Marvel's Agent Carter: "Time and Tide" Review

“Time and Tide” did not see many major plot developments in the overarching Howard Stark conspiracy; instead, this week’s episode was character-driven, dishing out some excellent scenes for Carter, Jarvis, and Angie with just a hint of action.

The eight-episode structure of Marvel’s Agent Carter might exist primarily to fill the interim of time between the fall and spring runs of the network’s pillar programs, but this ultimately helps the series. Each episode is fast-paced in a way that could not easily be achieved by elongating the show over 22-episodes. “Time and Tide” is an excellent example. In just 43 minutes, Carter had rescued Jarvis from the S.S.R., explored the sewers beneath one of Stark’s mansions, appropriated Stark’s stolen technology, and developed a stronger relationship with her fellow tenant, Angie.

The front end of the episode is heavy with scenes surrounding life in Carter’s apartment complex, The Griffith. I love the juxtaposition between the naïve social environment at the hotel and the dark underworld of governmental espionage. Scenes between Angie and Carter not only serve to improve the relationship between the two, but also to act as a break from the noir crime drama happening behind the scenes. At the beginning of the episode, Carter brushes off Angie’s attempt to hang out and have “girl talk,” revealing that Carter still has a ways to go before she fully recovers from the death of her former roommate. These scenes add great depth to Atwell’s character.

It did not take long for the S.S.R. to connect the plate they discovered at the end of the last episode to Howard Stark, and by affiliation, Jarvis. When Jarvis is taken downtown, Carter, once again, plays the “dumb woman” card to get him out. But not before hearing about Jarvis’s charge of treason. (By the way, Jarvis took Line of the Episode with: “Well this will be novel. I haven’t been in the back of a car in years.”) I love that Jarvis has a mysterious past – it fits really well with Carter’s arc in struggling to get close to people. Jarvis is the one person on her side right now, so it will be interesting to see how she reacts later when she finds out that Jarvis has an agenda of his own. Let’s be real… it’s going to happen.

And speaking of the “dumb woman” card, wow, was there a lot of sexism in this episode. Perhaps it is because we live during a time in which gender equality is a huge social issue, but some of the scenes in this episode where Peggy was being mistreated solely for her sex were actually hard for me to watch. One of my favorite things about this episode was Carter telling Jarvis that she wants to personally turn over Stark’s stolen tech to the S.S.R. in efforts to earn their respect. This shows that even though Carter is this strong, independent, tough woman, the sexism displayed by her coworkers hurts her. Carter is human – and just like The Griffith, her feelings aren’t impenetrable.

This episode makes it so easy to sympathize with Carter. Another reason I enjoy the Angie/Carter scenes is because I just want Carter to have someone on her side. She’s mistreated and disrespected by her coworkers, she is not in touch with family, and the one person she might be able to trust is probably hiding things from her. (Bad Jarvis! Bad!)  Atwell is just on top of the game in this episode. No matter what shoes she is wearing, she’s a knockout.

The action scene on The Heartbreak was fun to watch, and it was choreographed expertly. The scene really highlighted the physical differences between the two. The goon was large and thick and tried using his brute force to overpower Carter, but Carter was lithe and agile. Bonus points for thinking to use the Stark weapon to her advantage.

On top of a strong, character-driven plot and solid production value, this episode really worked as an episode after Krzeminski was murdered. Carter, who was often targeted by his discriminatory comments, still sympathized with him. His death was finally enough to push her to reach out to Angie and have that “girl talk.” This episode might not have pushed the Leviathan plot forward, but it served great as another stepping-stone for Carter’s development as a character.

“Time and Tide” did not move the Stark conspiracy plot forward, but delivered some excellent character-focused scenes on top of an expectedly solid production value.