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locker_monsterThe short: I liked it. I really liked it. A worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The long:
Is the show perfect? Perhaps not. But the foundation for awesomeness is there. With a run of only eight episodes, there's a lot the show has to do in a short amount of time. So we may get an arc that doesn't flag, but I hope that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice the quieter moments that helps to develop character.
And Peggy is certainly a character. She's not just a one-dimensional ass kicker. She has depth and feelings and the writers allow her to deal with her emotions without making her weepy or maudlin. You really feel for her when her friend/roommate dies. I always worry that a "strong female lead" just means a woman in a man's role. That they just make her butch and they forget that there are other ways to be strong. Peggy isn't just a capable fighter; she's clever and witty, too. On the flip side, I really hope they don't play up her sexiness just because she's a woman. Her in the blonde wig and low cut dress in the first episode was almost ridiculous if not for Haley Atwell's awesomeness. And hopefully the writers don't dumb down her male co-workers too much. I don't want them to be idiots just so Peggy can triumph all the time. Actually, it'd be interesting if she is caught while trying to help Howard. And maybe she does get caught. You could interpret her dead end role as a code breaker in the Agent Carter one-shot as a formal punishment.
Oh, and like any good hero, she tries to push people way to protect them, and it's good she gets over that worry by the end of the second episode. Strength doesn't just come from within; it comes from your friends and allies, too. And I want to see Peggy just chilling. She doesn't have to go on dates, but it'd be nice to see her away from her super spy role.
It'll be interesting to see how they handle Jarvis. I don't want them to emasculate him just to balance his character against Peggy's. Because it's really easy to turn him into the bumbling butler/sidekick character. I think he has the emotional resolve that Peggy's struggles with. He has a good life already, so that grounds him more. I wonder if Jarvis fought in the war, too. He jokes he knows how to do stitches because he fixes Howard's zippers, but maybe he was a soldier or a medic? He's pretty stubborn, too, so he can go head to head with Peggy. Their exchanges are actually pretty funny and cute. So much Britishness going on. :-) Actually, he's kind of the Xander to Peggy's Buffy, no?
As for the rest of the cast, I feel like the SSR guys are just there to be an obstacle for Peggy and that they aren't real characters; they're just tools of the plot. Maybe Thompson and Dooley gain some depth in the later episodes. I naturally like Sousa, but I've liked Enver since he was on Dollhouse. I secretly hope he's the guy that Peggy eventually marries, but there's no reason he needs to be a love interest right away. And I hope they give Angie more to do. I have issues with characters who don't know about the main characters secret identity. It always puts them at a disadvantage. So fingers crossed that Angie figures it out eventually and she ends helping Peggy to concoct cover stories or something.
As for the whole Leviathan arc, sounds like they're another HYDRA of sorts? Well, the newfound SHIELD that we all know is coming will need an enemy to fight. I want to show to remain a spy show, though, so please keep the aliens and the superheroes away. Agents of SHIELD can tackle those stories.
Is it wrong to think that guys won't enjoy this show just because the main character is a strong female lead? I mean, Peggy's struggles are universal. Who hasn't felt like they've been maligned or mistreated or insulted or forgotten? Just because we're seeing the story of a wounded soldier and that soldier just happens to be a woman in the 1940s shouldn't mean that it's not relatable. Peggy and the guys at the SSR all have the same story. They went through a brutal war and saw horrible things and now they're home and they have to cope with those experiences. It's just harder for Peggy because no one takes her seriously. Anyway, I'd hate for the show to be labelled as just a "girl's show". Guys can, and should, watch, too, and still enjoy it.
I'm pretty biased, though. I was raised on Buffy, so a butt kicking heroine will always appeal to me. :-)
Now, we all know Peggy ends up running SHIELD with Howard. Does that mean Thompson and Dooley and Sousa all end up working for her? That'd be an interesting second season. Or does Dooley die? Because Peggy has a different boss in the Agent Carter one-shot. It's weird that we sort of know the ending of this show already. Howard's name is cleared. SHIELD is formed and is slowly, but eventually, taken down by HYDRA. Peggy marries and has kids. Howard marries and has Tony. Howard dies in a car crash. Peggy is alive in the present, but she's losing her memory. The in-between is the fun bit, though. There's a lot of time there that hasn't been covered by the movies.
