S01.E03: Time And Tide

[that one guy]

Glad it's not just me - I was certain the shooter was a woman because of the way she walked and the ill-fitting suit (too big in an attempt to hide the hips). My wife wasn't so sure.

I doubt it will turn out to be someone who hasn't been on the show, so I'm going out on a limb to say it's either Dottie or Angie, and I'm betting on Dottie because the shooter looked too tall to be Lyndsey Fonesca, and Dottie looked too tall to be a ballerina. Also, one version of the Black Widow origin story has her starting out as a ballet dancer named Natalia Romanova, so as soon as she said she was a ballet dancer I was all "...and assassin!" And that was before anybody got assassinated.

Total complete speculation but I'm trying to figure out what's going on. So - World War II and everybody's got a top secret science and superpowers division - The US has the SSR, Nazi Germany had Hydra, and Stalin's got Leviathan. The war ends and everybody's after Stark's bad babies. Brannis steals the bad stuff for the Soviets, but then turns around to sell them to Ray Wise instead. Is Roxxon Hydra or a third (fourth) party? Soviets send an assassin to kill Brannis and secure the bomb. Leviathan "only wanted one thing" from Stark, so they go after the witness to keep him quiet, and don't bother to re-take the rest of the weapons. Do they already have what they wanted, or was it the Nitramene? Or was the assassin paid by Roxxon or Hydra instead? I have no idea, except for a gut feeling that the Soviets getting the weapons might actually be a better outcome than Roxxon. That deterrence thing worked pretty well with the Soviets, but is less effective against the kind of people whose plans include a giant truck bomb. What does Roxxon want to blow up, and why? And why isn't the SSR just as worried about the potential buyers as they are about Stark?

It hurt to watch Carter berated for screwing up. Was that really necessary? Did she really think Jarvis was going to break?

In spite of all the speculation, I don't think the issue of Peggy's eventual husband is going to be addressed in this run of episodes at all. There's too much work to do in the five remaining episodes, and the character has shown any evidence that she's willing to get close to anyone in any way. Pretty sure romance for Peggy will have to wait on a second run of episodes. (or possibly Ant Man?)

[Bruinsfan]

I expected the car to push the first car into the train rather than just shoot the guys.

It seems to me that they could have just waited until the train was almost there, rammed the car farther forward, and not had anyone in the SSR conclusively know that someone was covering their tracks. Maybe their intent was to be obvious and discourage further investigation?

I certainly wouldn't mind if Sousa/Peggy get close some day but in a recent interview the writer didn't discount the potential future of Agent Thompson/Peggy, so I'm thinking we will see more of them interacting.   Maybe it won't be amorous but I got the impression that Agent Thompson will definitely have an impact on her character.

Aside from a love of punching criminals, what would they have in common?

 

Also, it appears that all of Howard's bad babies like to glow.

I wish they weren't going quite so futuristic with all of Howard Stark's 1940s weapons developments, given that the stuff seems more advanced than weaponry available in the early 21st century. More conventional missiles or artillery shells could be just as explosive and dangerous to the public when stolen without looking like something from Warehouse 13.

 

Plus, Angie is a sweetheart, but she comes on really strong and doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space.  People who aren't spies would be wary of that constant "in-your-face" interaction after only knowing you a few days.  

Yeah, people who want to be my new best friend 10 minutes after I meet them are plenty off-putting even without any concerns about national security.

 

The thing that I dig most about this show? It's showing that Captain America was lucky to have Peggy instead of the other way around. She's not a girlfriend or a damsel; she's a peer, if not a goddamn superior.

I thought that was pretty clear from the first Captain America movie. In a way, it's a shame Erskine and everyone else was too blinded by a less hostile/extreme form of the era's chauvinism. If they'd ever considered the possibility of their prototype super-soldier being a woman, they would have already had the perfect candidate.

[Sakura12]

I'm expecting Sousa to be following a lead that Peggy's trying to cover up and Peggy will have to save him from the Ballerina Assassin. Which is when he find out what she's doing. 

[Raja]

Bridget Regan is definitely a bad guy. "Dottie from Iowa?" Yeah right.

