S01.E07: SNAFU

[The Kings Foot]

 Someone needs to shoot Howard Stark for the sake of humanity. 

[Advance35]

I just wanted to comment on Sousa not shooting Dottie, on sight.  Am I the only one that thinks that's in character, considering everything we've seen?   Sousa was less of a jerk than the other men in the SSR but he still didn't see Peggy for who she was or what she could do.  He saw a wounded flower.    The only one who seemed to grasp the gravity was Thompson and  that's only because he was in Russia and one got the impression HE could still hardly believe how big a threat one woman could be.   CMM did a good job of adding a shade of "I know it's hard to believe but...."  when telling Sousa, if he ran into Dottie, he should shoot to kill.    Sousa was able to gather himself quickly after she disarmed him and put up a fight and I believe he was trying to kill Dottie when he did manage to get his hands on his gun, it's just a shame the guy at the bottom of the stairs didn't have a chance to do the same.

 

For every drop of heroism Peggy has, Dottie matches her in icy villainy.   Where Peggy wants to show the men in the espionage world that women can help in the fight, Dottie is perfectly happy to have them keep underestimating her and being able to exploit that for Leviathans goals. 

 

Peggy is one of the most compelling characters Marvel's put on the screen (Big or small IMO) and I really want a second season.   And because it can't be said enough.   Can't believe how much I feel for Dooley.   And the character dynamic with Peggy I didn't even realize was there until it ended.  Him getting her to promise she'll stop Leviathan and make them answer for what they've done to him and others, and his "Atta Girl".  SOB.

 

I am SO getting this series on Blu Ray when it's released.

[kennyab]

 Someone needs to shoot Howard Stark for the sake of humanity. 

 

Ha! I actually like Howard more than Tony, but truth.

[kirinan]

I just wanted to comment on Sousa not shooting Dottie, on sight.  Am I the only one that thinks that's in character, considering everything we've seen?   Sousa was less of a jerk than the other men in the SSR but he still didn't see Peggy for who she was or what she could do.  He saw a wounded flower.

 

That's what I thought, too, Advance35. While my husband and I were both yelling at the screen, "Shoot her!" we both knew he wouldn't because that's not his character, and we were okay with that. Sousa is a gentleman, and (I think) one of the true good guys--sort of Captain America-ish on a much smaller scale (and I believe he's got more heroism in him than we've seen so far). I think he handled himself well in the situation, and maybe had he been in Russia he would have been able to shoot Dottie, but as it was (IMO) he didn't act incompetently; he acted within the character that's been established so far for him.

 

I will miss this show so desperately. Every time I see an AoS commercial, I want to cry. Even my husband, who's a big AoS fan (I don't watch it), said he'd be fine with a few more weeks of Agent Carter. 

Edited February 18, 2015 by kirinan

[Raja]

The commercial for aos that aired was all of a sudden saying 'you like shows about strong women? Look at all the women on our show?' It's like they just realized people might be watching this show who have zero interest in watching theirs!

But they still ended with Skye so I'm not sold.

Yes, I loves that she just laid it out and it all just true and she didn't pull any logical punches.

 

 

You beat me to the props for the switchboard operator and her gun--loved that!!

Loved the support Peggy eventually got from both Sousa and Thompson after she busted all their asses on how they perceived her from the start. That scene was really well played by all four of them.

 

 

If you put item 17 into bomb form it would be pretty much the most effective weapon ever. No risk to soldiers as the enemy tears themselves apart. And if someone by chance escapes, they will spread the tale of Americans inducing incurable madness in Russian soldiers. That's a pretty big Boogeyman. Heck, you could put it in anything, make it into gift perfumes to wives of important leaders. Figure out how to put it in cigars and hand them out like candy. Even a noncombatant is dangerous if they're attacking with absolutely no regard for their own life. 

 

Good grief, Howard. Some ideas you just shouldn't try out. Of course, we'll probably find out he was trying to make a happy gas so they just dissolved into the giggles for a few hours. The heat suit makes no sense. Why would you set it to warm up faster if someone's trying to take it off? And make the clasps so difficult to open? He needs the old timey version of a human-computer interactions person to work on his user interfaces, cause they suckkkk.

