Coast-to-coast.
By Eric Goldman
This is our review of the first part of Agent Carter’s two-hour premiere. Click here for our review of the second hour.
Warning: Full spoilers for the Agent Carter: Season 2 premiere below.
Welcome back, Peggy! Agent Carter returned for Season 2 with a fun premiere that brought Peggy to LA and into a much more X-Files-type mystery. The frozen lake, and the body inside it, were a cool (forgive the punk) dynamic, in the midst of the sunny Los Angeles-setting. And it’s exciting to see the Darkforce – which made its MCU debut via the villain Blackout on Agents of SHIELD — introduced into Agent Carter, bringing a more fantastical element into the series after Howard Stark’s inventions and science-based mind control fueled much of Season 1.
We want to hear it.
There were several new characters introduced, all of whom meshed well into this world. It was intriguing seeing husband/wife duo Calvin Chadwick (Currie Graham) and Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett) were villainously aligned together, when we saw they’d paid off that cop at the end, while Reggie Austin was very likable as Jason Wilkes, the scientist who took an immediate liking to Peggy – but then seemed to possibly be up to no good himself, in regards to the Darkforce.
Best of all was Ana Jarvis, played by Lotte Verbeek. Having her be so open, warm and touchy-feely, in contrast to her reserved husband, was a really clever approach and Peggy’s “You are fantastic!” to Ana giving her a garter with a gun holster was perfect.
We want to hear it.
We also saw more of Dottie, the 1940s Black Widow, throughout the episode, including the cool opening sequence and fight with Peggy (nice knockout via sack o’ coins, Peggy!). What was really amusing though were the none-too-subtle hints that Dottie is highly infatuated with Peggy, as she bemoaned losing her as her favorite interrogator. Bridget Regan was great in these moments, giving as much attitude as she could to both Peggy and Thompson.
Agent Carter is a charming show and one of Marvel’s strengths building their Cinematic Universe has been the likability and wit of their characters. That being said, it did feel like the premiere leaned a bit too heavily into the goofy side of things, such as the auditions going on in the SSR fake talent agency lobby, and I hope there’s a bit of a better balance as the story progresses this year, so it’s not quite as big a pendulum swing when, say, a person shatters (yikes!).
Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter on Marvel’s Agent Carter
James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Enver Gjokaj as Chief Daniel Sousa on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Chad Michael Murray as Chief Jack Thompson on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Bridget Regan as Dottie Underwood on Marvel’s Agent Carter
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Wynn Everett as Whitney Frost on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Reggie Austin as Dr. Jason Wilkes on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Currie Graham as Calvin Chadwick on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Lotte Verbeek as Ana Jarvis on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Lesley Boone as Rose Roberts on Marvel’s Agent Carter
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Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter on Marvel’s Agent Carter
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
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Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
Marvel’s Agent Carter: “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark” Photos
It’s a good thing that cop turned out to be working for Chadwick and Frost too, since his “I’m sorry, I left my radio in the car!” felt way too casual for someone who’d just seen a guy explode into frozen pieces in front of him – though you’d still think Peggy might find his behavior odd.
It was interesting to see Thompson’s old mentor, Vernon Masters (Kurtwood Smith) say the SSR’s time was over – perhaps setting the stage for the eventual transformation into SHIELD we know must occur.
We want to hear it.
Agent Carter retuned with a new location and new characters and a lot of enjoyment to be had from seeing Peggy and Jarvis reunited (though Sousa, what are you doing with this new woman, when Peggy’s making it clear she was interested? Even though she’s played by Sarah Bolger, so I’m inclined to like her). The introduction of the Darkforce allowed for a cool new element and supernatural side to the show, while I do hope they can temper a bit of the heightened comedy.
Click here for our review of the second hour of Agent Carter’s two-part premiere.
