S01.E08: Valediction

[kili]

In this EW article, the producers discuss the finale. One thing jumped at me:

 

Did you notice that in the scene where Sousa asks her out, he put his crutch down before he does it? I love that little touch. I don’t know if it was Enver or the director, but it wasn’t written. He leans the crutch against the desk and he turns around and takes a couple of steps toward her before he speaks. I love that little moment where it’s like, “I’m not going to be that guy, I’m going to be this guy.”

 

What in the heck is that supposed to mean? Peggy has shown no inclination to look down on Sousa because of his crutch (Thompson does, but Thompson is a Grade A Jerk).  Dude got injured in the war. How is he being this or that guy having to use a crutch? He's not using the crutch for effect. I presume he needs it. Are we supposed to believe that he thinks Peggy is so shallow that she doesn't date him because of the crutch? Or are we meant to think that crutches make somebody less?

 

I think why it really irks is that earlier they discuss Thompson being a weasel and accepting all the credit.

 

The difference here is it’s growth in a way, even though it’s not very nice growth. [Thompson is] actively choosing to be that guy.

 

So that guy is a derogative and somehow using the crutch makes Sousa "that guy". The war injured (Sousa), killed people (Steve - or so it seems) and mentally scarred them (Thompson). I'm glad that isn't being ignored in a post-war show.

 

Besides that, I did notice that Sousa put the crutch and that struck me as sad. He probably does think that he has to be crutchless to appeal to Peggy and that means he does not get her at all. Peggy liked Steve before he was Captain America.

[Minneapple]

Which means he totally knew what he was going to do beforehand, and decided not to tell Jack to do likewise. Hee! Go Sousa!

Actually IMO that would be kind of douchey of him if that's the case. He's going to let Jack get hypnotized and potentially killed? Yeah, that's the guy I'll ship with Carter!

 

Anyway, I was a wee bit disappointed in this episode. I wish they would have used Lyndsay Fonseca better overall. I was sure she'd have some role in the finale.

 

Besides that, I did notice that Sousa put the crutch and that struck me as sad. He probably does think that he has to be crutchless to appeal to Peggy and that means he does not get her at all.

 

Maybe it means something about his own insecurities and not necessarily about how he understands Peggy.

[EyewatchTV211]

In this EW article, the producers discuss the finale. One thing jumped at me:

 

 

What in the heck is that supposed to mean? Peggy has shown no inclination to look down on Sousa because of his crutch (Thompson does, but Thompson is a Grade A Jerk).  Dude got injured in the war. How is he being this or that guy having to use a crutch? He's not using the crutch for effect. I presume he needs it. Are we supposed to believe that he thinks Peggy is so shallow that she doesn't date him because of the crutch? Or are we meant to think that crutches make somebody less?

 

Besides that, I did notice that Sousa put the crutch and that struck me as sad. He probably does think that he has to be crutchless to appeal to Peggy and that means he does not get her at all. Peggy liked Steve before he was Captain America

I didn't interpret what they said that way - especially after what Peggy said about being confident in herself. I interpreted it as him not wanting to use his crutch as a "crutch." Almost like how in the past, he may have used it as a reason for him being inferior or not good enough to ask her out, but he wouldn't use it as an excuse now. He would be confident in himself and what he has to offer.

 

And I guess the article at least settles what Peggy's smile meant after he turned around.

 

 

 

BUTTERS: We’ve talked about the smile that comes across her face afterwards. It’s her realizing that maybe there is something there.

FAZEKAS: She’s open to the possibility with him or someone else. That’s maybe the first time she’s considering, “Maybe I can have this other side of my life now.”

[JillPole]

 

Frankly, I think Peggy is way to smart to date or marry anyone she works with.  Company inkwell and all that.

I thought she quit. They asked her point blank if she was coming back and she said no, she was only there to pick up her stuff. I figured that's why Sousa chose that moment to ask her out. She was no longer a coworker, so it was appropriate in a way it hadn't been before. Peggy's launching into her own thing now. I assumed this is the first step to starting SHIELD with Howard. It's a shame that her decision to leave the SSR was overshadowed narratively by Thompson's douchery and Sousa's crush. Though I did like her telling both herself and Sousa that they don't need other people's validation. That was great.

