Anybody Else Watch "Marvel's Agent Carter"?

Sure, if I was willing to bore you with my movie and TV habits of the past 18 months, I guess I'll do a post at some point regarding what television I've been watching.  This isn't that post.

I have tried Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on three... no.  Four separate occasions and have been unable to finish an episode, including the pilot.  Nothing about that show does anything for me, so it's been with - at best - a cautiously optimistic eye that I've been watching the development of Agent Carter.  Every once in a while in making a movie you capture lightning in a bottle, and certainly Haley Atwell's performance as Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger seemed to be one of those occasions.   The part was well written, and Atwell did enough that not only is she one of the most memorable supporting characters in Marvel's expanded cinematic universe full of intergalactic gods and futuristic technology, Marvel Studios decided they could build a whole show around just Agent Carter.  So, Haley Atwell should feel pretty good about herself at the moment.

Look, I really, really liked/ loved the show.  But Jamie was sitting three feet from me, and she was beaming the same way I do when Cap throws his mighty shield, The Falcon zips around on his wings or Rocket Raccoon pretty much does anything.  And I understand why.  As much as I like Gamora or Black Widow or Pepper Potts and think they're good characters, they're in a supporting role for Star Lord, Iron Man, etc...   Tonight, Jamie got her own Marvel hero.

Agent Carter kicked ass on my TV for two hours, not just as a superspy, but dealing with the role women were asked to play in post-war America as men returned and expected women to fall into those supporting roles with a smile on their face - and that's powerful, relatable stuff for an audience that doesn't get to see that experience on the screen often enough.  I had sort of figured Marvel would white wash that a bit in the name of expediency and getting Carter out there with a pistol and a case to crack, but, instead, it's integral to the story and key to Agent Carter's character arc.  So, hey, well done, Marvel.

Production design on this show was terrific, and perfect for the tone they were going for (I am boggled at how much this cost ABC/ Disney/ Marvel), but I'm old enough to still be amazed to see the "no expenses spared" on a show about a comic book character.  And the direction was serious enough, but I appreciated that the show had a well-timed sense of humor.  Integration into the MCU and introducing Marvel components that make sense was seamless (even if they really, really spoiled the first Cap movie*).

So, anyway, 6 more weeks left of the show, and I'm sure it won't be that hard to catch the premier two episodes online or elsewhere if you missed the pilot.


*here's my comments on the first Captain America movie, by the way