 

 

I love how the phone lady had her gun at the ready when talking to D'Arcy. And how their jaws all dropped when he said "written confession". 

But of course the phone operator with her revolver at the ready like

the old lady with the Thompson submachinegun in the First Avenger

serving the point security role distracts from the entire theme that the men did not trust the women to fight that Agent Carter has used. That theme became useful in drawing in non fans for cross promotion with Agents of SHIELD where the best fighter is the Calvary being a fifty year old woman, Mockingbird being able to hold her own with Spiderman for a time and now we have a

super powered Quake/Daisy/Skye

 

I am not sure the mad gas was Howard Stark's baby it was tested in Russia perhaps somehow the wartime SSR got word and Stark brought back an artifact as in Ironman 3 

where it was a plot point for his son to destroy his prototypes

I don't think Stark is the destroy for safety type. Thinking that science will eventually overcome any obstacle.

[absnow54]

Super excited for next week, but why does it have to come on immediately after the Parks and Rec finale? I'll likely be a blubbering mess already.

I think Parks and Rec isn't airing until 10PM next week, because of The Voice. [/off topic]

 

When Dottie was off buying a stroller, I was convinced they were using Steve's blood to make some sort of clone, but then she asked for a pink blanket, and for a moment I thought that this was some crazy Natasha origins story. 

[kennyab]

I think Parks and Rec isn't airing until 10PM next week, because of The Voice. [/off topic]

 

Very right, thanks for that. While I'll be disappointed to see Agent Carter take a bow (a temporary one, hopefully), just looking at the picture of Leslie and Ben on the Parks and Rec homepage already has me all kinds of emotional.

Edited February 18, 2015 by kennyab

[Primetimer]

Peggy Carter starts the episode under arrest and ends it a free woman. But there were a few too many explosions to call it a completely successful episode for her.

Read the story

[shrewd.buddha]

The show is still going strong, but I do wonder if it would be so good if all of this were stretched out to 22 episodes.. The Stark plot would be the overall arc and there would be filler episodes. So I'm glad it's short and sweet. But it looks as if the show will end on note of "to be continued ..".

 

The interrogation scenes at the beginning seemed to go on longer than necessary. Yes, they needed to beat that drum about sexism again and let Peggy give them some comeuppance - but Peggy also made some self-righteous assumptions about her co-workers that led to her lying and stealing. Neither side really seemed to be the more justified one.

 

It can be frustrating watching the good guys be two steps behind the villains until the final act. This is compounded by the fact that so many shows and movies are now based on action heroes and comic books  where this is standard operating procedure. At least they are not making Peggy and SSR look too incompetent (most of the time).

[beadgirl]

Poor Dooley.  Although I knew he was doomed once he let Ivchenko take No. 17 -- that's not something you can bounce back from career-wise, hypnotism or no.

   

 

Most interesting was a link there to an article from last week by somebody who had already figured out that Ivchenko is the MCU version of long-time Captain America foe Doctor Faustus.  I should have recognized Faustus' M.O. immediately...

 

That explains why he was reading Dr. Faustus; I figured that was a heavy-handed clue, even if I didn't know the comics character. (That was what he was reading before going to help the doctors, right?)

 

I loved Jarvis's ridiculous plan to save Carter, and their interactions together in the room.  And Carter's distillation of why she was invisible to all the agents at SSR was perfect.

  

 

Tonight's ep made me so angry -- how can anything with this much heart and depth be a filler, merely padding the time until Agents of SHIELD comes back on. One more ep and then I'm back to yelling at stupid.

 

I know.  The more I watch Agent Carter, the more I lose interest in Agents of Shield.

[emma675]

Such a good episode! I'll admit to tearing up during the scene where Peggy reveals Steve's blood to Dooley, Sousa and Thompson. The look on her face as they opened the container and the looks on the men's faces as they watched her was perfection.

 

And Howard (and Tony, too)? Just because you can create it, doesn't mean you should. Good lord.

