On My TV: AGENT CARTER!

 AGENT CARTER is the hero we need and deserve.

After watching the two-hour premiere of AGENT CARTER last night, I found myself sad because we only have seven episodes remaining and thrilled because the show managed to live up to the hype. Ten minutes into the first episode, I’d gone ahead and declared it my new favorite show, and at the end of the second hour? I continued to stand by that remark.

I’ve loved Hayley Atwell’s portrayal of Peggy Carter since CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Going into that movie back when it was released, I had no real opinion on Peggy Carter. And yet, I left the theatre that night loving that character. And then the One Shot was released, and then she made a couple of cameos on AGENTS OF SHIELD, and I realized how powerful of a character Peggy Carter truly is. And that’s probably the best thing about AGENT CARTER - that it manages to highlight just how strong and capable Peggy is without making her seem coldhearted and closed off. She’s very relatable, she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, and she knows when to speak up. I never thought that Peggy Carter would be the first female in the MCU to get her own solo series, but I’m so grateful that she was.
Let’s talk about the first two episodes now, shall we?

I will try my best to avoid spoilers, but if you have yet to watch the first two episodes, I would suggest you stop reading from this point on.

The first episode began with a flashback to THE FIRST AVENGER. This was expected, as it was said that AGENT CARTER would follow after THE FIRST AVENGER, and yet, even though it was expected and even though it’s something we’ve seen before? It was actually a great way to open the show, although, initially, I’ll admit I feared it meant we’d be focusing more on Steve’s “death” than anything. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. From that moment on, AGENT CARTER takes off running and doesn’t slow down until the end of the first episode. The moment Stark pops up in the episode, the entire tone seems to shift. There’s a bit more playfulness as arrogance coats nearly every word out of his mouth, leading towards a bit of snarkiness on Carter’s end from time to time. But as much as I adore their friendship, it’s the relationship between Peggy & Jarvis that really shines in these first two episodes.

We know that Jarvis is hiding something from Peggy, something that clearly involves Stark, and I’ve come up with a theory or two regarding “Mrs. Jarvis”. Maybe he's giving us a few reasons not to trust him too easily, but still, he’s one of the best characters on the show. (He really gets a chance to shine in the second episode, especially during the truck scene.)

The only thing that might be a problem for some viewers is that, since this is a limited series with only eight episodes, the writers have to make sure everything is tight and that the focus remains on Peggy. Because of this, by the end of the second episode, we still don’t know too much about the supporting characters. I’m sure this will change as the show continues, especially if ABC goes ahead and greenlights a second season, but that’s the only thing I could find that I would consider to be “negative”, and even then? I’m okay with it.

Now, let’s talk action: The action scenes in this show are absolutely fantastic. We had Peggy attacking a man with a stapler (and yes, apparently, she truly did staple him). We saw her throw a man out of a window. We saw her use a stove as a weapon. Honestly? Peggy was just a straight up badass, and I loved every bit of it.

And finally, the Easter eggs. I’m actually planning a rewatch over the weekend to see if I missed any Easter eggs in the show. There were a decent amount of them (again, I said I’m avoiding spoilers,  and so I won’t go into full detail). But I loved the fact that they were only sprinkled here and there instead of planting them in every inch of the show. There’s on in particular that I’m honestly curious about since it could tie into AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. down the line, but we’ll have to see!
Overall? AGENT CARTER is off to an incredibly solid start, and I can only hope that we’ll see a second season next year because I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

One final note: If you haven't been following along with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and you're worried you wouldn't be able to follow along with AGENT CARTER? Don't be. You can easily just watch AGENT CARTER by itself and not be confused. I would suggest watching CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (it's a good movie, I promise), as there are a few flashback scenes from the movie in the show, but other than that? You're good to jump in without any issue.

I originally posted this review over here, but since I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging on a regular schedule, I'm bringing the On My TV posts back!