Agent Carter “A Sin to Err” Spoilers Ahead
Agent Carter “A Sin to Err” is as fierce and as heartfelt as ever with unexpected twists that left us wishing time machines existed.
Episode Summary: After getting further proof, Daniel tells Chief Dooley that Peggy’s the female in the photographs. Dr. Ivchenko is creepier than ever and not on the side I imagined. Peggy and Jarvis are on the hunt for the trained assassin from Russia’s “Red Room”. Angie covers Peggy’s tracks in the most epic way possible. And after being poisoned by Dottie, the SSR take Peggy in before Dottie can finish off killing her.
Review | Analysis: The incidences of this episode were evidently meant to set up last week, and they were so well established that I’m certain we aren’t prepared for what’s to come in “Snafu”. The episode featured some questionable moments I could’ve certainly gone without (Dooley pouring his heart out to Ivchenko). I want to respect the man considering he’s the Chief, but after every word, I find myself more and more irritated. All that aside, it was fantastic to have James D’Arcy back working alongside Hayley Atwell because there’s nothing quite as entertaining as their scenes together.
As always the episode featured some phenomenal moments, but it’s only been a few hours since it’s aired and I’ve already watched the scene in Angie’s bedroom about 10 times. Marvel’s Agent Carter has done a stellar job of finding balance between emotionally thought-provoking and lighthearted scenes.
It was so much fun to watch Angie fake cry because she successfully managed to distract grown men by making them uncomfortable with emotions. Thanks to Grant Ward and his stupid decision to join Hydra, I no longer trust men who have adorably distinct names for their grandmas. I cannot decide what’s funnier, Thompson’s little smile as he said “GamGam” or Sousa’s “are you serious right now?” expression. And considering the mere fact that Thompson is pretty much always a pain to deal with, it was nice to see an awkwardly soft side come out of him as he comforted a distraught Angie.
Let us now get into a fabulous concept called badass lady friendships because no series is ever complete without one. I’ve been fond of Angie’s character from the beginning, but her trust in Peggy this week is what landed her a role as one of my favorites. It’s always nice to see friendships that are built on a form of praise – Angie has always known Peggy’s capable of so much more, and Peggy’s always known that Angie was an irreplaceable character. I love the idea of these two becoming the best of friends and I can’t wait to see the role Angie will play in all of this because I hope she gets to stick around for the long haul. She’s so well-written and portrayed that this show definitely needs someone like her to stick around.
Dottie is as frightening as ever and the shocking reveal that she and Dr. Ivchenko are working together was a brilliant touch I didn’t see coming. Their communication through windows was a sight to see because even though such scenarios have been done numerous times by now, it’s always interesting to watch. Her new mission? Kill Peggy. And the one thing that’s left me most frustrated about the entire situation is that if she was able to get close enough to kiss her, then she could have stabbed her. But I imagine someone like Dottie would have some kind of a twisted way of murdering and therefore she needed Peggy out cold. It’s a shame because I wanted to trust her, but she’s blown that, however, this storyline does a great job of bringing much more depth to Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow. We know how they’re trained assassins and we know what their missions tend to be like – so please for the love of God, Marvel give us a Black Widow movie because it would without a doubt be gold. And I know for a fact that it would make fans of Natasha Romanoff love her even more because we’d see her stem away from her past and become the fierce, great Avenger that she now is.
As terrifying as Dottie is, she’s a delight to watch. I found myself incredibly bored with Dr. Ivchenko’s character only to be completely disgusted of him at the very end when he made Yauch commit suicide. Really? What kind of harm would such an agent bring to your twisted plans? Ultimately and as always, I was mostly bored at Chief Dooley’s ignorance and refusal to believe that he’s the problem in the relationship. If he cannot treat his own female colleague with respect and decency as a boss then there’s no doubt it’s his inability to communicate like a normal human being.
