Where or how Agent Carter is going to end is something of a mystery. All we know is that there are eight episodes with which to play around and the story is advancing at a steady clip. It would seem that each episode is primed to fill in various aspects of Peggy Carter's life. Here, her work life has challenges that seemingly multiply either through her own actions or other factors. This is the life of a double agent, as Peggy continues to dig into the mysterious Leviathan group while clearing Howard Stark's name and reputation in the process.

Peggy knows that this was never going to be an easy task, although I don't think she expected the amount of resistance attached to the tasks given to her. I should have known that this episode was probably not going to measure up to the fun and constantly propulsive first two hours of the series. When it's trying to fill out this world, a breakneck pace is not always the best way to go.


The SSR agents continue digging into the wreckage from the milk factory and connect one of the dots when they find the bumper and license plate of one of Howard Stark's cars. Since Stark is a fugitive from justice, Jarvis is brought in for questioning in Stark's place. We find out through Agent Thompson's investigation that Jarvis was dishonorably discharged from the British military with some then-mysterious charge of treason. The likelihood is that the charge involved Jarvis' beloved wife Anna from the sound of the interrogation.

Thompson presses hard on Anna as Jarvis' obvious weak spot, which should hopefully be something to watch for later on. We get a hint of an accent from Anna's offscreen presence, which gives credence to what Jarvis tells Peggy later on. Howard Stark's unassuming butler is, in fact, something of a hero during the war by his daring rescue of Anna, a Hungarian Jew.


When Peggy hears the interrogation, her guard immediately goes up. It would be a bit of a cheat to demonstrate the great chemistry between the two characters in "Bridge and Tunnel" only to break them apart just one episode later. Peggy already has myriad trust issues that are magnified by her double agent status, and especially with men that she should trust to fight on her side, so it's a good thing that Jarvis is open with her on his complicated past. This episode also demonstrates the lasting impact that World War II has had on these characters. From the women who stayed home struggling to mix with the GIs who returned to a changed and unfamiliar place, to the judgments placed on some for the actions they took in the war (Peggy's now almost mythical association with Captain America in the first two episodes; Jarvis' saga with Anna here), this is something that informs on the world of this show.



So much so that it adds gravity to the final act. Peggy and Jarvis locate a few of Howard Stark's stolen inventions, call it in to the SSR agents on duty, and the whole thing ends with one of the agents dead. Dynamic action scene aside, the aftermath is really what everyone focuses on. The SSR was most likely recruiting out of the military after the combatants came home from the end of the war. They've seen a lot of death in that time. They probably weren't expecting to see it when they came home.


The show rightly acknowledges this, both through the collective lenses of the other agents in the SSR office and through Agent Carter. The agent who died was a meathead, rude and boorish, even a philanderer, but he was one of their own. While it isn't right that Chief Dooley pin the agent's death on Howard Stark, he does have a point that the agent would still be alive if they weren't engaged in arresting Stark and taking on this Leviathan group. Peggy's guilt over the death is justified since she was the one who put the agents in that position in the first place. Her reaction isn't as primal or immediate as the grief she displayed over Colleen's death, but more subtle and long-lasting. There's a detachment present that's akin to her grief over Captain America plunging to his death. She would like to tell Angie of what happened in her workday, but she can't tell her the full truth, so the guilt sticks with her, becoming a heavier weight that she has to carry alone.



It's great that Agent Carter is this sassy broad who doesn't take any guff over the enormous restrictions on women during the time period (demonstrated by the over-the-top dictatorial attitude given by the madam of the Griffith Hotel), but the grief and guilt make her more human and relatable. It adds dimension to her character, making her something beyond that of an action heroine. Now if the show could continue to add more to the world, then a sense of completion would be readily possible.