Agent Carter Agent Carter General Discussion Thread

[Lily Adler]

This show looks very fun.

 

[hoy-small-fry]

If Agent Carter doesn't do well, maybe they'll simply cancel it and pull it from the network after 7 episodes.

 

[TalismanRing]

San Francisco Chronicle

'Agent Carter’ review: Cool addition to Marvel’s TV universe
By David Wiegand

Friday, January 2, 2015

Gosh, “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is a heck of a lot of fun, and if that statement feels a bit old-fashioned, well, it fits the sprightly period piece about a female secret agent fighting bad guys and sexism just after World War II.

You’d think Marvel’s new show for ABC, premiering Tuesday, was the sequel to “The Interview,” given how tough it was to track down the screener for the first episode. It wasn’t on the ABC press site, and an e-mail to the network’s PR department redirected me to Marvel itself, which granted me access to the first episode of the show’s eight episodes, but only for 24 hours.

It was all as hush-hush as the plot for the show’s premiere episode, which finds agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), twiddling her well-manicured thumbs after the war has ended and the men are home from the front, resuming the jobs they left to go fight for freedom. Peggy, who lost the love of her life in the war, works for the supersecret organization called the Strategic Scientific Reserve, but although she’s a highly intelligent and capable agent, she’s pretty much reduced to making coffee for “the boys.”

Peggy isn’t about to be marginalized because of her gender and comes to the aid of an old pal — rich, eccentric playboy Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), an obvious stand-in for the real-life Howard Hughes. Stark is accused of selling arms to the enemy during the war. Did he do it knowingly? No, he answers. Well, then, did he do it unknowingly?

He wouldn’t know, he cracks wise.

All kidding aside, Stark’s in trouble and needs Peggy to find out who the real traitors are. As far as her roommate knows, Peggy works at the phone company, but one night, Peggy dons a slinky gold lamé dress cut down to there, pops a Veronica Lake wig on her head and worms her way into the office of the suspected middleman, where she plants a wet one on his kisser, knocking him on his considerable assets — because she’s slapped a coat of Mickey Finn lipstick on before smacking him.

The show was created by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and inspired by two “Captain America” films and a short film featuring Agent Carter. The films, and TV shows, are all interrelated, but can be enjoyed separately as well. For example, while I liked “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” well enough when it began, I got tired of it after a while because it became repetitive. I have a feeling I’ll stick around longer with “Carter,” largely because of the nifty period details, the character development and the performances.

Atwell is terrific in the title role, as capable in the efficient, unflappable skin of Peggy as she is when pretending to be a blond American floozy in a gin joint. James D’Arcy is a model of amusing dry wit as Jarvis, Stark’s butler and his official liaison with Peggy. Jarvis believes in order above all things: Dinner at 7, “Jack Benny” on the radio at 8, to bed with his wife at 9. Cooper oozes ’40s authenticity as Stark, to the point where you’ll almost believe you’re watching a black-and-white period film instead of a full-color TV show.

The cast also includes Chad Michael Murray as an SSR agent with little apparent tolerance for skirts in the SSR, and Enver Gjokaj as a fellow agent who lost a leg in the war and gained a lot more tolerance than his male colleagues. James Landry Hébert plays evil to the hilt as an icy Green Suit.

Many of these characters relate to characters in other Marvel films and TV shows. Howard Stark, of course, is the father of “Iron Man’s” Tony Stark, who was conceived by Stan Lee in the image of Howard Hughes.

Small world? Not really. It’s a Marvel universe, and it’s growing.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

‘Marvel’s Agent Carter,’ TV review
Hayley Atwell ready for battle in World War II espionage series co-starring Shea Whigham and Dominic Cooper

Sunday, January 5, 2014, 2:00 AM

Agent Peggy Carter is a marvelous addition to the cool women characters now prowling TV screens.

And “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is a strong second show from ABC’s partnership with Marvel Comics.

“Agent Carter” feels quite different from the earlier “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” and for the casual TV fan that’s good. While the two shows are tied together, like everything in the complex Marvel universe, it’s easy to enjoy this show without knowing anything about the mythology.

Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is a World War II secret agent hero who, in 1946, finds herself back under the infuriating thumb of snickering men like her boss Roger Dooley (Shea Whigham), who see women as file clerks.

