Peggy needs help from some old allies on a mission to Russia…

This is the time midway through the eight episodes when alliances start to change considerably. It now seems as if not everyone in the SSR is as convinced of Howard Stark’s guilt as they were originally, and at least one of Peggy’s friends is starting to see her in a very different light.

This is very much an episode that places this series at the heart of the MCU, with the Black Widow school, but much as it would be lovely to think that it’s all fiction, Russian schools for potential agents were all too real – even if perhaps the children were not trained quite as rigorously as the ones we see here, particularly in the opening scene which reminded me of elements of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising saga. Dottie’s sleeping habits, though, might be a step too far in terms of the effect of her training – surely if she is operating in enemy territory, she would realise that she needs to be able to react quickly!

This more than makes up for the comparative lack of action in last week’s episode, during which Agent Thompson gets to see a very different side to Peggy Carter, and it would be fair to say that the same applies the other way round. Hopefully, Neal McDonough will make another appearance as Dum Dum Dugan, although I suspect if he uses Peggy’s nickname ever again, he may be dead!

Verdict: A Timely reminder of Peggy’s abilities. 8/10

Paul Simpson