Moving on to more interesting matters, there’s nothing greater than the banter between Peggy and Jarvis. After Peggy comes to a theory that there’s a good chance one of the women Howard’s slept one could be responsible for clearing out his vault, she and Jarvis visit each of them to check which one’s got a handcuff scar. A few failed attempts leads them to an abandoned bedroom where Peggy notices marks on the wood from handcuffs. As much as I felt bad that Jarvis was on the receiving end of slaps instead of Howard, D’Arcy has such inimitable facial expressions that it was an absolute thrill to watch. Let’s not ignore the legendary moment of a grown man feeling threatened by a child with a lollipop then referring to him as a “future Mafioso” to Peggy.
Let it be known that Peggy Carter could take down grown men all while keeping her hair and lipstick in perfect condition. With Jarvis’ assistance, they’re able to run away from the back door until they’re stopped by Jack Thompson. As much as Jack’s been trying to slowly redeem himself (a little bit), it brought me pure joy to have Peggy knock him out within a few seconds. Atwell does a remarkable job of breaking hearts within a single sentence. After she tells Jarvis she needs to go back to the Griffith, her expression and tone of voice do wonders in terms of conveying agony – nothing else is worthy of increasing her chances to get caught other than Steve’s blood. The innate fear in her voice and the anguish in her expression are worthy of great praise.
On a series as great as Agent Carter, I’m always left amazed and perplexed about whose performance I loved most. Which leaves me with my next question, how on earth could I root for anyone else when Daniel Sousa has such immense faith in Peggy’s character? Their conversation was the easiest to love because it was filled with such poignancy – the amount of proof he’s already gathered on Peggy’s “betrayal” is unquestionable, and yet there’s a part of him wholeheartedly wanting to believe that it isn’t true. Gjokaj did a magnificent job of conveying Sousa’s emotions in every scene, but the vulnerability manifested as he says: “Peggy, don’t run. If you run I’ll know it’s true” was the most moving.
Such a brief scene was full of so much and generally, scenes with Daniel’s character often tend to be filled with the most sincerity. There’s so much more to the scene and it’s all in the phrasing of the sentence. Photographic evidence, a witness statement, and a fallen member of his team are more than enough to solidify his theory that she’s working as a double agent, but beyond all that, his loyalty and undeniable feelings for her have engulfed him with a desperate desire to believe otherwise. If she didn’t run from him, he would’ve instantly believed in her – there isn’t anything more evident than this. And what I find most interesting is the fact that he could have shot her – a place that wouldn’t have left permanent damage, but merely to slow her down, and yet it was an effective choice to let her run.
At the end of the day, however, Daniel Sousa is one of the only agents that I feel legitimately values justice and morality above all others thus, pursuing her further is something I feel that’s expected of him.
And lastly, what I found most interesting is the fact that it’s written for Daniel to run the interrogation. As a member of their team, I would think that Chief Dooley would be the one asking all the questions. Looking at this from a realistic standpoint, if an employee screws up, another employee isn’t going to be the one having a talk with them – it’d be a manager. It’s also thought-provoking because we’ve seen that Daniel’s interrogation methods aren’t like anyone else’s – he’s patient and tends to look for common ground thus creating a safe environment. Therefore, this has me sitting on pins and needles because Daniel will most certainly take the interrogation seriously, but he’s also someone who holds Peggy up on a pedestal for her abilities as an agent and a woman. Unlike the other SSR agents, Daniel respects her and although this will surely bring about further character development for him, I don’t feel that his respect for her has wavered yet. In fact, I cannot wait until he understands it was all for good reason, but even though he now knows it’s true, there’s no doubt in my mind that he still wants to believe there’s more than meets the eye just as she said during their confrontation.
Steve Rogers’ blood is in the hands of SSR agents, specifically Daniel Sousa at the moment, and there’s a part of me that feels Peggy may lie to keep it safe with her but there’s another part that feels she may just be honest in hopes that they’ll allow her to keep it knowing her history with him. It’s a chilling matter to think of and I cannot wait to see where this leads.
What are your thoughts on Agent Carter’s “A Sin to Err?”