Agent Carter: The Blitzkrieg Button

January 27, 2015 7:00 PM - Season 1, Episode 4

Howard Stark returns to New York, asking Peggy to steal one of his inventions back SSR. Chief Dooley heads to Germany to find out what happened to all those men with missing their voice box. Agent Sousa tracks down a lead. Oh and Peggy attracts an annoying suitor, which one of her housemates has to deal with. Featuring a guest appearance by Captain America and THAT guy! You know, HIM.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (65 comments total)

Sousa being the office butt monkey is getting a bit old for me; he's a white male purple heart vet who's clearly competent. The shit he gets just isn't plausible.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:24 PM on January 27, 2015

Oh course it is. People love having a weak member of the herd to pick on.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:58 PM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Someone needs to have a conversation with the art department. The flight manifest has Howard Stark's age listed at 51. Did they recycle some old prop?
posted by phearlez at 9:49 PM on January 27, 2015

Surprising but welcome to see the other agents in the office actually be competent rather than just bumbling hate engines.
posted by phearlez at 9:54 PM on January 27, 2015 [5 favorites]

THAT guy! You know, HIM.

Yeah, that: Stan Lee can't act and that whole clunky cameo drained the momentum out of the scene.

I'd much prefer it if he were simply occasionally, and unpredictably, present in the background: like a Hidden Mickey or a Where's Waldo. It'd be more fun then when you did spot him than this tedious *drumroll* HEY LOOK IT'S STAN LEE COOL HUH business.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:43 PM on January 27, 2015 [4 favorites]

OTOH: holy fuckballs Dottie just totally Matrixed the creepy mob-boss villain. That was a really nice bit of misdirection -- set him up as the unstoppable Terminator-style opponent, then have him trivially dispatched by an unexpected twist.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:46 PM on January 27, 2015 [10 favorites]

This show has exceeded all my expectations, and I feel it is one of the best shows on the main networks right now.

I thought it would be a 'missing item of the week' show, but it seems to have a mostly continuous plot. It's well written and had parts that tried to be funny and actually were, rather than just being stupid and clichéd. It's building characters that actually have depth.

It will be interesting to see what Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) turns out to be, I assume she'll be a foil to Dottie, she's appeared in every episode so far so I'd think she'll join the main cast in a few episodes and reveal herself to be a CIA agent, or a robot, or something. Fonseca has experience as a secondary character in Nikita, a show also named after the female action protagonist.

I hope it stays good and doesn't get cancelled.
posted by FallowKing at 11:21 PM on January 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

Having her seethe, but swallow Thompson's assholery, then show her having to deal with the assholery of Jarvis and Stark was really well done. One was an almost impersonal dehumanization while the other came from people she thought she knew saw her as an equal.
posted by humans are superior! at 11:53 PM on January 27, 2015 [5 favorites]

"It will be interesting to see what Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) turns out to be."

It seemed clear to me that Krzeminski's killer was female, so I was certain that Angie is our hidden villain. I'd suspected this for a while. So I was very surprised at the Dottie reveal. I don't know what to think now. Angie has to be important because the plausible motivation for her actions (and continual presence in the show) has been friendship, and yet the show itself hasn't shown any actual friendship. So the narrative has really been signaling that she's not as she appears.

One possibility is that most of the women at the Griffith aren't who they appear to be.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:04 AM on January 28, 2015

"One possibility is that most of the women at the Griffith aren't who they appear to be."

My theory now is they're a russian spy network, they're keeping tabs on Carter (for an unknown reason). Something precipitates their discovery and they attack Carter, Angie teams with Carter and tells some exposition about how she was ordered to befriend her and is sorry,then they fight their way out of the hostile building. (with a comical attack on the matron for her views and treatment of carter)

Now that I think of it Angie might be the villain, or -A- villain, the voice she uses would be too difficult to sustain as a protagonist, it's a good voice for her to monologue to carter and explain why she did her evil things before getting shot by Sousa (who was injured earlier and only then regained consciousness in time to save carter)
posted by FallowKing at 3:33 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

My theory now is they're a russian spy network, they're keeping tabs on Carter (for an unknown reason).

