As a long time comic lover, and female, I am very pleased to see that Agent Carter has found a home on ABC.
This show is the perfect balance of action, wit, explosions, social commentary, and touch of humor.
Personally, I think Agent Carter was an unexpected choice of characters to carry a series from Marvel, with all of The Avengers movies I would have bet money that a Black Widow and/or Hawkeye would have been the next side project (which I would definitely support, for the record) but I can safety say that this show has far exceeded my expectations.
As a sucker for anything that takes place during the ‘40s, this show had a few major points right from the get-go. The costumes, setting, cars, and hairstyles are all an added bonus to a brilliant premise, fitting neatly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe shortly after the events in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Agent Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, is the protagonist and probably one of the most in-depth female characters I’ve ever seen in any show or movie to date.
Aside from being a badass, she has an array of challenges to face including the obvious: Fitting in as a female in the 40s, the loss of her beau (who is Captain America, by the way), and all of course all of the Special Agent mission stuff.
Agent Carter is working as a Special Agent for S.S.R. (Strategic Scientific Reserve), whose current mission is to track down Howard Stark (Iron Man’s dad, portrayed by Dominic Cooper) for what they believe to be treason by selling dangerous weapons on the black market. She is up against an office full of men who treat her like a low-level secretary (even though she is fully trained as a field agent with major accomplishments from the war) and is subject to a barrage of misogynistic insults like “These paper’s aren’t going to file themselves,” and “get wigglin’.” She is reserved for the most part, but throws back an occasional (and hilarious) retort here and there.
Howard Stark then secretly recruits her to help clear his name, informing her that they had been stolen, and the hopes that she can get to the bottom of it.
As someone that she has worked with in the past who she trusts, and as one of the few men who treats her like an equal, she accepts and they part ways. Stark offers the assistance of his butler, Jarvis, (yes, the same Jarvis that Iron Man named his robotic butler after) whose character is a welcome and unexpected addition to the show, and which I will not spoil for you.
She starts her mission tracking down one of the Black Market buyers at his nightclub, pulling the old “spy lady seductress with poison lipstick” trick, and doing it with a touch of subtle humor, and lipstick named “Sweet Dreams.”
Unfortunately things going awry when her feminine wiles work a little too well and he goes in for the kiss before she can extract all the necessary info. She manages to figure out what she needs and makes a fairly smooth escape with a team of badguys behind her and the guys from her office hot on the trail.
She is unknowingly followed by the mysterious “badguy with the talking typewriter,” who reminds her that anyone she is close to will be put in danger, causing her to momentarily weigh the importance of the work she is doing, which is to save the world.
Carter and Jarvis discover, with the help of the Stark Industries chemical analyst that the chemical is extremely volatile and contains the same type of radiation, called Vita-Rays, which was used during the Captain America experiment (aka: Project Rebirth) and is being developed at a nearby oil refinery for reasons unknown, but they know its not going to be good. They continue to go track down clues at the refinery, Roxxon Oil, ending up in a major implosion, which destroys the refinery, and sets them up for a delightfully comic book-like getaway.
The action ramps up in the second episode, as does the stereotypes of the other female characters illustrating the absurdity of sexism of the time (and probably even tones it down a bit from what the reality was). At the start of the second episode, there is an embarrassingly misogynistic Captain America radio show playing throughout, a …stark contrast between Peggy’s character who is busy following leads, kicking ass, and going undercover as a Health Inspector and tracking down a missing milk truck packed with chemical weaponry. Though the truck is not on site, she manages to track it down.
The SSR guys are close behind and she makes an escape, with the unwanted, but appreciated aid of Jarvis. The episode ends with an edge-of-your seat roof-top milk truck fight, and a few more unanswered questions.
Agent Carter is exactly what the world needs right now, a badass, multi-dimensional female protagonist who can kick ass, take names (and then track them down), while having a relatable grip on reality which is rarely seen in film today. Cleverly turning a plethora of tropes on their head, this show conquers a good bunch of them in the first two episodes. I hope that the rest of the series continues on the level of perfection that we’ve been given so far.
As one of the first female lead comic spin-off shows around (or ever?), I was a little worried that it would not be well received, leading the television and comic industry to never try anything like it again, and I sincerely hope that this show proves that ladies would like a few more well rounded heroes on film. It can be done.
She has style, but is still practical, she doesn’t wake up every day in full makeup (every show ever), she doesn’t run around in 4” stilettos (ahem…Arrow), her hair doesn’t stay perfect after a fight (also see Arrow)—I’m floored by my own lack of complaints here. There are usually so many little details in shows today that infuriate me—and not a one!
Another welcomed level to her character were the few moments where she stops to make decisions or recover from a mistake. This gives her a healthy bit of realism rarely seen in a female character, and also adds the subtle feel of a comic book with the wit and humor in the little things that go wrong.
With Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now Agent Carter, Marvel is winning the television and film race for me by miles, and I’m loving ever second of it. This is a show that every comic-loving lady should see for so many reasons. The show also appeals to everyone with a love of The Avengers and Captain America films, for those who love comics in general, for anyone who has an affinity for spy stuff during the post World War II era, or anyone who appreciates badass lady protagonist who may or may not have even seen any of the aforementioned shows, or read a comic book in their lives.
Stacey Rizoli is an artist, gamer, comic book fan and feminist living in Boston, MA. Her homegrown Red Queen Crafts
produces paintings, signs and hand-made custom flower accessories. She
hates the cold weather but keeps warm by staying in and playing video
games. Follow her @redqueencrafts
