Agent Peggy Carter, I kinda love you. Don't tell my wife, but I do.
Not just the character, but the actress who plays Agent Carter, Hayley Atwell, and how outspoken she is and how open she is to the fans. I know that she recently left the internet and it is a darker place for it; we can only hope she returns.
The first season of Agent Carter was very good; it was kinda everything that I had hoped Agents of Shield would have been when I tried to watch it. It was funny, action-y and blended spy/superhero tropes in the perfect way. But watching first season, it really struck me how the only black guy, Spider Raymond, was a gangster club owner. It did not stop me from watching, as Peggy's character has so much depth that it speaks to any gender or race. The story is in the struggle against near impossible odds that forces her to be at least twice as good, and still get no credit other than in backrooms when no one else is around.
I was psyched to hear that the show got a second season and even more surprised to see the diversity on the show level up, and not in an after school special way. The new character was brilliant, mysterious, charming and brave.
From here on, SPOILERS. A week late, but still, spoilers...
The tone of the show is lighter, more steeped in supers and seems to have a focus on shining a light on other people struggling to be accepted for who they are.
I love Jason Wilkes. He's an incredible addition to the show, and his chemistry with Peggy was HOT! It felt like Marvel reached into my brain and pulled out the character I have been writing about: war vet, smart, charismatic, brave and trying to change the world one solution at time. When it becomes a choice of doing the right thing that would destroy the stability he has built for himself, he still does it without question. Better to do the right thing, than to live a lie.
It was great to watch the show lightly address the hardships Wilkes endures on a daily basis through dialogue. When Peggy and Wilkes are on the run, after battling off some hired killers. they worked as a near-perfect team: Wilkes' time in the Navy gives him solid fighting skills to go along with his smarts and Peggy is just all around awesome. They escape, only to encounter a problem they can't beat: a white story owner refused to really help them because Wilkes is black. Peggy wants to punch the guy, and Wilkes sorrowfully explains, "Are you going to punch out all of Los Angeles?" That line is easy to miss but perfectly explains the world around them.
Then the show did what I expected them to do. Wilkes was too cool, the chemistry to great, and Peggy Carter must remain a tragic heroine. The scenes make the viewer presume Wilkes is killed with Zero Matter, and it shakes Peggy to the core. My assumption is that Wilkes is not dead but will be permanently phased or slightly out of sync with Peggy's reality. That means they can't really be together even if he comes back. I know, I know . . . tragic heroes are stronger, but come on . . . Steve, Peggy's roommate and now Wilkes . . .
But only time will tell and my excitement is mounting for the next pair of episodes.
My dream would be a Carter and Wilkes show in the vain of Hart to Hart, tackling spy and superhero threats, while Hydra worms its way into SHIELD with Jarvis and Ana as the support staff. Maybe I will write that up and pitch it to Marvel. Surely they wouldn't turn me down.