 

Peggy in pants, especially in this time period. HOT.

 

 

I'd love it if Dottie is actually a dancer AND an evil agent. How awesome would that be?

Still loving the look of the show -- the fashion, hair, makeup, sets. The details are so well done that I sometimes get caught up looking and have to rewind because I missed some dialogue.

For some reason her cover is as a ballerina. Xena will never be a ballerina, a Las Vegas showgirl which don't exist yet or a Radio City Rockette maybe, but someone from Iowa didn't have her dream knocked out when she outgrew the role

[kennyab]

Yeah, people who want to be my new best friend 10 minutes after I meet them are plenty off-putting even without any concerns about national security.

 

How long has Peggy been working in the New York office at this point? A few months, right (I don't think a whole year). I get the impression that Peggy and Angie have been very friendly acquaintances for a while now, even if they aren't besties. And it's obvious that Peggy has grown quite fond of her in that time, which I think Angie picks up on. We've seen that they do talk to each other a bit about their respective lives and engage in girl talk, even if Peggy has to be a bit more circumspect. And heck, at this point, Angie really is Peggy's best friend in New York (she's still feeling Jarvis out, he's not quite there yet).

[Mars477]

Roxxon are Marvel's resident Evil Bastards, Incorporated. They're not terrorist groups like HYDRA or AIM, but you might want to check and double check the fine print on your employment contract before you sign on with them. Among other things, they consider "termination" to be quite literal.

[Malbec]

I agree. While she's incredibly strict and her mores seem absolutely archaic by today's standards, I really do think she's trying to provide a safe space for the women at the hotel at a time when women had very few safe spaces. Yes, it was super-annoying that her ultimate approval of Peggy was based on Peggy's "desire" to get married. But I find the character to be an interesting example of the tension at the time between society's desire for women to continue to fulfill traditional gender roles and the empowerment that women embraced while they were basically keeping the nation going. She believes in those traditional roles but acknowledges the importance of women as capable and independent people (well, until they find the right guy). Plus, the actress has a sharpness to her that I find immensely appealing, even if there are times that I want to roll my eyes at the character.

 

I agree, I find myself... not entirely hating the House Boss Lady.  The character is strict and traditional, but the actress (to me anyway) manages to convey a sense of sincerity.  She comes across as wanting to run the house as she genuinely thinks is best for the girls, rather than just being a dick for no reason.

[Spartan Girl]

"She was Jewish?" "She still is, I'm happy to say." Edwin Jarvis, you're a keeper.

 

 

Damn straight he is.  Between the backstory and his fake American accent, Jarvis is officially the best male character on this show.  Can't say the same about most of the other guys on this show, except for Sousa.  He's okay, but I doubt that he's Peggy's husband.  After all, she is kind of on the rebound and I don't think she's the type to end up with the first guy she's vaguely interested in.

 

I liked how Peggy was sad about her sexist cheating jerk coworker dying, even though she acknowledged he was a sexist cheating jerk.  That last scene with her and her waitress friend was very well-done.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[ottoDbusdriver]

Glad it's not just me - I was certain the shooter was a woman because of the way she walked and the ill-fitting suit (too big in an attempt to hide the hips). My wife wasn't so sure.

 

And the shooter had 2-3 inch heels on their shoes, so probably a woman for sure.

 

It seems to me that they could have just waited until the train was almost there, rammed the car farther forward, and not had anyone in the SSR conclusively know that someone was covering their tracks. Maybe their intent was to be obvious and discourage further investigation?

 

The problem with that solution is that there is no guarantee that the occupants of the car would have both been killed in the ensuing collision.  You need at least a double-tap to be sure of a kill (Thank you Zombieland Rule # 2). The shooter pumped 4 bullets into Krzeminski and then 3 into the guy in the back seat.

[alias1]

Why don't they just put that on the radio?

What's a radio?

[Sandman]

I agree. While she's incredibly strict and her mores seem absolutely archaic by today's standards, I really do think she's trying to provide a safe space for the women at the hotel at a time when women had very few safe spaces. ... Plus, the actress has a sharpness to her that I find immensely appealing, even if there are times that I want to roll my eyes at the character.

