Time and Tide continues Agent Carter’s impressive run with another fantastic episode. The Peggy/Jarvis dynamic is in full effect and added even more layers to their (platonic) relationship and we even got some quality development from the supporting SSR agents. Throw in some more kick ass fight scenes, humor and a dash of emotion and we have a winner.
Episode 3 of Agent Carter focuses on the Peggy/Jarvis relationship, leaning slightly more towards Jarvis’ end of the spectrum. We get a much better idea of what’s driving him and how much he has gone through to get to where he is.
Peggy (Hailey Atwell) is having trouble fighting above her weight class.
Early on in the episode Jarvis is arrested and brought in to the SSR for questioning regarding the bumper of one of Howard Stark’s vehicles (the one he used to save Peggy in Bridge and Tunnel) being found at a crime scene. Jarvis’ sudden arrest puts Peggy’s mission in danger but more importantly brings up a number of facts from Edwin’s past that begin to make Carter think twice about who she is partnered with. The interrogation scene does wonders for a number of characters. Chad Michael Murray’s Jack Thompson comes across as a jerk but we begin to get a better understanding of who he is. He is willing to do a lot to get the answers he wants and knows exactly what buttons to push depending on who he is talking to. James D’Arcy’s dry wit is once again on full display here and it is put to great use (his death ray comment was hilarious, as was his joke about being in the back of a car).
To get Jarvis out of the precinct and save her own skin at the same time Peggy plays the fool and purposefully sabotages the interrogation. Her reputation and value at the SSR were already barely existing but the fact that she was willing to tarnish what little respect she had proved how loyal she was not only to her mission but her friends as well. It was a powerful moment and you could see the hurt on Carter’s face when Dooley (Shea Wigham) tore into her.
It isn’t until later in the episode that we learn the truth behind Jarvis’ “dishonorable discharge” and it makes for one heck of a scene. The bond between Jarvis and Peggy is one of the best parts of the show and the fact that the two can share such intimate stories with each other shows how much they have to rely on one another and how much each has gone through.
Lyndsy Fonseca as Angie Martinelli is the best.
Their highly emotional conversation is cut short when they finally find Stark’s stolen technology, all of it. It was just sitting on a boat, which begs the question; what was the real motivation behind the robbery? It doesn’t make sense that Leviathan would go to such lengths to take the weapons and not put them to use. Hopefully the next episode will give us some answers. The boat sequence does lead to a cool fight scene between Peggy, Jarvis and a massive mercenary. Peggy does a pretty solid job holding her own and Jarvis even gets his hands dirty a bit but it ultimately comes down to Carter’s resourcefulness and Stark’s patented back scratcher/bone-breaking machine.
Kyle Bornheimer as Ray Krzeminski, We barely knew you.
The aftermath of the fight leads to the series biggest twist yet. Sousa and Krzeminski (Gjokaj and Bornheimer) get credit for the find and take the thug guarding the goods into custody. Along the way Krzeminski and the mercenary he was escorting are mercilessly killed by another Leviathan agent. Bornheimer’s character was extraneous at best but the fact that he was taken out with such brutality and at such an unexpected time was a bold move that goes to show how serious Marvel is with this expansion of the MCU and how much of a threat Leviathan can be (literally take no prisoners).The death of Krzeminski spurns the rest of the SSR into action and elicits a number of powerful responses from the cast. Dooley, Sousa and Thompson commit themselves wholeheartedly to finding Stark and bringing him down, which in turn poses even more danger for Carter and her dual life.
Peggy, who admits to not even liking her chauvinistic co-worker is particularly struck. She finds comfort in Lyndsy Fonseca’s Angie, which was another nice character moment (Angie is the best, please let her be an undercover agent or something… NIKITA!).
Time and Tide is the strongest showing yet for the fledgling Agent Carter series. James D’Arcy is hilarious, characters are given a healthy dose of development and the Leviathan mystery continues to pose a threat. Many questions still remain but if the quality of the show stays as is I am more than willing to go along for the ride.
Overall I give this episode an 8.5/10