This is a woman who worked with Captain America, however. Fell in love with him, in fact, and now aches because he went missing a year earlier.

So she’s not about to sit in the office and file papers or her nails, not when she has a stronger right cross than Manny Pacquiao.

Her ticket back into the game is the brilliant inventor/hustler Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), a reworked Howard Hughes. Stark puts her in partnership with his butler, the quirky and fascinating Jarvis (James D’Arcy).

The period writing is a delight, and if “Agent Carter” has some comic book rhythms, that’s okay.

There’s plenty of action to go with snappy grownup dialogue, and Peggy is the kind of dame you won’t be able to resist watching.

With the Cold War looming, “Agent Carter” gives it a hot start.

LAS VEGAS WEEKLY

Josh Bell
Thu, Jan 1, 2015


Marvel’s Agent Carter Tuesdays, 9 p.m. (premieres January 6 at 8 p.m.), ABC.

Marvel’s first TV-series extension of its cinematic universe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., has been a bit of a disappointment, with a strong pilot followed by a mediocre first season full of generic action-adventure stories and flat characters. While the second season has been an improvement, with a clearer direction and a better incorporation of superhero elements, the show still can’t stand up to Marvel’s energetic, entertaining movies. Taking over for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during its winter hiatus, Agent Carter still isn’t as enjoyable as Marvel’s recent movies, but the first two episodes are promising, with far more style and wit than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has shown in quite a while.


The title character is Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), a resourceful secret agent who was a major supporting character in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, and is a longtime Marvel Comics fixture. The show takes place soon after the events of The First Avenger, at the conclusion of World War II, when Peggy has joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), the precursor to the modern Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. agency. One of the best things about Agent Carter is that it returns to the stylish, retro world of the Marvel universe in the 1940s, which the movies left behind when they transported Captain America to the present day. The vintage fashions, music and set design look good even on a reduced TV budget, and the show plays with the time period cleverly. The second episode features a hokey Captain America radio drama woven through the main plot, and Peggy herself is subject to all the unfortunate period-accurate attitudes about working women.


Atwell is charming as the unflappable but lonely Peggy, who pines for the disappeared Captain America, and the supporting cast includes reliable players like Dollhouse’s Enver Gjokaj and Boardwalk Empire’s Shea Whigham as Peggy’s fellow agents. Casual viewers may be a little overwhelmed by the show’s strong connections to Marvel’s movie and TV continuity—the first episode incorporates clips from The First Avenger, and the season’s main storyline is set into motion by Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, reprising his role from The First Avenger), father of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. But Marvel fans will be delighted by the way the show fills in gaps and expands on the cinematic world, and setting the show in the past means that it has entire decades of history to explore on its own. With only eight episodes in the first season, Agent Carter should hopefully be able to avoid the wheel-spinning and filler storylines that have plagued Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and maybe even prove that Marvel TV shows can take their place alongside Marvel movies.

 

[Art Freak]

Good to hear about "Agent Carter" but someone should tell these critics to tune back in to "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

 

[YJ1]

Yeah, AOS has grown in to the best show on regular TV.

Anyway...

"Atwell is terrific in the title role, as capable in the efficient, unflappable skin of Peggy as she is when pretending to be a blond American floozy in a gin joint."

Did anyone have any doubts?

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Seems no channel in the UK is wiling to pick this up as of yet, that's disappointing to say the least, was looking forward to this.

 

[Mike Murdock]

It's especially a shame because the biggest obstacle - the fact that US shows take breaks - doesn't apply. It'll air seven straight weeks, making it the easiest thing for British television to adopt.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^That just makes it even more crazy that no one has picked it up then. Hopefully someone will eventually.

 

[TalismanRing]

So odd that it's not being picked up in the UK when it's getting shown in India.

 

[TalismanRing]

Another good review from Variety

Brian Lowry TV Columnist

Excerpt

Marvel’s synergistic efforts remain one of its assets, but transforming a supporting player in “Captain America,” played by Hayley Atwell, into the star of a limited ABC series was inordinately opportunistic even by its standards, and as it turns out, a pretty smart bet. That’s because the combination of the British actress and post-World War II setting make the Marvel-branded vehicle, “Agent Carter,” considerable fun, and in some ways more promising than the series it’s replacing, the uneven “Agents of SHIELD.” While there’s no assurance this spinoff will have legs, the opening salvo is worthy of a hearty “Hail, ‘Carter.’”