 

No doubt about it. Meagan Fay is a pro. I'm always glad when her name turns up in the credits somewhere.

[AzureOwl]

And I love that everyone is immediately jumping on Dottie as being an evil spy. At least that takes some of the heat off Angie, who everyone thought was an evil spy last week! :-D ALL of the supporting characters can't be secret spies!

Glad it's not just me - I was certain the shooter was a woman because of the way she walked and the ill-fitting suit (too big in an attempt to hide the hips). My wife wasn't so sure.

I doubt it will turn out to be someone who hasn't been on the show, so I'm going out on a limb to say it's either Dottie or Angie, and I'm betting on Dottie because the shooter looked too tall to be Lyndsey Fonesca, and Dottie looked too tall to be a ballerina. Also, one version of the Black Widow origin story has her starting out as a ballet dancer named Natalia Romanova, so as soon as she said she was a ballet dancer I was all "...and assassin!" And that was before anybody got assassinated.

And the shooter had 2-3 inch heels on their shoes, so probably a woman for sure.

Another detail to consider is what the henchman said before he and Peggy started fighting. He said "They told me one of you was coming" immediately followed by "I don't have a problem killing a woman"

Taken separately it could mean that he was expecting a Leviathan agent and the second part as a threat leveled at Peggy. But put it together and you get "They told me one of you was coming but I don't have a problem killing a woman". As in, the guy was expecting Leviathan to send a woman and he didn't mind.

 

It seems to me that they could have just waited until the train was almost there, rammed the car farther forward, and not had anyone in the SSR conclusively know that someone was covering their tracks. Maybe their intent was to be obvious and discourage further investigation?

The problem with that solution is that there is no guarantee that the occupants of the car would have both been killed in the ensuing collision. You need at least a double-tap to be sure of a kill (Thank you Zombieland Rule # 2). The shooter pumped 4 bullets into Krzeminski and then 3 into the guy in the back seat.

Another problem with that method is that we’re talking about 1940s cars. Those things were the next best thing to a tank. Even with a head start there’s no guarantee the collision would build enough momentum to push the whole car in the middle of the road. Not to mention injuring the assassin in the process.

And getting bumper to bumper would’ve been too slow with cars like those, Krzeminski at least would’ve had time to get out of the car and start shooting.

Edited January 14, 2015 by AzureOwl

[FurryFury]

Damn it, I wanted to give Peggy a hug in that last scene in the diner. Poor girl, so much crap to deal with,mplus incredibly stressful work, which she can't talk about with anyone except Jarvis, who's not that close to her yet. She's such a great and relatable protagonist, and this is coming from someone who usually struggles with liking the main character.

I'm hoping Sousa's not the eventual husband, but a red herring. Too obvious and convenient.

Edited January 14, 2015 by FurryFury

[myril]

Angie continues to deliver the great quotes.  She had the quote about how Houdini is not a good thing, and then about her cousin Ralphie.  I'm still sticking with her working with Howard, the new neighbor on the other hand, she's Leviathan.

 

Couldn't help but notice they played the song "Someone to watch over me" (Gershwin, a jazz classic) in the last scene with Peggy and Angie at the Automat. Might mean nothing. Yes, it is a love song, but no not hinting at that. It just seemed that particular the title line of the song, "Someone to watch over me", stood out in the soundscape - but could have been just to my ears, I like the song. Not sure about Angie, which side she is on, but might be she is working with Howard.

 

Damn, Carter can kick some ass. Sure, she won with a deus ex macchina, but she was holding her own quite nicely before Jarvis intervened.

 

Some nice stunt coordination and work on the show. Was amazed to read, that Haley Atwell has been doing her stunts, fights herself. Looks professional enough.

 

I continue to be so impressed with the set decorations and the costumes.

 

Same here, Sometimes just swoon for a minute or more over it. Good thing that I can rewind, might miss out on some of the story otherwise. We should wear hats more often again.

