Agent Carter, Season 1, Episode 7, “Snafu”
Written by Chris Dingess
Directed by Vincent Misiano
Airs at 9pm (ET) on Tuesdays on ABC
The penultimate episode of Agent Carter’s debut season spends a lot of time running in place, moving the pieces around to make sure everyone is in position for what is sure to be an action-packed finale. While some of this is surely necessary, like the slow reveal of Dottie and Ivchenko’s plan or the redemption of Peggy Carter in the eyes of the SSR, this episode does more to stall the second half of the season’s momentum than it does to build excitement for the final installment. This is a glorified bottle episode with only a few scenes taking place outside the SSR office, a money saving tactic presumably applied here to allow for a more explosive episode next week, and all of the emotional beats feel as cramped as the characters.
Every development happens only because the script deems it necessary, not because of what is happening on screen between Peggy, Jarvis, and the other agents. Even Dooley’s death, which in a perfect world should land as hard with the audience as it does with the agents he leaves behind in shock, feels empty. That may be a result of Shea Whigham being marginalized right up until the show needs him to be important to the story, but regardless a man throwing himself out of a high rise in a ball of fire should be far more exciting than this. Ivchenko’s hypnotic capabilities come off as more of a party trick than the dangerous threat to the team’s safety they are. Whereas the inclusion of Dottie’s childhood flashback was seamless and integral to the plot, Ivchenko’s war anecdote is here for no reason other than to give him a threatening ability that allows him to exploit Dooley’s recently shoehorned-in family troubles. Chekhov’s Hypnotism, as it were.
Even Dottie and Ivchenko’s master plan to turn the residents of New York against one another in a fit of rage and violence seems too little too late to be truly horrifying. After an entire season built upon the shadow of Leviathan, the arc needs a big payoff and while this plan is justifiably insane and evil, it doesn’t have much of an all encompassing doom quotient. Two supposedly well-trained spies turning America’s largest city into a ferocious Thunder Dome of violence goes a long way towards establishing the true menace behind Leviathan and the more Agent Carter lets this menace seep into all corners of the show the better it will be. The deaths of Dooley and Kzerminski are treated as major events in these people’s lives, yet nobody actually looks broken up about either of those losses. That’s a statement on some of the acting talent on display (Chad Michael Murray’s “sad” emotion trigger needs some recalibrating), but also the writing. Peggy simply saying “I should have been more careful” to her fellow agents in regards to Ray’s murder has nothing behind it to make it believable. The show cares more about the overarching threat than the small intricacies of the relationships and it shows in the final product. Even Sousa’s disappointment in Peggy’s supposed betrayal is palpably lacking.
Not everything this hour is boring though, especially when Dottie is on the screen. As previously discussed, the costuming is top notch and the suit she wears for the duration is some true Rosalind Russell realness. It’s the perfect mix of intimidating and sexy to match Bridget Regan’s screen presence. Each week her sociopathy ratchets up another notch on the creepy scale and the scene where she politely picks out a baby carriage is a new high. The showdown between her and Sousa is brief but tons of fun, especially the use of Sousa’s crutch in the choreography. Her descent in the stairwell is an awesome visual in an episode lacking in much action, and it’s reminiscent of a set piece from a big budget action film rather than a network drama. The final shot of the theater full of dead bodies is disturbing and a true shock, something more at home in the denouement of a horror movie. What the show needs to watch out for though is making Dottie more exciting than the titular character. She brings a lot of fire whenever she appears on screen and Peggy is beginning to feel inconsequential in her own show.
Peggy and Jarvis’ relationship also shines this episode. After a few episodes of rocky communication between the two, Jarvis’ fabricated confession on behalf of Howard Stark mends their disagreement and puts them back on the path of near-complete trust. In an episode where so much of Peggy’s agency is undercut by her fellow agents (namely Thompson assuming the only way she would be helping Howard Stark is if she were sleeping with him), Jarvis’ support and comedic timing is all the more important. He is there for her after she is fired from the agency and unceremoniously forced to clean out her desk in front of the entire office. Jarvis has come a long way from simply being a butler and chauffeur and is a reliable and necessary shoulder to lean on for Peggy in a world without many support systems available. He has proven himself as far more than a stand-in for when Dominic Cooper can’t fit the show into his shooting schedule. Heading into the most dangerous and deadly hour yet, that bond is surely going to be tested beyond anything they’ve experienced so far.