Agent Carter 2.5When an atomic bomb needs defusing, there’s only one safe pair of hands to do it; unfortunately that’s not who ends up with the job…

Oh I so hope the rumours of this series’ impending demise aren’t true (Hayley Atwell has been cast in another ABC show, leading to the usual internet gossip that it means that Agent Carter isn’t coming back for 2017). The interplay between the characters is such fun – and a real contrast to every other Marvel TV show, as the new trailer for Daredevil recently proved. The writers delight in putting Peggy, Jarvis, Daniel and the others in situations where they appear out of their depths, and then showing exactly what they’re made of: just look at the way that “switchboard operator” Rose comes to the fore in this episode for a classic example. And the screwball comedy of Atwell’s scenes with Ray Wise are a nice homage to the movies of the era.

There’s a serious side to it all of course, and Wynn Everett’s Whitney Frost is becoming increasingly the focal point of the show – think the way that Roger Delgado almost dominated the series of Doctor Who in which he appeared in every story. I’m hoping that like Dottie (and what’s happened to her?) Whitney will not be totally defeated by the end of the series and can make a return. And of course we see that people can be hurt by Peggy’s quest – not just Peg herself from the fall, but also Daniel’s fiancée Violet, who’s finally seen what’s been obvious to the audience for a very long time!

Verdict: There’s such a wonderful sense of style to this show that sets it apart from much else out there – and this episode shows why it works so well. 8/10

Paul Simpson