 

I hope Sousa's smart enough to refuse Howard's offer of help. If we've learned anything this season, it's that Howard's designs are dangerous to your health. I like him, but don't think that ship is going anywhere. If Jarvis really is married, I'd rather have them introduce someone new for Peggy. Atwell played her initial reaction to the date with such surprise and awkwardness. I read the scene as her not actually being interested, but liking Sousa too much as a person to want to let him down hard. And then her smile afterwards was the nice feeling you have that someone really cute and nice likes you, even if you don't feel that way back. It's flattering, that's all.

 

A little too much Howard (even though I love him and the actor), but this was a good finale. I could have done with a teensy bit less of him and a teensy bit more of Peggy with Jarvis or Angie, but I don't really have any complaints. I also liked the return to form for Thompson. I think it's realistic that he would have a relapse into jerkiness. I still think he came a long way during the season, but a few weeks do not correct a lifetime of being a weak person. He has more room to grow in later (hopefully) seasons.

 

D'Arcy and Atwell need to star in everything. They're perfect together. I dream of a PG Wodehouse adaptation with Hiddleston, D'Arcy and Atwell. But The Thin Man would also be perfect. 

 

I'll miss this show!

[Tiger]

If they have to move it I would rather they move it to 10 .SHIELD has been helped by allowing it to go dark.Moving it back to 8 means the return of the ICER and people not actually getting capped.

I should have been more clear; by "moved back an hour" I meant moved later into the night to 10 to accommodate an additional hour comedy at 9.

The rumors are that The Middle will be moved to Tue at 9 with Fresh Off the Boat staying at 8, and two new comedies launching at the :30's. ABC needs reliable 10pm programming, Lee hates big scheduling changes, and there isn't really anywhere else for AoS/Carter to go. So I definitely think we will get another season of each but on Tue at 10 as opposed to 9. If they could maintain their current demos in that slot, it'd be a huge win for the network.

Anyway, I just watched the season finale again and I noticed a few things I missed the first time around.

I really hope Sousa doesn't take Howard up on his offer to fix his leg. His "value" as an agent nor as a man isn't affected by his leg.

[Cranberry]

His value as an agent and a man isn't affected by his leg, no, but I'd imagine he'd love to be able to run and fight like he surely used to. I don't want his leg fixed so that he can be more appealing or valuable to other people, but for his own comfort and safety. Plus I'm selfish and want to see him kick ass in fight scenes, because I know the actor can do it.

[dargosmydaddy]

 

Actually IMO that would be kind of douchey of him if that's the case. He's going to let Jack get hypnotized and potentially killed?

Well, maybe, but I didn't mean to imply that Sousa intended it that way. Jack had his own plan-- I forget if he specifically told Sousa to shoot on sight or if I'm confusing this with last week's Dottie scene, but he definitely told Sousa not to let the doctor talk, and he had his gun out, so his intentions seemed pretty clear. That was a good plan for Jack, but not so much for Sousa, who, as the doctor pointed out and as we saw last week, has difficulties shooting someone who hasn't drawn on him first. So Sousa came up with a plan that worked better for him (the earplugs).

 

The douchey-est thing he did, IMO, was letting Jack lay there for a minute thinking he was actually hypnotized and going to kill him, which could have been avoided if he'd told Jack his plan ahead of time. So that was kind of an asshole move, but still amusing to me, maybe just because it was a break from Sousa's usual blandness.

Edited February 26, 2015 by dargosmydaddy

[KAOS Agent]

Jack said not to let the doctor talk to him. Sousa did what he was told. It's not his fault Jack's too stupid to come up with the earplug idea. Plus, I wonder how good Jack's acting ability is. Sousa needed the doctor to believe that his hypnosis was working so that he could get close enough to knock the guy out. Jack probably would have screwed that up. He's no Angie.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Frankly, I think Peggy is way to smart to date or marry anyone she works with. Company inkwell and all that.

I thought she quit. They asked her point blank if she was coming back and she said no, she was only there to pick up her stuff. I figured that's why Sousa chose that moment to ask her out. She was no longer a coworker, so it was appropriate in a way it hadn't been before.

I thought Peggy actually said she hadn't decided yet if she was coming back but that she was there to pick up her paycheck. Edited February 26, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[DeLurker]

I was somewhat relieved that The Chad has retained his unlikeablility.  I was afraid I'd have to like him after seeing a couple of the previous episodes.

Who knew the lingering air of Eau de Douché could work in his favor?

