The second season of Marvel’s Agent Carter paled a bit in comparison to season one in terms of the plot, yet managed to deliver an entertaining and strong season by developing its small roster of characters backed by its stellar cast and expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe in more ways.
Season 2 of Agent Carter takes place in Hollywood in 1947 where Peggy Carter is sent to investigate the strange murder of a woman which leads her and her crew into an even larger mystery involving something mysterious only known as Zero Matter. The season starts with an engaging scene in which the SSR apprehends Dottie Underwood, the Russian spy who was introduced in the first season, and quickly goes through the events that send Peggy to Hollywood on her new adventure. However, the show failed to maintain this momentum after the first two episodes only to regain it during the final couple of episodes.
Hollywood during the ‘40s provides an interesting playground for Carter and her gang. Much like in the first season, the show does an impressive job of portraying its 1900s setting; the visuals are good enough, the costume and make-up division has done an excellent job in adding to the charm of the setting, and the background music composed by Christopher Lennertz makes the setting even more convincing. Compared to season 1, Agent Carter suffers problems in its pacing in several of the episodes. Whereas the Leviathan conflict was able to keep the viewers engaged throughout, the second season’s plot felt dragged out on several occasions. Some plot points could easily be predicted by anyone who has had any experience with pop-culture. But, the show compensated for its flaws in other ways such as its light-hearted humor, character development, and great performances from the cast.
One of the best things about the second season was the way it refined its character-roster. First of all, Peggy was no longer burdened by the loss of Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America. While Carter was mostly driven by this grief in the first season and it worked out well, carrying that element over this time again would have been an over-kill. The writers were clever in bringing back the Peggy from Captain America: The First Avenger whom fans originally fell in love with. The season also provides some insight into Peggy’s past. As always, Hayley Atwell has done a first-rate job in portraying Peggy Carter.
A still from season 2 of Agent Carter
Perhaps the best part about the whole season was the chemistry the cast shared amongst each other, especially Hayley Atwell and James D’Arcy, who plays Edwin Jarvis. It’s a treat to see these two actors interact on screen as their chemistry elevates the fun-fact of the show to a different level. Additionally, Jarvis gets an arc of his own and D’Arcy has done his job admirably, particularly in the last few episodes. Chad Michael Murray and Enver Gjokaj returned as Jack Thompson and got their own arcs which made the characters more interesting. New characters consist of Whitney Frost played by Wynn Everett, the antagonist in the season; Ana Jarvis played by Lotte Verbeek; and Reggie Austin as Jason Wilkes, a scientist who becomes important to the plot as it progresses. Dominic Cooper also returned as Howard Stark, delightful as ever.
In conclusion, the second season of Agent Carter had its fair share of flaws considering how good the first one was. The plot lagged a bit at times but picked itself back up towards the end. While the finale did not quite live up to the excitement set up by the former episodes, it was still an entertaining one and concluded with a cliffhanger which would leave viewers keen about what will happen next. However, Agent Carter has not yet been picked up for a third season. The setting, cast, humor, and the thrills make season 2 of the show an entertaining watch. All the minor connections to the rest of the MCU, Doctor Strange and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, in particular are sure to appease fans of the franchise. Since it is probable that Agent Carter will be renewed for a third season, hopefully the writers will rectify the mistakes season 2 made.
Score – 8/10
– By Nisanth Suresh
Tags: agent carter Marvel marvel's agent carter