[kennyab]

Peggy Carter starts the episode under arrest and ends it a free woman. But there were a few too many explosions to call it a completely successful episode for her.

http://previously.tv/agent-carter/a-mild-form-of-vindication/"> Read the story

 

One note on the recap -- Peggy didn't kill Bubbles. She just used the knock-out lipstick on him, typewriter guy was the one who killed him.

[Wootini]

The show is still going strong, but I do wonder if it would be so good if all of this were stretched out to 22 episodes.. The Stark plot would be the overall arc and there would be filler episodes. So I'm glad it's short and sweet. But it looks as if the show will end on note of "to be continued ..".

 

Agreed. I am ALL for shorter seasons of shows for this exact reason. Less filler means more awesomeness. Case in point: Agent Carter. Because as much as Agents of SHIELD has improved, it's still not as much fun to watch as Agent Carter has been right out of the gate. I also will be buying Agent Carter on Blu-ray because I will want to see this again. Agents of SHIELD? Yeah, not so much… (That said, as much as I'd love more Agent Carter, I would be afraid a second series wouldn't live up to the quality of the first. Sometimes it's nice to have just that one amazing season (Freaks & Geeks, My So-Called Life, etc))

 

This episode was a great set-up for the finale, while not feeling like it was all set-up. Loved the reversals in the interrogation, hated what happened to Dooley, and really hated the evil doc. Seriously, watching him hypnotize everyone in the last couple episodes was raising my blood pressure! :)

 

I'm also impressed with both the period detail (I honestly didn't think we'd see any more mattes of the 40s NYC aside from the one in the pilot) and the stunts on this show. Watching Dottie take her own unique way down the stairs was almost as amazing as her initial wall bounce a couple episodes ago. Wonderful! And Bridget Regan looks almost like a different person with the sleek hair, makeup and fancy threads. She's a good spy. (But I can't wait to watch Peggy take her down next week!)

[Crisopera]

I thought that the Russian kid with the hypnotically-painless amputation was going to turn out to be Sousa, who would be a sleeper agent. 

 

I really would love to see at least one more 8-episode season of this, but I would guess that it's an expensive show to make, and that the ratings probably don't justify another season. 

 

Watching the ad on BBCAmerica, I see that James D'Arcy is the apparent villain in the second season of Broadchurch.  I'm not sure how I feel about that...

[Sakura12]

Marvel has tons of money. They can afford to do another short season of Agent Carter in between SHIELD next season. They can show the very beginnings of SHIELD with Peggy as it's first Director. 

Edited February 18, 2015 by Sakura12

[Danny Franks]

Amputations and mind control in Soviet Russia? So far, so Winter Soldier. The Red Room creating Black Widows as well? I love how much work this show has done for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's so much fun to see them delve into the history that was just hinted at in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I just wish they'd put the actual Winter Soldier on the screen more.

 

Poor Dooley, played for a sucker. Him returning to his family was actually pretty frightening. I didn't want to watch, because I do believe these writers would have the balls to have him kill them. I did not twig at all that it was just a hallucination, so worried was I that he'd been programmed to hurt them. So that was a nice bait and switch.

 

I love how stupidly, absurdly dangerous so many of Howard's inventions are. Especially those that are that way by accident. An armour/heat source combo that makes people explode? Nice going, you moustachioed twerp.  I'm not even going to ask, how did they know it was explosive if it was a prototype? Did Howard build it, see it explode and then build another one, not fixing the problems? And not only that, but he also created a gas that makes people insanely violent? What was that supposed to be, an anaesthetic? I mean, come on!

 

Thompson and Sousa had some nice moments, both with Peggy and together. If Sousa isn't more than he seems, and is actually just a bland SSR agent, then the three of them could form a decent working triumvirate. Thompson in particular seems to be getting more depth and complexity as a character, and is a far cry from the jerk he seemed to be at the start of the season.

 

One more episode and then back to Agents of SHIELD? No thank you. That's like going from prime steak to fucking Spam.

 

ETA: This is definitely going to be on my blu-ray purchase list, regardless of extras. It's been that good, and has that much rewatch value.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Danny Franks

[ottoDbusdriver]

And not only that, but he also created a gas that makes people insanely violent?

