“Better Angels” is episode three of season two of Marvel’s Agent Carter.
In the previous episode, “A View in the Dark”, Peggy and Dr Wilkes headed to Isodyne to get the zero matter and Wilkes’s research before it was cleaned out. Whilst Wilkes was inside, Whitney Frost arrived, and she, too, was there for the zero matter. Whose container was dropped causing a massive explosion. Wilkes was presumably killed in the blast; however, Frost had escaped but not uninjured – there is a cut in her forehead that appears to be filled with zero matter.
Peggy arrives at Wilkes’ home; the press is already outside. Inside, Peggy speaks to Sousa, who says they haven’t found anything on the zero matter yet, or why Wilkes and Peggy were shot at. Peggy tells Sousa it was Wilkes the goons were shooting at, they wanted him dead. She believes she did their work for them. The only lead they have is a pin that Peggy found on one of the attackers’ cars, identical to the one Dottie Underwood tried to steal in “The Lady in the Lake”. Sousa has contacted Thompson but not heard anything back yet.
Peggy steps on part of the floor and realises it’s hollow. There’s a loose floorboard and under it is at least $50K, a one-way ticket to Moscow and a Russian passport. When they ask why Wilkes would have a Russian passport, Agent Vega says it’s because Wilkes was a Russian spy. He’s found a Russian gun identical to the one used to kill their agents when Jane Scotts’ body was being moved. Only it definitely was not Wilkes who shot them. So perhaps it’s been planted and Wilkes is being framed. Peggy thinks so too; she asks why a spy would hide all the incriminating evidence in an easily discovered place. She thinks Isodyne is trying to frame Wilkes.
On what looks like the set of a film, two gunfighters are about to draw when a voice tells them to hold it and then says to, as it happens, Jarvis and Peggy, that there are in the shot. Eventually lunch is called and Howard Stark joins them. It’s his film. Howard asks Peggy if she wants to play a sassy beer wench; she’d rather play a cowboy. Howard likes it but doesn’t think the audience is ready for that yet. Peggy asks if they are ready for a film based on a comic book – she thinks it’s a dreadful idea (and this is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where there are films are based on comic books).
Peggy has the film of the zero matter explosion – well, explosion-implosion – and Howard thinks it could be the greatest find of the century. Jarvis comments that it was important enough to paint Wilkes as a Communist; Howard replies that he was an easy target already, what with the colour of his skin. Howard finds the pin and asks if Wilkes was really a member of the Arena Club – for their membership is strictly male and pale. Even Jarvis isn’t white enough – he’s 1/16 Turkish. Howard describes it as a social club, where the LA influential and powerful have met since 1906. They have been trying to recruit Stark for years. Women aren’t allowed, so that’s not really a selling point for Howard. Peggy explains how she came to have the pin and that Dottie Underwood was trying to steal one just like it. Howard asks who Dottie Underwood is. He’s reminded that she kidnapped him. At gun point. Not long ago. Jarvis reminds Howard what he was wearing. Now he remembers.
Whitney Frost is examini9ng the mark on her forehead. She touches it with her finger, and a bit of liquid comes off, which is then absorbed into her finger. Calvin Chadwick enters with a paper at that point – he has a paper which accuses Dr Wilkes of being a Communist spy. It was apparently Whitney’s idea. She says she is thinking of retiring from acting; he doesn’t want her to do it before the election and overshadow the campaign. When they win and go to Washington Whitney can retire and have all the babies she wants. She says that sounds wonderful. It’s highly unlikely Whitney actually thinks that.
Sousa and Peggy have the paper and neither are happy. The SSR didn’t release that story. When they enter Sousa’s office, Thompson is there. He says he was in town and will clean up their mess. He’s already fixed Peggy’s incident report – adding to it that Wilkes was a Communist spy. And tells Peggy that people might get the wrong idea about Peggy – that she is a Communist too. Peggy replies that the only Communist spy she knows is Dottie Underwood, and wants to know if Thompson has got anything out of her yet. Thompson no longer even has Dottie, something he doesn’t mention. Thompson has decided that the investigation is concluded. Peggy refuses to sign the report so Thompson signs it for her. As Peggy leaves – rather annoyed with Thompson – she gets her bag. And a key and a pen float up from the desk. Which is not normal. Peggy doesn’t see them though.
Peggy is waiting for Howard, who is not up yet, and asks Jarvis who all the young women are. Jarvis tells her that according to the accountants they are production assistants. Peggy comments that they look very useful; Jarvis tells her not in the slightest. When Howard finally arises. Peggy tells him she wants to plant listening devices. He considers that boring, and wants something more jazzy. Besides, the club is men only. Peggy has a plan.
Thompson is watching the film of the zero matter event when he is told that Vernon Masters is here to see him. Thompson assures Masters that the report will not be controversial. He’s told in return that the spy stole sensitive material and they need it recovering. Thompson believes they have recovered everything and wants to know what else there is; he’s told he will know it when they see it. Masters is looking dodgy. Masters says there is a breach of national security; Thompson wants to know how the incident at Isodyne could be such. He’s told that if it falls into the wrong hands it will be disastrous for the U.S. Thompson may not entirely trust Masters either.
Howard and Jarvis are at the Arena Club; Howard thinks there is a surplus of gentlemen. So he has brought along some women. Young and attractive ones. The gentlemen seem to like this. Peggy is amongst them and sneaks away to plant bugs. She enters the library where the secret room is off and hides as the bookshelf-door opens and people exit. That room looks like an ideal place to plant bugs – Peggy also sees a couple of copies of the same newspaper with different headlines. However, something interferes with the bug Peggy plants.
Back at the SSR, Peggy tells Thompson about the club and that they are planning the future. For the newspapers are for tomorrow, and had Chadwick’s rival dropping out of the Senate race. Either willingly or because of a scandal. Thompson tells her that rigging an election is serious; Peggy doesn’t have the newspapers and the bugs were destroyed by a countermeasure. She gets angry at one point and accuses Thompson of being a coward, making an oblique reference to a past event of his as she does. Thompson wants Peggy to go back to New York. Sousa follows Peggy, and the two are arguing when Sousa sees things floating. Peggy tells him not to touch her; she’s seen it before and it’s a side effect of zero matter. She may be contaminated.
They head to see Howard who initially appears to amuse himself by getting things to hover in the air next to Peggy. The bottle does not. Howard tells them that they are missing the obvious; the temperature near Peggy is seven degrees cooler than the rest of the room. Jarvis says that’s like the lady in the lake. And the detective. And the medical examiner. All of whom froze to death. Howard tells Peggy to relax, she isn’t contaminated with zero matter. And asks the room who can tell him why he knows this. Jarvis volunteers that there is a disruption to the gravitational field near Peggy. Howard has an idea.
They head to a lab and Howard and Jarvis start mixing something up. Howard mentions silver nitrate and Sousa says that’s what is used to bind photos to prints. This gets him a look and Sousa points out it is the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Howard has been working on something to make all the invisible wavelengths – infra red, ultraviolet, etc. – not just the visible ones recordable. If it exists it is by definition observable. So Howard sprays the air revealing Jason Wilkes. So, not dead – but also not there because he can’t be touched. So can he be brought back?
Whitney Frost seems far smarter than her husband, and is certainly good at manipulating him. More is revealed about her. At one point Jarvis remarks on something that he has no desire to spend the rest of time as a disembodied voice. Howard’s son, Tony, of course has a computer A.I. – a disembodied voice – called Jarvis. Masters is looking increasingly dodgy; is he in the Arena Club’s pocket?