Other agencies are probably interested in Peggy because of her known relationship to Capt. America. Not the love interest, but she spent a lot of time with him on missions, was in the government. She might know about where the vials of Steve's blood are right?

Dottie's entire friendly neighbor yet something more schtick and the way she took down the bad guy sounded and looked very much Black Widows like to me. I suspect the Russian connection will figure prominently on this show and with a certain Avenger. Don't they have movie coming out soon?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:51 AM on January 28, 2015

I thought it odd that Stark knew the name of the woman who ran the apartment building. He asked "How's Miriam?" as he and Carter were getting out of the car.

Now, you could take that as "He gets around and digs the ladies." But, Miriam doesn't present as someone who would give a playboy like Stark the time of day. And, personally, I have a hard time believing the writers would put the line in there unless it was meant to telegraph...something.

So, for me, the question remains...How does Stark know this woman?
posted by Thorzdad at 6:17 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

The music is used very well in this show - it contributes to their world-building and moves things along at a peppy pace. The selections so far have been stellar.

Nthing that this show has exceeded my expectations.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:29 AM on January 28, 2015

Interesting episode. It was neat to see that Carter gets the sexism both from her colleagues and her friends; a nice way of underlining the point that was made by Agent (after his little speech, his name will always be Agent to me): it isn't fair, but it doesn't matter what she does but she will always be treated as less than everyone else by simple fact of her gender.

Seeing Dottie go all psycho was fascinating; everything about her seemed to change when she saw that gun.

I am also pleased that the men at the office seem to be becoming a little less one note; there's some development happening there too.
posted by nubs at 7:31 AM on January 28, 2015

So, for me, the question remains...How does Stark know this woman?

I think it's just a throwaway line indicating that Stark has visited this particular building many times in the past. When the show wants to foreshadow something that's important, they tend to make it really obvious, like Jarvis's ear thing.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:34 AM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

And from the AV Club review: "(Agent) Thompson is quickly becoming a more interesting character: rather than the jerk you admire because he gets results, he’s the jerk you dislike, who nonetheless gets results. "

I think that's a good way to put it.
posted by nubs at 7:35 AM on January 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

THAT guy! You know, HIM.

Captain Chaos?
posted by entropicamericana at 8:00 AM on January 28, 2015

I am so impressed with what this show is doing right now. Having the guys at the office as actual rounded characters - a blend of good and bad and short-sighted and perceptive and kind and douchy but not outright muahaha evil makes things so much more interesting than the flatter but more common way they could have been shown. They could have been one-note bumblers or a bunch of "there there, little lady" types who are constantly in the dark while Peggy is badass, but instead they're actually letting them be a collection of people that I recognize. And using them to contrast with Howard and Jarvis made everything so much more meaningful. Here are all the ways Peggy is having to fight her way through the world, from the impersonal to the very personal.

I've been waiting for Dottie to show her stuff, so having her take down that dude in the hallway so abruptly made me bounce on the sofa. And yeah, I have to think we're getting Red Room stuff with her and the little girl in the previews.
posted by PussKillian at 8:41 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Having the guys at the office as actual rounded characters

yeah, I get the feeling that Chief Dooley will turn out to be alright when her skills are revealed. I liked that Sousa didn't totally land getting the homeless guy to talk, but Thompson worked with him and managed to finish, like a team should.

His crack about giving Sousa a hug fits also. The other agents respect his service, but are probably tired of anger and frustration over his injuries. So they razz him.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:48 AM on January 28, 2015

Yeah, that: Stan Lee can't act and that whole clunky cameo drained the momentum out of the scene.

I so hate the Lee cameos that I have caught myself thinking "well he's old, maybe he'll die soon." As someone who wants to not celebrate any death - even that of loathsome people - I feel really bad about this. But my grodd does every one of these appearances just derail whatever is going on. The least awful one in recent memory was GotG and it was still awful. Why couldn't they just have been satisfied with Hitchcock-style non-speaking appearances? Then it could be a cute little thing to spot rather than so distracting.
posted by phearlez at 9:31 AM on January 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

So, for me, the question remains...How does Stark know this woman?

