Smoke & Mirrors
- Episode aired Feb 2, 2016
- TV-PG
- 43m
Peggy and the SSR discover that beautiful Hollywood star Whitney Frost harbors a dangerous secret, and that she's more than just a pretty face.Peggy and the SSR discover that beautiful Hollywood star Whitney Frost harbors a dangerous secret, and that she's more than just a pretty face.Peggy and the SSR discover that beautiful Hollywood star Whitney Frost harbors a dangerous secret, and that she's more than just a pretty face.
- Ned Silver
- (as Andrew Carter)
- Teen Agnes Cully
- (as Olivia Welch)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Special Operations Executive (SOE) that Peggy is seen being recruited for was a real organization run by the British during World War 2. Nicknamed the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Churchill's Secret Army it combined intelligence and fledgling special forces to infiltrate behind German lines in Europe and conduct espionage, assassinations and sabotage as well as training native resistance groups. Unusual for the era, and as shown here, they did use women as field agents as they would arouse less suspicion than many male agents would.
- GoofsThere is a flashback to Hampstead in 1940 where an outdoor party is being held with long strings of bright outdoor lights. Blackout rules (designed to prevent German bombers from navigating at night) would have immediately drawn the attention of air wardens and would have seen the arrest of every single person anywhere on the estate - and not just for being responsible for the lighting, but for failing to insist that the lights be put out. The blackout regulations were in place starting in September of 1939, before the declaration of war. Full lighting was not allowed until April, 1945.
- Quotes
Edwin Jarvis: I trust you've operated a tranquilizer rifle before.
Peggy Carter: I can't say that I have. Why on earth have you?
Edwin Jarvis: On occasion, wrangling Mr. Stark's animal preserve requires a ruthless hand.
Peggy Carter: Not the flamingo.
Edwin Jarvis: The koala. Its adorable appearance belies a vile temperament.
I haven't been all that impressed with the decision to focus on Peggy's love life this season as I think last season worked extremely well avoiding that for the most part. Tonight's episode didn't do a whole lot to sway me one way or another but it did seem to confirm that we haven't seen the last of the Souza-Carter-Wilkes triangle. It also hinted that one or both of them may kick the bucket by seasons end considering Vernon Masters threatened Peggy's friends, and Wilkes talked about 'letting go'.
By far the highlight of the episode came from showing flashbacks to both Peggy and Frost's childhood/young adult life. While I think the Peggy material could have fit in season 1, I loved the balance of going back and forth with young Peggy and young Whitney. Knowing that Peggy accepted the SOE's offer due to her brother's request before he tragically died also gave more depth to Carter's motivations. The Whitney scenes were great to add context to this distraught and tormented character and was the character depth I think Frost needed to win me over.
I guess the one question I still have about this season is how Dottie factors into all of it. Will it turn out that Frost is just a pawn for Dottie's master plan? I'm not even totally sure she's coming back, but I'm even more interested in a Frost vs Peggy vs Dottie story line.
+Great flashback material
+Frost sold me
+That ending though...
9.1/10
- ThomasDrufke
- Feb 3, 2016