Director: Scott Winant
Writer: Andi Bushell
Cast: Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy, Chad Michael Murray, Enver Gjokaj, Shea Whigham, Kyle Bornheimer, Lyndsy Fonseca
Synopsis: Carter enlists Jarvis’ aid once more, and together they attempt to figure out how Brannis smuggled Stark’s weapons out of his vault. Trouble stirs though, when Jarvis is arrested by the S.S.R. on suspicion of being involved in the Roxxon explosion. Carter, forced to protect her asset, stands to lose what little respect and integrity she has at the S.S.R. in order to get Jarvis released. Shadowy and sinister events unfurl further as a mysterious assassin starts to track Carter.
Verdict: Less is more, but here, less is… well, less. ‘Time and Tide’ slows the steadfast start to the series to a steady trickle of what feels like progress, but it is clear that we’re seeing Carter as she starts to evolve. She’s trying hard in terms of learning the ropes of double-agency, albeit to little success. Not as strong as the opener, but still worth a watch. Downsides include: a slower pace than what we’ve been led to expect, a severe lack of Dominic Cooper and radioactive back massagers.
Spoilers ahead, beware!
This week will serve to be a more of a comparative review, highlighting what has and hasn’t changed since the show’s debut, and what may also develop. Firstly, it is nice to see our two favourite Britons bonding over something other than their accents. Who knew that treason is such a social catalyst? I sure didn’t. In ‘Time and Tide,’ it seems we find out just a tad more of Jarvis’ past, his relationship to Stark, but with all that said and done, this episode could have really benefited from more Jarvis wit, especially in his interactions with the S.S.R, as pictured below.
Viewers might witness a near-instant recognisable change of pace this week, mostly as we see the aftermath of last week unfold; the to-ing and fro-ing between the slow stride of Dooley’s investigation and Peggy’s adjustment into her new home. Interestingly, Peggy’s new home is likened to Alcatraz (which in the comics, later becomes a metahuman prison), just after one of her fellow flat-mates is told to pack her bags for sneaking a man in during the middle of the night. Perhaps the most notable difference this week is that Peggy punches a lot less (or maybe it just feels that way because it was a double episode last week), and whilst she makes a habit of punching things incredibly well when she gets the chance, the opportunity to do so doesn’t bless Ms. Carter frequently in this episode. Instead, what she’s exposed to is a game of office chess. Her sacrifice play to get Jarvis out of S.S.R. reach was not only brilliant, but showed incredible moxie on her behalf. It showed us all that not only can she take a beating in the field, but in the office too. It’s unfortunate, and we start to really feel for her when she’s ridiculed in her own workplace and the saddest part of all, is erasing whatever morsel of integrity and respect she might have earned in the office in this fleeting success. It’s disheartening to us, as we watch in horror as her virtues are ground up in front of us by Chief Dooley in a rather brutish, harsh display of frustration. But one thing becomes clear, it’s necessary.
Later, we’re introduced to Dottie – a small town gal from Iowa who has aspirations of being a ballerina played by Bridget Regan – who surprisingly quickly fills the vacancy at the Griffith. Firstly, nobody is every just a small town gal from Iowa, so should we be suspicious about Dottie? Probably. Especially considering that the vacancy got filled within the day. Fonseca’s Angie is also surprisingly pushy to get close to Carter. Why? Perhaps we’re witnessing sleepers being placed close to Carter, as later in the episode, we do see her being ‘followed’ by the unnamed assassin who kills Krzeminski. There is no better way to show a character adjusting to terrible circumstance than to throw them in the deep end.
But speaking of deep ends, Carter and Jarvis join up post-interrogation in an attempt to locate Stark’s purloined tech, and they do so by gallivanting into the sewers underneath Stark mansion and following the sewage lines all the way to the sea. SURPRISE! They find a boat with the symbol that Leet Brannis drew on his deathbed last week and on it, Stark’s tech. Nice and easy, Stark can come home and start sipping on those margaritas once more. Wrong. Jarvis insistently points out once Carter wants to call it in, that she can’t possibly swing her discovery in such a way that wouldn’t just discredit, criminalise or associate her with Stark. It becomes clear at this point that there is a certain need in her regaining the respect she willingly gave up earlier in the episode. She sees sense in what Jarvis says though and tells him to call it in as a tip. When he goes to do so, Carter is attacked by a henchman, and oh man, as henchmen go, this guy really does the union proud, wife-beater and all. He gets knocked out as a result of their scuffle, but Sousa and Krzeminski are on the way regardless. Krzeminski loads up the witness in the back of the car and just as he’s about to learn of Carter’s involvement, a professional hit-man turns up and kills them dead. Plot twist, right?
Now don’t get me wrong, this is a great show and it’s about time we had something from Marvel that really shows what female empowerment is about to them. They’re doing a great job with it and I’m actually really glad they aren’t just dishing out recognition and respect to Carter every episode to fill a quota, because when she finally gets it, it’s going to feel as if she’s had to endure all this sexism and disrespect for something, it’s going to feel like she’s earned the recognition she deserves. Then they can all bow down to her as she steps up to bigger and better things. With that being said, this episode still has its moments. The comments about Krzeminski’s wife and girlfriend provided a hearty chuckle in the midst of a genuinely depressing atmosphere and it elevated the show, and the audience’s emotions to normality. That being said, I hope they don’t simply sweep Krzeminski’s death under the rug from here on out and it’s a lingering force that haunts the team.
To summarise this week, we learn more about Jarvis’ past, how he fell for a Jewish girl in Budapest, Anna, and we actively see his relationship with Carter evolve, thankfully it’s turned on its head more than once in a bit of a ‘he knows better, she knows better’ power-struggle. We learn the truth behind Leet Brannis and his ‘friend’, in that they were both Russian soldiers during the war — and they both apparently died in 1944 or thereabouts. So nice to know that the show is fans of bringing people back from the dead. Then again, it’s probably an acceptable trope in a clandestine show with super-spies. The episode was good, but it could’ve perhaps properly utilised some characters and aspects of the show more effectively, Sousa was practically on the bench the entire time for example. It simply felt a little sub-par in comparison to last week, but I can see it regaining momentum once again.
Next week marks the center-point (“The Blitzkrieg Button”) of the eight-part mini-series, and you’ll be able to get coverage right back here at THN, so as always, check back next week!
(4/5) – The next episode will air on January 27th for the US 9/8c, like last week, UK watches may want to consider streaming online as there is no British broadcaster yet attached. The official site for Agent Carter can be found here.