Yeah, surely this was meant to convey that he's had a lot of run-ins with her in the past while sneaking in and out of many of her previous residents' rooms.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:08 AM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Why couldn't they just have been satisfied with Hitchcock-style non-speaking appearances? Then it could be a cute little thing to spot rather than so distracting.

The best was the one where he's in a library? I think? Listening to loud music on huge headphones while a massive fight is taking place behind him. Maybe it was a Spiderman? He definitely works better as a visual gag.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:10 AM on January 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

Why couldn't they just have been satisfied with Hitchcock-style non-speaking appearances?

Yes, this.
The crazy thing is, Lee has done so damned many of these cameos, you'd think somewhere along the line someone would have taken the time to coach him a bit. Unless, of course, Stan's one of those "You dumb kids can't teach me a thing! I'm Stan Fucking Lee!" old farts.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:18 AM on January 28, 2015

Nthing the whole "love this show!". This week, I especially liked Dottie's waaantsss the precious over Mink's gun. But I was also intrigued by the hints about Howard Stark's 'no silver spoon here' backstory. Anyone know the composition of that part of NYC (lower east side, I think he said) in the 40s? E.g. were we meant to infer that Stark might be Jewish? Finally, the conspiracy theorist in me just can't help but think that there is some Angie/Agent 13 symmetry thing going on.
posted by skye.dancer at 10:55 AM on January 28, 2015

The cameos are part of Stan's monkey paw wish. Remember in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story how he so desperately wanted to break into Hollywood? This is it. This is his wish, granted and twisted by the horror that is the monkey's paw. Doomed to always play the worst part the Hollywood versions of "his" creations.

Meanwhile, The Ghost of Jack Kirby nods stoically and peels another spectral banana for the one handed monkey spirit that follows him everywhere in the twilight world.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:58 AM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]

E.g. were we meant to infer that Stark might be Jewish?

Hm, what year is it in show canon? 1946? ish? And how old is Howard supposed to be? Mid to late 30s? Let's assume he was born in 1910. The LES was very, very jewish in 1910-1920. It's difficult to get a handle on the historical demographics but I think there were actually more jews in manhattan (manhattan only, not 5 boros or metro area) in 1920 than there are today.

Also the line about people expecting him to be sneaky and a liar also read as a very dogwhistley thing people (still, tbh) would say about jews.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:31 PM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Loved this episode, but the burning question I was left with was -- can she really do 117 one armed push ups? How'd she get so strong, anyway? What does her training routine look like? Does she lift weights? When the heck does she find time to work out, and where?

It's kind of nice to have a female action hero who doesn't need super powers or even vaugely mysterious kung fu skills to win fights. But I wish they made it a little more plausible for me, by showing her working at it.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:08 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Loved this episode, but the burning question I was left with was -- can she really do 117 one armed push ups? How'd she get so strong, anyway? What does her training routine look like? Does she lift weights? When the heck does she find time to work out, and where?

That's the thing I really love about they're handling this character: There's no origin story! The first we see of her is during the war, she's already clearly competent, battle tested and clearly kick ass. Everything else just adds to the awesomeness.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:11 PM on January 28, 2015

can she really do 117 one armed push ups? How'd she get so strong, anyway? What does her training routine look like? Does she lift weights? When the heck does she find time to work out, and where?

Note that this never, ever comes up for male action heroes.
posted by Sara C. at 3:08 PM on January 28, 2015 [11 favorites]

What? I mean surely you have heard of the training montage trope. It is pretty standard.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:15 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yeah all we really need to fix this is one scene of Peggy on the salmon ladder.
posted by Uncle Ira at 3:17 PM on January 28, 2015 [7 favorites]

I don't know I feel like people watch Phil Coulson do action sequences every week and nobody is worried about how someone who is that into vintage furniture could be so physically fit.
posted by Sara C. at 3:21 PM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]

One hundred and seventeen one-handed pushups isn't exactly a science fiction story, though most of us couldn't do it. Carter is apparently a pretty serious martial artist, was in the military in some capacity not long before the show takes place, and...uh...appears to be in really good shape. I can buy it.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:33 PM on January 28, 2015

oh ok i care more about sea cucumbers than i do about coulson so the specific example doesn't work so much for me but i get your point and yes.

i was more thinking about all the long panning shots of steve punching the bag across the room but i fully admit i was really thinking about the superbooty
posted by poffin boffin at 3:41 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Note that this never, ever comes up for male action heroes.

