AGENT CARTER (8 out of 10) Action-drama airing Tuesday evenings on ABC, based on characters from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe; Episode 1.1 written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Louis D’Esposito; 1.2 written by Eric Pearson, directed by Joseph Russo; Starring Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy, Chad Michael Murray, Enver Gjokaj, Shea Whigham, Kyle Bornheimer, Dominic Cooper. Guest starring James Frain, Costa Ronin as Anton Vanko, James Urbaniak, and Ray Wise.
Marvel’s Agent Carter is amazing. As much as I’m missing “Agents of SHIELD,” this is, in so many ways, so much better. Agent Carter successfully blends elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with other successful shows like “Mad Men.” While it oozes the cool of being a 1940s period piece, it also has the modern fun of a good spy show.
The first two episodes center around Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell, reprising her role from “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the “Agent Carter” one-shot) and her work as the newly formed SSR (the progenitor for SHIELD). Unfortunately, she is treated as more of a secretary than the bad-ass agent we know she is. Sexism abounds as she tries to make it in the “man’s world” she conquered already during the war but now faces anew as everyone returns back from it.
Meanwhile, Howard Stark is called before Congress under investigation for possibly letting some high tech inventions get into the wrong hands. And it seems hamming it up in front of Congress is likely a genetic trait among Stark men. When Stark disappears, the SSR begins investigating, suspecting him of treason.
Agent Carter knows better, eventually reuniting with her old war colleague. Stark confides in her that some of his tech has been stolen, and it is, unfortunately, the worst and most destructive of his ideas that are now in the open. He asks Carter to be his woman on the inside of SSR to help recover the tech and clear his name.
To aid her, Stark lends Agent Carter his butler, Jarvis, and the two spend the better part of the first two episodes tracking down one particularly nasty formula, a few spoonfuls of which would be capable of creating an explosion able to level entire city blocks.
But enough plot– how is it?
It’s just awesome. The best part is the witty, snappy dialogue. There’s a lot of comedy in here, which plays well to the cast’s strengths.
This cast is great, too. From nerd favorites like Enver Gjokaj (Victor from Dollhouse– and who, coincidentally, had a small role in Avengers as an NYPD cop) and gifted comedians like Kyle Bornheimer (She’s Out of My League, Traffic Light, Worst Week), this cast is fun and versatile. My only hangup is with Chad Michael Murray, who plays alpha agent Jack Thompson with all the douchebaginess only capable of. . .well, Chad Michael Murray. So, perfect casting, maybe?
But the shining star here is Atwell. First of all, she’s gorgeous, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees. She also gets to play secret agent a lot here, meaning costume changes, accents, and characters. She’s also great at just inhabiting the role of Agent Carter, even when fighting against the little injustices like a rude diner customer who harasses his waitress.
There’s also a lot of sadness. She’s definitely carrying around some survivors’ guilt, and she interprets her actions as being the cause of people around her getting killed. This leads her to trying to isolate herself emotionally, which would be boring for a tv show, except that she keeps getting pulled back out because, well, someone’s got to save the world.
There are also lots of little things to look forward to, specifically hidden Marvel Easter Eggs for those paying attention. Anton Vanko shows up in the first episode, as does Ray Wise as the head of the Roxxon Corporation, and James Urbaniak (Doc Venture from The Venture Brothers) shows up as a Roxxon scientist. Don’t blink or you’ll miss them all!
And, as an added treat, there’s a Captain America radio hour that keeps playing in the background of much of the second episode. It’s really funny to listen to their melodrama, especially as it’s often interspersed with actual SSR mayhem.
This show is fun and warrants repeat viewing. If you have this on your DVR, watch it now, and make this a part of your weekly tv viewing from here out.
I give both episodes an 8 out of 10, maybe with the first episode creeping towards a 9 and the second slouching closer to a 7. But as a whole, even amidst dozens of other comic-inspired genre TV shows, this is one of the best and you should be watching it.