Agent Carter (finale!!)
Mar. 2nd, 2015 01:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silverflight8AAAAAAAAA so that was the finale!
The fight with Dottie! *_* I have been waiting for that all season, the show-down. Obviously Peggy had to survive, because MCU, but while they were fighting I wasn't thinking of that at all--just hoping Peggy would get the upper hand. It was the perfect length of time for fighting. I admit that I get bored sometimes watching the fighting--though I know they're action movies so they kind of need that!--but often you, the audience, already know who is going to win and the fights often go on for sooo long. Or are choreographed so that everything is a blur and you can't tell what's going on visually, you can just hear the sound of impacts. But this was perfect. Long enough because we know that both Dottie and Peggy are clever and trained and deadly, and because it's the culmination of the past season, but not so long that I started twiddling my fingers wondering when it would end and let the plot progress.
Dottie used to envy Peggy--the way she fit into society? Who had a normal upbringing? Both?
After it was all over, the episode I mean, I was glad that Dottie got away.
Sort of a parallel with Peggy again on the ground with the radio, trying desperately to call in Steve/Stark. Thank goodness she got through this time. You could probably write a nice little paper on this.
OK, I really enjoyed Stark getting slapped. Especially when it cut directly from him showing Dottie all his toys, then right to him tied to a chair. I do like Howard Stark! I don't know. All the slapping has been very satisfying, personally. (Except Jarvis, because he didn't deserve it, and also it was not shot in a way that was enjoyable. Dottie looks so severe.)
Thompson sure gets a lot of practice lying, doesn't he? His expression as Stark was feeding him lines made me laugh. The stream I was watching froze as Thompson was accepting the senator's (?) compliments so I didn't react as fast I should have. Thompson, do you feel guilty? Do you intend to make it up to Peggy? Did you just think "Well, this should rightfully have gone to Peggy, but trying to redirect it now would be too [complicated/detrimental/insert another excuse]?" Did the incident with the medal ever cross your mind at this point?
I disagree with what Peggy said after, though. "I don't need Agent Thompson's approval, or the president's. I know my value". I agree when it's applied in a vacuum. You shouldn't get validation only or primarily from outside; that's a recipe for disaster in so many ways. But the thing is, you need approval to do things. At the beginning of Agent Carter, Peggy gets stuck taking lunch orders and answering phones, because people don't respect her or her abilities. They don't approve of women being agents. They devalued Peggy so much that she got away with exonerating Stark right under their noses, and only someone like Sousa (who has at least some modicum of respect for what she can do) even bothered to put two and two together with the photo. Other people's approval can't be allowed to define who you are, or your own perceptions, but it's naive to think it's not needed. So long as women don't have that modicum of respect or approval, women will be stuck in subservient roles.
I guess she could have meant approval in the sense of praise, but yeah, that part definitely rubbed me the wrong way. You know who's going to get approval for projects in the future? Thompson will. If Peggy wants to initiate a project, she'll be blocked from above (or she'll have to get the agents around her to support her bid).
Well, I've figured out finally that if I ship anything, I think I ship Jarvis/Peggy. They have such great banter! They've got such dry senses of humour! I loved their interactions and how both of them get suckered into doing this, somewhat reluctantly, by Howard; they're such an unlikely pair to FIGHT CRIME! but they're adorable. Unfortunately Mrs Jarvis presents a major problem so I can't do it.
Ten internet bucks toeustacia_vye28 for calling the gas the weapon they wanted to steal! You were right.
Ah, yes, revenge motivation for the doctor.
I am a skeptic on hypnosis and the like, so it was rather annoying that it exists in the show's world and I have to accept it happening so as to keep going with the story. I really was hoping that Howard would be, I don't know, too arrogant and self-assured to let it work on him (kind of like Zaphod Beeblebrox and the Total Perspective Vortex). But he's not completely self-assured and arrogant, is he? He's carrying around a ton of guilt. And that got him :(
Seriously though--the scenes that are the characters hallucinating are hilariously improbable. I winced when Peggy showed up carrying the shield, because she sounded nothing like herself. But I mean, the hypnosis things are their dreams. Improbability rules there...