Note that when 300 came out, gyms were all about setting up training regimes to bodies like those actors. Many articles were written on how they were trained.

Now, if you can point to scenes where it was stated that a male character could do X amazing physical feat and no one questioned it, go for it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:49 PM on January 28, 2015

Gaston.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:55 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yes, go on...
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:58 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

he's especially good at expectorating?
posted by poffin boffin at 4:21 PM on January 28, 2015 [5 favorites]

I'm late to this party, but I loved Dottie parkour-ing herself to snap slimy villian's neck, and the later shot of his body under the bed. Her reaction to the gun was equal parts hilarious and unsettling.
I guess I'm in the minority that I'd love for Angie to be, simply, a waitress. She offers a window into Agent Carter, the person, and that's something I'd like to see more of. So much of Agent Carter's life is hiding, misdirecting, and keeping up appearances. No wonder she's reluctant to strike up a friendship (and it's probably dangerous to boot) but I'd like to see that pull. Surely she wants friends? or some fun? Exploring that makes her more human, and more realistic.
posted by missmary6 at 4:43 PM on January 28, 2015 [6 favorites]

Here's a snarky recap.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:58 PM on January 28, 2015

Chicken pockets for all!

Speaking of the Griffith, that this episode didn't go full Bosom Buddies sneaking Howard around was the probably the wiser choice but it still disappointed me a bit.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:51 PM on January 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Peggy Carter was shown as capable in the first movie before even meeting Steve/Cap, but just to add a Marvel Comics trope, anyone whose character bio mentions 'trained in unarmed combat with Captain America' for any period of time, is automatically assumed to have gained +50 badass from that.

As for Howard Stark, the Lower East Side in the teens and 20s (assuming it's 1948 and working backwards) would have been considered more or less a wretched hive of scum and villainy by 'decent people', full of dirty immigrants. Doesn't matter too much whether he was originally Starkovich or Starkoni or O'Stark, in that period he would have been 'other'.

And yay for 'she straight-up Matrix-ed that guy!' Since Dottie (Bridget Regan) has experience in fight choreography from that fantasy show, I've been waiting for some combat from her; especially since Krzeminski's shooter was obviously her in a man's suit and hat.

It's probably too much to ask, but when the big reveal comes that Dottie is the Nazi (Russian? Hydra?) Agent Carter, I really want to see them do the Peggy vs. Dottie version of the They Live fight. I'd love to see a 'Peggy's workout' training montage scene too, but purely for selfish reason; I rewound Black Canary/Caity Lotz on the salmon ladder a bunch of times over on Arrow.
posted by bartleby at 6:56 PM on January 28, 2015

can she really do 117 one armed push ups? How'd she get so strong, anyway?

She trained, just like anyone else who is that strong and proficient had to. She was in the military, and is currently an SSR Agent. Of course she trains.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:59 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Now, if you can point to scenes where it was stated that a male character could do X amazing physical feat and no one questioned it, go for it.

Hmmm. Let's see. Old school - Predator. Cliffhanger. Under Siege. More recently, the Expendables. Any of the Mission Impossible movies. Dredd. Olympus Has Fallen. White House Down.

[Actually, discount all of that, I have read your question properly now. Sorry.]
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:04 PM on January 28, 2015

Of course she trains.

It doesn't look like she does, meaning the actress doesn't look like she spends hours in the gym everyday. Which isn't a big deal, just interesting take on the super agent character.

Over on Agents of Shield, we see Melinda May training, which makes sense 'cause she does a lot of technical moves (for lack of a better term). Meanwhile Peggy just seems a straight up brawler, with natural speed, strength and heart that's been trained to some extent.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:06 PM on January 28, 2015

It doesn't look like she does, meaning the actress doesn't look like she spends hours in the gym everyday.

