Amy Richau reviews the season finale of Agent Carter…
When we last saw Agent Carter she had just seen her SSR boss Agent Dooley throw himself out of a window to prevent the bomb jacket he was attached to killing dozens of people. Also at the end of that episode audiences saw a scary movie theater mob scene that resulted from Dottie, my favorite assassin, and Dr. Ivchenko releasing a mysterious gas into the theater. After breathing in the gas theater goers became raging killers attacking everyone in sight.
As ‘Valediction’ begins we see the aftermath of the movie gas attack. Over 40 people are dead and it’s clear to Peggy (from gruesome bite marks and hands filled with pulled out hair) that the victims all killed one another. After Agent Sousa accidentally gets a whiff of the gas he proceeds to try and kill Agent Thompson and gives Agent Carter a swift punch for good measure.
When the SSR agents regroup at their office they are surprised to find not only Jarvis, but his employer Howard Stark. Stark explains that even though his name is on the canister of sinister gas (referred to as Midnight Oil) its creation was an accident and he never wanted it to be used. These opening scenes set up a very satisfying end to the Leviathan storyline that ran through all eight episodes of Agent Carter as Peggy and her crew (she is after all the best and brightest of them all) chase down Dottie and the evil doctor.
Valediction means “the act of saying farewell” and this theme runs throughout the entire episode. In addition to the thrilling chase to stop the Leviathan agents from gassing thousands of New Yorkers Peggy Carter and Howard Stark are forced to come to terms once and for all with the death of Captain America. The episode does a great job of linking these two story lines which both come to satisfying conclusions.
Of course a season finale wouldn’t be a season finale without a few cliff hangers and new twists. Without spoiling the episode I will say that the future of some of the Leviathan agents remains in question and a new villain Marvel fans will recognize is introduced. On the personal side Peggy and her waitress friend get a special treat that will keep them away from boarding houses for a while, and the romance you new was coming in the SSR office finally starts to spark.
Overall Agent Carter was a breath of fresh air for both Marvel and crime shows in general. Hayley Atwell deserves much of the credit for making Agent Carter an entertaining and fun new show that will hopefully return next season. If it does return I certainly hope that Jarvis and Howard Stark play large roles in season 2 as the humor they brought to the series was always a bright spot in season 1.
Amy Richau is a freelance entertainment and sports writer. Follow her on Twitter.
Originally published February 25, 2015. Updated November 14, 2019.
