Amy Richau reviews episode three of Marvel’s Agent Carter…
The third episode of Marvel’s Agent Carter bounced back quite nicely from the slight disappointment of the second episode in the series. This is in large part because the episode, “Time and Tide”, focuses on Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Howard Stark’s “butler” Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy).
“Time and Tide” picks up soon after the second episode left off. After discovering Howard Stark’s license plate at the scene of the implosion, Carter’s SSR co-workers zero in on Jarvis to find some answers. Carter is in the trickiest of positions. She’s working with Jarvis to help clear Stark’s name at the same time her co-workers are trying to arrest Stark, and any of his accomplices.
Agent Peggy Carter is turning out to be the polar opposite of her love Captain America. While Steve Rogers was able to put on a flashy costume and be praised for all of his good deeds on the front page of the newspaper, Peggy Carter’s only way to save the day involves having to do something that looks foolish and incompetent to her peers and supervisor, and the need to hide in the shadows.
During the episode we not only see the blossoming of the partnership between Carter and Jarvis, but learn how Jarvis became involved with Stark in the first place. Carter and Jarvis are a unique pair and quite delightful to watch. D’Arcy does a lovely job with the role that requires a certain amount of uptightness and, in this episode, the need to do some repelling – all while engaging in witty banter.
While the Jarvis/Carter partnership is working quite well for Agent Carter, the characters in the SSR office still need more fleshing out to remain interesting and rise above stereotypical (‘possible love interest’ or ‘blustery boss’) roles.
The ladies boardinghouse scenes and the scenes between Carter and her waitress friend are also not very satisfying beyond being a good example of how far times have changed. I’m sure these characters will play a more important role in future episodes of Agent Carter, but right now they seem only like a time filler.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions for viewers at the end of the episode about Howard Stark, Leviathan, and Carter’s future at SSR. While the show isn’t up to “must-watch” material for me yet, I’m happy to tune in next week to see what Agent Carter has up her sleeves in her next adventure.
Amy Richau is a freelance entertainment and sports writer. Follow her on Twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E&v=Z2vq4CudKRk&feature=player_embedded
Originally published January 14, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
