If you know me, you've probably already heard me gush about Marvel's Agent Carter, a miniseries that recently finished premiering on ABC. Well, be prepared for me to gush some more. Given that there are only eight episodes to keep track of, I figured Agent Carter would be the perfect opportunity to segue way into reviewing TV shows on my blog. Here's a list of reasons I have to demand that ABC give us a second season:
1. Peggy Carter. Duh. If you've seen Captain America: The First Avenger, you've already met her, but even if not you'll find she is a praiseworthy character all on her own. Not only does she throw a killer punch, she has oodles of sass and class to go with it. If there is anyone who can crush sexism and get the bad guys with literally just a tube of lipstick, it's this woman.
2. The banter. My favorite relationship on the show is easily Peggy's friendship with Edwin Jarvis, who is the butler of Tony Stark's father Howard and the likely inspiration for the AI J.A.R.V.I.S. who assists Iron Man in the future. I love Peggy and Jarvis' friendship primarily due to their excellent exchange of wit as they team up on missions together - with Peggy, of course, doing most of the butt-kicking. Peggy can dish out her sass to just about everyone, but she plays off of Jarvis the best. Underneath all their banter, however, they have genuine respect and care for each other, and that's why they have such an awesome dynamic in my opinion.
3. The exciting espionage. The premise of this mini-series is that Peggy, who works at the Scientific Strategic Reserve (SSR), becomes a double agent when Howard Stark is accused of selling his inventions to the bad guys and he secretly comes to Peggy to clear his name. So while the SSR is trying to nail Stark, Peggy is trying to recover the stolen inventions and help Stark prove his innocence. She finds success thanks in large part to her partnership with Jarvis, her quick thinking, and the rampant sexism that causes the male SSR agents to overlook her. Speaking of which…
4. Those dumb SSR agents! Okay, that's not strictly accurate considering these guys are great at their job, but I have to express my frustration with their attitude somehow. In the beginning, these agents (with the possible exception of Daniel Sousa) just seemed like annoying douche-bags who deserved a sucker punch. What pleasantly surprised me was that halfway through the season I began seeing new aspects of their character that made them much more interesting than one-dimensional antagonists. I really would like to see agents like Jack Thompson *mild shudder* be fleshed out in future seasons (assuming we get any). Also, with the disclaimer that I'm no expert on this subject, Daniel Sousa seems to be one of the better representations in media of a person with a disability. After losing his leg to an injury during WWII (oh, in case you didn't realize, this show takes place in the 1940s), Agent Sousa has used a crutch to help him walk. But guess what? HE ALSO USES IT AS A WEAPON DURING FIGHTS, AND IT'S PRETTY SICK!
5. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) tie-ins. I'll admit that this is probably only a bonus for Marvel geeks like me, but I love how the writers added so many links to the MCU (besides the obvious connection to Captain America). There are five Easter eggs in the first episode alone, and a bunch more besides in the rest of the season.
Honestly, I could go on, but I would rather you go check out the show for yourself than continue reading my loving rant for Agent Carter. Episodes 4-8 are available online for free, and you can find the first three on other sites as well (you'd have to pay money, but believe me it's worth it). Please, don't let Agent Carter suffer the same tragic fate as Selfie when it was canceled prematurely due to low ratings. FIGHT FOR STRONG MARVEL WOMEN LIKE PEGGY CARTER! THEY'RE AMAZING!
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