Random: Thank god Haley Atwell can do a good American accent. I believe she's half American so maybe that's why. I always cry a little when a really good British actor has a horrible American accent. I'm glad the show never draws attention to the fact that Peggy fights in heels or a skirt/dress. With that said, her fight on top of the milk truck, while a little ridiculous, is all the more impressive because she is fighting in heels and a skirt. I'd like to see Steve do that. ;-) Also love that Peggy is a crack shot. It's a carryover from the movies, but it also shows that she doesn't need a giant machine gun to be deadly. The pilot dwelled a little on her grief for Steve, but I really don't need her gazing sadly at his picture in every episode. I hope they have that Captain America adventure show in future episodes. It's such a great contrast to what Peggy is doing in the real world. She just loathes the character of Betty Carver. What is Marvel's obsession with things that glow? The McGuffin always seems to be a weird, glowy object.
Hey, has there ever been a thing in the comics where they reimagined Peggy as Captain America with Steve as her wartime love interest? I know Marvel used to do What If? stories. After watching Agent Carter, I feel like Peggy easily could have been Captain America had she taken the serum.
I hope the show does really well. I really want a second season.
Oh, and kind of related, but there was an Ant-Man teaser as well. It looks so serious. Please tell me the actual movie is more lighthearted. I don't need Guardians of the Galaxy levels of zaniness, but some jokes would be nice.
The long:
Is the show perfect? Perhaps not. But the foundation for awesomeness is there. With a run of only eight episodes, there's a lot the show has to do in a short amount of time. So we may get an arc that doesn't flag, but I hope that doesn't mean they have to sacrifice the quieter moments that helps to develop character.
And Peggy is certainly a character. She's not just a one-dimensional ass kicker. She has depth and feelings and the writers allow her to deal with her emotions without making her weepy or maudlin. You really feel for her when her friend/roommate dies. I always worry that a "strong female lead" just means a woman in a man's role. That they just make her butch and they forget that there are other ways to be strong. Peggy isn't just a capable fighter; she's clever and witty, too. On the flip side, I really hope they don't play up her sexiness just because she's a woman. Her in the blonde wig and low cut dress in the first episode was almost ridiculous if not for Haley Atwell's awesomeness. And hopefully the writers don't dumb down her male co-workers too much. I don't want them to be idiots just so Peggy can triumph all the time. Actually, it'd be interesting if she is caught while trying to help Howard. And maybe she does get caught. You could interpret her dead end role as a code breaker in the Agent Carter one-shot as a formal punishment.
Oh, and like any good hero, she tries to push people way to protect them, and it's good she gets over that worry by the end of the second episode. Strength doesn't just come from within; it comes from your friends and allies, too. And I want to see Peggy just chilling. She doesn't have to go on dates, but it'd be nice to see her away from her super spy role.
It'll be interesting to see how they handle Jarvis. I don't want them to emasculate him just to balance his character against Peggy's. Because it's really easy to turn him into the bumbling butler/sidekick character. I think he has the emotional resolve that Peggy's struggles with. He has a good life already, so that grounds him more. I wonder if Jarvis fought in the war, too. He jokes he knows how to do stitches because he fixes Howard's zippers, but maybe he was a soldier or a medic? He's pretty stubborn, too, so he can go head to head with Peggy. Their exchanges are actually pretty funny and cute. So much Britishness going on. :-) Actually, he's kind of the Xander to Peggy's Buffy, no?
