“Hollywood Ending” is episode ten of season two of Marvel’s Agent Carter and the season and series finale.
In the previous episode, “A Little Song and Dance”, Thompson had Dr Samberly ring the gamma cannon to blow up but failed to tell anyone else this. Although Peggy and Sousa found out from Samberly. Peggy attempted to rescue Dr Wilkes. Just as Whitney Frost was turning Masters into zero matter, he noticed that the cannon was rigged. Before she could leave, Wilkes entered the room and zero matter exploded out of him.
This episode opens 60 seconds prior. Thompson threatens to shoot Samberly if he doesn’t fix the detonator. He fixes it. So Peggy threatens to shoot Thompson. He is still going to do it but, before he can, they are all knocked down by a shockwave. Inside the building there is zero matter all over the floor as well as a living Jason – with the zero matter out of him. He says he couldn’t hold it in any longer. The zero matter is moving across the floor to Whitney, who absorbs it. There is no sign of Masters.
With Whitney having absorbed the zero matter, Peggy says they can’t stop her and need to leave. Only the car, and Samberly, are both gone. Whitney follows them out, saying they can run but she knows where they are heading. Before she can continue, a car knocks her flying. Howard Stark, for its his car, tells Jarvis, who is driving, that he just hit a woman. A two-time Oscar nominee at that. Jarvis reassures Howard that Whitney is quite resilient and will be fine. Samberly arrives in their car at that point and everyone leaves.
Back at the SSR, Sousa and Thompson are cleaning out Masters’ people. Jason explains what he saw on the other side of the rift. Not nothing; the zero matter was consuming everything. Now it wants to move onto their world. And will, with Whitney’s help. It’s a disease, a cancer, and he and Whitney are the carriers. The zero matter has consumed everything it could on its side of the rift.
Whitney has created a wall of crazy when Manfredi enters. She says they are going to open a new door, and this time it will stay open. Manfredi is concerned about Whitney, and speaks to his mother about her. That something has got hold of his Whitney. She tells Manfredi that, if he loves Whitney, he needs to make a deal with the devil.
Jason, Peggy and Howard are at Stark’s place. Peggy suggests that Jason help with a new gamma cannon. Jason has been thinking about that. Even if they separate Whitney from the zero matter, it will still be in their world. Stark suggests Jason build another containment device for the zero matter so that it can be studied by Stark’s company. Peggy thinks that’s a terrible idea. At this point Jarvis comes out, followed by Manfredi, who has a gun on him. However, it seems that Howard and Manfredi know each other – and are on friendly terms. Manfredi says they have something in common – they are all worried about Whitney. This, presumably, is the devil that Manfredi’s mother told him to make a deal with.
Manfredi wants the stuff taking out of Whitney, as she isn’t herself. Sure, she has an innate love of power, but this is different. Whitney is also working on opening the rift again, without an atomic bomb. So it’s suggested that they open a rift themselves, knock the zero matter out of Whitney, and send it back. As to how they do that – Howard asks them how scientists get ahead. Not, as Jarvis suggests, through alcohol and loose women, but by getting smarter people to do the research. Then stealing it. Manfredi will need to lure Whitney out of her room to do this.
Whitney has now moved onto a room full of crazy. Manfredi wants her help interrogating one of his guys, to be the muscle. She agrees. The man they are going to interrogate doesn’t really know that this is supposed to be fake. Sousa and Peggy sneak into Whitney’s room; Sousa thinks Whitney is crazy., Peggy tells him she’s a genius. She can’t translate what Whitney’s done, as she doesn’t speak megalomaniac. Howard does though. So they photograph everything. The fake interrogation Manfredi is carrying out takes an unexpected turn, so Whitney heads back to her room. On the way out. Sousa alters one of her equations.
Samberly, Howard and Jason are arguing over something, with Jarvis watching, when Peggy enters. They apparently have worked out how to create the fissure and have turned to naming rights. Peggy is unimpressed. The important thing is not to lose control of the rift. Peggy tries flattery to get them back on track and it works. The device will need setting up in an isolated place – Howard suggests his studio lot. Whitney will not need drawing out, as she will sense the rift opening, according to Jason.
So, the generator gets set up and Howard starts trying to hit golf balls into the rift. Which definitely looks like a black hole. When he asks Jarvis what he’s doing wrong, Jarvis tells him he is dealing with an incomprehensible rip in the fabric of the world. Howard should use a 7 iron.
No cliff-hanger ending, which is fortunate as the series was not renewed for a third season. However, there were new plot threads that were not explored, that were probably intended for the next season.