'Agent Carter' Review/Recap: "Time and Tide"

Laura Tormos ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

This week, Agent Carter delivered us its third episode, “Time and Tide,” which was, thankfully, an episode equally as solid as its two previous ones. While little progress was made on the Leviathan front, the episode contained slightly more personal leanings this week.
“Time and Tide” emphasized the grave danger in which Peggy finds herself. Her coworkers at the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) are always only one step behind her, and she keeps coming close to getting caught (which would then lead to her being convicted for treason). Then, of course, there’s the mysterious Leviathan men who are after her—all which leads to her having to pretend to screw up in order to save Jarvis’ skin, which puts her career on the line, especially considering the scrutiny she’s put under just for being a woman.
Speaking of, though having your career on the line may not be as serious as something like your life being in immediate danger, it’s obvious this screw up was a hard thing for her to do. She puts up with her coworkers sexist remarks—and even combats them, sometimes—but, in the end, she still wants what everyone wants: respect, and to be treated fairly. When she gets yelled at by Chief Dooley (Shea Whigham) and is forced to apologize to Jack (Chad Michael Murray) for doing what she felt was the necessary thing to do, it very obviously pains her. It’s easy to feel Peggy’s frustration and embarrassment at that moment with Hayley Atwell’s amazingly skilled acting. She played those scenes of controlled anger and sadness wonderfully, which is revisited in an amazingly human moment when she and Jarvis found Stark’s equipment. Instead of her usual calm, level-headedness when dealing with troublesome situations—a quality that helps her stay that extra step ahead of the SSR—she feels the overwhelming desire to redeem herself. “I will call it in, and they will respect me.” Forgetting, of course, that doing so would only serve to raise more questions against her.

This was also an amazing episode for James D’Arcy. He had already proven to be incredibly likeable and witty as Jarvis, and now he finally got to show a different side to him during Thompson’s questioning. This side also came out later when sharing a heartfelt moment with Peggy as she learns about his dishonorable discharge—including what he did to get his wife, Anna, to safety.
Then there’s the opportunity to see Dooley and Thompson begin to be fleshed out as well—despite the conditions in which it occurs. Krzeminski (Kyle Bornheimer) felt like a somewhat one dimensional, overtly buffoonish, chauvinistic agent; yet his murder seemed to be an effective turn of events. Not only did it make the threat of Leviathan more real, but it revealed the more caring side of the SSR. Peggy entered a mourning office and having her acknowledge that she was sad, despite not having liked him was another appreciated human touch. It’s small things like that that people sometimes overlook.
One of the best scenes of the episode, however, was one lacking considerably in action. With each episode, Lindsey Fonseca as Angie becomes more and more likable—she feels genuine, and her energy with Peggy is a very kinetic one. Seeing them make up at the end of the episode after their minor disagreement was heartwarming, and will have you hoping Angie and Peggy get to have that schnapps and rhubarb pie Angie had suggested.
Overall Episode Grade: A