As for the rest of the cast, I feel like the SSR guys are just there to be an obstacle for Peggy and that they aren't real characters; they're just tools of the plot. Maybe Thompson and Dooley gain some depth in the later episodes. I naturally like Sousa, but I've liked Enver since he was on Dollhouse. I secretly hope he's the guy that Peggy eventually marries, but there's no reason he needs to be a love interest right away. And I hope they give Angie more to do. I have issues with characters who don't know about the main characters secret identity. It always puts them at a disadvantage. So fingers crossed that Angie figures it out eventually and she ends helping Peggy to concoct cover stories or something.
As for the whole Leviathan arc, sounds like they're another HYDRA of sorts? Well, the newfound SHIELD that we all know is coming will need an enemy to fight. I want to show to remain a spy show, though, so please keep the aliens and the superheroes away. Agents of SHIELD can tackle those stories.
Is it wrong to think that guys won't enjoy this show just because the main character is a strong female lead? I mean, Peggy's struggles are universal. Who hasn't felt like they've been maligned or mistreated or insulted or forgotten? Just because we're seeing the story of a wounded soldier and that soldier just happens to be a woman in the 1940s shouldn't mean that it's not relatable. Peggy and the guys at the SSR all have the same story. They went through a brutal war and saw horrible things and now they're home and they have to cope with those experiences. It's just harder for Peggy because no one takes her seriously. Anyway, I'd hate for the show to be labelled as just a "girl's show". Guys can, and should, watch, too, and still enjoy it.
I'm pretty biased, though. I was raised on Buffy, so a butt kicking heroine will always appeal to me. :-)
Now, we all know Peggy ends up running SHIELD with Howard. Does that mean Thompson and Dooley and Sousa all end up working for her? That'd be an interesting second season. Or does Dooley die? Because Peggy has a different boss in the Agent Carter one-shot. It's weird that we sort of know the ending of this show already. Howard's name is cleared. SHIELD is formed and is slowly, but eventually, taken down by HYDRA. Peggy marries and has kids. Howard marries and has Tony. Howard dies in a car crash. Peggy is alive in the present, but she's losing her memory. The in-between is the fun bit, though. There's a lot of time there that hasn't been covered by the movies.
Random: Thank god Haley Atwell can do a good American accent. I believe she's half American so maybe that's why. I always cry a little when a really good British actor has a horrible American accent. I'm glad the show never draws attention to the fact that Peggy fights in heels or a skirt/dress. With that said, her fight on top of the milk truck, while a little ridiculous, is all the more impressive because she is fighting in heels and a skirt. I'd like to see Steve do that. ;-) Also love that Peggy is a crack shot. It's a carryover from the movies, but it also shows that she doesn't need a giant machine gun to be deadly. The pilot dwelled a little on her grief for Steve, but I really don't need her gazing sadly at his picture in every episode. I hope they have that Captain America adventure show in future episodes. It's such a great contrast to what Peggy is doing in the real world. She just loathes the character of Betty Carver. What is Marvel's obsession with things that glow? The McGuffin always seems to be a weird, glowy object.
Hey, has there ever been a thing in the comics where they reimagined Peggy as Captain America with Steve as her wartime love interest? I know Marvel used to do What If? stories. After watching Agent Carter, I feel like Peggy easily could have been Captain America had she taken the serum.
I hope the show does really well. I really want a second season.
Oh, and kind of related, but there was an Ant-Man teaser as well. It looks so serious. Please tell me the actual movie is more lighthearted. I don't need Guardians of the Galaxy levels of zaniness, but some jokes would be nice.
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no subject
Date: 2015-01-12 07:12 pm (UTC)Still, it seems to be mostly holding my interest so far, even if I was a bit distracted for the premiere, I'm going to keep watching it.
Oh, and in other news, the first trailer for Rob Thomas' "iZombie" dropped:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2015/01/izombie-trailer-premiere-date
It really does feel like an undead Veronica Mars from the trailer.
I'm not quite sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-13 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-13 02:03 am (UTC)You have a point. It probably will be, to some extent... but hey, at least time the clever outsider who knows better than the cops is a girl this time! :)
no subject
Date: 2015-01-14 01:36 am (UTC)