[VCRTracking]

 

I thought she quit. They asked her point blank if she was coming back and she said no, she was only there to pick up her stuff. I figured that's why Sousa chose that moment to ask her out. She was no longer a coworker, so it was appropriate in a way it hadn't been before.

 

I thought Peggy actually said she hadn't decided yet if she was coming back but that she was there to pick up her paycheck.

 

Watching the "Agent Carter" short again, they could still fit it into continuity. They move the SSR to a new office because of the old one got wrecked by the explosion and because it's probably no longer secret. Thompson and Sousa are assigned elsewhere. Douchey Josh Lyman is the new boss to replace Dooley and doesn't know Peggy saved the day because Thompson took the credit so he doesn't assign Peggy to anything. Peggy at first accepts this but after three months gets antsy and goes after Zodiac alone. When Josh Lyman is about to fire her he gets the call from Howard has already set up SHIELD and tells him that Peggy is going to help him run it. Also Peggy's hair is longer in the short so that works out too!

Edited February 26, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Sakura12]

Yeah, they did kind of connect it to the short if we think about hard enough. They had Thompson take all the credit probably making it go to his head and Peggy at a new office is once again the secretary. Until Howard calls for her to help him start up SHIELD. 

[alias1]

 

The douchey-est thing he did, IMO, was letting Jack lay there for a minute thinking he was actually hypnotized and going to kill him, which could have been avoided if he'd told Jack his plan ahead of time. So that was kind of an asshole move, but still amusing to me, maybe just because it was a break from Sousa's usual blandness.

Ha ha.  Jack totally deserved that in my opinion.  I loved it!  But then I really like Sousa.

 

And I loved Peggy's little smile at the end.  I totally thought that it meant she would go out with him someday, just not yet.  And she really did have a previous engagement to meet a friend (to see the apartment with Jarvis and Angie).

Edited February 26, 2015 by SierraMist

[EyewatchTV211]

SierraMist, the writers did say this about the smile:

 

 

 

BUTTERS: We’ve talked about the smile that comes across her face afterwards. It’s her realizing that maybe there is something there.
FAZEKAS: She’s open to the possibility with him or someone else. That’s maybe the first time she’s considering, “Maybe I can have this other side of my life now.”

[bagert]

Watching the "Agent Carter" short again, they could still fit it into continuity. They move the SSR to a new office because of the old one got wrecked by the explosion and because it's probably no longer secret. Thompson and Sousa are assigned elsewhere. Douchey Josh Lyman is the new boss to replace Dooley and doesn't know Peggy saved the day because Thompson took the credit so he doesn't assign Peggy to anything. Peggy at first accepts this but after three months gets antsy and goes after Zodiac alone. When Josh Lyman is about to fire her he gets the call from Howard has already set up SHIELD and tells him that Peggy is going to help him run it. Also Peggy's hair is longer in the short so that works out too!

 

I agree with that, but time is of the essence.  The one-shot also happened in 1946.  Sure, if the clock starts on all that now, the one-shot happens in September.  However, if they want to have a Season 2 set before the one-shot (i.e. before she takes over SHIELD) it has to start within a few weeks if not days after the end of Season 1.  There is also another issue with the SSR office: everybody currently in that New York office knows about what she did (and gave her a standing ovation) but apparently none of them are in the new office.  (Remember, a whole bunch of them went out for drinks with Lyman immediately some condescending behavior towards Peggy.)

 

Another option, of course, is to jump ahead a few years and turn Peggy into the type of SHIELD director that the original Nick Fury of the comic books was: very hands-on and in the field.  (Hey, Dum Dum could be her #2, which would also be just like the comics!)  

[APSimpson]

I hope we get more episodes because I love the interaction between the four of Carter, Jarvis, Sousa and Thompson. Maybe when Shield is on hiatus again we might see more.

Edited February 27, 2015 by APSimpson

[alias1]

SierraMist, the writers did say this about the smile:

And Haley Atwell totally nailed that scene in my opinion.  I didn't see any ambiguity in her expression.

[shapeshifter]

I watched this on a very small screen and thought Dottie/Ida went permanently splat. I have mixed feelings about her living to do her same schtick another day. I liked it, but it was pretty one note. Well, maybe two note: Flirt and kill.

[romantic idiot]

i like that Sousa remains the only person to have bested Peggy. 

Sousa still can't kill anyone.

