SPOILERS

“Is This Not Real Magic?”

Donny Blaze?

No, he is not Ghost Rider. He is a failing magician who has a sling ring. His use is a danger to the world and Wong returns again to try and put a stop to it.

My first thought as we saw Donny performing to a relatively bored crowd was, in a world with super heroes and sorcerers, wouldn’t a stage magician seem really boring. When reality is more amazing than the show, how do these magicians survive?

With the return of Wong, and the arrival of Maddisynn, there were a lot of laughs with the ditzy character who spoils The Sopranos and our Sorcerer Supreme. Wong and Maddisynn had some great chemistry and the humor was right on point. Benedict Wong does a masterful job of keeping the balance between the strange humor and the seriousness of his position. Wong seems to be able to fit into any tone or any situation in the MCU ( or is it the Wong Cinematic Universe?)

She-Hulk does some online dating and she finds every loser in LA. Wong’s line about feeling like Jen’s dad when he arrived and interrupted Jen and her date on the couch was hilarious.

The episode ends with Jen receiving a court notice about Titania sewing Jen over her use of the name She-Hulk, which Titania had copyrighted.

The post credit scene included Wong and his bestie, Maddisyn with two Ns, an I and a Y but not where you think!

SPOILERS

“The People vs. Emil Blonsky”

Another great episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. And we got…

Wong!

The Sorcerer Supreme has ben all around the Marvel Cinematic Universe during phase 4 and it is great. You can never have enough Benedict Wong. He showed up at the law office in response to Jennifer Walters’s request for questioning over the video from Shang Chi that was floating around at the end of the episode last week.

I thought that the two 4th Wall Breaking this episode were some of the best of the series so far. It started with Jen in a car saying that this was not a “cameo every week” show (despite there being Bruce, Emil and Wong, as she said). The second was my favorite when Jen said the “A & B plots coming together, nice” was so meta and clever.

Another cameo was the appearance of Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, as herself. She showed up to twerk with She-Hulk in the post credit scene.

One of the best moments of the show may have slipped by many people. When a reporter asked Jen about the rumor that she had gained her super powers from a mob hit gone wrong, that was a shout out to She-Hulk’s real comic book origin.

The Wrecking Crew arrived too. Now, they got crushed by She-Hulk, but that did not bother me any. They seem as if they had just gotten their weapons just recently. The big part of the use of the Wrecking Crew was the reveal that they had a “Boss” that wanted She-Hulk’s blood. Who could that be? Val? The Leader? Thunderbolt Ross? There are plenty of possible choices.

Jen wins her case by getting Emil Blonsky released from the DODC. The B plot with Pug was a lot of fun too even though the most unlikable character, Dennis, was involved. There were a bunch of shenanigans with the shapeshifting Asgardian elf.

Love She-Hulk’s man’s suit too.

SPOILERS

“Superhuman Law”

I’m a little behind on the She-Hulk write-up, but I watched this show on Thursday when it comes out. I have enjoyed the first two episode tremendously.

Let me address this week’s internet controversy over the short run time of She-Hulk episode 2. Some are losing their minds because they felt it was too short. My guess is that, since they moved the origin stuff from episode one up (it was supposed to be in ep.8) that the tag at the end in the court with Titania from last week, was meant to be with this episode. That makes sense to me why this wound up a few minutes shorter. Now, if you are saying that the show is only 28-30 minutes long and you want more, there is not much I can tell you. This is a sitcom and most sitcoms run about 30 minutes (23 with commercials).

Bruce Banner returned for a wonderful cameo in this episode where he dropped one of the best lines of any Marvel property when he and Jen were talking about her taking on Emil Blonsky’s case and Bruce said, “Jen, that fight was so many years ago, I’m a completely different person now – literally.” This was a laugh out loud moment with the reference to Ed Norton from the Incredible Hulk and one of the best Breaking the Fourth Wall moments so far.

And by the way, greatest cell phone reception ever…

Meanwhile, Bruce is on a ship heading to Sakar, most likely not to return this season. Mark Ruffalo’s use in this show has been nearly perfect, showing a great deal of chemistry between the cousins. While bringing credibility to Jen, he also gave us some moments with Hulk that we have never had.

The main thrust of the show came across this week as Jen is hired for a Superhuman Defense with the competition, the GLKH law firm. First, Jen was fired from her job and seemed to be unhirable since she was a distraction to juries.

