{"id":5751,"date":"2016-08-05T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5751"},"modified":"2016-07-19T22:01:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T05:01:00","slug":"mark-watches-agent-carter-s02e05-the-atomic-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/08\/mark-watches-agent-carter-s02e05-the-atomic-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Agent Carter’: S02E05 – The Atomic Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>, Sousa and Peggy acquire some new allies to stop Whitney from destroying Southern California. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>.<\/p>\n

This review might feel a tad repetitive on one note, but I assure you that I did enjoy \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Atomic Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a great deal. I was just left puzzled by the writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 choices to jarringly jump from one tone to another. Or perhaps the episode was edited that way? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, but there are times when\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0feels like a spy spoof, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0the show wants this.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to break up the grim and serious story that is unfolding otherwise. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine with that, and as I said before,\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willingness to feel lighter than the rest of the Marvel universe is one of the reasons it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a fun experience. Truly, this show is a\u00c2\u00a0lot<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of fun, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad it feels set apart from the other shows and the movies. My issue here is solely with feeling pulled out of the narrative. Up until the scene where Peggy sneaks into Hugh Jones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office, I thought this script was tight, thrilling, funny, and a perfect follow-up to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Smoke & Mirrors.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d If that episode concerned origins, then this episode asks us to think about what these characters do with who they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become.<\/p>\n

For the most part, Peggy, Jarvis, and Sousa are racing against Whitney, and a complicated cat-and-mouse game unfolds for us. All of this is spawned by the revelation that Zero Matter allowed Wilkes to become corporeal for the briefest moment, FILLING ME WITH EMOTION. So, Zero Matter seeks out other Zero Matter, and it also craves more power. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an eternal process, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Zero Matter is never fully satisfied, or at least that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my guess. We see that in Whitney, who becomes obsessed with finding more power, like a hunger. Wynn Everett is electrifying here, and it was a real treat to watch her evolve her character as her character\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body simultaneously evolved.<\/p>\n

Plus, I love a good heist, and breaking into a mega-secure facility in order to dismantle\u00c2\u00a0two<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0nuclear warheads is just the right type of ridiculous that I love. I DO. And yet,\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0makes a bizarre stumble in the middle of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Atomic Job,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d one I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still struggling to understand. Look, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel any particular sadness for rich white men who actively harm and hurt others getting their due in the form of an ass kicking. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t! But I felt so weird watching Peggy zap Hugh Jones over and over again because the moment wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t played as a catharsis, but a wacky comedy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to feel funny, apparently, to watch someone electrocuted into unconsciousness over and over again. Hugh remembering Peggy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face twice? A lot funnier than what happens after that.<\/p>\n

I probably would not have felt one way or another about this, except that the scene is followed by one this is so frighteningly serious that I thought I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d suddenly started watching a new show. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to see Ken Marino again, but what the\u00c2\u00a0fuck<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0was that sequence? Are we meant to see Manfredi as nonsensically violent? What was the point of that moment, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all??? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not long after this scene that the deliberately silly team assemblage moment happens, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you know which scene that is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny, and I do appreciate how non-traditional the mission group is, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0it had to be filmed that way, or why Agent Ryan had to trip.<\/p>\n

I get that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awkward, but it kind of undermines the point the writers are trying to make about Agent Ryan and Rose. No one expects them to be a part of a field mission! They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not who anyone would traditionally invite on them, despite that Rose had to go through the same training as Peggy did in order to have the job she does. Yes, Agent Ryan lacked the same kind of training, but I thought the point was that sometimes, you find brilliance in those you least expect it from. BECAUSE WHO THOUGHT ROSE WOULD BE ABLE TO KICK SO MUCH ASS??? Oh, I just adore that someone who looks like she does gets to have a role in this adventure, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. \u00c2\u00a0I WANT SO MUCH MORE OF IT. SO MUCH MORE.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the third act is pretty much flawless for me. I say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pretty much\u00e2\u20ac\u009d because it was a bit disappointing that Jarvis mentioned the base was a few hours outside Los Angeles, and yet it appeared to be in a plain neighborhood or suburb. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00c2\u00a0look<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0much like an impenetrable base, you know? But I could excuse that once everyone got inside because IT WAS SO TENSE AND FUN. Rose, Agent Ryan, and Jarvis are all taken out of their comfort zones, and they each enjoy varied success in doing so.\u00c2\u00a0That<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is a damn fine story, you know? It allows other people to shine for a few minutes before Peggy confronts Whitney.<\/p>\n

WHICH IS AN ENTIRELY SEPARATE THING I MUST ADDRESS. God, their fight was just so\u00c2\u00a0visceral<\/i>. Quick, yes, but you could feel the intensity come through the screen. Whitney also respected Peggy in some way, as if she could appreciate the tenacity that got her into that base. BUT I WAS NOT READY FOR PEGGY TO GET IMPALED ON REBAR. NO. NO THANK YOU. I had severe\u00c2\u00a0Buffy<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0flashbacks, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. MY HEART COULD NOT HANDLE IT. Neither could Sousa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, apparently. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say I was surprised that Violet found out the truth about his feelings for Peggy, though I definitely thought it would happen later. Still\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 poor Violet. I just feel so bad for her because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see how she can have her own story amidst this. The only outcome I can see is that she either separates from Sousa, or Sousa moves on without Peggy. Either way, Violet exists more for Sousa than herself in this story.<\/p>\n

AND WHAT OF WILKES? How can\u00c2\u00a0this<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0end well? I want him to have a good ending, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m worried he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll become a victim of Whitney. NO. PLEASE NO.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Atomic Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"