 

Shouldn't there have been at least 1 survivor (whoever murdered the 2nd last survivor) or did the gas drive everyone in the theater into a murderous rampage and also eventually kill them ?

 

That's like going from prime steak to fucking Spam.

 

I'll second that.

[JillPole]

The last survivor could have been so wounded during the overall mayhem that he only lasted a minute longer than the penultimate survivor.

[charis]

I can't believe this show is almost over. I can't. Seriously, it hit end credits and I promptly keysmashed at the friend watching simultaneously, "WHY IS IT NOT NEXT EPISODE?" (followed quickly by, "WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE MORE?!"). I don't remember the last time I got that way over a show.  I don't want Agents of SHIELD back -- I can't even watch that show for May any more, and I adore her. Agent Carter is just so head-and-shoulders above it, especially when it comes to things like the writing. I do love the witty banter, but also the subtleties they seem to manage to fit, and the excellent balance of mood whiplash. (This show? This show I would consider buying. And I don't buy DVDs hardly ever nowadays.)

 

Did not see the Dooley thing coming. I figured he was a goner when Ivchenko started hypnotising him in previous eps, but I didn't expect that kind of an ending for him -- and I did not expect it to be such a sucker-punch in the feels. It's nice to see layers and shades on characters, even with such a short season.

 

I didn't even miss Angie in this episode -- which is saying something, because I've really enjoyed Angie. Loved how the interrogation was handled, with the intercuts and different attitudes and Peggy's response; loved Jarvis trying to help but not quite knowing how and bungling a bit; loved Peggy and Jarvis' interplay (and hell, Peggy's with everyone).

 

This show is such a good addition to the MCU -- not only does it really fill in background, but it's just awesome. Add me to the list of people hoping 'season finale' means we'll be getting more.

 

(ETA: I was watching Fleming before this, and could not help snickering. Dominic Cooper's Ian Fleming definitely has shades of Howard Stark going there ...)

Edited February 18, 2015 by charis

[RockShrimp]

On the one hand, the table scene was hilarious. On the other hand, if there were people on the other side of the one-way mirror and they had guns they WOULD HAVE ALREADY SHOT YOU.

Edited February 18, 2015 by RockShrimp

[HoodlumSheep]

Chief Dooley :'( I was really starting to like him too.

I agree with everyone who said it was in character for Sousa not to shoot Dottie the first chance he got. At least he was able to hold his own somewhat. The agent at the bottom of the stairs failed to shoot on sight too, although he was probably stunned after seeing Dottie jumping down those stairs.

I still like Howard. A lot of his inventions tend to have innocent origins, but this kind of weapon seems to call back what he told Peggy in the first episode about how he can't help that ideas for this sort of stuff pop into his head. His mind is a dark place.

Jarvis and Peggy are pretty much my favorite duo ever.

[Spartan Girl]

RIP Chief Dooley.  I had a feeling he was going to be the one to die with 1) all the references to his family and 2) the fact that it's almost always the mentor/man in charge who ends up sacrificing himself.  Didn't make it any less sad though.  I love that his last words to Peggy were "'Atta girl."

 

FINALLY Peggy gets to rip into the guys for treating her like a secretary and for dismissing her as a ton of different female stereotypes.  That rant was a long time coming and she carried it out beautifully!

 

I don't care if Sousa was hurt or if he was just using interrogation methods, I do NOT want him to be Mr. Carter anymore.

 

Also loved Peggy and Jarvis repeatedly hesitating chucking the table through the window only to find out that the room was empty and their concerns were baseless.

 

Boy the ending really reminded me of Kingsman: The Secret Service...please renew this show ABC!

[stealinghome]

Jarvis was adorable. I think his plan was to get Peggy out and then Peggy and him could prove that she wasn't a traitor... but Dooley took that option away. He was so cute in his concern for her.  I want my own Jarvis!

I really like that, for all that he's obviously (and earnedly) loyal to Howard to the bone, you can just tell that Jarvis likes Peggy so much more than Howard! It's a very sensible reaction to have. I really wonder if Tony remembers an "Aunt Peggy" hanging around, because he obviously has fond memories of Jarvis.