 

Wow, I'm really digging this show.  The scenes in the boarding house feel so genuine, like that girl who was evicted because she had a guy over.  They add to the show, they don't detract from it.

 

Agree, these little moments give so much atmosphere to the show and add to the characters.

 

Had some laugh when Penny shut the window on that guy. Poor fellow, but he made it to his love interest. And nice beat that the book of symbols was camouflaged as Complete Works of William Shakespeare (yeah, right, who would accidentally start to browse that.)

 

Very much enjoying the show so far. Optimistic for the upcoming episodes.

Edited January 14, 2015 by katusch

[Rick Kitchen]

What's a radio?

 

That thing "the Adventures of Captain America" plays on.

[AzureOwl]

Couldn't help but notice they played the song "Someone to watch over me" (Gershwin, a jazz classic) in the last scene with Peggy and Angie at the Automat. Might mean nothing. Yes, it is a love song, but no not hinting at that. It just seemed that particular the title line of the song, "Someone to watch over me", stood out in the soundscape - but could have been just to my ears, I like the song. Not sure about Angie, which side she is on, but might be she is working with Howard.

Add to that the fact that Angie is short for Angelica, as in “angel” and you have even more of the guardian angel vibe.

 

Some nice stunt coordination and work on the show. Was amazed to read, that Haley Atwell has been doing her stunts, fights herself. Looks professional enough.

There was a price to pay for that though. Apparently Hayley kept missing her marks and ended up punching and hurting a ridiculous amount of stuntmen and actors.

[kennyab]

There was a price to pay for that though. Apparently Hayley kept missing her marks and ended up punching and hurting a ridiculous amount of stuntmen and actors.

 

My Atwell love is now complete. Being the professional stuntmen that they are, I'm sure they were wearing cups.

[Cranberry]

Hayley Atwell is adorable. (She livetweeted both the east and west coast airings of this episode and had lots of fun tweets -- and yes, she does tend to accidentally injure the people around her!)

 

I love how real Peggy feels. She's obviously a strong person, and she's great at brushing off sexist or just plain mean comments with a quick quip, but we can see that these comments do bother her. She wants her co-workers to respect her. She wants people to recognize that she does good work. She wants to bond with people and have friends, but she's afraid of losing them, so she keeps them at arm's length. We already know so much more about how she thinks and feels than we know about AoS's Agent Melinda May, who I love but who falls more into the "Action Girl" trope than Peggy does. AoS could use some of Agent Carter's writers as well as their fight coordinator!

[FurryFury]

I'd trade Peggy for the whole cast of AoS, and I actually like AoS.

[tv echo]

Another great episode.

 

• I liked hearing about Jarvis' back story.  It really explained his loyalty to Stark.
• HA really can fight convincingly.  I also liked seeing how Peggy gets her hair in those curls by pinning those little pincurls in place at night.
• I'm starting to find Angie a little annoying.  I'm not sure why - because I liked Lyndsy Fonseca on Nikita.
• I think they're dropping hints that Sousa is Peggy's future husband, but I think it'll be a red herring.  It would be a real twist if her husband turns out to be jackass Jack (as foreverevolving suggested above).
• So a strange guy climbs to Peggy's window by mistake.  It's the boyfriend of Peggy's neighbor, Molly (gee, wonder how they met and how long ago?).  Molly gets ratted out and is evicted.  New neighbor Dottie moves in.  She's played by Bridget Regan, who played a strong woman who can fight in Legend of the Seeker.  Yep, nothing suspicious about that.

Edited January 14, 2015 by tv echo

[Boundary]

And the shooter had 2-3 inch heels on their shoes, so probably a woman for sure.

 

I got the vibe that the killer was actually protecting Peggy. "He" saw her and Jarvis arriving, stayed while Jarvis used his fake American accent, waited for the witness to be loaded up into a car and followed it, then eliminated the threat to expose Peggy. If it's Dottie, that'd also fit in with tv echo's scenario that whoever is responsible engineered Molly's eviction. This person isn't threatening Peggy (yet), they are protecting her.

