– Spoiler Review –
Agent Carter slows its pace just enough in its third episode, “Time and Tide” to get some necessary and entertaining character development in, while deftly moving the plot along and upping the stakes for its short season.
After Agent Krezminski found the license plate amongst the Roxxon implosion debris from the car Jarvis and Carter were in, the SSR is already knocking on Stark’s door. With Peggy playing double agent at the Stark residence to check out the vault break-in, Jarvis makes a sacrificial move by going down to the SSR station once they threaten to get a warrant to come in. This is a great chance to get some Jarvis backstory, but I doubt he saw it same way, what with Agent Thompson grilling him and all. The most enjoyable aspect of Jarvis’ interrogation was watching Peggy’s obvious desire to learn about why he was charged with treason but also her desire to get her only confidant in her current secret mission free of the SSR.
Of course she gets Jarvis freed, but it’s at a sacrificial cost as well, losing even more stature with her fellow agents from the very little she did already have. Their mission is definitely taxing on both of their lives, with Peggy taking some of her anger out on Angie and Jarvis stuck revealing secrets he doesn’t necessarily want everyone to know. I found Jarvis’ backstory to fit well with his personality, considering we’re only 3 episodes in and I can say he has a great personality. As I mentioned in the review of the premiere, the excitement of the spy life is definitely getting to him, since he’s usually doing more mundane tasks at home for the misses or cleaning up after Howard.
Angie and Peggy’s friendship went through some funny moments this week, as Peggy’s frustration from her actions at work boiled over into her life at the apartment complex. The way Lyndsy Fonseca plays the quick talking Angie is hilarious, as were her zingers against Peggy when leaving all pissed off. It was nice to see Peggy come around at the end, apologizing and accepting Angie’s unspoken invitation as someone to unburden her day to, something Jarvis said Peggy would need on this mission besides just him.
While it was nice we already found most, if not all of Stark’s missing weapons this week, it did seem a little too easy. I’m surprised those investigating the break-in wouldn’t have considered the deluge of rain that day and how the robber could’ve used that to float out of the sewers. Obviously it wasn’t looked into too hard, which continues to make me wonder who a possible inside man could be, maybe even working for Leviathan, at the SSR. The fight scene aboard the boat was quick and brutal; I liked how the one item from Stark’s vault they opened actually came into use during the fight and Carter didn’t get rescued by Jarvis but rather the other way around. To top it off, their conversation regarding whether they should turn over the weapons anonymously or for Carter to bring them in brought up some interesting points and pushed the plot past the stolen weapons.
For the second time this episode we saw a mysterious figure hiding in the shadows, but it wasn’t until the end where they finally came out to do some dirty work, shockingly killing Krezminski. With the death of Agent Krezminski, the show has raised the stakes of the very short season, making it feel like anyone could bite the dust. While I’m sure the killer was under the employ of Leviathan, their identity is quite the mystery, but I have a pretty good bet I know who it is: Dottie Underwood, the blonde introduced to Angie and Peggy while they were in the middle of a fight. My only supporting evidence is the way the killer walked away from Krezminski’s car and back to theirs: a walk which looked to have the grace of a dancer…something Dot conveniently happens to be. Coincidence? I think not. And with only 5 episodes left, it won’t be long before we find out.
Here are a few other things:
- Krezminski was an interesting choice to kill off, as I didn’t really like him nor hate him. He was slightly entertaining as the lazy office jerk and it was a little weird to see everyone so affected by his death.
- This episode throws into doubt my thoughts about Sousa being the inside man if there is one, but I believe it’s just misdirection folks.
- Hopefully something will come from the SSR having that typewriter the Green Suit killer was using.
Even with only 8 episodes, it’s nice to see Agent Carter won’t shy away from building up its characters and can do so while moving the larger plot along. “Time and Tide” sets up bigger things to come and reveals that the missing weapons were just one small piece of a very large puzzle towards clearing Howard Stark’s name. And with Peggy and Jarvis carrying this show, it’s going to be an enjoyable ride.
+ Raising the stakes
+ Jarvis and Peggy
+ Angie and Peggy
– Seemed too easy to find the boat
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER REVIEWS:
Season One: 1.1 This is Not the End/1.2 Bridge and Tunnel | 1.4 The Blitzkrieg Button | 1.5 The Iron Ceiling | 1.6 A Sin to Err | 1.7 SNAFU | 1.8 Valediction
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD REVIEWS:
Season Two: 2.1 Shadows | 2.2 Heavy is the Head | 2.3 Making Friends and Influencing People | 2.4 Face My Enemy | 2.5 A Hen in the Wolf House | 2.6 A Fractured House | 2.7 The Writing on the Wall | 2.8 The Things We Bury | 2.9 …Ye Who Enter Here | 2.10 What They Become | 2.11 Aftershocks | 2.12 Who You Really Are | 2.13 One of Us | 2.14 Love in the Time of Hydra | 2.15 One Door Closes | 2.16 Afterlife | 2.17 Melinda | 2.18 The Frenemy of My Enemy | 2.19 The Dirty Half Dozen | 2.20 Scars | 2.21,22: S.O.S.