Agent Carter

[hbenthow]

Regarding Dottie, the showrunners have revealed in an interview that she's part of what will become the

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Black Widow program.

Here's the interview:

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http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/28/marvels-agent-carter-dottie-black-widow

 

[Gaith]

So, the finale was... okay, I guess? Kinda meh, honestly. There's a Black Widow, the doctor, and Stark, presumably under hypnosis to contend with, so Carter, Thompson, Sousa and Jarvis go off to battle them alone? Four against three, when you've got a whole office of SSR agents, not to mention cops, on hand?

Also, the low budget really stood out in the scene where the cop pulled the baddies over and the press conference moment - didn't feel like an inhabited NYC at all, which wasn't helped by the doctor talking about how alive and vibrant it is. Peggy having to replay the radio scenario, and Jarvis hunting Howard, was a nice bit of symmetric storytelling, though; as was the resolution of Steve's blood, I'll give them both of those. And I wonder if Sousa is Peggy's future husband... from what I recall of her interview in TWS, it's not impossible.

Overall, a decent first season, but nothing Earth-shattering; even the Zola tag scene, while nice, was a bit baggy, and didn't reveal or tease anything we didn't already know. Overall grade for the series so far: B.

 

[matrixgrindhouse]

The finale was the only episode I disliked. The scenario felt very forced to me, and the resolution was thematically unsatisfying. Leviathan went to all that trouble just to get revenge on Stark? I expected much loftier ambitions from the Soviet intelligence agency behind the Black Widows. The entire situation with Stark in the plane, Peggy on the radio... it's blatantly obvious what they were shooting for, but it just didn't feel like a natural conclusion either to this storyline or her grief arc. Jarvis's pursuit lacked any real dramatic edge to it - we all know Howard survives, anyway. Would have been more interesting if he -did- have to shoot him down. Would lead to some interesting conflict between the two. The way Peggy just accepted her mistreatment at the end was a real sour note for me. Felt contrary to the whole series thus far. The ultimate fate of Cap's blood was, while symbolically acceptable, really felt like a waste of potential for future Marvel shenanigans.

Overall, Agent Carter started out stronger than Shield did, but never reached the highs that series eventually rose to, either. I'd watch a second season, but if this is all we get, that's just fine by me.

 

[asterixsmeagol]

I'm watching episode 6 right now (I never did catch up) and I'm wishing the series was faster paced. I don't know how it would be done but if somebody could manage to edit all eight episodes down to a movie it might be better. Season 1 of SHIELD could benefit from the same treatment.

 

[hbenthow]

I felt that episodes 4 and 8 were a bit weak compared to the rest, but enjoyed the show immensely overall. I think that episodes 1, 2, and 7 were the very best ones. Episode 8 did feel a bit disappointing after all of the buildup, but did have its moments.

As for the part where Peggy accepts the lack of credit she gets, I thought that it showed her character growth very well. In episode 3, she wants to phone in the location of the stolen inventions so she will get the credit for finding them, but Jarvis makes her realize that she would land herself in trouble by doing so. Afterwards, she starts to learn to do what she does just because she knows it's right, rather than for the credit. Sure, it feels a little frustrating to see her not get any credit for solving the Leviathan case, but as revealed in the 2013 "Agent Carter" one shot, she's soon going to be a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official anyway.

I think that a fanedit would probably work best as a trilogy or duology, rather than as one movie. There's just too much good stuff to fit in one movie (unless it was very long). Or, maybe someone could make a 1940s serial-style edit about 3 or 4 hours long altogether.

 

[Mark Moore]

Blu-ray coming out in a week, exclusively from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2091268722&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

[MusicEd921]

[MENTION=8666]hbenthow[/MENTION] I just saw your idea and yes, that would be AWESOME as a serialized edit!

 

[Gaith]

2016!

 

[Mark Moore]

 

[Gaith]

Well, that was an unexpectedly light-hearted finale. Not that the rest of the season was dark, but there seemed to be a lot more jokes this time around. Props to the showrunners for not doing an angst-filled finale like they did last season, then.

