Agent Carter Review: The Atomic Job

With one and a half seasons of Agent Carter under our belt, I think this one may be my favorite non-premiere or finale episode they’ve ever done. It was certainly the most swoon-worthy, with Sousa failing to hide his feelings for Peggy after she was injured, but there were other elements that helped push this one to the top of the list as well.

One, the whole “ragtag band of unlikely heroes” aspect. One of my favorite parts of this second season is the new team ups we’ve seen, with Peggy and Jarvis working with Daniel instead of on their own, and Howard and Wilkes helping along the way. This episode added a couple of familiar faces to the team: Rose, who maintains the S.S.R.’s cover, and Dr. Samerberly, an awkward but intelligent lab tech. I liked the addition of these two for a few reasons.

For one, it was nice to see Peggy continue to expand the circle of people who she trusts; it’s a nice bit of character development considering how lone wolf she used to be. Two, I absolutely love that Peggy picked Rose in particular, someone that others would underestimate, but Peggy had absolute confidence in. And for good reason, as it turned out, with Rose flirting and encouraging Samberly and taking guys out all over the place at the Roxxon facility. There was also that great moment where Peggy showed how much she trusted Rose to get the job done; her little “she’s got this” smile when Rose offered to take care of the guards was a thing of beauty. Nobody does ladies supporting ladies quite as well as this show, and this was yet another instance.

I also liked Samberly a lot, and it was fun that Peggy and Daniel each picked someone for the team. Sousa realizing that he was the one who had promised Samberly field work and then making good on that promise spoke volumes about his sense of honor, and his choice was also a pick that paid off. Also rising to the occasion this hour? Jarvis, who nervously, but effectively, disposed of two atomic bombs here, with Daniel amusingly relating the whole thing to removing a souffle from the oven. Understandably so, Jarvis’s neurotic side came out a little more in this episode, both in the bomb removal and that great scene in the vent. Also, Jarvis relaying the story about his grandma’s cellar kind of really made me want a kid-Jarvis flashback similar to Peggy and Whitney’s in the last episode.

Of course, despite the extra team members, the plan still went terribly awry in the end, with the usually infallible Peggy being bested by Whitney and finding herself impaled on a metal pole as a result. And I’ll be honest, this is where I might get a little giddy and incoherent, because the moments that followed were some of the sweetest we’ve seen between Peggy and Daniel. It’s a trope that’s been done before: one or both people in a potential relationship not realizing exactly how much they love the other person until they’re in a life-threatening situation, but that didn’t make Daniel begging Peggy to stay with him, or being unwilling to leave her side, or making her promise that she wouldn’t scare him like that again any less impactful.

Though there is still the matter of Daniel’s fiancee, and even while I was swooning over Daniel and Peggy, I did feel for Violet, especially because I already like her quite a bit, and the way she took care of Peggy with no questions asked only made me like her more. I was both surprised and glad that she confronted Daniel about his feelings for Peggy so quickly. One, I’m hoping that it will spare Violet as much heartache as possible, and two, the speed was refreshing for TV, a medium that loves to draw out a love triangle. As much as I want more Peggy in my life, that is a perk of a shorter season: the storylines zip along more quickly and often with more realism.

In addition to Violet, there’s also Wilkes to consider (provided he reappears), and I hope that Peggy comes clean to him about her feelings for Daniel sooner rather than later, unless she’s honestly over him. She also may not see the point until Daniel tells her that he and Violet are over. She’s been completely respectful of that relationship, and not letting herself be visibly affected by how much Daniel worried about her in this episode was especially impressive. But really, I’d expect no less from Peggy Carter.

Other thoughts on this hour:

I loved the irony of Peggy reassuring everyone that the plan was solid, only to get injured herself. Also worth noting, Peggy taking that injury like a champ, while still relying on the help of her friends. This season has done an even better job than the first of showing that badass people are only made better with the assistance of others, that asking for help doesn’t make them weak, it makes them smart, and this entire episode was another example of that. And in that vein, Jarvis tucking Peggy into bed and then telling her that their adventures only work when she returns from them was a really sweet moment.

Peggy’s mantra “You are saving the world. You are saving the world.” as she took off Jones’s belt was too good. Also loved her accusing Daniel of looking like Sousa but talking like Thompson (have I mentioned that I really, really don’t miss Jack in the episodes he’s not in?)

Whitney and Cal have an increasingly interesting dynamic. I can’t tell if she’s using him or genuinely cares about the guy, but there were a few moments in this hour where I thought for sure she was going to kill him and didn’t. It does seem like that’s where they’re headed, especially with that phone call he made at the end of the episode. My money’s on her getting rid of him soon for getting in her way.

Finally, I can’t wait for the return of Dottie next week. It’ll be interesting to see how she and Whitney interact, and I’m hoping for a fight scene between Dottie, Whitney, and Peggy. Too much to hope for? We’ll have to wait ‘til next week to find out!