Well it’s not quite in the same league as the Who Shot JR? cliffhanger of a couple of decades ago but the season two finale of Marvel’s Agent Carter did leave us with a mystery to be solved. The greater mystery however is not the fate of one of the main characters but the fate of the show itself. Dismal ratings have put our favorite Agent in jeopardy of not returning for a third season but more on that in a moment. First, let’s wrap up season two. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Season two ended in a tidy fashion. It was nice seeing Howard Stark return in the finale, as he never fails to deliver on the humor. The banter he shares with Peggy is always a treat. The Zero Matter storyline gets some closure here when of all people Manfredi who, turns out to be an old friend of Howard’s, seeks Peggy’s help to put a stop to Whitney’s destructive ways. His reasoning is actually quite honorable; he genuinely loves Whitney but he is also smart enough to see the danger she poses.
In the end, it is Sousa who manages to take on this Zero Matter and volunteers to close a rift. Things get dicey and it takes Peggy, Howard, Wilkes and even Thompson to help put an end to this threat. Afterwards, it all felt anticlimactic. Whitney survived less the Zero Matter that resided inside her. Maybe we’ll see her again in some capacity as Madame Masque. What you thought could have become a relationship between Wilkes and Peggy all but vanished by the conclusion of the season. There was however a nice moment between them prior to him leaving to go work for Stark that brought closure to their story. It was good to see where Peggy’s true feelings lay and that was with Sousa as they shared a passionate kiss in his office. The biggest surprise of the finale came at the very end when a mysterious individual shot Thompson in his hotel room and took Peggy Carter’s personal file with them. Is Thompson alive? What information was contained in that file? Lots of questions remain for a show with an uncertain future.
Speaking of which, season two I thought started out with a bang but fizzled somewhere in the middle of its run. Overall I thought season one was stronger and satisfying. The whole Zero Matter storyline just wasn’t compelling enough to carry it week to week. Hayley Atwell is a delight and wonderful in the title role. The supporting cast is equally as strong especially Jarvis. I just think the show would work best as a spy thriller in the vain of the old Mission: Impossible in which Agent Carter faces a new threat each week. Instead of a singular story arc, build one that leads to another. Even perhaps continue to show some origin stories that our current Marvel heroes have to deal with today. It could be a nice why to bridge the gap between the past and the present.
I honestly don’t know what the future lies for Marvel’s Agent Carter. If it doesn’t get renewed for ABC, I would look to Netflix as a possibility albeit a long shot. It’s a well-acted show with unlimited potential. It would be a huge disappointment if it ends on an unresolved cliffhanger.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