I was really glad that someone finally had the sense to capture Dr Fennhoff properly. Though the whole time that Sousa was advancing on Fennhoff I wanted him to shoot him already. He can't hypnotize you if he's dead or in major pain!! Do it! Do what you said you would and shoot! The reveal with Sousa taking out the earplugs was great though. I like that they sprinkle in humour here and there.
I'm so glad Peggy threw away the blood. After Jarvis gave her the vial I had the horrifying thought that she'd keep it as a memento or something--because she has to keep it herself, too many people want to get a hold of it for other purposes--and the idea of holding onto blood is, to put it mildly, creepy. It's okay to hold onto photos or personal treasured possessions, but keeping a biological component of someone who's died is definitely way over the too creepy line.
I like that she says goodbye, and the episode was about moving on. As much as I liked Peggy/Steve (and I am still following WIPs about Peggy time-travelling forward to assuage my sad feelings about this ship) Steve was effectively dead for sixty years. They have to move on, all of them. I think the writers did a really good job of integrating Steve into the show. Stuff like the radio play (ugh!) incorporates him while also referring to his impact on popular culture (setting some of the foundation for why Coulson is a huge fan), the remarks about aluminum crutch vs red-white-blue shield which are reminders of the aura/reputation that follows Peggy from her association with Steve, etc.
There's a similar thought running through both the Iron Man series and Agent Carter, about technology--that some kinds of technology cannot be trusted to anyone. That science, as impartial as it tries to stand, isn't impartial enough and both Tony and Howard decide that they won't be responsible for creating things that are too destructive, however they define too destructive.
Whoa, Sousa finally decides to go out for a drink!
I want an icon of Peggy's smile right after. She does smile on other occasions but it's often for appearances or just a quick one, but that one was like a beam of sunshine.
*crosses fingers for season 2*
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later but it's been a few days and I have spent all day fighting with STATA (protip: rearranging panel data SUCKS when you can't program) and I cannot concentrate even for this. But yeah! What did you guys think?
The fight with Dottie! *_* I have been waiting for that all season, the show-down. Obviously Peggy had to survive, because MCU, but while they were fighting I wasn't thinking of that at all--just hoping Peggy would get the upper hand. It was the perfect length of time for fighting. I admit that I get bored sometimes watching the fighting--though I know they're action movies so they kind of need that!--but often you, the audience, already know who is going to win and the fights often go on for sooo long. Or are choreographed so that everything is a blur and you can't tell what's going on visually, you can just hear the sound of impacts. But this was perfect. Long enough because we know that both Dottie and Peggy are clever and trained and deadly, and because it's the culmination of the past season, but not so long that I started twiddling my fingers wondering when it would end and let the plot progress.
Dottie used to envy Peggy--the way she fit into society? Who had a normal upbringing? Both?
After it was all over, the episode I mean, I was glad that Dottie got away.
Sort of a parallel with Peggy again on the ground with the radio, trying desperately to call in Steve/Stark. Thank goodness she got through this time. You could probably write a nice little paper on this.
OK, I really enjoyed Stark getting slapped. Especially when it cut directly from him showing Dottie all his toys, then right to him tied to a chair. I do like Howard Stark! I don't know. All the slapping has been very satisfying, personally. (Except Jarvis, because he didn't deserve it, and also it was not shot in a way that was enjoyable. Dottie looks so severe.)
Thompson sure gets a lot of practice lying, doesn't he? His expression as Stark was feeding him lines made me laugh. The stream I was watching froze as Thompson was accepting the senator's (?) compliments so I didn't react as fast I should have. Thompson, do you feel guilty? Do you intend to make it up to Peggy? Did you just think "Well, this should rightfully have gone to Peggy, but trying to redirect it now would be too [complicated/detrimental/insert another excuse]?" Did the incident with the medal ever cross your mind at this point?