[paigow]

And nice beat that the book of symbols was camouflaged as Complete Works of William Shakespeare 

 

Who knew that Wingdings were around in 1946?

[Snarkette]

The whole automat thing is still bugging the hell out of me. Automats are this: http://retrothing.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/20/automatchoices.jpg and not what we're seeing.

[kennyab]

The whole automat thing is still bugging the hell out of me. Automats are this: http://retrothing.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/20/automatchoices.jpg and not what we're seeing.

 

The cafe isn't strictly an automat, as they also seem do made-to-order, but the automat is there: http://teachme2save.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Agent-Carter-Automat-Set-1024x768.jpg

[kili]

The whole automat thing is still bugging the hell out of me. Automats are this: http://retrothing.ty...omatchoices.jpg and not what we're seeing.

 

I seem to recall in one of last week's episodes, Peggy walked over to one of those machines and got something out (a sandwich or a muffin). I remember thinking it was odd they would have those vending machines in a cafe until I saw it was an Automat. Angie mostly seems to serve coffee.  So, it's an Automat/Cafe? The Automat machines better come in to play or it s a really odd choice. Maybe the production designers decided Automat and the writers decided Cafe and the writer's are winning.

[Jodithgrace]

I've been speculating that the reason we never see Anna, and the reason that Jarvis seems to do all the cooking and housework, is that she is an invalid. He obviously loves her, given the emotion he displays when telling her story, but he also shows a bit of attraction to Carter. I'm just wondering where they are going with it.

 

I just love this show. I'm not a big Marvel fan, but turned into AOS because I love Joss Whedon and his style of humor. I only watched Agent Carter as a fill in, but it is really good. 

 

I was wondering if waitress friend has a crush on Carter..she gets hurt awfully easily for a casual friend. I'm not sure they would go there in a 1940's show, but they might hint. Surely new neighbor is a spy or assassin. I immediately thought she was too tall to be a ballerina. And too innocent to be anything but evil. LOL

 

ETA: I am actually old enough to have eaten in an automat..Horn and Hardart in NYC. Even the coffee was automated..no waitresses, as such. There were a few service people lurking around, but there was no counter or table service. But OTOH, that was Horn and Hardart. Maybe smaller no name automats combined counter service with the machines. Who knows?

Edited January 15, 2015 by Jodithgrace

[Mybrainhurts]

I keep watching the same flustered pigeon fly up around the lower left hand side of the screen during the daytime establishing shot of the phone company.

Have we given him a name yet? He's gotten more screen time than some working actors.

 

How about Herschel?  That seems like a good flustered pigeon name.

[Grammaeryn]

A pre war Eastern European Jewish woman marrying a non Jew? Happened but wasn't common, her parents probably almost had a stroke- it's one thing to work with the gentile another thing to marry one. Then again, if this was already in the late 30's (as it seems from Jarvis's story) she may have been aware of where the winds were blowing and saw an escape route with him (growing in israel I met a few men and women who managed to escape that way).

My father lived in Budapest during that time. Most people knew what was coming. Horthy was a big fan of Germany. By 1935 Hungary had started passing laws restricting Jews. If Anna's family was anything like mine, they would have been happy for any opportunity for her to escape Hungary alive. My family didn't have Howard Stark but we did have forgers and the Black Market!

Edited January 15, 2015 by Grammaeryn

[bethy]

I also noticed the use of "Someone to Watch Over Me" in the last scene. I really liked it as a theme for these two young women and their growing friendship.

Edited January 15, 2015 by bethy

[Emily Thrace]

Another possibility for Angie is that she could be Tony Starks mother. It woul explain why shes so important without her being a bad guy. All the gags about Howies love life make wonder if we won't see her here. Plus her rapid fire chatterbox speech kinda sounds like Tony to me.

I agree with whoever upthread suggests that Thompson is Peggys husband. I don't see CMM signing on for the role as is. Plus Peggy's granddaughter is pretty blond in winter soldier.

[FurryFury]

Is she her granddaughter? I thought she was her grand-niece or something.

I think Tony Stark's mother is called Maria. We probably won't get to see her on the show, because she needs to be much younger than Howard for Tony to be born when he is.

