Agent Carter season 2 premieres this week, and we’ve got a few hints at what to expect from Peggy’s new adventures.
The first two episodes, titled “The Lady in the Lake” and “A View in the Dark,” will (finally!) air on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. Fans can prepare themselves for the classic drama and humor of season 1 — with a few distinctly different developments.
Sunshine and survivalism
The Agent Carter season 2 premiere works on the same emotional scale as the first season, but the shifts between blithe adventure and noirish consequence may be even more extreme. At times relentlessly frothy (especially when Peggy and Jarvis get back to old tricks), the premiere episodes also present a darkness that is less subversive than it is institutional. A conspiracy lurks in the backdrop, mysterious plans are set in motion, and an unearthly power unleashed, all within the first two hours.
Suffice it to say, Peggy’s going to have her hands full.
Love is in the air
Love may or may not be a lighter subject than the aforementioned maelstrom, but either way, Peggy’s going to be dealing with it in spades this season. If the first season of Agent Carter focused on Peggy’s coming to terms with Steve’s death, then season 2 is shaping up to explore new opportunities for the badass British bombshell.
Romantic tension is at an all time high in the first two episodes — Peggy and Sousa’s relationship has deepened significantly since we last saw them, and the dashing Dr. Jason Wilkes makes his own kind of splash in Peggy’s life. (And of course, Howard Stark provides his own… entertainment, even in absentia.)
But the course of true love has never run smoothly for Peggy in the past — and judging from the Agent Carter season 2 premiere, it’s not about to start now.
A game is afoot in New York
Peggy might be off solving crime in California, but that doesn’t mean that life is quieting down in the original S.S.R. headquarters. Captain Jack Thompson takes one of Peggy’s juiciest catches for himself, but eventually finds the tables turned in a move that might impact the intelligence community as he — and his agents — know it.
At the same time, threads begin to cross between New York and California that suggest a reunion between the east and west coast S.S.R. brass might soon be urgently necessary. (It won’t be much fun for the people involved, but we viewers should have a great time.)
Going deeper
Apart from hopping across the country, the biggest changes underway in the Agent Carter season 2 premiere arrive in the form of the show’s new characters. The long-awaited Ana Jarvis (Lotte Verbeek) will either fit fans’ expectations or defy them entirely; either way, she provides a unique counterpoint to her husband, and an appreciable confidante for Peggy.
At the same time, Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin) arrives as a something of a quirky flirt, before his intelligence and unusual circumstances prove the significantly stronger element. And while Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett) plays rather inscrutably through the first two episodes, her character is fountain of surprises, and may be at the heart of the drama developing in Agent Carter season 2.
Boom!
The second hour of the Agent Carter season 2 premiere doesn’t go quietly — and neither will fans. And that’s really all we can say on the subject.
If that’s insufficiently cryptic for you, here are a few lines to listen for in the Agent Carter season 2 premiere
“He’s the devil in pink.”
“You killed the carrot.”
“He’s never more lethal than when he’s flat on his back.”
“I am the only person who knows what it’s capable of.”
Agent Carter season 2 premieres on Jan. 19 at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.