Marvel's Agent Carter Round Table: Is Hydra Behind Zero Matter?
Christine Laskodi
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Welcome to Los Angeles Agent Carter!
Our favorite hero in a red hat is back in action and this season she has a brand new zip code! On Marvel's Agent Carter Season 2 Episode 1 and Marvel's Agent Carter Season 2 Episode 2, Peggy headed to the west coast to help Daniel Sousa, now Chief of the SSR's Los Angeles branch, with an interesting new case that's much larger than it seems!
The premiere also introduced us to new enemies, new friends, and has possibly introduced us to an organization we're already quite familiar with in the future!
Does Peggy follow adventure, or does adventure follow Peggy? TV Fanatics Jim Garner, Kathleen Weidel, and Christine Laskodi are talking all about it!
Let us know what you think!
What was your favorite moment from the premiere?
Jim: I loved that it opened with the same red hat as Marvel’s Agent Carter Season 1 but turned out to be Dottie in it. Such a great nod to the first season!
Kathleen: There were so many great moments that it's hard to pin down just one, but I have to go with the first meeting between Peggy and Ana Jarvis. It was so much fun that it's almost too bad we didn't get to meet her before now!
Christine: I enjoyed so much of the premiere it’s hard to choose a favorite moment! I’ll go with the opening sequence of SSR capturing Dottie Underwood. That entire sequence was shot wonderfully, the fighting was fantastic, and it tied up a huge story that was left hanging at the end of Marvel’s Agent Carter Season 1 Episode 8.
Do you like the new Los Angeles setting?
Jim: So far they've done a good job of keeping it 1940s, so yeah I'm down with it.
Kathleen: I got some good laughs out of the complaints of the heat and the apparent instability of palm trees! Also that bit about eating avocado with everything. When I was in college, it was always a source of amusement that Southern California was not exactly what out-of-staters thought it was going to be (i.e., beautiful sunshine and 80 degrees year-round).
In any event, the new setting will likely reflect a new Peggy (of sorts), having finally allowed herself to move on from her grief for Steve Rogers that was holding her back emotionally. Plus, in Los Angeles, she won't be known as "Steve Roger's girlfriend," as she was in New York.
Christine: I LOVE the new setting! I think that Los Angeles is a great fit for Peggy. The cinematography is excellent, everything seems brighter and less gritty, and I especially love that Peggy doesn’t have to prove herself to an office full of men underestimating her anymore. Plus, I’m just a huge fan of old Hollywood glamour and it seems that we’re going to get a lot of that this season! The only thing missing from L.A. is Angie!
What do you think has happened to Dr. Jason Wilkes?
Jim: I don't think he's dead; him missing is a red herring! I think he will be back and working for the side of good.
Kathleen: It's a very good question, and I don't have a good answer. Like Jim, though, I doubt very greatly that he's dead. That would be a real bummer, now wouldn't it? On a side note, it's likely just a coincidence, but visually speaking, the zero matter reminded me of both the gravitonium introduced in Agents of SHIELD Season 1 Episode 3 and a little of the obelisk in its liquid form from later in the series.
Christine: I’m hoping that he’s alive and well, maybe just disoriented? I’m sure now that he’s seen Zero Matter work first hand, he’ll have some useful information that will help Peggy and Daniel. Though, Whitney appears to have some lasting damage from Zero Matter, so there’s no telling what Jason’s side effects will be!
Who do you suspect that the (assumingly) evil council is and what is their connection to Dottie?
Jim: I'm 99% sure that the symbol of this evil council is one of the images that Fitz associated with Hydra over the years. In season 3, episode 8, he laid out an evolution of symbols that lead to a Hydra image.
Kathleen: Jim and I are on the same wavelength here, because "HYDRA" was the first thing that popped into my head right off the bat, one of its many evil limbs. It could be that Dottie was attempting to steal the lapel pin so the Red Room could infiltrate it.
Christine: Oh! That’s a great catch! I’d LOVE to see HYDRA get incorporated into the story. Maybe we’re going to see the origin story of HYDRA this season? It would certainly explain Hugh Jones being there and why Dottie would be involved!
What are your first impressions of Whitney Frost?
Jim: I suspect we've just met our first inhuman OR we've just met the darkness that came back wearing a "Ward Suit" in the winter finale of Agents of SHIELD.
Kathleen: Despite her bravado when confronting Dr. Wilkes over the zero matter, I think she's totally in over her head and is just starting to realize it. Just look at the expression on her face at the end of the episode as she's cowering in her dressing room!
At some level, she's a fun house mirror version of Peggy: both are intelligent, beautiful women, but while Peggy works tirelessly to earn the respect of her colleagues and breaking (or downright ignoring) barriers, Whitney hides her intellectual brilliance behind a mask of Hollywood glamour.
Unfortunately for Whitney, physical beauty almost inevitably fades with time, and the facade she's created is already starting to crumble. The accident with the zero matter is definitely not helping, though...
Christine: There’s nothing scarier than a woman scorned and her husband has certainly humiliated her. She’s obviously the brain behind Isodyne and she knows the secrets of Zero Matter, so I think she’ll be the force to be reckoned with this season. I think she’s going to be an awesome adversary for Peggy and I’m hoping for some teamwork scenes between her and Dottie. One epic fight with these three ladies would be amazing.
What do you think of Ana playing a larger role this season?
Jim: I love it! Peggy needs to someone to remind her of her feminine side from time to time, and she's got great taste in dresses!
Kathleen: As I mentioned above, Ana's first meeting with Peggy was my favorite scene in the premiere! She sewed Peggy a garter... with a holster! And the way she planted that kiss on Jarvis ("She's an embarrassing creature!") was just priceless. I think she'll bring a great energy and flavor to the season, and I look forward to seeing more of her.
Christine: I love Ana so much! With Angie gone, I was worried about who would fill the buddy void in Peggy’s life. Ana seems to be the perfect fit. I love her enthusiasm for what Peggy and Jarvis do and the way she’s shepherding Peggy through the Los Angeles social scene. I can’t wait to see what else she does this season!
Be sure to tune in for Marvel's Agent Carter Season 2 Episode 3 "Better Angels" on Tuesday, January 26 at 9/8c on ABC!