I think that's very Captain America of him, actually. Not to be able to kill an unarmed man. And we also see no hint of misogyny or condescension there, he couldn't kill Dottie, and now he couldn't kill Faustus. But he did figure out how to outsmart him. re: Sousa not telling Thomson, I figured he'd realised T couldn't be bothered and there was no guarantee it would work. 

 

Enjoyed Stark telling Jarvis that, no, he would not prefer to be killed for the greater good.

I enjoyed this, too. I didn't believe it, but I like that he said it. 

 

The only man who Carter could possibly stand being married to in the series so far  is Jarvis, Souza is nice but I think he;s more of the little brother/sidekick to her .

I think it's the other way around, actually. I think Peggy's feelings for Jarvis are a little filial, like her feelings for Howard. Sousa, on the other hand - I didn't get any awkwardness in the smile, and I think there would have been, had someone she felt sisterly towards, asked her out. 

 

Earlier on , when he pulled the Doctor and Dottie aside for running a red light, then he gets  the radio call that the car is stolen, and Dottie confronts him.  He should have been killed at that point. Not conveniently hypnotized so that after the Doc changes the plan they can collect him  to do their Howard Stark kidnap.

I was thinking about this. Here are my thoughts on this. 

(1)

 

I could see them thinking that a police officer might come in handy.  Security guards are a dime a dozen, but a uniformed police officer is a limited resource.  But yeah, it's a stretch.

This. 

 

2. Faustus specifically said that they didn't want the police officer killed because it would have drawn unnecessary attention to themselves. Given that, I can understand why he may have potentially resorted to hypnotism, rather than killing. 

 

From the general tenor of this forum, there seems to be a desire for a second season of Find Agent Carter A Husband! ;-) With this character, we're seeing great strides being made for women, but still a strange obsession with who she'll marry.

This reads a little judgemental to me. Not sure if that is meant? And not sure why a discussion on who Peggy will marry diminishes the great strides she's made, and the shows made, for women? I don't think anyone would argue that Xena and Buffy and Aeryn Sun's love lives took anything away from the greater strides they made for women. 

 

Besides that, I did notice that Sousa put the crutch and that struck me as sad. He probably does think that he has to be crutchless to appeal to Peggy and that means he does not get her at all. Peggy liked Steve before he was Captain America.

Enver or the director (why do I hope/think it's Enver/ because i know he's got the chops), choosing to put that much thought in that character is great. And I noticed the crutch thing and was initially sad, but then, I felt the same as the poster below. He was letting go of his insecurity and putting himself out there. I was sad about how he looked a little crestfallen at the answer, yet relieved that he had attempted to do it. I love EG. What can I say. 

 

I didn't interpret what they said that way - especially after what Peggy said about being confident in herself. I interpreted it as him not wanting to use his crutch as a "crutch." Almost like how in the past, he may have used it as a reason for him being inferior or not good enough to ask her out, but he wouldn't use it as an excuse now. He would be confident in himself and what he has to offer.

 

And I guess the article at least settles what Peggy's smile meant after he turned around.

 

This. 

[HeatherinThailand]

Maybe my favorite line of the entire series: "I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter." For those of you desperate for more of the brilliant Hayley Atwell, check out her heartbreaking performance in Black Mirror, a British anthology series now on Netflix. Season 2, episode 2. You're welcome.

[romantic idiot]

Holy shit - I didn't even realise that was her. (Having gone and seen White Bear again - that's Annie from Being Human, right? - where's Hayley?)

 

ETA: You meant Season 2 Episode 1 (Be Right Back). Yes that was superb. But then Black Mirror, is in a class of its own. 

 

In an attempt to get back on topic, it is interesting how well (and differently) HA can play the BM spoiler

grieving widow.

. And now that I'm thinking about it, BM spoiler

, Peggy Carter throwing away Steve's blood, prevents the spiral that her BM character go into.

I feel much better about her pouring away Steve's blood now. I was struggling with that, before. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by romantic idiot

[Bruinsfan]

From the general tenor of this forum, there seems to be a desire for a second season of Find Agent Carter A Husband! ;-) With this character, we're seeing great strides being made for women, but still a strange obsession with who she'll marry.

For my part I'd just as soon they not answer the question definitively. The show has done such a good job with Peggy's platonic relationships, I don't feel a pressing need to explore her love life aside from the knowledge that she eventually marries happily. Plus, anyone they use for that storyline would necessarily suffer in comparison to Steve.

[Hanahope]

I really enjoyed this series and definitely hope they bring it back.  They made Peggy Carter a very real person and a great character.

