Agent Carter is a TV show within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It focuses on Peggy Carter from Captain America, and the first season is eight episodes long. Taking place after the end of Captain America during the year 1946, we see Peggy still struggling over the loss of Steve Rogers. Nevertheless, the world moves on and Howard Stark’s weapons has made it to the black market. Stark enlists the help of Peggy to help clear his name.
Despite being a TV series, there are still plenty of action and explosions. The pacing can be slower than the movies but it isn’t too bad. The show portrays how tough it is for women in the mid-1900s to have respect from men. On the flip side, Peggy uses this to her advantage at times in order to exploit and get close to others to gain some piece of information. Still, it can be infuriating when other agents dismiss Peggy just because of her gender.
The first half of the season is slow going. It spends a lot of the time with dialogue that doesn’t quite advance the plot in a meaningful way. As expected, Stark is crafty and his initial plea for help with Peggy soon evolves into something much bigger. Due to the shift in setting, plot direction and lack of superpowers, you’ll soon forget the connection to the MCU until they name drop Captain America from time to time. As a period piece though, it’s visually interesting with its older technology.
The season finally gains traction in the second half. It’s as if it suddenly decides to put its best foot forward and forcefully pushes along. As a result, it’s faster paced and maybe it’s at this point that the characters in the shadows finally appears, but it’s much more engaging. It holds several surprises of its own, and isn’t afraid to kill off characters, characters whom you expected to survive given that they were major supporting characters.
After constantly being belittled by others, you start to believe Peggy might have been a one-scene wonder. Thankfully, she gets the chance to show off her abilities, which surprises many of her colleagues. It’s a shame that she still doesn’t get the full recognition that she deserves but progress is being made, little by little. It helps that the season finale gives her plenty of opportunities and finally gain some respect. It finishes off the arc in a satisfying manner, even though it felt it was dragged out towards the end.
Overall, the first season of Agent Carter is solid. It’s around above average as it does a great job at portraying 1940s New York, and Peggy’s actress does a stellar job as the character. The plot is okay, although it ends up feeling needlessly elongated during the middle of the season. The show distances itself somewhat from the movies which isn’t a bad thing, as it is completely feasible as a standalone story, but at the same time, doesn’t add much either.
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