[absnow54]

Another possibility for Angie is that she could be Tony Starks mother. It woul explain why shes so important without her being a bad guy. All the gags about Howies love life make wonder if we won't see her here. Plus her rapid fire chatterbox speech kinda sounds like Tony to me.

Tony Stark's mother is named Maria though. Since Tony's not born until the 60's (if we're going by RDJ's age) it may be some time before we're (if ever) introduced to Mrs. Stark.

 

I agree with whoever upthread suggests that Thompson is Peggys husband. I don't see CMM signing on for the role as is. Plus Peggy's granddaughter is pretty blond in winter soldier.

I don't think CMM can be that picky, and I imagine getting into the Marvel Universe is incentive enough for most actors. I did have the same thought about fair haired Sharon Carter, but I couldn't remember if she was playing Peggy's granddaughter or niece (because wouldn't Peggy's granddaughter have a different last name, I almost asked, but of course this is Peggy.)

[paigow]

How about Herschel?  That seems like a good flustered pigeon name.

He is trying to escape from a one-eyed hawk named "Governor" 

[Raja]

I agree with whoever upthread suggests that Thompson is Peggys husband. I don't see CMM signing on for the role as is. Plus Peggy's granddaughter is pretty blond in winter soldier.

 

Could be just those recessive genes kicking in.

Is she her granddaughter? I thought she was her grand-niece or something.

 

When did American single mothers of a certain social class stop passing their babies off as sisters or nieces? One of my Filipino aunts did as late as the early 1970s

[FineWashables]

I really, really want to like this show because Mr Washables loves anything with superheroes so we're watching it whether I like it or not.  I think my main problem here is that I have never read comic books and I don't know the backstories on any of these people.  It shouldn't matter but it does -- it's hard to get engaged when you don't know who's who or why they're doing what they do.  For example, they showed an electric suit and Mr Washables got very excited about the suit, which apparently has meaning, but meh, it just looked like an electric suit to me.  Like Robert Redford wore in The Electric Cowboy, which was not a good movie.

 

I think I'd follow this better if the woman who's playing Agent Carter was more expressive.  I've been watching every episode and still haven't even registered her first name.  I can't figure out what she's thinking or what she feels, so I'm not engaged with her.  I have the same kind of problem with this actress that I do with Jim Caviezel, who carries underacting to the point where I don't even notice him on the screen.  

 

That said, I'm sure it's a great show if you know what's going on.

[Sandman]

I don't see CMM signing on for the role as is.

 

I don't know how busy he is or how picky he can afford to be, but it's not like the guy has a problem with playing tools.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Sandman

[Llywela]

I've never read comic books either, FineWashables - my only backstory on any of the MCU characters comes from the MCU itself, I've watched the films and the shows. This show only draws on one of the films as its origin, and the only backstory needed is that Peggy served with and loved Captain America during the war, he's now believed to be dead, and she also worked with Howard Stark during the war. All that information was given to us in the first episode, so you don't even need to have seen the Captain America film, really - all the relevant information is in the show itself, and I've not struggled to understand anything due to not having read comics.

 

I find Hayley Atwell plenty expressive - her thoughts and feelings are apparent to me throughout, even when she's being closed-off and professional. Still, horses for courses, we are all going to read things differently.

[Snarkette]

 

Mr Washables loves anything with superheroes

Underoos are great for that.

[that one guy]

So, it's an Automat/Cafe? The Automat machines better come in to play or it s a really odd choice. Maybe the production designers decided Automat and the writers decided Cafe and the writer's are winning.

 

Automats don't have waitresses. Angie doesn't really work there, she's a spy who is just hanging out there to spy on Peggy. Someday Peggy might pick up on this, but she's been too distracted recently by all the murder and stuff.

[kili]

Angie doesn't really work there, she's a spy who is just hanging out there to spy on Peggy.

 

No wonder she gets such crappy tips.