Howard: “Peg, I want you to know I’m not thinking any unsavory thoughts about you right now. Wait - there’s one.” :lol:

Moving to LA was a great move in terms of keeping things fresh, and overall I enjoyed this season a lot more. Ideally, a third season would be an international, globetrotting caper, more expensive though that would necessarily be. But, if the show is to end, there's always the hope for flashback stories courtesy of AoS.

 

[Mark Moore]

The second season aired already? Huh. I completely missed that.

 

[TM2YC]

Agent Carter has popped up on Amazon Prime. So is it worth watching, despite the cancellation? I'm not sure I want to watch 18-episodes if it all ends on a never-to-be-resolved cliffhanger. Also, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being 'Agents of Shield', how good is it?

 

[Canon Editor]

Wait, what’s a 10?  Jessica Jones?

 

[Gaith]

@TM2YC: I assume by the above, you mean Agents of Shield is #1 as in first class, top quality, "number one!"?!   Because it's been consistently, genuinely great since The Winter Soldier. (And, better than Agent Carter.) AoS is a nonstop thrill ride, with one exciting, high-stakes mission following another with very little pause for breath, so it may not be to everyone's taste, but again, since TWS, everything it does, it does very well. And if you're saying it sucks solely because early S1 wasn't great, no offense, but that's kind of an insult to the show's fans at this point, much like telling a Trek fan TNG is garbage based on the first half of its first season. Anyhow, back to Agent Carter.

The main attraction of Agent Carter is the fantastic, hilarious and entirely platonic interplay between Peggy and Howard Stark's right-hand man, Mr. Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy). The second season is two eps longer than the first, and more lighthearted/sunnier, due in large part to a move from NYC to LA and a reduced focus on Peggy's struggles with institutional sexism. (Not saying that isn't a worthy subject to explore; it's just not much fun.) The rather distinct season plot arcs themselves are merely serviceable, though the second has a fun villainess.

I do recommend the whole series, but if you're on the fence, you wouldn't miss much by starting with the more vibrant and fun S2. There is a minor unresolved series cliffhanger regarding a secondary character, but the series' main dramatic question - the identity of the husband Peggy mentions in her taped Smithsonian interview (featured in The Winter Soldier) - is indeed satisfactorily resolved.

 

[hbenthow]

Agent Carter has popped up on Amazon Prime. So is it worth watching, despite the cancellation?

Season 1 is absolutely worth watching. It's downright excellent (by my standards, anyhow), and tied with season 1 of "Daredevil" for my favorite MCU television production so far. If I had to choose, I'd probably pick "Agent Carter" as my favorite of the two. Hayley Atwell is an absolutely fantastic lead actress (I'm not exaggerating when I say that she deserves to be an A-list movie star), James D'Arcy's Jarvis is also brilliant (he and Peggy have a John Steed & Emma Peel type of chemistry and comedic timing together), Bridget Regan's character Dottie (who I won't say too much about for fear of spoilers) is downright unforgettable, Dominic Cooper's guest appearances as a roguish Howard Stark are very enjoyable, the season's storyline is well-written with a solid plot and great character development for almost everyone, there are numerous fun and memorable action scenes (let's just say that you might never look at office staplers or spiral staircases quite the same way again), the 1940s setting is captured beautifully, and the tone has just the right mix of drama, humor, adventure, and suspense.

Season 2 is sort of a mixed bag. There's some good stuff, even some great moments, but there's a lot of junk as well (a dull and poorly-written double love triangle, numerous instances of Peggy acting out of character, some plot points that feel too contrived, too much corny humor, a badly anticlimactic finale, an unresolved cliffhanger, etc). It's a big step down in quality from season 1.

I'm not sure I want to watch 18-episodes if it all ends on a never-to-be-resolved cliffhanger.