Tim Roth returned as Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, with a reasonable argument as to why he should be paroled, armed with heartfelt Haikus. Roth is a great actor and he looked like he was having a lot of fun. The show then tossed footage from Shang Chi showing Abomination and Wong fighting in the underground cage fight.

Cousin Larry showed up as Jen’s father. Mark Linn-Baker, who was one of the stars of the 80s sitcom Perfect Strangers, arrived as Jenn’s oddball father and we meet the remainder of this strange group of family members.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been very solid so far and has a lot of humor. I am excited about seeing the next episode Thursday.

SPOILERS

“A Normal Amount of Rage”

The next Marvel Studios television program debuted this past Thursday on Disney + as we got the first episode of a nine-episode sitcom, the first for the MCU, in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Tatiana Maslany was cast as Jennifer Walters, cousin of Bruce Banner, who winds up being exposed to Banner’s blood after a car wreck. Banner’s blood turned his cousin into another Hulk.

Turned out that Jennifer was different than Bruce as she could retain her intelligence after transformation as well as being able to change back and forth.

This first episode was great. The interactions between Jenn and Bruce were some of the best writing you could get. Smart Hulk talked about the time during the blip where he was able to integrate his Hulk sides into what he was now. When he spoke about Tony Stark, there was such emotion. These scenes really gave us some much needed depth to the Green Goliath.

Mark Ruffalo did a fantastic job delivering the excellent dialogue and he and Maslany had amazing chemistry. The training montages were funny and charming, even though I had seen most of these in the trailers. My personal favorite one was when Hulk threw the boulder into orbit to show that he was stronger than Jenn.

However, this is clearly Tatiana Maslany’s show. She is perfectly cast as She-Hulk and she brings it. Known as a great actor and an Emmy winner from Orphan Black, Maslany is able to not only provide funny lines, but also the dramatic moments and the MCU world building.

The CGI had been controversial after the first trailer was released and She-Hulk did not look very good. Here, the CGI had been much improved. Was it perfect? No, but I do not think it needed to be. It is difficult to create full human faces and this is very close.

The mid-credit scene was one of the best of all the MCU as one of the most debated questions ever was answered- Was Steve Rogers a virgin?

The use of the Breaking of the 4th Wall was done beautifully too. It was not overused, and each time fit right in with what the show was trying to do. Like let people know that this is a lawyer show.

The first episode was great and I am excited to see where they go with their sitcom.

Today, Disney + dropped a new Marvel series, I Am Groot. This was five animated shorts that followed the life of Baby Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel.

The shorts were all between 3-6 minutes, so they were a very quick and easy watch. The character of Baby Groot is remarkably cute, predating even the cuteness of Grogu. Each episode took a small moment with our favorite walking tree and created a fun, humorous and enjoyable interlude.

While, I Am Groot is clearly directed toward a younger audience, there is plenty here for the older viewers as well. The humor tends toward the dark end of the spectrum and there are a couple of moments that are laugh out loud funny.

The animation is gorgeous. It is so full of life and beautifully rendered. There are several specially designed characters through the five shorts.

My favorite of the shorts was entitled “Groot’s Pursuit” where Groot wakes up in the middle of the night and encountered a water-based creature. The end of the short has everything great about Baby Groot and the Guardians of the Galaxy type humor.

These shorts are just fun and they are uncomplicated. They do not require you to worry about the greater MCU, the significance of the story or finding the hints toward the future of the films. It is just here and it is a joy of visual storytelling with a bare minimum of dialogue. I hope Marvel continues making shorts with Baby Groot and other edges of the MCU.

SPOILERS

“No Normal”

The finale for the first season of Ms. Marvel on Disney + aired this morning and was just a fantastic finale that really nailed the landing on one of the most surprising, unexpected and undervalued Marvel Studios series on the streaming service since they began producing them.

And… in the biggest shock of all… Kamala Khan was revealed to have a “mutation” according to her best buddy and science whiz Bruno. As if that word wasn’t enough of a trigger for Marvel fans, the few chords of the X-Men Animated theme played over top of the scene to tell everybody… yep, we have just introduced “mutants” into the MCU and we did it in Ms. Marvel episode 6.

Not in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Not in WandaVision. Not in Loki. Not in Thor: Love and Thunder. Not in any of the other countless, constantly-speculated series or movies from Marvel Studios. Nope, in Ms. Marvel.

