This is the episode I was waiting for, you guys. This one made me actually really nervous a few different times. It led me into predicting what was going to happen, and then completely tricked me at the last second.
A Sin to Err: The Recap
That Russian psychologist, Dr. Ivchenko, is telling the SSR all about Leviathan’s recruiting tactics (join or you and your loved ones die). Carter tries to get more information about the girls’ assassin school, but the Chief takes her out of the room. She has a hunch that Kresminsky was probably killed by one of these female assassins – ballistics confirmed it was a small Russian gun, more suitable for a female hand. Also, Howard Stark’s most fatal flaw is the femme fatale, so the explanation that he was seduced by a spy is the most likely.
The Chief doesn’t have the resources, and wants to focus on Leviathan at present, so he empowers her to follow her hunch. She meets with Jarvis to get a list of names of the women Howard has “entertained” recently. They visit the jeweler who makes Stark’s special break-up bracelets and start tracking down the women.
Meanwhile, Sousa’s following his own hunch and visits one of the guys Carter incapacitated long enough for the SSR to find and arrest. Sousa shows him a picture of Carter and he positively identifies her as his assailant, much to Sousa’s deep, betrayed, disappointment.
Dottie goes on a job interview for a dentist. He, unfortunately, tries to make a pass at her, and she, unfortunately, knocks him around and kills him with his dental drill, making it the creepiest dental scene I’ve seen since Little Shop of Horrors. Apparently, though, she only wanted to be in this dental office because of its location – right across the street from the SSR with the windows facing. She assembles a sniper rifle for the sole purpose of signaling Dr. Ivchenko with morse code from a flashlight, and reads his response – “Need more time to get info. New directive: kill Peggy Carter”
Carter and Jarvis are meeting with all the women that Stark jilted – none of them had the handcuff scars that the Russian assassins had. The last apartment they check has been completely cleaned out, but there were handcuff scratches on the bed posts. They’re close to the truth!
Chief Dooley is talking with Dr. Ivchenko. The Dr. Ivchenko, the good doctor, starts to analyze the Chief. And then he asks for the Chief’s focus. And starts spinning a ring on his finger. Sousa interrupts with the information on Carter, but it looked like a good amount of hypnotism going on.
Carter and Jarvis enter the only diner in New York, apparently, and Carter starts recognizing the procedures going on – there are DC agents preparing an arrest, and there’s no one but her and Jarvis left in the room, and she’s got a guilty conscience. She single-handedly knocks out the three agents while Jarvis blocks the door, preventing others from coming in. They run out the back door to be met by Thompson, with a gun, hoping not to use it. Carter politely knocks him out cold, then runs into Sousa. She tries to tell him there’s so much more going on, but he is too hurt to listen. “Don’t run; if you run, I’ll know it’s true.” She runs.
Dooley issues a city-wide woman-hunt for Carter, and makes sure the now-named Agent Youch keeps Dr. Ivchenko from wandering around the SSR. Ivchenko starts to analyze Youch, and then asks for his complete focus.
Carter goes back to the Griffith to get Steve Rogers’ blood, and the SSR shows up to make an arrest. The men go above the first floor and start knocking on doors. Carter hides out on the ledge while they search her apartment and confiscate everything they can find. They move on to Angie’s room and she saves the day with acting! Putting on an emotional show and asking Thompson about his grandma – “Gam Gam” – remember Ward breaking down about Gramsie? Man, this show loves grandmothers.
Youch has meanwhile drawn a detailed map of the SSR offices, including ememrgency exits. Ivchenko rewards him by “suggesting” Youch goes to his favorite bar, order a bourbon, and then walk in front of oncoming traffic.
Carter, making her escape, runs into Dottie in the hall – who is wearing that knock-out lipstick and uses it against Carter. She starts falling to the floor, dizzy, and catches a glimpse of the handcuff marks on Dottie’s wrist, finally figuring out that she’s the Russian agent.
The SSR show up right before good ol’ Dottie plunges a knife into Carter – and take her away. She’s arrested, but she is alive. Chief is not happy at allllllllllllll and it’s time for Sousa and Thompson to interrogate Carter and get to the bottom of everything. End of episode.
The Review
Again, this episode kept me guessing. I thought Dottie was going to kill the Chief, or Dr. Ivchenko, or both, and maybe that was the plan, but the morse code seemed way more sinister to me.
I knew Youch was dead from the moment he stepped into the spotlight. There’s the Chief, Thompson, and Sousa, and any time they give one of those background agents a name, he’s on the chopping block, and that’s just going to be how it works from now on. Was not expecting it when / how it happened, though.
We have no idea where Ivchenko is, and that’s a pretty dangerous guy to have running around with the power of instant hypnotism. Dottie has also cleared out and moved on – to who knows where. Two insidious Russians running around New York. Not good.
We, as an audience, have 6 episodes of knowledge that the SSR does not – and now we’re moving into the part of the plot where Carter has to explain and justify all of her actions to a man who had a crush on her, and one who thinks she’s a nuisance. You know that’s an uphill battle, but at least she’s safe. For now. The preview for next week has a lot of tense dialogue and expensive-looking explosions, so we’ll have to see just where this Russian plot is going.
Also, now that we’re coming close to the end of this mid-series series, I have to wonder how this is going to tie in to SHIELD and the larger Cinematic Universe. Before Carter aired, the last few episodes of SHIELD were big on setting the stage for Carter. I would hope Carter will do the same. Which makes me wonder if Leviathan will be a player down the road in SHIELD, much like Hydra came back.
There are only two episodes left, Agents. Of this season, at least. Buckle in for a lot of high-stress episodes with a lot happening. Of that you can be sure.
Until next week, Agents. Geek out.