 

I loved the cliffhanger with Dottie and the little bit with Zola at the end.  I would love to see more of the story of how Shield came into existence and more Peggy kicking ass.

[EyewatchTV211]

And Haley Atwell totally nailed that scene in my opinion.  I didn't see any ambiguity in her expression.

I agree that she nailed the scene even more after re-watching it last night. There are actually two smiles - one right after he turns around and she kind of looks away and then another more considering smile looking at him. It almost seemed like the first smile was her realizing there was a possibility to start dating again. The second smile, when she looked back at Daniel, seemed like she was starting to consider the possibility of actually dating him, in particular. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Finally got to see the episode! I've been away the past week.

Loved everyone. Agent CMM needs to get punched. Here I thought he was going to give Peggy the credit.

Jarvis and Howard were wonderful. Glad that Dottie gets to live another day.

I'm also one of the people thinking about super fish or aquaman when Peggy poured Steve's blood into the water.

Howard this episode :'(. Some of his stuff screamed Tony in some ways.

Hoping for more Peggy/Jarvis crime fighting in the future!

[The Cake is a Pie]

From the general tenor of this forum, there seems to be a desire for a second season of Find Agent Carter A Husband! ;-) With this character, we're seeing great strides being made for women, but still a strange obsession with who she'll marry.

I personally don't particularly care about who it is, but I feel like this is a bit unfair. We all know Peggy does get married and has children, and that her husband has a connection to Steve. It's only natural for people to wonder whom he might be. It's not like people need her to get married just because she's a woman. I see plenty of posters wondering who Howard's future wife, and Tony's mother, might be.

[beedub]

beedub, on 25 Feb 2015 - 6:06 PM, said:

From the general tenor of this forum, there seems to be a desire for a second season of Find Agent Carter A Husband! ;-) With this character, we're seeing great strides being made for women, but still a strange obsession with who she'll marry.

 

This reads a little judgemental to me. Not sure if that is meant? And not sure why a discussion on who Peggy will marry diminishes the great strides she's made, and the shows made, for women? 

and

I personally don't particularly care about who it is, but I feel like this is a bit unfair. We all know Peggy does get married and has children, and that her husband has a connection to Steve. It's only natural for people to wonder whom he might be.

 

I really didn't intend to cause any offense, or be judgemental. Just that based on a number of comments, I was starting to envision a scenario with Peggy off to one side, holding a rose, while facing Daniel, Howard and Jarvis standing in a row with anxious expressions, and it struck me as comical.

 

Seriously, though, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that Peggy no more needs a husband to have value than Daniel needs to have his leg "fixed". Not being well-versed in the comics, I have no idea who she eventually marries, save for the brief scene in The Winter Soldier which, if I recall, doesn't really tell us too much. All I know is I'd be grateful to see more of her adventures, and if that includes a soupçon of romance, bring it on!

Edited February 28, 2015 by beedub

[shapeshifter]

...And now that I'm thinking about it,...I feel much better about her pouring away Steve's blood now. I was struggling with that, before.

...I'm also one of the people thinking about super fish or aquaman when Peggy poured Steve's blood into the water....

I immediately pictured a whole generation of superhero kids in the city.

[Terrafamilia]

I'm willing to give Thompson a little leeway there with the Senator. He didn't wanted to make a scene contradicting him in public. What they talked about in private is an open question. I will choose to imagine that he insisted that credit and any possible awards be spread around.

[JenMcSnark]

This is a very big spoiler that you shouldn't read if you ever plan to watch the movie.

 

The cell mate at the end is Arnim Zola. In CA: WS, he was behind Hydra infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D and experimented on Bucky turning him into the assassin Winter Soldier.

 

This is confusing me.  

Bucky was lost waaay before Steve was. So did they just cryo freeze him hoping for some unknown use? I mean, if they hadn't even recruited the hypnotist guy yet and he just met Zola, then Bucky should just be dead.

 

Help me please.  :-)

[Sakura12]

Help me please.  :-)

 

I'll try.

In The Winter Solider they talked about putting Bucky back on ice because he'd been off it for too long that's why he was starting to remember who he was. So I think they did cryo freeze him until they could find a way to erase his memories. Which is where Doctor Hypno came in. Then they freeze him until he's needed that's why he was more of a myth. He was only seen every couple of years or so.

[JenMcSnark]

I'll try.