Of course, some people are still mad that she is not an Inhuman. Some people are still sore about them changing her origin and her powerset. None of that bothered me in the slightest because the real key to the character of Kamala Khan is not that she was an Inhuman, but that she had this large and supportive family. Honestly, I loved the way they adjusted her powers and we even got the “embiggen” in this episode, despite it being shown in a different style than in the comic pages.

Once again, with Kamala back in Jersey City, the main focus of this series, which has been going since the beginning, is that of family. The Pakistan episodes 4 & 5 still dealt with family, but felt a little weaker because we lost out on everyone except Kamala, Muneeba and Sana.

Episode six, back in Jersey City, took the best parts of the first three episodes (the art design, Bruno, Nakia, Yusuf) and the next two (increased powers, Kamala and her mom) and blended them into a great final episode.

Great family bits:

• Muneeba present Kamala with her new superhero suit.
• Kamala announces to her family that she was “Light girl” and they already knew because Muneeba told Yusuf and he had it on speaker.

• Yusuf, sitting on the roof of their house, telling what the name “Kamala” meant and it leading to Ms. Marvel.
• Aamir appears from out of nowhere to watch over Kamala because his mother wanted him to and Kamala says “Superheroes don’t need chaperones”
• Muneeba says to a concerned Yusuf about trusting Kamala, a switch from episode 1.
• Kamala and Nakia make up.
• Zoe joins the group at the school and becomes a big part of the “Home Alone” bit.

I thought the battle with Damage Control at the end was tremendous. I loved the use of the powers and how Kamran’s powers were both potent and out of control. This series was not about the villains, which is why there are several people who feel like there was something missing. The whole storyline with the ClanDestine and Damage Control was meant to give them a plot point. This show was about the Kamala and her friends and family.

I say this every week, but Iman Vellani is absolutely a treasure, and she needs to be protected at all cost. I have heard some people criticize her performance in some of the more emotional moments from episode 5, dismissing it because of her lack of experience. I hope that, as she learns more of the craft, she does not lose the realism, the authentic nature of Iman Vellani that she showed every time she was on the screen. I truly believe that Iman Vellani could be the new Robert Downey Jr. of the MCU as we move along into Phase 5 and beyond.

And then there was a mid-credit scene featuring Carol Danvers that really was confusing, but was clearly a set up for The Marvels film coming in July 2023. Bri Larson looked fabulous in her new costume.

SPOILERS

“Time and Again”

Ms. Marvel’s fifth episode was one of the more different Marvel Disney + episodes than we have gotten before, and Marvel Studio took the opportunity to teach us something about history that we did not know.

The episode kicked off with a video that looked like an old time news reel detailing the history of India around the time of its independence from Great Britain. Then, we spent a good chunk of the time of the episode centered around Aisha (Kamala’s mysterious great-grandmother) and how she met Hasan (Kamala’s great grandfather). We saw the baby who would become Kamali’s grandmother Noni and their family’s attempt to flee along with all of the other people during the Partition.

This first 20 minutes or so really punctuated what we would eventually see at the train station, setting up the emotional stakes for this family, and continued to show how long Najma has been trying to return to her dimension and how Aisha had tethered herself to this dimension through her daughter Sana.

Then, the whole recreation of the Khan family story about the disappearance of Aisha at the train station and how Sana was saved from being lost by a “trail of stars” which turned out to be Kamala herself and her noor power.

This section was very emotional and powerful, although, with all time travel stories, it makes it difficult if you try to think about it.

When Kamala returned back to her own time, the episode goes into fast forward, it seemed. The whole veil storyline with Najma wrapped up quickly as the veil was closed, Najma and the other ClanDestines were killed and her powers were sent to Kamran. The thing is that the whole ClanDestine storyline is a background plot. Najma is not the “big bad” of the series. She is an obstacle.

The story of Ms. Marvel is Kamala finding her way to be the hero she is within her family and the interactions of Kamala with her family. In that way, this is unlike other Marvel shows on Disney + because the superhero action is not the primary focus.

Because of this, the best scenes of this episode feature the family. When Muneeba discovered that Kamala was that “Light girl” and the connection between the three generations, it was one of the most beautiful moment of the show.

