“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.
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