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Will be checking out the show when it premieres. Hopefully it can at least approach some of the well regarded somewhat similar romps like Alias and Nikita for however long it lasts.

 

[rashad]

IGN Review - 8/10

 

[BloodHound]

Anyone knows if it will premiere the same time as AoS does now, or annother time?

 

[Mike Murdock]

The first episode will be at 8 because it's two hours. Every subsequent episode will be at 9.

 

[hoy-small-fry]

So odd that it's not being picked up in the UK when it's getting shown in India.

I really cannot fathom why C4 didn't pick it up like AoS... It's effectively the same show. Ah well, less ratings for them. Thank god for the interweb eh...

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

can't wait for it

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I am so excited for this, but I feel like the advertising will keep more people away then it gets. It is so cheesy.

 

[Surfer]

Comic Book Resources had an interview with Hayley Atwell and they said it will have ties to the Ant-Man movie. Not sure if she meant she will have an appearance in the Ant-man movie either through a Flashback or one of her at a very old age, or if something within the Agent Carter show will somehow connect to the Ant-Man movie. Link below.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=58198

Surfer

 

[Broseph44]

One day away folks. Excited for this especially after that agent Carter one shot. If it's anything like that I'm gonna enjoy it a lot.

 

[hoy-small-fry]

Comic Book Resources had an interview with Hayley Atwell and they said it will have ties to the Ant-Man movie. Not sure if she meant she will have an appearance in the Ant-man movie either through a Flashback or one of her at a very old age, or if something within the Agent Carter show will somehow connect to the Ant-Man movie. Link below.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=58198

Surfer

Yeah she's got a cameo in Ant-Man I believe, so flashback

 

[TalismanRing]

This sounds so fun t:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/05/agent-carter-captain-america-radio/

'Agent Carter' to feature Captain America... sort of

By Natalie Abrams on Jan 5, 2015 at 12:30PM

Even though Marvel’s Agent Carter picks up after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger—in which Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) crashes a plane full of nukes into the Arctic and ends up a capsicle—Captain America’s presence is still very much felt on ABC’s midseason drama, thanks to a radio show within the series.

Drawing from the Golden Age of Radio, “The Captain American Adventure Hour” details Cap’s heroic adventures fighting Nazis and saving his dame, Betty Carver, a.k.a. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

“It’s the bane of Peggy’s existence because you have the Peggy character on the show, Betty Carver, and she’s played by this actress who does a soft Marilyn Monroe voice and she’s always in jeopardy,” executive producer Michele Fazekas says. “If someone has a radio on, you’ll sometimes hear it, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, can you please turn that off?’ It’s just fun and a great little window into that time period.”


Staying true to the era, the radio show includes old-timey dialogue—”I’m going to make you see stars and stripes, Hitler!”—sound effects like punching a ham when Captain America takes a swing at someone or running a beer bottle along a xylophone for broken glass, and a very fitting narrator, Ralph Garman, whom Fazekas and fellow showrunner Tara Butters confess to being huge fans of. Los Angeles residents may best know the radio host from KROQ’s morning show Kevin and Bean, but you may also recognize him from Ted, A Million Ways to Die in the West, or as the former host of Fox’s reality TV hoax series The Joe Schmo Show.

 

[Ghostcrow13]

^ So great, I love the fact that they put in these things because it makes the world feel more real, because things like this would happen, like if Cap was real in WW2 he would have had a radio show, and a museum segment and stuff.

 

[kosh33]

Review of the first two episodes from Hitflix.. (some minor spoilers)
http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-marvels-agent-carter-swings-into-the-big-band-era

 

[kosh33]

This is a great interview.. Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas are interviewed by Tara's husband Marc Guggenheim

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/agent-carter-showrunners-grilled-by-759932

 

[Heretic]

I just saw that this is a prequel to the Agent Carter one-shot...so by the end of this, she is still a marginalized, glorified secretary. That's kind of disappointing. I guess theoretically they can link this to Ant Man and the old project that was dusted off and becomes Ultron though.