The end of the episode came really suddenly with Bruno and Kamran and the drones of Damage Control exploding the store. This part of the show could have been expanded a touch. This was the shortest episode of the series so far and could have benefitted overall from another 10 minutes or so.

Next week is the season finale for Ms. Marvel. I can not believe that we won’t see Captain Marvel in a post credit scene. Plus, we should get Kamala’s final costume that she has been building up over the last five episodes.

Some may not realize, but Baymax, who appeared in the Oscar-winning animated film Big Hero 6 in 2014 is actually from Marvel Comics. The characters are not from the main Marvel comics continuity (to say Earth 616) and so they also do not appear in the MCU (perhaps in is one one of the multiversal earths). Still, they are a Marvel property and so it fits in the Marvel on Disney + section of EYG.

The Baymax! series on Disney + features six episodes that are shorts (between 10-15 minutes each). The first four episodes had a basic formula to it. Someone in the city of San Fransokyo said something that drew the attention of Baymax (like ‘Ow’) and he would come and try and provide comfort and aid. Then at the end, he would be back at his home and Hiro would come in and ask him about his day, which would result in a humorous joke to tag the episode.

However, the story between the formula was anything but typical. He helped Hiro’s mom with her diner, a woman get over a long held sadness, a girl who had her first period, a man who served fish who developed an allergy to fish and then in episode 5, a cat.

These were all extremely charming and handled with great sensitivity and care. There was also a lot of humor in each episode as it was very funny as Baymax desperately tried to provide the care each character needed, whether they wanted him to do so or not.

I was really impressed with the episode about the young girl who was having her first period and the show spoke about the menstrual cycle in a calm and positive manner while still being able to mine the situation for the humor involved. The humor was just not based on the typical awkwardness of the situation. Baymax was not awkward in the moment because he was just trying to provide aid to the girl. The funniest moment was Baymax trying to buy the proper feminine product at the store and having everyone in the store recommending something different.

Apparently, this episode (along with another one where they guy with the fish allergy , who was gay and built up his confidence to ask another guy out) cause controversy among the conservatives. I had not even noticed it when it first happened, but apparently, in the scene I mentioned about the purchasing of the feminine products, there was a transgender individual there with a recommendation too, wearing a pride flag shirt. I honestly had not even thought about it as I watched it. It was just another person in the scene to me.

Of course, the cries that this was, “…part of Disney’s plan to re-engineer the discourse around kids and sexuality” tweeted by Christopher Rufo, the conservative academic from the right-leaning think tank, the Manhattan Institute, appeared on Twitter and in a New York Post article.

There is nothing sexual in this episode. It is just a part of life that children who may be watching Disney + will go through. There is no reason why a show with a character such as Baymax shouldn’t show how to treat people who are different with sensitivity and respect. I rewatched the scenes in question and I just do not understand why someone would have trouble with anything this sweet and kindly.

The final two episodes, where Baymax tried to help a cat, end up as a two-parter where Baymax finds himself with a run down battery inside a warehouse scheduled for destruction. Hiro has to unite the people who Baymax helped over the course of the series to assemble and find the robot before it was too late. This was an awesome change of the formula and pulled the whole six episodes together into a finale.

Baymax is a fabulous character and the series does a great job of highlighting how caring the robot is, while also being remarkably entertaining and funny. The six episodes are currently on Disney +.

SPOILERS

“Seeing Red”

One of the items that I have meant to comment on over the last few week of Ms. Marvel on Disney + was how effective this show is for drawing connections with the viewers. I mean, I am not a 16-year old Pakistani Muslim girl, but I can relate with so many other aspects of the series. I have seen plenty of online reactors who have found parts of the story, especially with the family or situations, that brought them back to their own childhoods or their lives in some way.

This works because the show has plenty of overarching themes such as family, relationships, love that are universal. Plus, there is an amazing amount of cultural information and scenes that show us the lives of Muslims in the MCU in a positive light.

This week we head to Karachi, Pakistan (and the show actually recorded there) and see what the city is like, filled with color and foods. I swear Kamala spent half the time eating in this episode.

We are introduced to several characters in this episode including Red Dagger, a Pakistani hero that had been introduced in the comics, and Kamala’s grandmother, who we technically saw on the phone Facetiming with Kamala in previous episodes. Noni is a spark of energy in a little old lady body. She was more like Kamala and you can see why they have such a close relationship and why she and Muneeba may have had some conflict. Muneeba claimed that Noni always was spouting her “crazy theories” which could explain why Muneeba called the bangle junk in episode one.

