The S.S.R. found itself fighting a psychological battle with very physical costs on Agent Carter season 1, episode 7. Here’s what happened in “Snafu.”
Talky talk
While Peggy is interrogated by the S.S.R., Dr. Ivchenko remembers hypnotizing a young man through his amputation during the war.
Suffice to say, he is very good at his job.
Peggy’s interrogation goes less smoothly. She refuses to give up any information – especially on the “Blitzkrieg Button” which holds Captain America’s blood. Peggy tries to redirect the agents’ attentions to Dottie, but they are unimpressed.
They also think that Peggy has been sleeping with Howard, which, eww.
Before the interrogation gets physical (not like that, get your heads out of the gutter, yes it would be exciting, be quiet) Jarvis shows up with a briefcase.
And a confession from Howard Stark.
Win some, lose some
Jarvis flourishes the confession – in which Howard admits to being the the arms-selling, weapons-stealing, Roxxon-exploding mastermind he actually isn’t – in front of the agents and a baffled Peggy. Jarvis promises that Howard’s signature will come when Howard lands in the states and he and Peggy are free.
Dooley is not as impressed as Jarvis clearly anticipates. He will only let them leave when Howard shows up in person – oh, and Peggy is fired.
Alone in the meeting room, Jarvis is forced to reveal that, yeah… the confession is totes fictitious and Howard is not coming.
“Wonderful. We’re doomed,” is the gist of Peggy’s reaction.
Dot, dot, dot
Under Ivchenko’s guidance, Dooley begins to make amends with his wife.
Ivchenko also continues his morse-code correspondence with Dottie, which Peggy and Jarvis observe from the meeting room. The message warns to be prepared for evacuation within 90 minutes.
“What happens in 90 minutes?” Jarvis wonders.
And as the pieces click into place, Peggy answers. “Leviathan is coming.”
The Hail Mary
Peggy gives a full – real – confession to Dooley, Sousa, and Thompson in order to gain their trust. She needs their trust when she tells that Dr. Ivchenko is part of Leviathan.
Dooley refuses to believe Peggy, so she shows the men the stolen sample of Steve’s blood. The only thing she can’t explain is why she kept it.
“I suppose I just wanted a second chance at keeping him safe,” she says, looking at the vial like it’s the most important thing in the world.
(Hang on, hanky break. Damn you, Atwell!)
Peggy’s play wins back Sousa’s trust, which is sufficient for Dooley to order an investigation of the alleged morse code recipient across the street. Unfortunately, Ivchenko sees Sousa, Thompson, and other men crossing the street, and completes his bamboozlement of Dooley.
He tells the chief to enjoy his hallucination. “After this,” Ivchenko says, “We have something very important to take care of.”
Phases
After Dooley handcuffs Jarvis and Peggy to the table in the interrogation room and locks them inside, he and Ivchenko go hunting in the lab. Ivchenko orders Dooley to find Item 17, which he does – after locating a deceptively “delicate” vest.
Ivchenko leaves the S.S.R. and gives Dooley the vest. “Our work here is not yet done,” he says.
Meanwhile, the S.S.R. agents spread through the dead dentist’s building. Thompson admits to Sousa that he also believes Peggy – and warns him to shoot to kill if he meets the assassin.
Of course, Sousa gets off on Dottie’s floor. Incredibly, Sousa manages not to die as Dottie literally Spider-mans down the stairwell and escapes. Suck it, Sony.
She picks up the psycho-atrist and asks if they should “Proceed to the next phase.” Ivchenko says no – they need to test out their new baby first, and anyway the S.S.R. will be busy soon anyway.
Taking the heat
While Peggy and Jarvis effect a hilarious rescue, Chief Dooley has a beautiful reunion with his family in his mind. Unfortunately, the reality is rather different; he has donned and activated the Vest of Doom.
A freaked out Jarvis explains that this another well-intentioned invention of Howard’s that has gone hideously awry. Meant protect soldiers from bullets and the cold, the Vest of Doom overheats and explodes when activated.
The situation deteriorates rapidly. Dooley warns his men about Ivchenko’s talk-magic, as the scientist admits he has no idea how to safely get the VOD off of the chief.
“I know what to do,” Dooley says and grabs Thompson’s gun. He asks Thompson to apologize to his wife, and makes Peggy promise that she’ll get Leviathan.
“Atta girl,” he says, and throws himself out of the window, exploding violently in midair.
Empty shelf
Sousa returns from across the street, where he has found the dead dentist and Dottie’s notes which he can read because they are in English, seriously show. The office is in shambles.
“They got Chief,” Thompson tells him numbly.
Peggy feels guilty, but Jarvis blames Howard’s invention. Peggy remembers that Leet Brannis was meant to steal something from Howard for Leviathan. Steve’s blood is still surprisingly there, but Item 17 is gone.
“What’s that do?” Thompson asks Jarvis.
“I have no idea,” the butler answers.
Knowledge
Oh, but you know who does know? Dottie knows.
Dottie knows, because she wheels a baby carriage into a movie theater. Dottie knows, because concealed inside the carriage is a canister, which she opens.
Dottie knows, because she covers her mouth as she leaves, avoiding the canister’s hiss of gas.
Dottie knows, because Ivchenko bars the doors, and they leave together, with great faith in Howard Stark’s inventions.
What Dottie knows, and what the doctor knows, is that the gas inside the canister will turn the people inside the movie theater into wild, murderous, zombies. They will kill everyone they can see, rip each other apart until there is nothing left but blood.
Which is exactly what happens inside that movie theater – and, we now know, exactly what happened in Finow.