"Agent Carter" Recap: "Smoke and Mirrors"

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Heroes and villains have always managed to captivate us over the years for what I think is one simple reason...we love to know what makes them tick, especially when the character is rich, vibrant and fascinating. Once they have achieved that goal we are compelled to know why they have dedicated their lives to protecting the people of the world, or why they seem hellbent on ripping it to pieces.  

Yet despite our thirst for knowledge in that respect, comic book movies and shows have kind of snuck away from that core origin story. Our characters are just inherently good or evil and we accept it because the writing has been so absolutely strong. It's not a bad thing to say the least, just an evolution of storytelling really. But thankfully, Agent Carter decided that this week it was high time to return to that classic trope and give us everything we ever needed to know about why Peggy Carter joined up to fight in the war, and why Whitney Frost is so extremely twisted and it was brilliant.  

This week's episode, "Smoke and Mirrors" was truly a wonderful story about the different lives we lead and how that shapes who we are. Take Whitney Frost/Agnes Cully. A brilliant young woman who grew up in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma and all she ever wanted was a chance to expand her mind and use her incredible intellect to do wonderful things and perhaps change the world. But her mother was quick to point out the only thing that would ever matter in this life was her beauty, and it was the only thing that would ever allow her to amount to anything. It led to that fascinating scene where Agnes was so incredibly timid, shy and unsure of herself and extremely hesitant to embrace Hollywood as a career path, she just knew it was the only way to escape her current life. We know now that behind the scenes she helped win the war, but that's the tragedy therein...the fact that Whitney/Agnes has to keep her brilliance a secret at all times, even now. It's a sad story to say the least and her disdain for her mother, her past and this particular aspect of what the world expects of her explains this nasty streak and willingness to go to darker places.

Then there was Peggy, who we finally saw for the first time as the everyday Joe she was before the war, and it was simply amazing. The Peggy Carter we never knew was a timid young woman. One content to follow the status quo of grow up, get a job, get married and raise a family. So much in fact she was happy to turn down an opportunity to become a spy in the war effort to appease her future husband. But what made her story all the more beautiful and relevant was her brother Michael. Who made a point to call her to the carpet for living a life she simply was not suited for, and that she was meant for bigger things. The fact that it took her brother's death in combat for her to finally realize this was simply heartbreaking to say the least, but that was the moment when Peggy Carter left her mild mannered life behind...and became the warrior we know today. 

Those two storylines made this one of the finest episodes of Agent Carter that I've seen to date. Simply because of the fact it finally took us to a place that I've yet to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...deep into its character's minds and lives. It's something Marvel has been criticized for and I'm wondering if this is that first bold step in a new direction, because to know who Peggy really is at her core now makes her character all the more heroic and genuine and well...one can't help but feel sorry for Agnes and you have to wonder if maybe, just maybe, there's a still a person in there worth saving. Either way, I'm glad to see the show take a big time risk like this storytelling wise and I really hope that the rest of season two is going to continue to up its game because I am still impressed at how damn good this episode turned out to be. Until next time.

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