There was a lot more fighting this episode as Kamala and Red Dagger squared off at first in the typical super hero fight. Then we got the Kamala/Red Dagger fight with the ClanDestines who escaped from DODC custody. This included a chase scene through the streets of Karachi.

It was during that last fight scene where Namja stabbed at the bangle and sent Kamala somewhere else. It is not clear if it was another dimension or time travel, but Kamala wound up at the train station during the Partition.

With only two episodes left, things are picking up with Kamala. Ms. Marvel has been a fantastic series so far and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

SPOILERS

“Destined”

Another fantastic week of Ms. Marvel! I love this show. There were some awesome character moments with Kamala and her family as the wedding of Aamir gets underway, some exceptional Bollywood dance routines and some serious action.

We learned of Najma, the identity of the mysterious woman who was the mother of Kamran. She is a member of a group of Jinn called the ClanDestine. The Jinn existed as invisible creatures or demons in early pre-Islamic religion and mythology. We saw a flashback to 1942 British controlled India, where Najma and Kamala’s eventual grandmother Aisha originally found the bangle on a chopped off blue hand buried in a ruin.

So when Najma helped rescue Kamala last episode, we find out that she wants Kamala to help the ClanDestine to get back to their own dimension. She left out the fact that this could be terribly dangerous, a fact that Bruno found out about later (shout out to Dr. Selvig!)

Kamala texted Kamran that she needed some time, but when Najma discovered that Kamala was not immediately wanting to help them, she and her group went to force her to help. This turned into a disruption at the wedding.

I loved the wedding scenes. They were so wonderful and colorful and full of love and life that is was totally charming. The dancing was such a treat. I am glad that they waited until “Brown Jovi” (Ha Ha) started to bring in the ClanDestine.

The fight between Kamala and the ClanDestine was really tense and exciting as Kamala used her hard light to keep them at bay. Both Bruno and Kamran helped in the battle, but it was not until Damage Control arrived that allowed Kamala to sneak out the back. This was also where Nadia saw Kamala use the hard light and realized that she was “Nightlight” the whole time. You could see the hurt in Nadia’s eyes because her best friend did not tell her about this.

This show has just been so great and it only continues to improve every episode. Again, Iman Vellani is unbelievably charming and full of so much energy and life. Knowing that this is her first acting job is mind-blowing and it goes to show that Marvel clearly knew what they had in her.

SPOILERS

“Crushed“

I love this show. It was “very pleasing.”

After only the second episode of Ms. Marvel, I have truly enjoyed the introduction of Kamala Khan and the development of her character. The way the show seamlessly melds the Pakistani Muslim background of the character into the show without making it feel like it is out of place is masterful.

This week we got even more of the culture of Ms. Marvel and we got much more with Kamala’s friend, Nakia, while introducing us to Kamala’s crush, Kamran. Bruno received some good news about Cal-Tech, but he was unsure how to feel about it, because of his feelings for Kamala.

Perhaps my favorite scene was Kamala returning home from the party where she met Kamran for the first time, dancing to the song “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes.

The show started looking closer at the mystery behind Kamala’s great grandmother and what the bangle is. We learned in this episode that the powers Kamala has gained did not come from the bangle, but was inside her and was unlocked by the bangle.

I hope the fans are not going to be criticizing the show for the fact that we have not gotten a ton of action scenes or that we have not seen Kamala in her costume much. I heard a lot of the complaints during Moon Knight and this feels the same in that way. They are spending plenty of time working on the character outside of the super hero, which is certainly the Marvel way. Kamala Khan is a fantastic character and I am looking forward to seeing how the show continues to grow with her.

Oh, and Iman Vellani is so perfect in the role of Kamala Khan. Marvel has done a historically great job of casting, outside of a few kinks, but this one feels on that next level: like with RDJ as Tony Stark, Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Chris Hemsworth as Thor. I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role already.

I enjoyed the rescue the kid moment for Kamala, but the kid’s dialogue left something to be desired. Ice Cream Pizza? It did a nice job showing that Kamala has improved her skills with her powers (thanks to some Bruno training), but that she is not incredibly smooth with it yet. She got the job done, though it may not have been without a hiccup or two. She did get to pull out a “super hero landing” though.