I disagree with what Peggy said after, though. "I don't need Agent Thompson's approval, or the president's. I know my value". I agree when it's applied in a vacuum. You shouldn't get validation only or primarily from outside; that's a recipe for disaster in so many ways. But the thing is, you need approval to do things. At the beginning of Agent Carter, Peggy gets stuck taking lunch orders and answering phones, because people don't respect her or her abilities. They don't approve of women being agents. They devalued Peggy so much that she got away with exonerating Stark right under their noses, and only someone like Sousa (who has at least some modicum of respect for what she can do) even bothered to put two and two together with the photo. Other people's approval can't be allowed to define who you are, or your own perceptions, but it's naive to think it's not needed. So long as women don't have that modicum of respect or approval, women will be stuck in subservient roles.
I guess she could have meant approval in the sense of praise, but yeah, that part definitely rubbed me the wrong way. You know who's going to get approval for projects in the future? Thompson will. If Peggy wants to initiate a project, she'll be blocked from above (or she'll have to get the agents around her to support her bid).
Well, I've figured out finally that if I ship anything, I think I ship Jarvis/Peggy. They have such great banter! They've got such dry senses of humour! I loved their interactions and how both of them get suckered into doing this, somewhat reluctantly, by Howard; they're such an unlikely pair to FIGHT CRIME! but they're adorable. Unfortunately Mrs Jarvis presents a major problem so I can't do it.
Ten internet bucks to
eustacia_vye28 for calling the gas the weapon they wanted to steal! You were right.Ah, yes, revenge motivation for the doctor.
I am a skeptic on hypnosis and the like, so it was rather annoying that it exists in the show's world and I have to accept it happening so as to keep going with the story. I really was hoping that Howard would be, I don't know, too arrogant and self-assured to let it work on him (kind of like Zaphod Beeblebrox and the Total Perspective Vortex). But he's not completely self-assured and arrogant, is he? He's carrying around a ton of guilt. And that got him :(
Seriously though--the scenes that are the characters hallucinating are hilariously improbable. I winced when Peggy showed up carrying the shield, because she sounded nothing like herself. But I mean, the hypnosis things are their dreams. Improbability rules there...
I was really glad that someone finally had the sense to capture Dr Fennhoff properly. Though the whole time that Sousa was advancing on Fennhoff I wanted him to shoot him already. He can't hypnotize you if he's dead or in major pain!! Do it! Do what you said you would and shoot! The reveal with Sousa taking out the earplugs was great though. I like that they sprinkle in humour here and there.
I'm so glad Peggy threw away the blood. After Jarvis gave her the vial I had the horrifying thought that she'd keep it as a memento or something--because she has to keep it herself, too many people want to get a hold of it for other purposes--and the idea of holding onto blood is, to put it mildly, creepy. It's okay to hold onto photos or personal treasured possessions, but keeping a biological component of someone who's died is definitely way over the too creepy line.
I like that she says goodbye, and the episode was about moving on. As much as I liked Peggy/Steve (and I am still following WIPs about Peggy time-travelling forward to assuage my sad feelings about this ship) Steve was effectively dead for sixty years. They have to move on, all of them. I think the writers did a really good job of integrating Steve into the show. Stuff like the radio play (ugh!) incorporates him while also referring to his impact on popular culture (setting some of the foundation for why Coulson is a huge fan), the remarks about aluminum crutch vs red-white-blue shield which are reminders of the aura/reputation that follows Peggy from her association with Steve, etc.
There's a similar thought running through both the Iron Man series and Agent Carter, about technology--that some kinds of technology cannot be trusted to anyone. That science, as impartial as it tries to stand, isn't impartial enough and both Tony and Howard decide that they won't be responsible for creating things that are too destructive, however they define too destructive.
Whoa, Sousa finally decides to go out for a drink!
I want an icon of Peggy's smile right after. She does smile on other occasions but it's often for appearances or just a quick one, but that one was like a beam of sunshine.
*crosses fingers for season 2*
I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later but it's been a few days and I have spent all day fighting with STATA (protip: rearranging panel data SUCKS when you can't program) and I cannot concentrate even for this. But yeah! What did you guys think?
