“The Atomic Job” is episode five of season two of Marvel’s Agent Carter.
Peggy is asleep in bed when a whisper wakes her up. She grabs a gun and thrusts it, as it happens, through Dr Wilkes’ head. As he is incorporeal. And therefore not exactly vulnerable to bullets too. Wilkes wants Peggy to come to the lab as he has something to show her. In the previous episode, “Smoke & Mirrors”, Sousa kept the tissue sample from Jane Scott’s body when Masters brought in people to go through the SSR’s files. This sample is in a container and, when Wilkes moves his hand near, a piece of zero matter leaps out of the sample towards Wilkes. Peggy comments that it’s drawn to Wilkes; he replies that he’s drawn to it as well. Then the zero matter gets through the glass and hits Wilkes. Peggy grabs him to see if he’s okay – and realises that she’s managed to grab him. He is no longer incorporeal. Wilkes then says that he knows where Jane Scott’s body, which was stolen from the SSR is “A View in the Dark”, is.
Wilkes explains that he can feel the location. Peggy has checked with Rose; the location Wilkes says the body is, is the county cold storage building, which is owned by another member of Chadwick’s council, Thomas Gloucester. Wilkes wonders if he has access to Jane’s body if he will be completely cured and corporeal permanently again. Peggy asks Jarvis if Howard has a hearse. He tells her no, but Stark does own a Woodie. Why? Because they are going to steal a body.
Violet arrives home to find the door open. She grabs a baseball bat and then finds two meals on her dining table. Sousa has fallen asleep on her couch. He thought it would be nice to surprise her. When Sousa wakes up he realises he’s lost something and starts searching the couch for it. Violet offers to help and asks what they are looking for. He tells her she will know when she sees it. This leads into a rather odd proposal and Violet tells Sousa that they should find it. He wants to clarify if that’s a yes, as she hadn’t actually answered. Yes, it is a yes.
Chadwick is in bed with his wife, not asleep. Whitney is, and she’s muttering under her breath. Chadwick seems more than a little nervous; in the previous episode it seemed that Whitney had become tired of playing second fiddle to her idiot husband. And grabbed and absorbed Rufus Hunt in front of him. Chadwick gets out of bed and starts getting some clothes. He turns and Whitney is there. She needs his help.
Jarvis and Peggy are breaking into the cold storage facility. Being in the vents gives Jarvis a terrible flashback. Not from the last time he stole a corpse. They get to the room where Jane Scott’s body is, only for Chadwick and Whitney to get there first, the normal way. It seems the body called to Whitney as well. When the casket is opened she touches Scott’s body and sucks all the zero matter out of it. Then turns to Chadwick with eyes that are briefly solid black, and announces that she needs an atomic bomb.
Why does Whitney want an atomic bomb? Beyond the obvious answer of to blow something up. Dr Wilkes explains that she’s after more zero matter, and wants to replicate the original atomic tests that created it. To do that, Whitney needs to ensure that every variable is identical. So she can’t use just any bomb, she needs one of those originally used. After 1946, the two remaining warheads were placed in storage in a Roxxon facility. Peggy comments to Jarvis that it won’t be the first time they have infiltrated a Roxxon facility, as they did that in “Now is Not the End”. Said facility ended up rather worse for wear. Wilkes says that there is no way of knowing which facility has the bombs though. Jarvis says that there is; Stark has been conducting espionage against Hugh Jones and Roxxon and there is a facility outside Los Angeles with oddly high security. Even Stark never managed to get anyone in. A key has to be used to access the facility.
When Peggy arrives at the SSR she finds out about Sousa’s engagement. Thompson has also been calling; Sousa wants to know how much vacation time Peggy has left. A lot; she hasn’t taken time off since Pearl Harbor. Peggy wants to sneak into Hugh Jones’ office to get the key needed. She wants a disguise. Sousa also suggests something else; Dr Samberly has a memory inhibitor that causes people to forget the last two minutes. There’s also a slight chance of brain damage.
Whitney is using her connections to gain access to Roxxon. A Joseph Manfredi, who is pleased to see her. But not Chadwick. Whitney’s offer is to give Manfredi the construction contracts for the upcoming freeway system. She just needs some men to help move some equipment. No guns, just men who are good with their hands and discreet. Manfredi also wants to be kept out of the paper from now on. He’s also got a hair-trigger temper, as he demonstrates on one of his men.
Peggy, Sousa, Jarvis and Wilkes are planning how to infiltrate the Roxxon facility. They will need to defuse the bombs, and they also have to go in unarmed. They will also be outnumbered. Sousa says that they can’t trust the SSR, as they can’t be 100% sure of anyone. Peggy has an idea of someone they can trust. Rose. She has had the same training as the men upstairs. Sousa is worried about Rose getting hurt. Peggy thinks Sousa is channelling Thompson. Then, as they watch, Rose takes out a one man band who evidently annoyed her. Next they head for Samberly’s lab. He isn’t pleased about people going through his stuff, but Rose talks him around. Samberly has a bunch of untested prototypes but they don’t have manuals. He also wants to come with them. When he joined the SSR he was offered an opportunity to go on field operations. By Sousa. Who doesn’t remember. So, he’s coming with. Samberly can be trusted because Sousa says that nobody likes him.
There are a few elements in this episode that are more light-hearted than usual. Especially when Peggy has to repeatedly zap Hugh Jones with the memory inhibitor when he keeps recognising her and coming around again. Chadwick is also becoming increasingly scared of his wife.