TV Review: Agent Carter – Season 2 Ep 6/7 “Life of the Party”/”Monsters”

Join us each week as we review the latest episode of AGENT CARTER. Warning: the following review contains major spoilers for the newest episode of the show.

Episode 6/7: "Life of the Party" / "Monsters"

Synopsis: When Peggy realizes she cannot save Wilkes on her own, she turns to her most unexpected adversary for help while Whitney makes a move to control the deadly Zero Matter.As Peggy plots a rescue mission,Whitney hunts for even more dark power; and Jarvis learns he should not make promises he cannot keep.

Recap: After airing the premiere of Agent Carter's second season as a two hour event, ABC settled into three weeks of standard one hour presentations. Now, to try and cram in the second half of the season, we get two weeks featuring two episodes each. Tonight's double feature brings back Russian spy Dottie Underwood while continuing to set the stage for the rise of Whitney Frost to become her alter ego, Madame Masque. Both hours compliment each other in regards to story but neither really offers anything that stands out in what is becoming a fairly rote season of television.

The first episode of the two hours of Agent Carter centers around Peggy recruiting season one nemesis Dottie Underwood to partner with Jarvis in an attempt to gain a blood sample from Whitney Frost. Jason Wilkes continues to phase in and out of our world and he feels confident that he can build a containment unit if he can get his hands on more Zero Matter. Peggy is still recovering from her rebar wound from the previous episode and needs Dottie' expertise to infiltrate Calvin Chadwick's political fundraiser. Dottie is equipped with a tracking device and a Tiffany necklace with a built-in kill switch should she try to run. With Sousa and Peggy surveiling them from a van, Jarvis and Dottie dance away when the not only spot Frost but also SSR Chief Thompson. Thompson is there on an invite by Vernon Masters who continues to try and groom the young war hero to join the ranks of the initiated.

Dottie manages to get a sample of Frost's blood before escaping into an armoir inside the Council of Nine's chamber. She then witnesses Whitney Frost demonstrate her power for the Council who then turn on her and try to capture her. Frost unleashes her powers, killing half the Council including her husband. She then declares herself their new leader and demands they fabricate her husband's disappearance. With Vernon Masters obeying her as well, Whitney plans to get back the uranium that Peggy stole from her. With communications knocked out, Peggy, Sousa, and Jarvis retrieve the Zero Matter sample but lose Dottie who gets captured by Frost and Masters. Thompson makes one final plea for Peggy to come back to New York but she refuses.

The second episode finally gives Jason Wilkes his corporeal form back but only while within a containment unit of his own invention. Peggy and Jarvis soon learn where Dottie is being held and despite knowing it is a trap, they feel a need to rescue their former foe. Anna Jarvis and Jason Wilkes bond over drinks and dinner as they both worry about their friends and loves while Peggy is torn between the two men who adore her. Sousa reveals his engagement was called off when his fiance deduced he was in love with Peggy. Jason Wilkes made it his first action to kiss Peggy when he could. At Frost's estate, Peggy and Jarvis are captured but end up rescuing Dottie only to learn that it was a ruse so Frost and Manfredi could get to Jason Wilkes.

Whitney Frost realizes that Wilkes has different powers thanks to Zero Matter and offers to help him realize his potential. Wilkes declines but she and Manfredi knock him out. As they leave the Stark mansion, Anna Jarvis confronts them and is shot in the gut by Frost. The villains pull away as Peggy and Jarvis arrive and take the wounded Anna to the emergency room. Back at the SSR, Sousa arrives for work after being accosted by masked thugs the night before. He is met by Masters who informs him that he is being put on leave of absence during the Peggy situation. Dottie also manages to escape into the night and I am sure we have not seen the last of her. The episode ends with Jarvis and Peggy waiitng for news on Anna's condition at the hospital.

With love triangles aplenty and some development for Whitney Frost, these two episodes were enjoyable and yet lacked any real depth. The injury to Anna Jarvis didn't carry any real weight to it as she was just introduced at the start of the season and was given barely anything to do until tonight. I wouldn't be shocked if they killed her off, but it wouldn't really carry any gravity either. The best aspect of this episode was the return of Bridget Regan as Dottie Underwood whose cold and calculated demeanor makes her more interesting than most of the show's supporting characters. Putting her in the forefront of both episodes made for exciting television and made me want to see her go toe to toe with Peggy even more. With only three episodes to go this season, I cannot help but feel that Agent Carter has squandered what could have been a much better run of episodes.

Marvel Universe References: No overt references this week.

Episode Grade:

Next on Agent Carter: "The Edge of Mystery" and "A Little Song and Dance" air February 23rd – Peggy and Sousa propose a trade with Whitney Frost, while the SSR gets help from Howard Stark that may be the key to eliminating Zero Matter. Peggy desperately tries to save Dr. Wilkes with a dangerous plan to stop Whitney Frost. But Thompson makes a surprising move that could destroy them all.