these… make me glad I’m not Howard Stark.

Seriously though, on what grounds can they charge him of treason, when all evidence points to the weapons being stolen? There’s no physical evidence to point towards him having any responsibility. I’m certain his lawyers should’ve capitalised on this fact.

We then have the fact that he employed someone he got off a treason charge in Jarvis, sure it may have only been for the forgery of a signature to get a jewish lady away from the war (or so he says) but it doesn’t help his situation

Neither does the fact that they found a car registration plate in his name, nor that the SSR are pushing the angle that they can’t see the forest for the trees.

So, this week the investigation continues and a jerk character dies, I feel so sorry for him… And his wife and girlfriend. Yeah, this guy was an a**hole of the first degree, another sign of the times I think.

While I can see signs of competent agents beneath the exteriors of the menfolk in this show, it’s still galling how they’re still 10 steps behind Peggy (mostly because they still want to blame Stark for everything)

We also have Peggy settling in at her new house, as another woman is evicted for having a man in her room. OK, that night time curfew, did Peggy just not come home that night she was investigating the sewers with Jarvis?

So, Leviathan took a fairly back seat in this episode, with one of their muscle-bound goons fighting Peggy at the Docks, and mysterious man kill the agent and the said goon. I’ll be glad to see more information get revealed, as we’re already approaching the half-way point of the series.

Rating 7/10

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Images used in this review are from Marvel's Agent Carter and belong to their respective owners. All images in this review are subject to fair use.