 

but Peggy also made some self-righteous assumptions about her co-workers that led to her lying and stealing.

Were they really self-righteous assumptions, though? Because I saw a whole lot of Peggy dropping the truth on the men. Like "Gee, after the fifth time you yelled at me for even daring to consider that Howard Stark WASN'T THE GUILTIEST OF ALL GUILTY PEOPLE EVER RAWR, I figured you were a bit close-minded and I couldn't trust you to look objectively at the evidence." 'Cause that was 500% true.

 

(That said, as much as I'd love more Agent Carter, I would be afraid a second series wouldn't live up to the quality of the first. Sometimes it's nice to have just that one amazing season (Freaks & Geeks, My So-Called Life, etc))

I feel  the opposite. I've enjoyed this series, but for me the draw was seeing Peggy help found SHIELD. I don't want to say this season/series turned out to be a bait and switch, but it's only a prequel to what I REALLY want to see. The appetizer. And I honestly think the show would be much better in a second season if they focused on Peggy's rise and the foundation of SHIELD.

 

I did not twig at all that it was just a hallucination, so worried was I that he'd been programmed to hurt them. So that was a nice bait and switch.

Yeah, I did have a moment where I was horrifiedly sure Dooley was going to blow his family up. And I do credit the writers for making me legitimately worry they might actually go there.

 

On the one hand, the table scene was hilarious. On the other hand, if there were people on the other side of the one-way mirror and they had guns they WOULD HAVE ALREADY SHOT YOU.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this. That scene was hilarious, but I was like "Really?" And it might have been even funnier if Peggy pointed that out to him.

[kili]

The agent at the bottom of the stairs failed to shoot on sight too, although he was probably stunned after seeing Dottie jumping down those stairs.

 

Plus Jack seems to have warned only Souza about the scary female agents (telling him in the elevator to shoot first and ask questions later). I thought that was a good moment for the two because it showed that Jack does respect Souza and want him to live. Although, Jack should have probably told the entire team.

 

It is an interesting switch from Jack's earlier statement to Peggy that no matter what she does, she will always be seen as woman. That trip to Russia totally changed his perspective. Not only did Jack learn to respect Peggy, but he learned not to underestimate women in general. He also seems to be the one believing Peggy's story the most. The others seem to think that it is a wild goose chase, but Jack seems to think that Peggy knows what she is talking about, that Dottie is a threat and that this search isn't to be taken lightly.  He may have thought that only Souza might heed is warning anyway.

 

I thought it was a nice piece of work that Souza went back to investigate what Dottie was up to. Everybody else seems to have just returned to the office and been swept up in the next disaster. The main male characters may be blinded by sexism, but they are reasonably competent at their jobs.

 

I also had to LOL at the cheap husband refusing to pay for parking saving the couple. I've had that argument a few times about just parking the stupid car so we don't miss the start of things. I guess I'll have to stop complaining.

[The Cake is a Pie]

Of all the ways to describe Peggy Carter, I never thought menacing could be one, but when Peggy leaned toward Thompson and told him he knew what she was capable of, you know he was genuinely frightened of going toe-to-toe with her.

Blaze of glory, Dooley. As soon as they did the dreamy sequences with his family, I knew He was a goner.

[Shanna]

Peggy also made some self-righteous assumptions about her co-workers that led to her lying and stealing. Neither side really seemed to be the more justified one..

The only person I think she might have misjudged was Sousa, because I didn't really see anything pedastle like from him except that he thought she was lovely and there is nothing wrong with that because she is. He tried to defend her in the first episode and backed off when she asked him too. And he was the one who figured out what she was doing (mostly). If he felt a little betrayed that his teammate was lying to them I think that's fair. Everything she said to the others was on point though and if I could argue that maybe her talking to Sousa that way was partly strategy.

Speaking of Sousa, I completely understood his not shooting Dottie immediately. I think he needed confirmation that she was actually a bad guy, beyond guesswork and Peggy's word. Once he got that, he did shoot. I actually was impressed that he mostly held his own in that fight.

Dotties hat and hair were fab this week.