In The Winter Solider they talked about putting Bucky back on ice because he'd been off it for too long that's why he was starting to remember who he was. So I think they did cryo freeze him until they could find a way to erase his memories. Which is where Doctor Hypno came in. Then they freeze him until he's needed that's why he was more of a myth. He was only seen every couple of years or so.

 

Thank you.  I thought that 

they immediately made him into the Winter Soldier and then froze him for when he was needed.

But that makes some sense too.  If they had the idea but hadn't quite been able to make it work until the fateful meeting in the cell with Zola. 

[bagert]

If they had the idea but hadn't quite been able to make it work until the fateful meeting in the cell with Zola.

 

 

So the Winter Soldier is all SSR's fault, by putting Zola and Dr. Faustus together LOL j/k

[MisterGlass]

I got to see the last two episodes today, and just have to say I really enjoyed this show.  It laid a lot of groundwork for the Marvel universe with plenty of peril, adventure and comedy.  I was a little disappointed by the finale, but I think that's as much my displeasure that the series is ending as anything.  I was excited to see Toby Jones appear, because I had been looking for a little added CA:TWS continuity.

 

I loved that the actions of the main characters absolutely make since for the people that they have been shown to be, which was encapsulated in the blood sample related actions: Howard takes Steve's blood because it was originally his and he wants to experiment, Jarvis gives it to Peggy out of respect and consideration, and Peggy disposes of it to safeguard Steve's legacy.  I also love that while Howard employs Jarvis, and Jarvis handles are manner of odious tasks for him, he doesn't hesitate to tell Howard his honest opinion.  Howard needs people like Peggy and Jarvis to tell him when he's being an idiot.  Jarvis's skills and dedication to right, including the ability and willingness to fly after Howard and shoot him down, make him a wonderful match for Peggy, who has equal dedication, but much more skill in the conventional aspects of being an agent.

 

I would like to see another season, provided that it only occurs once equally good material has been written.  There is so much ground that could be covered.  I picture Howard as a consultant popping in to discuss threats and his inventions, and sending Jarvis as a stand-in when he's too busy gallivanting around.  Leviathan is in place as a cold war threat, and shifting the show toward spying could explain the reasons for SHIELD.  The captured scientists could come into it too, though based on her brief appearances on AoS, I think Peggy will strongly argue against trusting them.

 

I would be perfectly happy if every relationship depicted on the show up to this point remains platonic.  Peggy has wonderful, occasionally exaperating, friendships with Jarvis and Howard.  I don't for a moment think she could be persuaded to marry Howard, because she does know him so well.  I could be convinced that a future widowed Jarvis and Peggy became more than friends, but I don't think it's necessary.  Sousa is okay, and had a few moment to shine.  The problem is that he is too much like Steve.  All his conflicts are external, so they need to be interesting, and the interest hasn't been there.

 

A Thin Man with D'Arcy and Atwell could be fun, though Nora is a bit silly compared to what we have seen Atwell do here, D'Arcy should not be forced to work with a pencil mustache.

[Zuleikha]

I finally saw the finale. I thought it was good, but that the ending with Peggy/Howard relied a little too much on people being familiar with Captain America: The First Avenger for its emotional power. Or maybe I just assume that because I haven't seen it.

 

Heck, I thought the roommate that was murdered was more appealing.

I did, too. I really wish that roommate hadn't been murdered. Peggy/roommate could have been in the Griffiths to begin with or Dottie could have moved next door to not-Griffiths location. I thought Peggy's roommate work as a factory worker was a more interesting counterpoint to Peggy's SSR agent and established more of the history. Waitress/aspiring actress is not nearly as fresh of a character as factory worker-getting-pushed-out-of-her-job-for-returning-men. I also thought Angie seemed like creepy Single White Female type with her insistence on having Peggy move into the Griffiths. I would like more female characters in addition to Peggy, but I would like them to be more of the jobs people forget women did types... have them be scientists or linguists or computer engineers.

 

When Dottie fell, I pointed out to my husband that although it is still unclear whether the Black Widow serum exists in the MCU, one of its effects is accelerated healing. So when we saw her blood trail, I decided that was yet another sign that she has to be superpowered. Also, they're doing a horrible job shooting Dottie's fight scenes if she's supposed to be baseline human. She moves in such an inhuman way!

[Tryangle]

And I loved Peggy's little smile at the end.  I totally thought that it meant she would go out with him someday, just not yet.  And she really did have a previous engagement to meet a friend (to see the apartment with Jarvis and Angie).

