Marvel Studios 2015
Summary: It’s 1946, WWII is over and Agent Peggy Carter finds herself working for the SSR. Begrudging the position of a pencil pusher, stranded in an era where the male presence runs basically everything, Carter secretly attempts to continue doing what she does best: being a secret agent. But everything comes at a cost, when Howard Stark appears to be selling his most dangerous inventions to the black market, Peggy is hired on to clear his name at all costs – even if it brands her a traitor. In the ensuing battle a new enemy arises, and those dear to Peggy continue to get hurt. How much of it can she take before she breaks?
“Valediction”
Directed by Christopher Misiano; Written by Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters
-listening to Agent Carter theme song in my head- Oh, hello, did you need something? I’m only basking in the glory that this series was. You want a review you say? Oh fiiine, I guess I can do that. -puts down headphones, stands up and immediately jumps out the window-
[ALL THE SPOILERS!!]
Review: When we last left Carter and the gang, things looked extremely dire and the struggle was real. The bad guys were beginning to make their final move. And we still had a lot of unanswered questions. We actually ended up getting a lot of questions answered in the finale, but there’s still one big mystery looming; we’ll get to that.
What began as a story all about Peggy attempting to win the respect of her fellow coworkers whilst trying to clear Howard Stark’s name, and of course trying not to be arrested as a traitor… eventually turned into a very moving character study on both Peggy and Howard, especially Howard. I didn’t know this is what we needed out of him, but here it is, and I enjoyed it immensely.
It’s been a fun few weeks, watching everything unfold and wondering each week how they planned to wrap things up. I must say I never called anything in this episode, and I love that. One of the more interesting touches that definitely surprised me was the enourmous inclusion of all things Captain America. From the radio show that I think was just the coolest addition -mild geek out- to Steve’s last remaining vile of blood. Oh, and the fact that both Howard and Peggy realized just how much they needed to move on from his death.
This was the epilogue Steve deserved, and who better to give it to him than two of his best friends in the world. Of course giving themselves that final sense of closure as well.
While Howard’s character arc mainly played out through this single episode rather the whole season, Peggy got 8 episodes literally to her name. The Peggy we got in episode 1, hell the Peggy we got just 2 episodes ago, was most definitely not the Peggy we got in the end. The Peggy we got in the end, well, if we never get a season 2, this is how the prime of her character should always be remembered.
The two biggest SSR agents left alive in the show also get great character arcs, yes even Agent Thompson who while an a-hole all the way to the end, did become more likeable and even more relatable. Agent Sousa remains my favorite SSR agent though, besides Peggy of course, and I really want to see more with him. To see the man he becomes later, and maybe see if a romance between him and Peggy works out.
Jarvis gets one of the more heartbreaking moments in the series, with the possibility of having to shoot his own best friend out of the sky in a scene that came way too close to happening for comfort. Where I wasn’t a very big fan of Jarvis in the beginning, he’s most definitely the heart and soul this show requires to keep going. Jarvis is awesome!
The biggest mystery left as I can see is the secret organization of Leviathan. I don’t see Fennhoff as being the sole head of the organization, and I’m curious to see if Marvel ever picks up on this obviously still looming threat. It would be nice to know there’s a terrorist faction out there that can rival Hydra in power after Marvel completely dropped the ball on the Ten Rings (just between us: one of their biggest blunders). We’ll see how it goes.
Agent Carter also holds claim to being the first Marvel story to not end in the villains death (we don’t count Loki anymore, okay? He could still die in Thor: Ragnarok). I honestly wasn’t expecting that and I’m so glad that, for once, the villain actually lived. It’s been getting pretty old hat Marvel.
In my opinion this series is one of Marvel’s biggest success stories. It had consistently strong writing throughout each and every episode, it broke so many stereotypes and even more story tropes. It was really, really fun. And it had the balls to be more than just another tale in the fold (ironic, I know).
This is everything we need in a Marvel story now. And so was another recent blockbuster movie from the company, but I really don’t want to belittle what this show did. What Guardians of the Galaxy did for space adventure, Agent Carter did for the everyman. Or in this case the everywoman. Oh, the everyhuman being. You know what I mean.
Give me more Agent Carter, or give me death.
And always Make Mine Marvel.
Final Score: 5 out of 5. Will watch again.
Derrick is a born and raised otaku with a love for comics, anime, manga and movies. The full list is pretty long, but that’s just the basics. Stories set in space are his bread and butter.
You can find more of his writing at IndieComix.net
@KazekunForever