Last night was the season finale of Agent Carter (remember to support #RenewAgentCarter). It had everything we could ask for: heart, adventure, closure, and yet the promise of more, not to mention a few of my requests from last week.
The very first moments of the show made me squeal in delight as the old fashioned Captain America radio show returned, once again offering a clever setup and contrast to the actual events of Carter's life. It segued nicely to where we last left our intrepid trio of Carter, Sousa, and Thompson, investigating the mysterious cinema disaster that bore more than a passing similarity to the carnage of the Battle of Finow.
Another item on my request list checked off when Sousa performed his usual ace detective work, scoring a clue no one else found. But like everything else on this show, his efforts proved a double-edged sword as he fell victim to the toxic gas (the ominous Item 17 of Stark's weapon cache). What's wonderful about this moment is how we've all come to see Sousa as simply another SSR Agent, one who has strengths and weaknesses and is perfectly capable of fighting back against his allies if hijacked by the enemy. His disability is only one part of his very expansive character.
Once back at SSR headquarters we got the promised return of Howard Stark with trusty Jarvis. He confidently proclaimed his plan to use himself as bait to draw the Leviathan agents out into the open, barely batting an eye at the deaths laid at his door with a mix of bravado and charm it's obvious he's used to get himself out of scrapes many times before. The plan, of course, goes awry very quickly, with Dr. Ivchenko and Dottie hoodwink a cop into bringing Stark into their clutches.
Side note: some online reacted in surprise when this policeman was African American in the 1940s. Turns out the NYPD had such a patrolman as early as 1911 in the form of North Carolina native Samuel Battle; in later research I discovered even more, dating back to 1891, with many becoming officers and detectives (and even a few African American policewomen in the 1920s).
Ivchenko (now known to be Doctor Fennhoff, or the villain Doctor Faustus) went straight to work on a still smirking Stark, who struggled to even recall Dottie's name after all the trouble she caused stealing his weapons. But here we again got the strength of this show: its refusal to settle for less than fully fleshed out characters and real emotional stakes. Ivchenko is not just a supervillian spy hungering for power, he's angered by the casual destruction of his men at Finow by Stark's invention, including the death of his own brother. He skewers Stark for his very real flaws with a passionate sense of justice that's a match for the good guys, if shaded by personal revenge and a faulty moral compass.
Stark's mask crumpled under the assault, revealing a man who truly feels every single one of his own failings, including the one he regrets the most: his inability to save Captain America. It's that very desire for redemption Ivchenko uses to bend the man to his will, setting him up to rain death personally down on V-E Day festivities in the middle of Times Square.
I haven't mentioned Carter herself much, but don't think for a minute she was overshadowed in her own show. Instead, Carter finally came fully into her element, fully in charge of this operation from start to finish. Everyone deferred to her decisions and actions, let her call the shots, and recognized that she truly is the most capable leader they have. The ultimate showdown between her and Dottie the Leviathan agent was very satisfying, bringing all of Carter's resourcefulness to bear, and her resolution of the crisis proved that she's not just a fighter but a compassionate friend as well. Her scene was an emotional inversion of the final scene from Captain America, letting her find closure while still remaining on top of the game. Between that and Jarvis's willingness to shoot down his closest friend should the need arise, the action/emotional climax sizzled.
I won't even begin to describe the final brilliant moments, except to say that they gave an answer to everything wrong with most "female empowerment" stories. When the dust finally settled and the official credit went elsewhere, Sousa reacted in righteous anger, demanding to know why Carter wasn't furious herself. She gave this very profound answer:
#Truth #AgentCarter pic.twitter.com/VJpXLNato8
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) February 25, 2015Despite a lack of official recognition from the powers that be, Agent Carter proved that she's learned to find her own meaning and purpose in life, discovering what really matters to her. She knows she has the respect of some of her coworkers, she did good work to fight for what she believes in, and learned important facts about herself. A medal from the President, while nice, would be beside the point.
Besides, Thompson might get the SSR, but we all know what Carter's ultimately going to get (hint: it's spelled S-H-I-E-L-D). Also, I doubt the President can give her as posh a new residence as Stark gave her, and even if that were possible, he wouldn't have awesome Angie as a roommate. Or wonderful Jarvis as a true friend.
It's been a wild, wonderful ride, and one that was only possible because of the massive staying power of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To all those who wonder whether the influx of superhero movies is worth it, what point it has in terms of high entertainment, I offer Agent Carter as an answer. This is precisely the rare kind of project that would never have been made if Captain America hadn't first been a hit movie and provided an opportunity for someone to pitch a story involving a competent, complex woman in an amazing adventure. It gives me great hope for what may lie ahead.
The finale's episode may have been titled "Valediction," but it absolutely forbids mourning. Instead, the show reminded us all to not dwell on the disappointments of our past and look to the hope of a bright future.
Hopefully that's a future with #AgentCarterSeason2.