[RockShrimp]

This may be taking me into Simpsons Comic Book Guy level but... Why was the Dr. using Morse Code in English? Is there a Cyrillic version of Morse Code? If it was that, does Jarvis know Russian? 

[ChelseaNH]

Why would you set it to warm up faster if someone's trying to take it off?

 

Might not have been intentional.  I like that Howard's inventions don't entirely work right from the beginning.  Far more realistic than the usual "genius effortlessly creates perfection" fantasy.

[Danny Franks]

This may be taking me into Simpsons Comic Book Guy level but... Why was the Dr. using Morse Code in English? Is there a Cyrillic version of Morse Code? If it was that, does Jarvis know Russian? 

 

Apparently there is a Cyrillic Morse Code, so yeah, I guess that was an oversight or just artistic licence. 

[Shesinsane]

And when Howard doesn't appear in Teterow, we shall both disappear.[/i}

They're talking about Teterboro, a small airport across the river from Manhattan (still operates today with small, private planes).

I think I spend too much time in the Whedonverse - when the people in the movie theater started fighting my first thought was "that gas has turned them into Reavers!"

[Skeeter22]

I thought Peggy was both right and a little self-righteous in that interrogation scene, which is fitting for character. She's awesome, but she's not perfect and can be blinded by her own assumptions just like anyone else.

I think Peggy probably could have worked with someone like Sousa and built a decent case for Howard's innocence that wasn't simply "Howard Stark would never do that!" When Sousa was looking at pictures of Stark on a boat, he believed her when she told him Howard was afraid of water and would never make his escape that way. I think she had simply grown justifiably frustrated, and wasn't willing to sit around the office and wanted to jump into action. I thought her comment to Sousa about how he never got to "carry the ball this far" was both a cheap shot and probably exactly how she felt about herself.

I though everyone's assumption that Peggy had been seduced by Howard Stark was absolutely sexist, but Howard did trick her into working with him. He just used her frustrations instead of sex to get her to do it. He's not a traitor, but I can't say he's completely innocent. Look at all the damage he's done by creating ridiculous weapons. He didn't create all of them for practical use, but to satisfy his own ego.

It made perfect sense that once Peggy actually told them the truth, Sousa and Thompson believed her. And I liked that she took responsibility for Krzeminski' s death because she realized that she had been reckless. It's the sort of thing that makes Peggy a great character and not just some cardboard badass that writers often try to pass off as strong female characters.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Skeeter22

[tv echo]

This is my favorite show on television right now.  HA is an amazing actress. Most of the time Peggy is pretty stoic because she's had to be.  But she revealed her true emotions in some key scenes last night - like when she released months of pent-up frustration and anger in lashing out at the SSR guys about why she had to investigate on her own, or when she had difficulty speaking when she told them about Steve Rogers' vial of blood.  Truly genuine and gut-wrenching.  There were so many other good scenes in this episode that I loved as well:

 

-- When Thompson was interrogating Peggy and warned her, "You know what I'm capable of", and Peggy looked him straight in the eye and responded, "And you know what I'm capable of."  It showed how dangerous Peggy could be if she ever turned evil.

 

-- When Thompson and Sousa were in the elevator and they both revealed that they believed Peggy, and then Thompson warned Sousa not to hesitate in shooting Dottie, considering that he saw that little girl in Russia tear through them.  A nice bonding moment.

 

-- When Peggy and Jarvis were handcuffed to the table, and he kept stopping their table swing with questions and she responds so matter-of-factly about possible injury ("there'll be a spray of glass" and "there'll be a spray of bullets").  Funny as hell.

 

I can't believe more people aren't watching this show.

Edited February 18, 2015 by tv echo

[kili]

And I liked that she took responsibility for Krzeminski' s death because she realized that she had been reckless.

 

I don't see how she is any way responsible for Krzeminski's death. I actually thought it was a bit arogant for her to think that way. She's at fault for not knowing everything like that is the normal way of things?  I can see having survivor's guilt about Krzeminski's death and wondering if one could have done more, but a rational person must realize that the Krzeminski's death was basically unpredictable.

