Marvel’s Agent Carter Review 1×06 “A Sin to Err”

We only have two weeks of Agent Carter left after this wild ride of an episode that made us laugh, hold our breath and found us on the edge of our seats. Can we get a renewal for Season 2 now please?

Agent Carter — When the questioning of Dr. Ivchenko (Ralph Brown) reveals Leviathan to be much more of a reality than anyone imagined, Chief Dooley (Shea Whigham) relents and sends Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) out to follow-up on her hunch that Leviathan’s female spies were the perfect agents to exploit Howard Stark’s (Dominic Cooper) most vulnerable weakness—his libido. Accompanied by Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), Peggy confronts a litany of scorned women in Howard’s wake, much to the chagrin of Jarvis who bears the brunt of their collective ire. As the two close in on one suspect in particular, Dr. Ivchenko uses his psychiatric genius to both lull Dooley into hypnosis and contact Dottie (Bridget Regan) via secret code. Before Dooley can be subdued, Agent Sousa’s (Enver Gjokaj) hunches regarding Peggy’s involvement interrupt with a significant pay off. Sheldon McFee (Devin Ratray) positively identifies Peggy, making her betrayal and secret agenda the SSR’s central focus. When the SSR closes in, Peggy surprises all of them by dispatching all of the agents sent to bring her in, including Agent Thompson (Chad Michael Murray). When Sousa can’t bring himself to shoot her, Peggy is on the run.

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In a last-ditch effort to retrieve Steve’s blood, she returns to the Griffith, only to find that it is the first place the SSR searches. Quick thinking and a dramatic save by Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) help her evade the SSR, but when she is stopped by Dottie, who has orders to kill her, Peggy is caught completely off guard by Dottie’s kiss. Peggy’s own trick of the trade is used against her as she falls unconscious from her own brand of drugged lipstick. Before Dottie can finish the job, the SSR surrounds the two. With little choice but to let them take her into custody, Peggy narrowly escapes death, but now faces the wrath of her fellow agents. Meanwhile, Dr. Ivchenko uses his skill of hypnosis to subdue Agent Yauch (Alexander Carroll) into helping him identify where Stark’s tech is being kept and just for good measure the hypnotized Youch is sent to commit suicide to cover the evidence. With Peggy in custody and agents of Leviathan much closer than anyone knew, things are heating up for Agent Carter. We can’t wait to see what knockout blows result from all the wild events we need to sift through in this week’s wickedly good episode!

Dr. Ivchenko may give Obi-Wan Kenobi a run for his money over the weak-minded.

The most clever deceptions of Agent Carter are so often hidden behind the most obvious attempts at misdirection. Dr. Ivchenko certainly fits that bill. We were suspicious of his motives from the start, but as the window-to-window confrontation with Dottie approached, this show did what it does best. It lead us down one path, only to catch us off guard, and send the plot in an entirely different direction than we thought. Instead of an assassination to prevent him from talking, Dottie and the good Doctor exchange information via code. Dottie’s next target is Peggy.

Ralph Brown, who has made a career of fantastic character roles brought depth, complexity and a sinister (if not slightly soothing) element to Dr. Ivchenko. His attempted hypnosis of Chief Dooley, interrupted by Sousa’s news that Peggy isn’t who she appears to be, and his later hypnosis of Agent Youch, resulting in Youch’s complicit help to escape and eventual suicide, suggest Leviathan is certainly not a foe to be trifled with at all. This is a serious enemy with devious, dark and evil intentions. The SSR and even Peggy herself are only starting to scratch the surface of what Leviathan is about and may only learn the truth the hard way when it’s very much too late.

“What I need you [Youch] to do is leave this room, retrieve your belongings, like you would for the end of your shift. I need you to go to your favorite bar. Order a bourbon Only the best. Top-shelf. Savor that bourbon. Enjoy it. And when you have finished, I need you to step outside and do one more thing.” ~ Dr. Ivchenko

Needless to say, we didn’t see Youch’s stepping in front of a speeding truck being that one more thing. With the subsequent suicide of Youch, it’s clear that Dr. Ivchenko and his spinning ring are an incredibly powerful duo. Each hypnosis he attempted was a clever accomplishment veiled in words of confidence and truths the listeners were eager to hear. Both Dooley and Youch were pulled in by Dr. Ivchenko’s most deceptive talent—the ability to find mental points of weaknesses rooted in our fears and heartaches. Brown certainly was a nice twist to this show. We wondered if we could trust him from the moment he was captured, but then doubted ourselves when it appeared Dottie might assassinate him before he could talk.

Dr. Ivchenko and Leviathan appear to have a much bigger plan afoot. Dottie and others like her are out there, working to subvert the best and brightest to put Russia in a position to obtain weapons and power beyond their means of developing on their own. What they lack in technological advances, Leviathan certainly has made up for in conviction and devious methods to obtain what they want. It will be interesting to see where Dr. Ivchenko and Leviathan move next now that Peggy is the focus of the SSR. One thing is certain, we enjoyed Ralph Brown’s portrayal of Dr. Ivchenko and look forward to seeing that happens next.