We learned this week that Kamala’s parents owe their marriage to Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet.” I loved that little detail as well as Kamala’s brother’s response of “That’s gross.”

I do wonder how the Dept. of Damage Control can interrogate these children without their parents or a lawyer there. They did it in Spider-Man: No Way Home too. I also think that they were using some drones from Spider-Man: Far From Home when they were chasing Kamala.

I spend the entire show laughing and sitting with a big smile on my face. Nightlight? How funny was that? This is so well written and brings every character on the screen to life with details specific for every one of them. I feel as if I am meeting these real people and that I forget at times that this is a superhero show.

Keep it going Ms. Marvel.

SPOILERS

“Generation Why”

The newest Marvel Disney + show debuted this morning and it was Ms. Marvel. I’m not going to lie. I was not sure how this would work. I have enjoyed the character of Kamala Khan in the comics, but I was unsure how that would translate and would I enjoy watching a coming of age version of the character?

The answer is…very much so.

I really enjoyed the first episode of Ms. Marvel, which brought a fun. energetic burst of energy to the screen. Colorful, charismatic and charming, Ms. Marvel Episode 1 combined the feel of a John Hughes high school film with that of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Kamala Khan was a 16-year old High School Junior who daydreamed her way through the day with visions of Marvel superheroes bursting form her imagination. Creating fan fiction on YouTube, Kamala was able to create adventures for her favorite superhero, Captain Marvel.

With the first ever Avengercon coming up, Kamala, and her best friend Bruno, tried to figure out a way that they could convince Kamala’s overprotective parents, Yusuf and Muneeba, to let her go.

The show has played with the origin of the character of Ms. Marvel. In the comics, Kamala Khan is an Inhuman and gained her powers through exposure to Terragin Mist, as the other Inhumans have. However, here she found a arm band of some kind and it gave her these light based powers. Her TV show abilities are still undefined as of yet, but I saw some highlights on Jimmy Fallon showing Kamala and Bruno working on them on a roof top. I know there has been some controversy over changing Kamala’s powers, but that does not bother me. These seem to be a interesting variation of them and we do not know where the show will be taking them. I’m fine with what we got.

Easily, the best part of this show is young actress Iman Vellani, who, in her first acting role, is so charming and so realistic that you can’t help but be swept up in her life. She may be the perfect casting for the first Muslim superhero to have her own comic.

The cast around Iman is amazing too. I immediately loved everyone in her family, Bruno, the actors at school. It all just flowed so wonderfully.

I also loved how they worked in the Pakistani culture while still making me relate with her. I am looking forward to expanding that culture.

The visual style of the show is unlike anything that we have seen in the MCU yet and it is so full of humor and creativity. There are some amazing shots included that create a style all of its own.

I am excited to see what comes next in this enjoyable new show.

I ripped through the final seven episodes of the second season of Agent Carter last night, once again not wanting to stop to write up a review for each episode. As I did for the first season, I would get to the end of an episode and just wanted to continue immediately. I very much enjoyed the second half of the second season as the stakes were upped with Whitney Frost and her quest for the Zero Matter.

Let’s hit some of my favorite moments:

• The entire Jarvis and Ana relationship is the best relationship on television and right near the top of the MCU. And, of course, when Ana was shot by Frost, it shook Jarvis to his core and truly messed with his relationship with Peggy. Guilt and blame flew freely in some powerful scenes between these two fantastic actors.

• I did not have near the emotional connection to Dr. Wilkes as I did when I originally watched Agent Carter on ABC. He was fine, but I remember rooting for him to be with Peggy. Now, not so much.
• Peggy being impaled in episode 5 and being back to full strength by 7. I have to say that this was a bit iffy. Peggy may be remarkably trained and talented, but she is not super human and that sure looked like a killing blow.

• Whitney wiping out half of the Council of 9 was quite the power move.
• Howard Stark returned for the final episode once again, delivering a great line about Jarvis hitting a woman with the car when Jarvis drove into Whitney Frost.
• I appreciated the use of secondary characters Rose and Aloysius Samberly in helpful, yet comedic ways. Samberly in particular was the total antithesis of a spy character.
• The use of Dottie Underwood was interesting as they continued to set her up as Peggy’s arch nemesis but someone who has a healthy bit of respect for Carter.
• Just how untrustworthy Jack Thompson is and whose side is he actually on. I loved how Peggy just went about her business even after Jack tried to find dirt on her to “balance the scales” between them. Peggy just said that she would never reveal his confidence, and we believe her.
• Jack ending up in a bloody pile on the floor of his hotel room in the post credit scene was something I did not remember. However, it sure looked like the assailant was Ray Wise to me. Of course, this is a forever dangling plot since Agent Carter was not renewed for season three. I assume Thompson died there.
• Musical dance numbers are always a plus!