 

Let's say that she had done everything by the book. She convinced the SRS crew that Howard was not the perpetrator and got Souza and Thompson to help her find the stolen loot on the boat. They still would have found the guy who was guarding the boat and somebody would still have had to transport the prisoner to the office. That person would still have died if they got out of the car (and probably die even if they didn't). Why would anybody suspect that transporting a low-level guard was going to result in the transporter dying? At that point, the crime just looked like an opportunistic one to make some cash or get your hands on some really terrible weapons. The other SRS guys had even more reason to suspect that getting near to these weapons was causing deaths than Peggy did because they didn't know Peggy was the mystery woman there during some of those deaths.

[FurryFury]

A good episode, but not my favorite in the season (hopefully, just a season! Please, I want more, I NEED more!) There was really a noticeably big stretch with no Peggy, and I felt like it dragged. Oh, and Sousa was an idiot, but it was expected. Still not feeling this character at all, even if I've noticed Enver really tried in the interrogation scene.

 

I was afraid Dooley will not only die, but kill his family. Dunno why, it was just set up like that. So I'm glad, at least, that they are safe.

 

Could Ivchenko have actually switched the blood with another sample? Probably not. Still, you just know this vial needs to be brought to the Soviets for the Winter Soldier.

 

This may be taking me into Simpsons Comic Book Guy level but... Why was the Dr. using Morse Code in English?

 

Eh, I'm used to Russians talking to each other in English without any reason to (this episode had two of such instances). Why should Morse code be any different?

Edited February 18, 2015 by FurryFury

[Sharpie66]

But wasn't the Winter Soldier

already created by Zola during the war? IIRC, Zola had been experimenting with Bucky when Steve rescued him, and I always assumed that that was when he was converted.

[Bruinsfan]

I think the Russian has to get away at the end of this season. Between the amputation flashback and the hypnosis, I think we're seeing one of the doctors behind the future Winter Soldier. Either that or the work was already completed before he came to New York. That said, why wouldn't he take the blood? I mean, why not, right?

At that point only Peggy and Howard knew what the thing was, and its container was too bulky to slip in a pocket.

 

The commercial for aos that aired was all of a sudden saying 'you like shows about strong women? Look at all the women on our show?' It's like they just realized people might be watching this show who have zero interest in watching theirs!

But they still ended with Skye so I'm not sold.

Yeah, Ming Na is the only actress on that show who's the equal of Haley Atwell, and her character is severely underwritten in comparison to Peggy. Tell me that Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas have taken over from Joss Whedon's less talented relatives as showrunners and maybe I'll watch.

[FurryFury]

Sharpie66, I'm not sure, I'm not an expert on this stuff and only watched CA:TWS once. But I had the impression Soviets used Bucky as an assassin, so I assumed he was built, or at least "finished", by them.

[Danny Franks]

The hints in the movie are that Zola started doing some sort of experiments on him, but I don't think it's been confirmed by anyone. If he did, then I suppose any improvements he made would have just made it that much easier and more advantageous for the Russians to turn him into the Winter Soldier.

[dusang]

But wasn't the Winter Soldier

already created by Zola during the war? IIRC, Zola had been experimenting with Bucky when Steve rescued him, and I always assumed that that was when he was converted.

The initial experimentation was during the war (so he could survive the fall) but the mechanical arm and brainwashing came sometime after the fall, possibly after the war. Also, my understanding was that he had been in and out of cryogenic storage over the years (which is how he lasted the 70 years) so he might just be on ice right now awaiting modifications.

[Traveller519]

I agree that shooting Dottie on sight would have been out of character for Souza. He wants answers not bodies, damnit! But why oh why in the preview

is Dottie kicking a gun out of Peggy's hands? Come on folks. Kill the Bitch!

[ChelseaNH]

The hints in the movie are that Zola started doing some sort of experiments on him, but I don't think it's been confirmed by anyone.

 

Granted, falling works differently in the MCU than in our world, but an unaltered Bucky would not have survived his trip into that ravine.

[paigow]

I agree that shooting Dottie on sight would have been out of character for Souza. He wants answers not bodies, damnit! 

