This episode had me going for a bit. Based on the preview trailer I figured that we were going to have a bottle episode. Maybe some interrogating then a recap of the season so far and then a look into Peggy Carter’s past and then Peggy Carter psychologically disassembling her fellow agents before making a sly escape. I was prepared for a really slow-paced episode after a series of budget sucking romp-abouts. I was pleasantly surprised by what I got. Right at the very beginning we get some of that psychological disassembling from Peggy to her agent co-workers but the show moves beyond that pretty quickly. Jarvis shows up like a boss and talks his way into the SSR where between the two of them they figure out the plot that’s been going on under the noses of all these elite spies.
The episode was a solid mix of drama, character pieces and comedy. Peggy and Jarvis have great chemistry with all the comedy coming from their scenes together. It does seem we are working towards the zero point of the Marvel One-Shot. The head guy over at the SSR went boom leaving the way open for the more familiar face from the short movie. All the cards went on the table so it looks like we’ll be clearing Howard’s name as well, along with the potential compromise of the SSR by Dr. Faustus and we have the beginnings of SHIELD by the end of the series.
This is an example of playing right into what an audience wants in a good way. There hasn’t been any huge twists or major curve balls, just competent storytelling that delivers exactly what was ordered. I wanted a lead up or follow-up to the excellent short movie included with Iron Man 3. I wanted to see more of Peggy being a badass, I wanted to see Howard Stark be Howard and I wanted to see how the SSR became SHIELD. Adding Jarvis was already a bonus and seeing the Howling Commandos increased that bonus. Add in the introduction of Leviathan, the Black Widow program and Dr. Faustus (it was all but said this episode, he’s officially Dr. Faustus) and we’re doing some major universe building in this television mini-series. All that added content gives the series weight and heft and makes it feel important.
I’ve been really quite happy with the series so far and I’m really looking forward to the next episode. Then the finale. Then the DVD set, which I will buy the day it comes out. Assuming I’m not still living in this cardboard box under the Hennepin bridge by the mighty Mississippi. I’m one dollar and one day away from making it happen and living in a van like those hoighty-toighty richy riches!
Score: 4/5