Howard Stark’s libido may prove his undoing, but it’s Jarvis and Peggy that bear the comedic brunt of his frequent ‘premature evacuation.’

Leviathan certainly pinpointed Howard Stark’s most lethal weakness—chasing skirts. Watching Peggy and Jarvis track down possible Leviathan agents amongst all the women scorned in Howard’s wake certainly was a joy to watch as comedic relief from the darker elements of this show. D’Arcy and Atwell were at their comedic best whisking around New York confronting women in which Stark had left a parting gift, in search of the one woman who may, in fact, have been a Leviathan agent.

We aren’t sure which we enjoyed more, D’Arcy’s priceless looks of guilt and incredulity or Atwell’s priceless reactions at each subsequent insult or slap Jarvis received (re-watch if you missed them; it’s worth it). Either way the search itself was a humorous affair (pun intended) that certainly paid dividends. Stark’s weakness for the ladies may be his undoing, but his parting by proxy through Jarvis made for unforgettable humor that these two actors brought vividly life. We did ultimately learn that Leviathan exploited Howard’s weakness for their own gain. That said, he would do well to keep things zipped from now on, but we’re not naive enough to think that might happen any time soon.

“Ida’s long gone. The room’s completely empty, but she’s definitely our girl.” ~ Peggy

“Oh. How can you tell?” ~ Jarvis

“Scratches on the bedposts. Remember, the Russian girls were handcuffed to the beds from a very young age.” ~ Peggy

“Are you suggesting she’s still doing it?” ~ Jarvis

“That must be a very hard habit to break.” ~ Peggy

“That is immensely disturbing.” ~ Jarvis

You don’t know the half of it Jarvis. Disturbing barely scratches the surface. Dottie and Ida are darkly twisted and after confirmation from Jose Molina via Twitter that each graduating class of the program from which Dottie and Ida emerged only had one graduate, we now know just how twisted these imbedded spies really are in this story. Leviathan is a deeply disturbing organization with dark roots and a singularly evil commitment to gaining the secrets to put Russia in the lead of the upcoming cold war.

Both D’Arcy and Atwell have proven repeatedly that they are exceptional in their delivery of the tender and sincere moments, but also that their comedic timing is impeccable. As the search for the Leviathan agent who may have infiltrated Howard’s world through his most glaring weakness progressed, Both D’Arcy and Atwell displayed that comedic genius time and again. We are lucky to have two actors of this quality to deliver such performances and Agent Carter has been made all the better by exquisite writing to play to their talents and strengths.

It would seem that everyone is something more than people think on Agent Carter. Never underestimate Peggy. She packs a punch.

We commend the writing team of Agent Carter for creating complexity in even the most simple characters. Had the SSR agents been characterized as simply stupid, chauvinistic brutes this show would not have entertained us nearly as much as it has. Time and again showing that these agents, despite their flaws, are good at their jobs simply proves that the writing team trusts the audience to come to their own conclusions and not develop simple black and white characterizations of anyone in this world.

Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas have helped construct another complex and rich entry into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Agent Carter. Writer Lindsey Allen certainly helped strengthen that effort with solid and believable writing in this episode that characterized the SSR agents, Sousa in particular, as capable and intelligent peers to Peggy. We wondered when someone would eventually question Sheldon McFee with a picture of Peggy in hand, and Sousa finally put the pieces together to make that happen. His attention to detail, even in his embarrassing moment of seeing Peggy in less than full dress, left us feeling both conflicted and satisfied. That’s exactly what good writing should do.

“That’s her.” ~ Sheldon

“You sure?” ~ Sousa

“Yeah, I’m .. I’m sure.” ~ Sheldon

“Take another look. Look.” ~ Sousa

“She came to the house that night. She was looking for Brannis. She left with him and the truck full of nitramene. She’s a cute broad. When she’s not punching me in the face. Who is she?” ~ Sheldon

“Not who I thought she was.” ~ Sousa

When the SSR goes into full lockdown mode to bring Peggy in, we get some of the best stunt work we’ve seen in this series to date. Our compliments to the stunt teams and to all the actors that participated in the Automat fight sequence. Peggy is far more formidable than most of the agents from the SSR knew. Dr. Ivchenko was right. Women are often overlooked and easily slip past a man’s defenses. Just ask the three agents that Peggy put in the hospital after the Automat brawl. We certainly hope we’ll see more such moments from Peggy and the stunt team in the final two episodes.