Any family members of Agent Nameless are comforted that Sousa did not follow orders / advice that violated character integrity.

[Raja]

Zola was captured on the mission where Sergeant Barnes was lost presumed dead.

[Traveller519]

I wonder how Marvel is going to solve the Dooley's not dead puzzle.

 

Nobody dies in the MCU!

[beedub]

The best part of this episode for me was Peggy giving clear and damning reasons why she had to act on her own on so many occasions in the absence of anything like respect. Very satisfying moment.

 

I’ve never been convinced that Dooley was much of a Chief. His death was handled well, even if I never could warm to him, except maybe at the very, very end when he essentially put Peggy in charge of avenging him. Maybe I’m just not able to buy the whole mind control thing, but it made him seem weak and even less fit to run the SSR. The most resistance he was able to muster was to pause at the elevator and say he didn’t think the Stark tech should leave the building, but then, you know, “focus”.

 

You would think one of the scientists would have gone to the agents and said, “Hey guys, the Chief just made us leave him and the creepy Russian psychiatrist alone with all the top-secret Stark weapons. Might wanna check that out.”

 

As someone mentioned, the SSR does’t come off as having the most skilled agents, with at least three of them having the drop on Dottie at various points and failing to stop her, especially with Thomson specifically saying not to hesitate, shoot to kill. It’s not like they were surprised to be dealing with a woman, either, which could possibly have given male agents pause if they weren’t expecting it.

 

One quibble (mostly from last week), I couldn’t figure out why Dottie didn’t just use binoculars to receive the Morse code messages – because looking through the scope of a high-powered rifle out of an office window would attract less attention? It seemed a bit contrived, just for the purpose of fooling the viewer into thinking she was originally planning to take out the psychiatrist.

 

Knowing that Peggy eventually founds SHIELD, I had thought that this short series would be showing that process. But seeing that it hasn’t (assuming it doesn’t all happen next week), it does give me hope that these eight episodes were just meant as a prequel to a series proper that does show it, and that we’re really going to get that series. For real.

[moviewhore]

I get so depressed watching the previews for AOS now because this show makes it look like bad community theatre.  I would can it and put all the money into another season of AC in a heartbeat.  I haven't enjoyed seeing a woman be so kickass and multifaceted since Alias or even La Femme Nikita.  We need more shows featured capable women with inner lives and realness who can take care of themselves.  Really, I will be in despair after next Tuesday.  I'd settle for a Netflix save or a summer run of this wonderful show.

 

HA was Emmy worthy all thru this episode, especially laying a smackdown over the sexist treatment she got and never being taken seriously.  Bravo!!! 

 

Dooley's death wrecked me. 

[Shanna]

Any family members of Agent Nameless are comforted that Sousa did not follow orders / advice that violated character integrity.

They had no evidence besides Peggy's word that Dottie was evil, and even Peggy only knew that she knocked her out. Under those circumstances, it would have been strange to me if any of them had shot her before she did anything.

[Danny Franks]

They had no evidence besides Peggy's word that Dottie was evil, and even Peggy only knew that she knocked her out. Under those circumstances, it would have been strange to me if any of them had shot her before she did anything.

 

Thompson might have, after having seen the girl in Russia. But even then I'm not sure. These are paternalistic but inherently decent 1940s guys. They would flinch at shooting a woman in cold blood (hell, I'd hope anyone would, regardless of their era), especially if they had not seen this woman do anything criminal or dangerous yet.

 

HA was Emmy worthy all thru this episode, especially laying a smackdown over the sexist treatment she got and never being taken seriously.  Bravo!!!

 

 

If she did win a couple of the awards she so clearly deserves for this show, then it might strengthen the argument for renewal. But I doubt anyone stoops to giving a comic book show any real awards. They'll just throw them at all those procedural clones instead.

[DeLurker]

 Eh, I'm used to Russians talking to each other in English without any reason to (this episode had two of such instances). Why should Morse code be any different?

Hmmm...how do you sign using the evil Russian accent?

[Danny Franks]

Hmmm...how do you sign using the evil Russian accent?

 

Make sure you get the evil, shifty eyes right.