• Gamma cannon setting up a future issue for Bruce Banner?

I did enjoy a lot of the humor in this season, but there was quite a bit that felt forced as well. Anything between Peggy and Jarvis though, gold.

I wish this show had more of a following, because it was so well done. I am sure we will be getting more Agent Carter, in the form of Captain Carter as the MCU continues. I am happy with Sousa heading off into the multiverse with Quake from Agents of SHIELD.

Agent Carter is able to be binged and streamed on Disney +.

“A View in the Dark“

“Better Angels”

The second season picked up quickly with some great scenes in the second and third episodes, setting the stage for what was coming next for Agent Carter.

The show reestablished the connection between Peggy and Jarvis with a wonderful scene of Jarvis working out and challenging Peggy to a little sparring.

What I loved about this was how confident Ana Jarvis was. She knew exactly what was going on and she did not even once think that anything was going on between her husband and Peggy. A lesser show would have tried to use this as a way to create conflict, instead of a great character bit.

I have found something interesting about the show on this rewatch. Peggy and Dr. Jason Wilkes got close during these two episodes and Peggy believed he had been killed in the Zero Matter explosion. I remember, when this was first on, I was rooting for Jason and Peggy to get together, even though I could see that the show was working towards Peggy and Sousa. I wanted Peggy and Jason together. Now, I found myself thinking that this relationship had come out of nowhere and did not feel reasonable. I wonder if the fact that at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Peggy and Steve wound up together affected my thoughts on Peggy with another man. Add to that all of the Peggy and Steve stuff from What If…? that I found this to be happening too quickly for my tastes. Fascinating result.

Howard Stark’s reappearance always brings a ton of energy as well. Despite his being a massive playboy, Howard always seemed like a big brother to Peggy. Again, I loved that Peggy had a relationship with Howard Stark that did not include an intimate component.

I also remember how much I disliked Jack Thompson, even more than season one. He has looked like a crooked agent, bowing to the wants of Kurtwood Smith and the group behind the scenes. I do not remember if Thompson takes a turn for the better as the series goes on, but the newspaper headlines that Peggy told him she saw the day before, about a rigged election, made him raise an eyebrow.

Oh…and this guy isn’t long for the series.

Whitney Frost has the Zero Matter inside of her and it is slowly destroying her face (not to mention absorbing this guy’s entire body). She is a little scary and losing her grip on reality.

“Lady in the Lake”

The second season of Agent Carter saw some loose ends tied up at the very beginning (or is it just setting up for more to come?) when Peggy and the SSR captured renegade Dottie Underwood and took her into custody. This at first felt as if they were just wrapping the first season’s arcs up so they could start off season two with a much different story.

Off to Los Angeles goes Peggy to meet up with Sousa was the chief of the new West coast branch of the SSR. Again, it felt as if the headaches from the New York branch were being sent away to a brand new world.

There seemed to be a murder of a woman in a lake in LA that was tied to a killer who had been quiet for several years. This body had been found frozen in a block of ice. Of course, Peggy’s instincts tell her that there is more to the case than what we see, and she is 100% correct.

We get a chance to meet Jarvis’s wife, who we only heard about in season one, and she had a short moment of screen time, but I fell in love with her immediately. She is a great bot of casting, bringing a character with such an opposite energy than Jarvis had. You could tell she and Peggy hit it off immediately.

They continue to build the romantic tension between Peggy and Sousa, but they tossed in a mysterious woman that Sousa was kissing at the end of the episode.

We are introduced to actress Whitney Frost is our main antagonist at the start of season two, as the wife of bigwig Calvin Chadwick, but he definitely did not feel like the person pulling the strings. Frost felt much more dominant than he did.

Dr. Jason Wilkes is introduced as well. He becomes an important piece of season two.

It is a fun start with a season that feels like a fresh reboot, keeping the best parts of season one.