JOIN USThe mind wants that which it cannot get. Tired of an extra dose of colours, electronic music and sophistication thrust in our way, we now want to click black-and-white or sepia-tinted pictures and vicariously live the times of wars, revolutions and Woodstock.
And what better way to do it than fixate on period dramas that can provide us with a peep into the bygone decades, their social customs, rigid mores, naive outlooks, ornate costumes and heavy accents. Downtown Abbey has done it. So has Mad Men. And it only gets better with superhero(in)es walking in with a swagger, in high heels. Enter Agent Carter.
For those comic lovers who have religiously followed Marvel Comics, this continuity will be no stranger, but for the elevation of Peggy Carter from being a supporting character to protagonist. The series starts in a post-Captain America premise in the 1940s, with Carter having to deal with danger and death.
She has a dual responsibility — that of administration and being an agent with the Strategic Scientific Reserve. As always, the good guy (or in this case, girl) is burdened with additional responsibilities like upholding moral values and keeping up promises and friendships. Carter is no different.
Howard Stark (millionaire, father of Tony Stark, Iron Man) is wrongly accused of dishing out fatal weapons to the wrong hands. Agent Carter now has to secretly help him prove his innocence while keeping her job, head and life intact. It sure does not help that she is a woman.
She is nothing more than a secretary to her male counterparts, who brings in coffee when they have important meetings. In fact, when a male colleague tries to stand up for her, she admonishes him for doing so, saying she can fight her own battles. Quite the stalwart woman that she is, she can poison her nemesis, while playing coy and using blonde wigs and dipping at a ballroom dance to outsmart her male peers.
It has to be mentioned that sexism is an overflowing theme that is present almost at all times. It is strong, vexingly persistent, raising its ugly hood above every circumstance, expelling venom at women, while they take the high road, using silence as a dignified way to retaliate (or not). A rather crudely realistic take on the decadence of the 40s. Nevertheless, they pull it off and make it watchable, interesting even.
Agent Carter is a perfect marriage of period drama and fantasy. It has something to accord to drama devotees and fantasy geeks. Two for one, I’d say. The reason for watching this will obviously fall in one of the these two categories. Like in any superhero universe, innocent lives will be lost, men will be deceived and egos will be dented. All for the greater good, ultimately.
Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter reprises her role after the movies. She is fast, troubled, and certainly the star of the show. Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa would come in a close second. He plays a crippled agent, who is the target of prejudice and mockery by his colleagues. Although he and Carter see some friction initially, the eventual rapport looks to be a long-lasting friendly one.
Agent Carter, set in the backdrop of Marvel Universe and the televisation of characters from comics, is easily the best thing about the show. Fan of fantasy or not, one might still want to watch it for the lack of pomp and pretentiousness. Watching this sort of a genre is an acquired taste. But then again, it doesn’t hurt to accustom ourselves to a different kind of palate, does it?Agent Carter airs on Star World Premiere HD, Fridays, 10 pm.