{"id":5761,"date":"2016-08-11T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2016-08-11T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5761"},"modified":"2016-07-28T09:50:24","modified_gmt":"2016-07-28T16:50:24","slug":"mark-watches-agent-carter-s02e09-a-little-song-and-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/08\/mark-watches-agent-carter-s02e09-a-little-song-and-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Agent Carter’: S02E09 – A Little Song and Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the ninth and penultimate episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>, Whitney tries to use Jason to her advantage. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Little Song and Dance<\/b><\/p>\n

I might need some more time to think about the opening musical number. Like much of the humor this season, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tonally jarring sequence that works by itself but feels out of place in the greater story. As serious and emotionally challenging as this episode is, I felt strange about the focus on something so silly. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beautifully filmed1 I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if the actors used their own singing voices, but that would be neat to discover. I have a theory, though, that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enjoy that sequence as much as I might normally have because it reminded me how much I dislike love triangles. God, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the\u00c2\u00a0worst<\/i>! And a show like\u00c2\u00a0Agent Carter<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0seems like such a bizarre place to host a love triangle that takes up a huge part of the narrative. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad Peggy gets to have romantic relationships, but like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t she have both of them? They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re both right there and she could just be poly or form a triad and then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never have to deal with this tired storytelling device again.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how all musical numbers about love triangles should end, FYI.<\/p>\n

The Desert<\/b><\/p>\n

I found it visually fitting that Peggy and Jarvis were wandering through the desert when they had their emotionally-charged conversation about complicity and responsibility. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great addition to the season-long characterization of Jarvis as he is more and more involved with Peggy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cases, and it helps explain his behavior in the previous episode, too. Which makes me happy to be wrong about the writing for him! Thus, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Little Song and Dance\u00e2\u20ac\u009d acts as the cathartic follow-up to Jasper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s choices in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Edge of Mystery.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d We hear him address why he shot Whitney and why he lied to Ana about her injury. It\u00c2\u00a0was<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0desperation and fear, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s through the frustration with the situation that this comes out. Which unfortunately means that he takes his anger out on Peggy and levels a nasty insult at her.<\/p>\n

Look, the scene is awkward but really satisfying. I got a sense for how close these two had become since the start of this show, which meant that the stakes of their argument were higher than ever before. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the reasons why they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re so defensive, especially Jarvis. He just wants the best for those he loves, and in a powerless situation, he lashed out at Peggy instead. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad he finally told his wife the truth.<\/p>\n

Jack Thompson<\/b><\/p>\n

And then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jack, who vacillates between being an ally and an ambitious, self-interested jerk every other scene in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Little Song and Dance.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d At this point, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really tell\u00c2\u00a0what<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0he wants. Is he always ready to betray and contradict those around him? Is his only concern how he can better himself over everyone else? I had expected him to finally recognize what was at stake here, so I suppose in that sense, his story in this episode was satisfying. The problem is that he jettisoned off in the opposite direction! He identified Masters and Whitney as the major roadblocks to the safety of the country (and the world), and yet he abandons his commitment to justice by attempting to murder Jason, Vernon, and Whitney. To him, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the easiest and most obvious solution. He wanted to betray his colleagues, who had done all the work up to this point to take down Whitney Ford, all so he could do it himself.<\/p>\n

Of course, we have no idea what Jason\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attack on Whitney means for the story. Will she absorb his Zero Matter or will it be the reverse? Or is there some other variable no one took into account? Is Vernon going to die? Will Jack take over the SSR? HOW IS THERE ONLY ONE EPISODE LEFT. UNFAIR.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Little Song and Dance\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":"