First off, sorry for the delay getting this review done.  I literally just finished the episode, so here’s some thoughts for you!  And, as always, if you have not seen the episode, then a) you’re running behind me of all people and b) you should stop reading here.

The Recap

The episode starts with Jarvis negotiating payment with some thugs.  Agent Carter sneaks in and takes out every henchman single-handedly, and the two escape with the money and Howard Stark in the backseat of the car.  They can’t take him to any of his properties, however, because the SSR is now VERY interested in him.  Instead, Agent Carter does the impossible and sneaks him into her apartment.  Meanwhile, the chief of the SSR decides that the best way to get info on Stark is to travel to Germany and talk to a Nazi who may have some information.

Howard outfits Agent Carter with a camera pen and a mission to figure out what the SSR has recovered – so he can determine what else is still out there.  Peggy sneaks into the lab to get the pictures.  Howard sneaks into…other girls’ rooms.  Millionaire Playboy Philanthropist?  Mr. Mink – albino villain du jour – is none too happy that his deal fell through, and he kills his surviving henchmen with… a… um… machine gun pistol?  (My favorite part of these reviews is trying to name the tech).

Carter gets a lift from Jarvis, who seems very nervous and can’t seem to stop pulling on his ear.  She notices, but tucks that information away for later, and sneaks into the lab to recover the weirdo ball thing that Howard claims is the Blitzkrieg Bomb (capable of shutting off the power in the tristate area!)  Unfortunately, following a pretty bold hunch, she sets it off to discover that it is not, infact, what was described, it contains a vial of red liquid.

She confronts Howard, who informs her that that is a vial of Captain America’s blood.  She gets understandably angry and punches him, and gives a very stern lecture to both him and Jarvis.  She demands Howard get out and go wherever he can, but just OUT!  Meanwhile, meany Mr. Mink tries to sneak up on Agent Carter and is instead taken down by Dottie (I told you that anyone from “Iowa” is going to be trouble!)  Just… like… completely kills the guy in the hallway because she wants his cool gun.  The big villain of the episode down like that.  And now we have to actually start wondering what Dottie’s deal is.

The Chief returns and reveals that there WAS no battle of Pinow (where those two Russians supposedly died).  The German army showed up to find piles of massacred bodies, but no Russians were killed by Germans at Pinow.  So what REALLY happened?  Yeah, no clue.  We’ll have to find out soon.

One more thing we discover: the day after the non-battle of Pinow, a plane landed there.  With Howard Stark aboard.  So now the SSR suspects him in a conspiracy.  And with Carter none-too-happy with the guy, who’s to say who’s actually right?

The Review

So, a smaller plot point that I absolutely LOVED.  Agent Souza took his own initiative to look for fingerprints on the public phone used to place the anonymous tip, and interrogate nearby bums to get more info on that night.  And my all time favorite thing, everyone say it with me, was he kicked BUTT in a fight, USING his crutch.  I hope I’m not the only one who’s been wanting to see him just be awesome.  He’s just being a good guy and doing his job, and I feel like every time he follows a clue or pursues a lead, I start to feel like Agent Carter is the bad guy!  Or, at least Howard Stark is, and she’s falling in with the wrong crowd.  And I think if anyone can convince Agent Carter of that, from a sincere place of pure caring, it’s that guy.

I also really enjoyed that one of the biggest spy moments of the entire episode was sneaking a man into an all girl’s building.  I swear, that place has better security than the SSR.  One thing, though.  And I feel like this needs to be said, and it’s long overdue.  Can you really unscrew a vent cover from the inside?  Is that really a thing that’s possible?  Also, what tool does that require, and who carries that with them?  Even an evil villain.  Is that on the packing list for a kill mission?  Automatic pistol, car keys, vent-escape power tool, check check and check!  Please, if someone understands the mechanics of this, leave a comment.  I really do want to know this.

So the Blitzkrieg bomb.  Thing for which the episode was named.  Not actually a thing.  Kind of disappointed in all that build up for a macguffin, but I’ll let it slide because almost everything in a spy story will end up being a macguffin, fine.  But that is a VERY specific story to cover up the fact that it’s Captain America’s blood.  Is Howard really that good of a liar, is that another device of his that is somewhere else, or is that what he gave Agent Carter to sneak into the SSR when she snuck the vial out?  ‘Cause that’ll be a let down if that’s not an actual device.  My personal hope is that Howard just has it on him and uses it in some extreme circumstance and it totally saves the day.

Now, if I’m not mistaken, we’re getting fairly close to the mid-point of Agent Carter here.  Maybe I’m mistaken, but I was thinking that at some point we were going to see what transpired to transform the SSR into SHIELD, but that does not seem to be the story that is being told, at all.  Not that I’m not enjoying this story, but I was kind of hoping for a little more foundation and tie-in happening.

What do y’all think of the show so far, now that we’ve hit the midpoint?  Any predictions for next week?

Until next time, Agents!