[blackwing]

I love the concept of the Automat, and I like seeing it here.  It's obviously from an era gone by, before fast food restaurants took over.  I still see those vending machines in some places where you push a button to rotate the selections, put your money in, and slide open the window.  They are obviously now only mostly used for snacks or drinks or microwaveable items, but I've always been fascinated by them.

 

Is Angie really only there to pour coffee?  So when she asks Peggy if she wants "the usual", is the "usual" a cup of coffee?  

 

Chad Michael Murray.... ugh.  He has one of those faces that makes me want to instantly go up to him and kick him in the nuts.  I feel the same way about Kenny Cosgrove on "Mad Men".  I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's the blonde hair or what, but I can't stand Chad Michael Murray.  The fact that he plays one of Peggy's antagonists doesn't help.

[Sakura12]

Sharon Carter is the niece. I'm guessing Peggy's got a brother or everyone just kept the name Carter because Peggy's so awesome. 

[kennyab]

Is Angie really only there to pour coffee?  So when she asks Peggy if she wants "the usual", is the "usual" a cup of coffee?  

 

The restaurant here is a weird amalgam of a short-order diner and automat (hence the diner from the premiere sending the eggs back). They have sandwiches and desserts in the automat portion, but other dishes available from the kitchen. Kind of like Pret A Manger now, where you can grab a pre-made sandwich or get a bit more of a custom order, expect that the ready-to-go portion is automat-style on the show.

[Rick Kitchen]

Is she her granddaughter? I thought she was her grand-niece or something.

I think Tony Stark's mother is called Maria. We probably won't get to see her on the show, because she needs to be much younger than Howard for Tony to be born when he is.

 

Howard's first wife was Loni Stane, who is a bad guy.

[that one guy]

Based on Tony's age and Howard's proclivities, I sort of doubt that Maria has been born yet in 1946, and if she has, she's a toddler. My parents were 2 years old in the summer of '46 and I'm only a few years younger than RDJ. Tony's mom was clearly the much younger second (or third or fourth) trophy wife.

[Netfoot]

I love the concept of the Automat, and I like seeing it here.  It's obviously from an era gone by, before fast food restaurants took over.

 

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the Automat restaurants I'd see on TV.  There were none where we lived but my mom always told me that some day, I'd travel, and then I'd get to try an Automat.

 

Of course, by the time I got around to traveling, it was a different era, and the age of the Automat had passed.  And in retrospect, I'm not so sure I like the idea of eating something from behind a little glass door, when there's no way to tell how long ago it was put behind that little glass door...

[MaryMitch]

When the SSR came to pick up Jarvis, Peggy's purse was in plain sight. I was waiting for one of the SSR guys to mention that; I wonder if this will come up in a later episode.

[alias1]

I've never read comic books either and I love this series.  Hailey Atwell does a wonderful job of conveying her feelings without saying anything.  You could feel her pain when she had to apologize for "finding" that stolen car report.   And the show does a wonderful job of recreating the era.  I love the settings and the clothes.  Some people have called this a period piece, which sort of puzzles me, as that makes me think more of a Downton Abbey type of show.  For me, this show is just set in the 40's.  I wonder what the difference is between the 40's and the 50's because I've never heard of anything set in the 50's as a period piece.

[Raja]

When the SSR came to pick up Jarvis, Peggy's purse was in plain sight. I was waiting for one of the SSR guys to mention that; I wonder if this will come up in a later episode.

When my wife shows her purses my response is its just a bag, Jarvis is married if the 1946 SSR men are like me it was just a bag and I wouldn't know my wife's from my co-workers

[Vapor]

I define "period piece" as anything that takes place in a time that isn't the relative recent past. That would include the future, though obviously most people would think of that as sci-fi first, since any future would be an invented period rather than an actual, established one. So, yeah, whether it's the 40s, 50, 60s, or 70s, it's a period piece. The term is just most often used when describing something from a long time ago, with very different clothing, architecture, culture, language, and social behavior.

 

"Agent Carter" being a period piece doesn't exclude it from also being an action/adventure spy drama with sci-fi and superhero-related elements though. It can be all at once or only a few. I regard this as a huge plus. The last thing I want is for all superhero media to look and sound the same, ugh.