I've made this point before, but Nancy Wake didn't look like she pumped iron like Stallone either, and during WW2 she killed more than a few men with her bare hands and otherwise. Concealed talents and abilities are kind of the point of being a spy.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:49 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Useless worry and observation: For the mini-gatlin handgun, where was the magazine to store all the bullets for that thing it was firing?!

I didn't mind Lee's cameo appearance, it was pretty much at the end, and just a puff of fun.

It was interesting to learn (or maybe I had failed to learn up until now) that Tony Stark's fortune was only made a generation ago by his father (and obviously built upon since). He's new money!

Angie being a lethal agent was kind of a nod to the agent from Cap 2, who lived across the hall from him.
posted by Atreides at 6:53 AM on January 29, 2015

the actress doesn't look like she spends hours in the gym everyday

hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha

lolno

seriously stop

my sides hurt

just no
posted by Sara C. at 7:33 AM on January 29, 2015 [7 favorites]

Yeah, Hayley Atwell definitely works out. A lot.

But in-universe, Peggy lives in such a restrictive situation that I am curious, logistically, when she trains. Her job at SSR is so secretive that it needs a fake entrance, and there doesn't seem to be any room for a gym in there. I can't imagine that she's able to openly train at the Griffith without being evicted for "unladylike behavior". Before that she had a roommate with whom she was keeping up appearances as a phone operator.

Of course, she's managed to have a decent action scene in every episode so far, so I'm just going to assume that she maintains her physique by punching the patriarchy in the face at least 2-3 times a week.
posted by Uncle Ira at 9:34 AM on January 29, 2015 [15 favorites]

I can't imagine that she's able to openly train at the Griffith without being evicted for "unladylike behavior"

a) She was able to have a loud argument with a man in her apartment without getting evicted for unladylike behavior
b) Push ups, punches, and squats don't require much room and don't make much noise.

People insisting that this is the thing that needs to be explained seems weird. I mean, I'm more wondering about how she was able to shout that much with those thin walls and not have neighbors complain. I mean, unless they're all spies. Which is totally possible.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:53 AM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Calisthenics have always been an urban legend remedy for flat-chestedness, so I can see her explaining to Miriam Fry that her workouts are just, like, *lady things*.
posted by Sara C. at 9:58 AM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

We don't need it explained, or need a montage. But I would love it if it came up and was answered with a great Peggy one-liner. Like she does something in front of Dooley, and he's surprised, and asks how she got so strong, and her reply is "From carrying this whole operation."
Or "that's some impressive muscle tone for a girl" "You try running 5 blocks to catch the subway, carrying two bags of groceries. In heels. And a girdle. I've got abs like a cast-iron stove."
posted by bartleby at 10:13 AM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

It is a rather silly matter to worry over. Rather than fret over the lack of apparent time or space or place to allow our heroine become or maintain who she is, we should adversely accept that she is who she is because she has found a way to become or maintain who she is. It's a half empty or half full outlook and it's up to the viewer.
posted by Atreides at 10:32 AM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

One thing along these lines that is interesting to me, and it's something the show has touched on already (and I hope they continue to do so) is the way that women's ability to hold down traditionally masculine jobs, especially jobs that require strength and stamina to carry out, had to be sort of an open secret after the war.

It's fascinating to watch how images of women in the media go from Rosie The Riveter to Dior's New Look within just a couple years. This change is something that would have happened within the memory of a lot of people.
posted by Sara C. at 10:56 AM on January 29, 2015

We don't need it explained, or need a montage. But I would love it if it came up and was answered with a great Peggy one-liner.

Yeah, it's not a big deal and obviously not every physically strong person looks like they're living in a gym. I just think it's fascinating that the character (and the actress) are able to pull it off so well. Peggy's a brawler and she's perfectly fine using whatever nearby object to augment herself in a fight. It's very much part of character and visually appealing in a different way.

I remember an early episode of Arrow had the actor shirtless and doing the and thing where he does chinups up to pull himself up a "ladder" of sorts. Visually impressive, but in a stereotypical or cliched way. Peggy may seem unassuming, but if you get into a fight with her...ha!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:00 AM on January 29, 2015

The actor from Arrow has mentioned somewhere that the salmon ladder (that chinuppy thing) looks visually awesome but isn't that difficult...he says that the hardest thing he managed was climbing a rope, but nobody remembers it because it doesn't look as hard as it is.

