“A View in the Dark” is episode two of season two of Marvel’s Agent Carter.
In the previous episode, “The Lady in the Lake”, the frozen woman in the frozen lake had been put there by Detective Henry. He claimed he was hired to clean up other people’s messes, so had made it look as if an uncaught serial killer had committed the murder. However, Henry himself was also freezing and shattered when another cop shot him. A cop who was paid off by Calvin Chadiwck, the owner of Isodyne where the woman worked. Dr Wilkes, at the end of the episode, was looking at a strangely active black liquid in a container at Isodyne.
This episode opens at Stark’s house. Peggy follows some sounds to find Jarvis doing some weightlifting. After their adventures in New York, Jarvis decided to take up a regime of physical fitness and mastery of the deadly arts. Not fencing – that is a gentleman’s pursuit and his hobby – but boxing and judo. He tells Peggy to try and take him down. Unsurprisingly, he does. Rather more surprisingly, Jarvis returns the favour. Afterwards, Peggy asks Jarvis if he will give her a ride to the office. Once he is wearing more suitable attire of course.
Sousa is talking to Rose as both head towards the office. Rose wants to know if Sousa has told her – no – and is he going to tell her – yes – when – it didn’t come up whilst they were chasing officer icicle. Rose tells him that the longer he waits, the more awkward it will be. Then they enter the office to find Peggy chatting to a young nurse. Sousa’s girlfriend. Perhaps sooner would have been better. The two are getting on fine, and the girlfriend, Violet, invites Peggy to dinner. Sousa, once Violet leaves, tells Peggy if she doesn’t show Violet will throttle him. Peggy informs Sousa that the dead woman’s body is being picked up from the morgue so that they can identify the substance that killer her. Two men in protective gear put the body onto a steel coffin, which freezes inside, and wheel it out to a van. Where a man surprises them and shoots both.
Calvin Chadwick arrives at a club and told is told that the other gentlemen are in the meeting room. Chadwick does not look that happy. He opens a secret door – which is a moving bookcase. How quaint. Inside, a number of other men are gathered around a table. Chadwick says that he didn’t know they had a meeting on the books. What may be the chairman, Gloucester (a connection to HYRDA? Or something else?), tells him that the council has decided that the best course of action is to shut down the Isodyne programme and dispose of all the assets.
Chadwick replies that he is on the council but he’s told that his experiments have yielded no results and attracted a federal investigation. The programme has put all their interests in jeopardy (it seems this group arranged the Crash of ’29). Chadwick tells them that the substance is potentially priceless, they could make billions. Gloucester informs him that the decision has been made. The body has already been taken and the laboratory will be cleared out tonight. They think Chadwick should concentrate on the Senate race.
Peggy and Sousa are by the van that no longer contains the body; it’s been abandoned in the LA River. Sousa says it was a professional hit as both men were good – although total surprise does tend to make anyone vulnerable. New York has got them a warrant to search Isodyne though. At Isodyne, the lab is in isolation because of a containment leak. Peggy spots Wilkes and asks him when it will be safe enough to enter again. He doesn’t know and scribbles something on a clipboard, before saying he is needed elsewhere and shaking Peggy’s hand. Outside, Peggy reveals that Wilkes passed her a note. Inside, Wilkes waits to get into a locked room then picks a filing cabinet and takes a reel of film. Another man watches him leave.
Wilkes wants to meet Peggy, at the Dunbar Hotel. Sousa knows it. He is going to come as backup and will cancel his dinner. The note said that Peggy was supposed to come alone; Sousa sarcastically comments that when he’s planning and ambush he always asks the person to bring friends. Peggy can handle herself but Sousa says she doesn’t need to. Then Peggy finds a that fell out of Sousa’s jacket; it seems he intended to propose to Violet tonight. So Peggy tells him to go.
At Stark’s, Ana asks if any other agents are accompanying Peggy. She replies she’s going alone; Sousa is the only agent who is useful and he’s got other business. Ana picks out a suitable dress for Peggy; she may have cottoned on to the fact that Peggy finds Dr Jason Wilkes interesting. Jarvis recommends Howard’s leisure car. Which comes with a button that reveals a champagne bottle and two glasses, another that tints a window, a change of clothes in the back and a tracking device. The latter probably the most useful for Peggy. It also has a button that lays the sea flat and there is apparently a mirror above it.
At the Dunbar, Wilkes wants to make conversation first – he likes Peggy as well it seems. She would prefer to get straight to business. Wilkes mentions that he spoke to a bunch of Isodyne lawyers who reminded him that his work was classified. Throwing around words like ‘treason,’ ‘prison’ and ‘hanging.’ So, before Wilkes risks his career and his life, he would like to know more about the woman he is trusting. After some reminiscing, Wilkes has Peggy dance, then tells her that Chadwick would kill to cover up his research. Which is bigger than anyone thinks. He is going to show Peggy, rather than explain it. As they leave the Dunbar, a man follows them out.
Chadwick tells his wife, Whitney Frost, that they are scrapping the zero matter experiments. Whitney, an actress, has just listened to various comments about lines around her eyes and lighting older women, is not happy by this news either. She says that zero matter could make atomic energy as obsolete as the steam engine. She thinks her husband should have stopped the others. He tells her that the lab is being scrubbed tonight and the zero matter will be gone. Besides, the Senate thing will be better for both of them. Whitney appears to agree, but it looks like she really doesn’t.
The zero matter is the result of an atomic experiment that did not work anything like it was supposed to. Frankly, it looks like they accidentally blew a hole in the universe.