Marvel's Agent Carter, “Time and Tide” (1.3) - TV Review

Marvel’s Agent Carter, Season 1, Episode 3, “Time and Tide”

January 13, 2015, 9pm (EST), ABC

Agent Peggy Carter’s mission to exonerate Howard Stark hits a rough patch this week, as partner-in-crime Jarvis is brought into for questioning and a colleague at the Strategic Scientific Reserve is gunned down as a result of her interference. But despite any potential reservations, Peggy remains focused on the mission that finally gives her a renewed sense of purpose, while thwarting bad guys with confidence and a quip or two.

But after Marvel’s Agent Carter kicked off last week with two action-heavy episodes, tonight’s outing was less of a thrill ride. Indeed, it was surprisingly subdued given that this is the third episode of an eight-part series. Instead, it felt like a filler episode one might find in the middle of a series three times its length.

Nevertheless, the stakes were raised with the death of Krzeminski, Peggy’s brutish colleague at the SSR. While he was not a particularly likeable character, Peggy is upset about his death, which she unwittingly had a hand in triggering. Peggy and Jarvis spent this episode continuing to investigate the theft of Stark’s weapons, which directed them to a vessel sporting a symbol similar to the one drawn by our dearly departed bad guy last week – representing an organization that he called the Leviathan. The duo finds Stark’s weapons on the ship and Peggy immediately moves to alert the SSR, despite Jarvis cautioning that it may do more harm than good. While Jarvis is concerned that such a call would alert the SSR to Peggy’s efforts to clear Stark’s name behind their backs, the toll turns out to be much higher than he imagines. In the end, both Daniel Sousa and SSR chief Roger Dooley level the blame for the death of Krzeminski – who is shot by a mysterious figure while leaving the scene with a witness – at Howard Stark, and actions taken by Peggy to support him.

Peggy also finds herself caught off-guard during “Time and Tide” when she learns that Jarvis had previously been charged with treason, while he is interrogated by her SSR colleagues. The SSR bring him in for questioning after finding the bumper of a Stark car at the scene of the Roxxon power plant explosion. Peggy is alarmed at the charge but still puts her reputation on the line to help Jarvis avoid pressure from the SSR – and to continue to move forward on her mission. Eventually, she demands the truth from Jarvis, who tells her that the charge and subsequent dishonorable discharge resulted from an effort to help his Jewish wife escape to the U.S. during the war. He also reveals that Stark eventually intervened to ensure Jarvis and his wife safely arrived in America, providing a bit more insight into Jarvis’s loyalty to Stark.

The chemistry between Peggy and Jarvis is once again a highlight, with the bonus of additional backstory for Jarvis this week. But the significant time spent toying with Jarvis and then humiliating Peggy at SSR headquarters bogged down the episode, while scenes with Angie the waitress have become more and more of an unwelcome diversion. One can only hope that they will eventually lead to a worthwhile development, similar to the way that Peggy obtains a lead through her landlady’s speech about Houdini. We are also introduced to a new housemate at Peggy’s apartment, Dottie the dancer, who presumably will play a larger role in upcoming episodes.

Overall, while Peggy continues to kick ass and the retro atmosphere continues to charm, this hour moved much more slowly than the two that preceded it, which is somewhat disappointing since we’re already almost halfway through the short season.

The Roundup