I could see Peggy being able to do some working out in her apartment, with dumbbells that are heavier than a roommate might notice. There are other bodyweight exercises she could probably do without too much noise, and yeah, apparently the residents don't hear loud shouting in the hallway!
posted by PussKillian at 11:09 AM on January 29, 2015

Peggy doesn't have a roommate. (And her previous roommate was a riveter, so probably wouldn't have remarked on physical fitness.)

I'm frankly not so sure that female athleticism was as frowned upon as people in this thread are assuming, in the period. Not only was the era of women taking on heavy physical labor for the war effort only a few years past, but it was unremarkable for women to have physically active hobbies. Calisthenics and related physical culture wasn't gender-coded then in the way that it is now. (I'm sure there were different exercises, or women used smaller weights, "girl pushups", and the like, but the mere presence of someone doing this stuff wouldn't have been considered mannish.)

Not to mention, of course, that at least one woman at The Griffith is a ballerina (well, supposedly), which is an intensely physical career that requires extreme feats of strength, flexibility, and endurance to do even at a basic level.
posted by Sara C. at 11:17 AM on January 29, 2015

I'm frankly not so sure that female athleticism was as frowned upon as people in this thread are assuming, in the period.

There was probably a class element to it, with it being unremarkable in the lower class and something higher class women "just don't do".
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:20 AM on January 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I had a fitness/weight loss pamphlet from the mid-50's that talked about calisthenics along with dieting and it was definitely aimed at middle class women*. It was a little later than Agent Carter, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that weird or unladylike to do something similar during that time.

*side note: it was my grandmother's, to help ensure she wouldn't gain any weight during pregnancy, which was a thing.
posted by dinty_moore at 11:52 AM on January 29, 2015

My mother was in high school at the time this was set, and while they did do some physical education, it was definitely limited and kept low key. Half court basketball, for instance.
posted by suelac at 12:51 PM on January 29, 2015

We played half-court basketball when I was in high school, too. (In the 90s.) It wasn't out of fear of risking our ladylike constitutions, but because the gym was shared and other P.E. classes were also using the space.

I don't think women were necessarily encouraged to participate in competitive team sports like basketball, but we're not talking about Victorian times, either. And the 50s cult of ultra-femininity is still in the future for the world of Agent Carter. Besides which, there were plenty of activities women were encouraged to participate in that required physical fitness. Dance, horseback riding, bowling, and tennis come immediately to mind.

Fun example of the above: a women's jiu-jitsu class at the University of Chicago in 1943. The blog Tomboy Style is full of great photographic evidence that women before second wave feminism did physically active stuff all the damn time. A lot of their style icons and looks back into the past aren't even of particularly tomboyish women. Just women being something more than ornamental.
posted by Sara C. at 1:13 PM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'd also add that my grandmother was in high school at the time this was set, and she spent her free time working the fields on her father's farm. No idea what kind of Phys. Ed. was offered at school, and I know for a fact that she was shamed for doing farm work (you should have seen her reaction the first time she saw me in Doc Martens), but was she physically extremely capable? Yes.
posted by Sara C. at 1:25 PM on January 29, 2015

Carter is smart, so I expect she's found a way to keep in top shape that doesn't attract undue attention. Not that I would mind a training montage in the least.
posted by rtha at 9:11 PM on January 31, 2015

I took my time getting to this episode, but man was it worth the wait.

My wild guess on Dottie:

1) "Dorothy" is a sufficiently all-American name to make it dramatically appropriate for her to be a foreign agent.
2) SSR has been talking about the Russian threat for ages but they haven't shown up yet (overtly).
3) Those were some Black Widow moves.

Thus:
4) She is Yelena Belova.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:15 AM on February 3, 2015 [2 favorites]

You know, of all the places where I thought I might get a Black Widow origin story, Agent Carter was not one of them.

Not complaining, mind you.
posted by dinty_moore at 7:13 AM on February 3, 2015 [2 favorites]