You can watch season 1 without worrying about a cliffhanger. It is perfectly standalone, and is an excellent sequel/companion-piece for "Captain America: The First Avenger". When they made season 1, they didn't know that there would be a season 2, so everything is self-contained with a satisfying ending.

Season 2, on the other hand, was apparently made with the assumption that there would be a season 3, and it has a cliffhanger at the end. However, it's not as if the whole plot is unresolved. The season's story wraps up, then something major suddenly happens in the last minute of the last episode which sets up season 3 but is never resolved due to the show's cancellation.

Also, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being 'Agents of Shield', how good is it?

I'm not quite sure how to work with that particular scale (I consider "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." to have gotten quite good partway through season 1 and downright great starting with season 4), so suffice it to say that I'd classify season 1 of "Agent Carter" as about twice as good as seasons 1-3 of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but season 2 to only be about half as good as those "S.H.I.E.L.D." seasons. 

However, I'd also rank "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."'s fourth and fifth seasons far above the first three. It turned into a excellent series (IMO) starting with season 4, although I still prefer seasons 1 of "Agent Carter" and "Daredevil" over it by a smidgen.

In case you're interested in owning the Blu-rays, Zavvi is having a great sale on Marvel Blu-rays (including both seasons of "Agent Carter" and the first three seasons of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."). All Marvel Blu-rays are region-free, so they'll work in your Blu-ray player no matter where you live. I live in the US, but I order from Zavvi UK anyway, because of their cheap sale prices.

Marvel Multi-Buy - Zavvi

 

[TM2YC]

you're saying it sucks solely because early S1 wasn't great

Less than that, I watched half of one episode and checked the hell out! . I remember some scene on a train that looked embarrasingly bad. I'm glad those that stuck with it got rewarded with better and better seasons but I haven't got the interest or patience to find out.

the 1940s setting is captured beautifully

That's the main attraction for me. I'm kinda hoping it feels like it's part of the 1991 RCU ("Rocketeer Cinematic Universe").

Season 2... has a cliffhanger at the end. However, it's not as if the whole plot is unresolved. The season's story wraps up, then something major suddenly happens in the last minute of the last episode which sets up season 3

That I can live, thanks.

I'd classify season 1 of "Agent Carter" as about twice as good as seasons 1-3 of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

That's encouraging.

 

[hbenthow]

That's the main attraction for me. I'm kinda hoping it feels like it's part of the 1991 RCU ("Rocketeer Cinematic Universe").

It has some elements reminiscent of both "The Rocketeer" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" (especially the latter), with a dash of film noir and a bit of similarity to the 1960s Patrick MacNee/Diana Rigg "Avengers" series (mostly the Peggy/Jarvis interactions) thrown in.

By the way, have you ever watched the original "Agent Carter" one-shot from the "Iron Man 3" Blu-ray?

 

[TM2YC]

By the way, have you ever watched the original "Agent Carter" one-shot from the "Iron Man 3" Blu-ray?

Yes. I liked it.

 

[hbenthow]

Yes. I liked it.

Then there's a good chance that you'll like the first season of the series. It plays out sort of like a fully fleshed out remake of the one shot. The style and tone are slightly different (mostly due to the differences in the format of a miniseries vs. a short film), but very similar.

 

[matrixgrindhouse]

Agent Carter's good fun.  I think both season finales were unsatisfying in one way or another, but otherwise, it's a very enjoyable watch.  Peggy's great, Edwin Jarvis and Howard Stark are just delightful.  Lots of fun character interactions.  The rest of the supporting cast is solid, but not quite as memorable as the aforementioned.  It makes great use of its setting.  Has some fun connections to the larger universe, but it's mostly a standalone epilogue to The First Avenger.


As for SHIELD: The train episode is when things started to improve, with things going into overdrive with the episodes that connected to Winter Soldier, and it's rarely dipped in quality since then.  I'd compare the leap in quality to its clunky start to that of Star Trek: The Next Generation (one character grows a beard in the second season, even!).  Well worth picking up at some point.