I know many of you, like me, may have shrugged off the possibility of Marvel’s “Agent Carter” being any good before the show even aired. For some reason I wrote it off as a cheap way to cash in between the painfully long midseason hiatus of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (But you know, you’ve got to wait for Ultron to make a move) but it is anything from a cheap cash in. In fact Agent Carter is one of the best and most fully realized pieces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe we’ve been served so far, thanks to an incredible cast, fantastic direction, and having style to spare.
The first episode of the miniseries, “Now Is Not The End” was charming to say the least. Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter is instantly likeable, she’s a strong women in a room surrounded by pigheaded men who don’t like her doing her job. It’s as if Mad Men and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D had a baby and it got all the good features of its AMC father.
I’m not against Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D but I find it at times… melodramatic. It services plot over character week after week. But with a condensed episode run, Agent Carter is forced to focus on the pure cream of storytelling, namely character driven episodes that also happen to have an incredible adventure filled with chilling villains and a hell of a lot of intrigue.
Peggy Carter herself is thrilling to watch because she means something new for the world of Marvel. She proves that a female driven show can survive and even be better than it’s male driven counterparts. Episode two, “Bridge and Tunnel” featured a phenomenal fight scene intercut with the Captain America adventure hour radio program. You get to see Peggy throw a thug across the room while a hammy radio announcer breaks a lobster in a microphone to show his disdain for that ol kraut Hitler.
The dichotomy is welcomed because it displays the fine line that Agent Carter walks. It could have easily fell into the world of self-parody. It was a dangerous move to give Haley Atwell her own show to headline with really only one supporting role in the film universe, but it paid off. There is confident world building in this show that rivals Guardians of the Galaxy. And there is absolutely no looking back.
The supporting cast does a lot of work to support Peggy in her endeavors. They see her as a leader instead of a doormat. Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark is a treat, he doesn’t really capture his son’s razor wit, but has enough charm to carry a show all by himself. The real thief of the supporting cast is James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis. He’s a gentleman who’s skilled at espionage. I mean, he once caught the help stealing the good silverware.
Peggy Carter is a sight to behold. She’s got incredibly confident dialogue that establishes her firmly as the first female hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her staying power is colossal. “Agent Carter” may look like the typical superhero fare, but I assure you it’s anything but. It may be one of the most important pieces of work that Marvel has created to date, and I’m not even sure if they know it.
Agent Carter airs tonight on ABC at 9/8 Central.