Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda had one of the longest lasting friendships in the history of Hollywood. They met as young actors, became instant pals, and stayed close until Fonda’s death in 1982. Orson Welles is supposed to have said, “I thought these two guys were either having the hottest affair in Hollywood, or they…
The folks behind Agent Carter have been smart about how they parcel out information. Take the character of Dr. Ivchenko (Ralph Brown). We first met him as a prisoner that Peggy (Hayley Atwell) rescued back in Episode 5. He seemed like a harmless old man. Last episode, however, we discovered he was in league with…
Note: This post kicks off a series celebrating the career of one of mystery fiction’s true giants, beginning with the novel Do Evil in Return. This month marks the centennial of the great Margaret Millar. At her peak, Millar was about as successful as a mystery writer could be. She published 27 books, won the…
Episode 6 of Agent Carter, “A Sin to Err,” finds Peggy (Haylet Atwell) in full-on super agent mode. Last episode, we saw her reteamed with the Howling Commandos for some overseas adventuring, but this time around she’s back in the states, running around being a badass in what is probably the best installment of the…
Let it be noted that Episode 5 of Agent Carter is the moment where the show goes from “promising” to “good.” After setting up various plot points and intrigues over the course of the previous four episodes, the story really achieves liftoff with “The Iron Ceiling.” We open with a flashback to a bizarre school…
In the classic era, Warner Brothers was the most hardboiled of the major studios. It was the home of the gangster flick and the detective movie. In short, it was the kind of place that gave steady work to a guy like Barton MacLane. MacLane just had a face you wanted to punch. On the…
Considering Episode 4 of Agent Carter takes its title from a military maneuver notable for its ferocity and overwhelming power, it’s surprising that the episode itself is the most laid back episode of the series thus far. We begin with everyone continuing their search for Howard Stark. Peggy finds him hiding out in a storage…
By this point, we know that Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is on the trail of something big. Howard Stark is on the run from the SSR, and while all the other agents are chasing him, Agent Carter is hunting down the mysterious organization behind the theft of all of Stark’s super weapons. (I can’t believe…
One of the charms of Captain America: The First Avenger was the way Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell) held her cards close to her vest. Quiet and watchful, she seemed to know more about what was going on than anyone else around her. There was something extremely appealing about finding that kind of restrained character in…
First, a confession: I am Agent Carter’s ideal audience. One, I like women who kick ass. Two, my grandmother was an English lass who endured World War II, met a nice soldier from Texas, married him and moved to the US, so I dig English ladies who kick ass. Three, I’m a lifelong fan of…