 

Oddly enough, I interpreted this as Peggy keeping him in the friend zone, partially because it wasn't that long ago that Thompson told Sousa that he had no chance at being with her.

 

YMMV, of course.

[AnnaMayWong]

After all the talk about the guys not shooting Dottie, Peggy did the same damn thing. Not that I'm disappointed, if we get a second season, Dottie can come back.

I liked that when all was said and done, Thompson was still a dick willing to take credit from other people's work. It's in character, and I'm glad he didn't have an unrealistic turnaround.

I choose to be optimistic about season two. If it happens, I hope they develop Sousa and Angie more. Both really needed more screen time. Maybe a little less Thompson and more of Peggy and Angie's fabulous new place. The Griffith will be missed.

I must relieve myself by sharing the following. I simply must...

*Thompson irks me so much that, frankly, at times, it's difficult for me to enjoy the show(although, I do). My ire rises with such magnificence and my disgust expands in almost boundless fashion at his chauvinism, his stab-a-woman-in-the-backism, his lying liar who ever liedism,... Please, can he get the Ole One, Two 'Comeuppunch'.

Umm, Jarvis, Jarvis, Jarvis.

[AnnaMayWong]

Yeah, they did kind of connect it to the short if we think about hard enough. They had Thompson take all the credit probably making it go to his head and Peggy at a new office is once again the secretary. Until Howard calls for her to help him start up SHIELD.

I am struggling, mightily, with the chauvinism. I know, I know, the time period buuut...

I wanted Peggy to get The Credit, also(said with a whine, pout, and stamp of foot). I mean, most of the office understood what went down. It's just so frustrating!

Peggy's romance/love interludes/life need to be well thought out and handled with care and caution lest she becomes another glorious female character brought low and 'dullardized' by another tiringly foolish and short-sighted creative staff.

[AnnaMayWong]

 I'm sorry(not), but Stark being slapped about in large part because he couldn't recollect the weekend spent with Dottie was HILARIOUS❗.  

No, I don't condone abuse. However, ON THE SHOW, the actor playing the role of Stark was impeccable in those moments, in those short scenes. So good.

With the type and level of power exhibited by the 'villainous' psychiatrist, he really should have been blasted to the four corners of Marvel hell. Or, at the very least, had a laryngectomy performed.

Aand, perhaps, solitary confinement would have been a better choice for each of those two future  employees of the month.

  *(i did giggle at the guard's well used comment--making fun of Dr. Fenhoff--to speak up...)*

[John Potts]

Phew - so relieved there wasn't a mass murder in Times Square in 1946(?). But I was actually glad that Peggy didn't end the episode to become head of the SSR. Not because she doesn't deserve it, but because it would be unrealistic for the period ("A woman? Running the Agency? Is this a joke?"). Though I hope they recognise her contributions and give her more responsibility next season.

On ‎25‎/‎02‎/‎2015 at 3:22 AM, MaryMitch said:

I so wanted Dottie to be dead... for Peggy to look down at her impaled on something. I just wanted her DEAD.

Until they went back to where her body wasn't, I thought she was!

On ‎25‎/‎02‎/‎2015 at 3:31 AM, kariyaki said:

I found it hilarious that Howard spent a weekend with Dottie and, literal gun to his head, could NOT remember her.

I was wondering if he was stringing her along. Howard knows he has a lot of important secrets and so long as he's being beaten up for forgetting her name they're not asking him about anything important. I realise that she'd be just one face among many, but I could imagine he does keep track.

On ‎25‎/‎02‎/‎2015 at 9:44 AM, FurryFury said:

I'm disappointed that the whole operation was revealed to be, basically, Fenhoff's personal vendetta against Stark. Why would the Soviets give him resources and a well-trained agent to do this? Or did he just go rogue at some point and Dottie decided to help him?

I presume he was sent to get Stark's inventions & he went "off reservation" for his private vendetta. But it's not like the Soviets wouldn't want Howard Stark dead, or would weep over mass casualties in Times Square.

On ‎25‎/‎02‎/‎2015 at 5:19 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Sticking the evil doctor in a cell with the OTHER evil doctor.  Brilliant move, SSR.  Idiots.

What could possibly go wrong!? Incidentally, has anyone else wondered if Fenhoff might be Kilgrave's father/grandfather? Their powers are broadly similar (and they are in the same Universe).