In the third episode of the first season of Agent Carter, WELL, THAT ESCALATED. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Agent Carter.
I did not expect that.
So, I think I can expect Agent Carter to be serialized from here on out, and I think that after the death of both Connie and Krzeminski, I CAN EXPECT THIS SHOW TO TRAMPLE MY HEART WHENEVER IT WANTS TO. I gotta remind myself that this is only eight episodes long, and that’s not a very long time for a single season of a show to unfold. That’s probably why this show isn’t wasting any time to show us just how dangerous of a conspiracy this is.
Thankfully, though, that’s not the only thing this episode focuses on. “Time and Tide” further addresses the challenges of Agent Carter’s dual life, and I AM FASCINATED BY THIS.
Angie
So, I got to see more of the Griffith Hotel! And it’s uncomfortable! I actually thought Peggy was going to do something to stand up for Molly, but alas, the moment sends her in a different direction. Still, I appreciated a glimpse of what it might be like to live in a place like that. It’s through Angie that we also see one of the side affects of the way that Peggy lives: she’s going to upset people trying to be her friend. Of course, we all understand why Peggy is so reluctant to let anyone get close to her, and after the end of this episode? I would understand her desire to never let anyone be near her.
Instead, though, after Krzeminski’s death, she seeks out Angie. I found that to be extremely significant. Why? Why go to talk about her day? What made her change her mind? Why couldn’t she speak about it to Jarvis, who knew the whole situation and could have allowed her to be as honest as she wanted to? Truthfully, I don’t think he could have provided her with the comfort or distraction that Angie could have. In short, Peggy needs a friend that isn’t connected to this world, and I’m glad she has Angie.
Secrets
But then we’re thrown another curveball: during Thompson’s interrogation with Jarvis, we learn that Jarvis was once charged with treason. I understood Peggy’s hesitation with Jarvis, and I even got why she would want him to tell her the truth about what really happened to him. She’s trusting him with a lot by working with them, and as S.S.R. inches closer and closer to discovering her spying, she’ll need to rely on him even more than before. It’s only fair that she have ever reason to trust him. A treason charge is not something that she takes lightly, either, and I suspect that her time working closely with the government would make her suspicious of any claim of treason.
And then we get just a hint of Jarvis’s backstory with his wife, Anna, and IT’S A BILLION TIMES MORE HEARTBREAKING THAN I EXPECTED. What the fuck, AGENT THOMPSON IS THE LITERAL WORST, Y’ALL. I have no sympathy or understanding for people who threaten others with deportation, and that scene made me SO ANGRY. Of course, once we learned that Jarvis sacrificed his career in order to save his wife from the Holocaust, it made me even more furious with Thompson. But there’s a parallel here between Peggy and Jarvis that quietly exists in the background: both of them demonstrate a willingness for self-sacrifice. It’s never deliberately called to attention, but I saw Peggy’s sacrifice of the respect of her peers as similar to Jarvis sacrificing his own reputation. Obviously, Jarvis’s backstory is a whole lot more intense and he sacrificed far more than Peggy did, but I think it was neat that the show had Peggy give something up in order to save Jarvis from having to make a terrible decision.
The Cost
But these secrets have a cost, and for Peggy Carter, that cost is immensely upsetting. I keep thinking about how little I enjoyed Krzeminski’s presence here, and yet I couldn’t help but feel like the wind was taken out of my sails by his death. It’s fascinating that one of the least-liked people in this show was killed off and I was still able to feel something. Krzeminski paid the price in order to keep someone else’s secret. And that’s a layered thing, too, since he kept both Peggy’s secret and the secret of who was behind the theft of Stark’s weapons and gadgets. That witness probably could have provided a clue, but whomever is behind all of this is heavily invested in keeping it out of the hands of anyone else. I feel like we’re no closer to the Leviathan than we were at the start of the episode, and now, Krzeminski’s dead because of it.
I imagine that Peggy feels some guilt over this, given that she was the one who advised Jarvis to phone in to Sousa, and Krzeminski wouldn’t have come in the first place. But what can she do? How can she solve this case while keeping these two worlds separate? I DON’T HAVE ANY ANSWERS, FOR THE RECORD.
The video for “Time and Tide” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be season 1 of Agent Carter, seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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