What you are looking at above is one of the most badass women in the Marvel universe, and possibly one of the best female characters on television right now. Her name is Agent Peggy Carter, and she is wonderful, in every sense of the word.
You've seen me mention the show Agent Carter before, and there's a good reason I'm bringing it up again: because it needs to be renewed, and here are a few reasons why:
1) Peggy herself
The way the writers have crafted this character is phenomenal, and Hayley Atwell does a magnificent job playing this amazing woman. Peggy Carter is tough, intelligent, charming, witty, charismatic, and compassionate, a true leader who people rally around, because she inspires trust and compassion - she's an inspiration, period. Even her doubters, who initially scoff at her because of her gender, end up trusting her with their lives, and she never lets them down.
She's a genuinely complex character, and it's fantastic to see a woman portrayed on screen who feels real. She's tough, but never cold; she's kind, but never weak. Even in her moments of potential weakness (which she has, because she is actually a multi-dimensional, complicated character), she has her friends to help her through, and Jarvis, Sousa, Rose, etc., would all follow her to the end of the line, and we as an audience can see why. Seeing a woman in a leadership position where she is so obviously in her element is awe-inspiring, and I would love to see more characters like her, both in the Marvel universe and in television/films in general.
Peggy Carter, ladies and gentlemen. If you don't love her, you are wrong.
2) Its uniqueness as a show
There's no doubt about it, there is no other show on television like Agent Carter. Its status as a period piece gives it a unique chance to give us a delightful run through the late 1940's, with fantastic costume design, classic cars, and nostalgic settings like a New York Automat; with its comic book roots, it's also able to have a little fun along the way.
While Season 1 was a bit more focused on drama, Season 2 lightened the tone considerably, bringing out the best comedy we've seen yet from the writers and actors, particularly James D'Arcy (as Edwin Jarvis). With the show settling comfortably into that vein of lightheartedness (for the majority of the season, anyway), we got some memorable sequences that cemented the kind of playfulness that I think can be seen as the show's signature: action sequences set to 1940's songs, Peggy's dream sequence with its homage to old Hollywood musicals, etc.
You won't see anything like this on any other show, and the fact that Agent Carter can pull it off is a testament to its awesomeness, and the clarity and focus of its showrunners' vision.
3) Its perfect cast
We've already mentioned the magnificence that is Hayley Atwell. Do you know who else is fantastic? James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis - Peggy's loyal driver, best friend, surprise badass, and incredibly hilarious comic relief. I love the bond between Peggy and Jarvis - they truly would do anything for each other. Their friendship is the heart of the show; the fact that it started with Peggy punching him across the face now seems more than a little amusing.
I could spend all day describing these awesome actors - Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa, I love him to death, he is a fantastic actor, and perfect for this role; Chad Michael Murray - even when Thompson is an a-hole, you still feel like there's more to him than he shows, and there is; Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, one of the great comedic highlights of any episode; and Wynn Everett as Whitney Frost - I mean wow, she knocked it out of the park; this is one scary-as-heck villain, but complex as well.
On top of it all, the actors all seem to genuinely enjoy working together and being on Agent Carter; it would be a crime to split up such a perfect cast, whose enthusiasm and love for the show they're in shines through in their amazing performances.
4) Potential story lines
Season 2 is way too soon to stop the show; there's just so many more story lines it could explore. This is the woman who founds SHIELD; wouldn't it be great to actually get to the point where we see her create it?
This works on the period drama side of things, too; how cool would it be to see the show move through the 50's, maybe even the early 60's, and watch how the stories evolve with the changing times? Season 1 dealt with the aftermath of World War II, Season 2 with the Red Scare and the beginnings of nuclear warfare - what other parts of history could be worked into the narrative?
Whatever the writers have planned for Season 3 (and they apparently do have something planned, we just need to get there), this show has so much more mileage in it, it would be a shame to cut it off when it's just found its niche.
5) THAT CLIFFHANGER
Even with cancellation looming on the horizon, the writers still ended the season on a cliffhanger. I really admire their optimism - but seriously, what the heck?? The key? Peggy's file?! Thompson??! If this show gets cancelled, we will never know the answer to these questions. And, according to the show runners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, apparently it's something pretty great. GAH.
So, what can we do to save the show? Here are a couple things ABC has said we can do to get their attention:
-Re-watch the episodes! Even if you just have Hulu running in the background while you do other stuff on your laptop, ABC keeps track of online views, so the more views Agent Carter gets, the better!
-Tell ABC! Use the link below to tell ABC what you love about the show and that they should renew it. Through the link, you can email them, or you can call them and leave a message. Both of these take less than 30 seconds to do - I both emailed and called them, and you can, too!
-Tweet/Facebook about it! Use Twitter and Facebook to get the message out #RenewAgentCarter
It's a complete shame such a wonderful show is facing cancellation, and we need to do something about it. Talk about it on social media, blog about it, join forces with your friends and/or fellow Agent Carter fans to blitz comment sections of articles about the show, like Agent Carter's Facebook page, etc. - if we're loud enough, we can make our voices heard! Let's "do as Peggy says" - #RenewAgentCarter!
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