The dramatic, personal confrontations between Peggy and both Thompson and Sousa, as she made her initial escape, were both emotional and heartbreaking. Peggy has risked everything for what she believes is right and in both moments Atwell showed the painful resignation that she may be sacrificing all the respect she’s earned from her male peers in one fell swoop to stop Leviathan. We know that the truth will come out, but both Chad Michael Murray and Enver Gjokaj gave us the responses we would have hoped for and expected. They did their jobs and in so doing, they made us care about Peggy’s predicament. In particular, Sousa brought the heartache to a very real place. His trust and admiration for Peggy was a fledgling seed that had just sprouted. To have that uprooted so quickly was difficult to watch, and as Sousa and Thompson paraded her through the SSR to be interrogated later we felt the pain in Peggy’s defeated expression. We know that Peggy must ultimately be exonerated in some way, given her status as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. later, but that didn’t diminish the fantastic performances of all the actors that made us feel the pain of her betrayal.

FINAL VERDICT: Smart, funny and intelligent writing have made Agent Carter an unquestioned weekly success. Incredible performances, compelling characters and twisting plots have made this a show one we simply have no intention of missing.

That kiss!! Can we just say now that Agent Carter continues to get better each week? You bet we can. In the final confrontation between Dottie and Peggy we got nearly all the elements that have made this show exceptionally good entertainment. Surprise, deception, reveals, threats, nervousness and a show down stare. We have a feeling that after the narrow escape from Dottie at the hands of the SSR, a monumental brawl between Peggy and Dottie is coming. Did we mention that this show is simply getting better each week? Because it is.

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Executive Producers Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas and Writer Lindsey Allen constructed a wild ride of humor, suspense, action and lethal convincing that Leviathan is far more sinister than a simple comic book enemy. Agent Carter continues to prove week in and week out that it’s a complex, well constructed story with dynamic and layered characters. All the stereotypes of the first episode have been challenged at times and all the characters have shown growth and complexity. That’s the mark of great writing and the complexity and wit have been up to par in the dialogue each week.

Director Stephen Williams took all those elements and made us laugh, grab our couches in tense moments and let us enjoy a roller coaster of an episode that might be the best yet of this season. Peggy is in a pickle now. Both the SSR and Leviathan have it out for her and she has very few allies. Even the truth is going to be hard pressed to get her any points amongst her peers and when Leviathan does lower the boom (we just know that’s coming). We only hope that truth, or some shred of it, is seen for what it should be—Peggy doing what she felt was right to save the world from the forces of darkness that would seek to destroy it.

Either way, Dottie and Leviathan have proven a far more capable adversary than the SSR has been prepared to combat. We suspect that when the dust clears, the commitment of the world’s enemies will necessitate the need for an equally committed organization in S.H.I.E.L.D. to hold the darkness at bay. In the mean time, we can’t wait to find out how all this plays out in the next two weeks as the first season of Agent Carter comes to a close. Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy, Chad Michael Murray, Enver Gjokaj and Shea Whigham have brought a stellar core cast to life and remarkable guest stars each week have made Agent Carter must see TV. If you’ve read this far and aren’t already watching, stop what you are doing now and catch up. We have two more weeks of this wild ride to go in Season One. You don’t want to miss it!! Can we get renewal news for Season Two now please ABC?

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• “Women are often overlooked.” ~ Dr. Ivchenko. Um. Yep. “You gotta hunch, chase it.” ~ Dooley.
• Well @BridgetRegan w/a Russian PPSH-41 was kinda hot until the slit throat. Way to ruin a fantasy Dottie.
• Who is she? Not who I thought she was. Uh oh. Dammit Sousa! @EnverGjokaj
• Ginger Rogers. The darkest gates to the abyss. lol
• Holy hell. Dottie is brutal. @BridgetRegan
• Well that was an inventive form of communication. P.S. @GeeksAssemble .. I was right!! Now I’m freakin out for Peggy!
• I’m guessing Dottie just isn’t all that worried about her carrier as a hygienist. #OtherCarrierPlans @BridgetRegan
• “That must be a hard habit to break.” ~ Peggy. “That’s immensely distrubing.” You have NO idea Jarvis.
• Seems the good Dr. Ivchenko has a plan.
• 4 agents and Peggy. Clearly they underestimated her and should have sent more agents. @HayleyAtwell
• “You’re telling me one woman took down an entire team of highly trained agents?” ~ Dooley. Damn right she did.
• “…all be demoted to hall monitor.” Hahaha! SpongeBob just stopped watching #AgentCarter
• Well if nothing else. Peggy might set a record for the most men above the 1st floor at once. @HayleyAtwell #NotAProudRecord
• Angie’s best performance yet. Hollywood is next Angie! @LyndsyMFonseca
• You’re .. wearing .. my brand. *runs to find screen cap of THAT!*
• That was one hell of an EP of #AgentCarter! The good news? 2 more EPS! The bad news? ONLY 2 more EPS! o.O #RenewAgentCarter @ABCNetwork!