Top positive review
4 people found this helpful
A great series
By SpeedReader on Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2022
Agent Carter is set after the events of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the 2013 “Agent Carter” Marvel One-Short short film. In the first season, Peggy (Hayley Atwell) works for the Strategic Scientific Reserve investigating Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, also reprising his role from "Captain America"), who is accused of selling weapons to America’s enemies. He enlists Peggy to help prove his innocence. She teams with Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy) to track a secret organization called Leviathan that is trying to steal Stark’s more dangerous inventions. Peggy often butts heads with the other members of the SSR, especially her boss Roger (played by Shea Whigham) and agent Jack Thompson (played by Chad Michael Murray). She has to fight against the blatant misogyny at the SSR where her only real ally is another agent named Daniel Sousa (played by Dollhouse's Enver Gjokaj). Her best friend outside of the SSR is played by Lyndsy Fonseca (from the Kick-Ass movies and Nikita TV Series). This is more like a mini-series with the season lasting just eight episodes. It has a good blend of action and comedy, especially in the scenes between Atwell, Cooper, and D’Arcy. There are definitely some tie-ins with the Captain America movie, as you would expect, but the show really tells its own story apart from the larger MCU franchise. Atwell does a great job as the series lead, as does the entire cast. Bridget Regan plays a great foil for Peggy as a Russian sleeper agent from the program that preceded the Black Widow program. The Blu-Ray set is a MOD Amazon exclusive. The only bonus content is a short blooper reel. Otherwise, the is no behind-the-scenes material, commentary tracks, etc. If you can find the blu-ray set at a reasonable price, it is worth picking up. But, given it is just eight episodes and there is not really any extra content to speak of, if you cannot get it at a reasonable price, streaming it is probably the better option.
Top critical review
63 people found this helpful
even basics like trailers for fellow Marvel products to look further into ...
By Matthew on Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2015
The picture quality of the Blu-Ray (and its 8 episodes) is undeniable. However, only having one special feature for a $35 Blu-Ray is still low. This is not a model for which Marvel Studio's home entertainment division (particularly Amazon exclusives, if we're to be incentivized into buying more in the future) should be built on. As enjoyable as the series is, leaving out special features on its influence on/place in modern pop culture, its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even basics like trailers for fellow Marvel products to look further into the MCU--there was nothing. No cast interviews, show runner insights, writers' room discussions, production videos. If you want to know more about the series than what's given at face value, unfortunately they're not trying to help themselves. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1 is a great example of MCU TV on Blu-Ray with a proper abundance of special features, ranging from all the above listed, to much more. At the time, it felt a lot more like effort was being put in. With Agent Carter's ties to the larger MCU, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well, it would be wise to continue supporting them for the long haul. Not off to a good start here.
Sort by:
Filter by:
A great series
By SpeedReader - Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2022
Verified Amazon Purchase
Agent Carter is set after the events of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the 2013 “Agent Carter” Marvel One-Short short film. In the first season, Peggy (Hayley Atwell) works for the Strategic Scientific Reserve investigating Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, also reprising his role from "Captain America"), who is accused of selling weapons to America’s enemies. He enlists Peggy to help prove his innocence. She teams with Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy) to track a secret organization called Leviathan that is trying to steal Stark’s more dangerous inventions. Peggy often butts heads with the other members of the SSR, especially her boss Roger (played by Shea Whigham) and agent Jack Thompson (played by Chad Michael Murray). She has to fight against the blatant misogyny at the SSR where her only real ally is another agent named Daniel Sousa (played by Dollhouse's Enver Gjokaj). Her best friend outside of the SSR is played by Lyndsy Fonseca (from the Kick-Ass movies and Nikita TV Series). This is more like a mini-series with the season lasting just eight episodes. It has a good blend of action and comedy, especially in the scenes between Atwell, Cooper, and D’Arcy. There are definitely some tie-ins with the Captain America movie, as you would expect, but the show really tells its own story apart from the larger MCU franchise. Atwell does a great job as the series lead, as does the entire cast. Bridget Regan plays a great foil for Peggy as a Russian sleeper agent from the program that preceded the Black Widow program. The Blu-Ray set is a MOD Amazon exclusive. The only bonus content is a short blooper reel. Otherwise, the is no behind-the-scenes material, commentary tracks, etc. If you can find the blu-ray set at a reasonable price, it is worth picking up. But, given it is just eight episodes and there is not really any extra content to speak of, if you cannot get it at a reasonable price, streaming it is probably the better option.
A thrilling ride through the early Marvel Cinematic Universe
By Brandon - Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2016
Verified Amazon Purchase
Since Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Marvel has been pursuing other outlets to continue their ever expanding cinematic universe. Recently Marvel has turned to television and Netflix to keep their movie universe vibrant and ongoing outside of the movie theater. Agent Carter takes place in 1946, give or take a year after the events that that occur in Captain America: The First Avenger. Agent Carter still works with the SSR (the precursor to SHIELD), but despite her valiant efforts during the war she is just a secretary who grabs lunch for the agents who actually go out and do the grunt work. Howard Stark has been robbed and his weapons are found to have been sold to enemies of the United States. Howard, predominantly through his butler, Jarvis, enlists the aid of Agent Carter in retrieving his stolen property and setting the record straight. Along the way, Carter can’t let anyone know that she is working with Stark, all the while engaging and managing the everyday life of a woman in 1946 on the surface. The show is absolutely amazing. Marvel does an excellent job capturing the 40s setting. The soundtrack is very well done as well as appropriate both in sound and in adding the proper songs of the period. The casting is very good and the writing is excellent. Some of the best characters in the show are actually the supporting cast, my favorite being Chief Dooley who comes off as being a jerk but turns out to be a very multi-dimensional character. Marvel does a great job connecting the dots and showing items, places, ideas and people that we have seen or will see in the movies. It expands the universe and adds more depth to the world that we see throughout the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the show does stagger in a few areas but nothing that really impacts the quality of the show. The first, Agent Carter has demonstrated herself during the war as an exemplary agent. However, she is treated like a paperweight in the post war world. This is probably an attempt to make a statement about gender, which is fine, but that sacrifices a lot of story elements for the sake of a political statement and to be fair, I highly doubt a woman that has done the things that she has done would be reduced to such a low occupation after the war. Secondly, the show sometimes forgets that it is set in 1946, a different time where America was still prejudiced, racist and intolerant. The show doesn’t focus on that and tends to be more open to some of the things that we see today and not historically accurate depictions of people in the US at the time. But overall Agent Carter is a thrilling watch. A period piece with elements of noir that at the end of the day comes down to the hardships of loving someone who you will never see again. Reclusive villains from the comics lurk in the background as well as a nod to the origin of a specific Avenger….I’ll let you figure that out. Agent Carter is fun, daring, and adds even more depth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
An excellent short series
By Mike Billington author of Murder in the Rainy Season - Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
Verified Amazon Purchase
During the Second World War British agent Peggy Carter carried out special assignments. Among those assignments, she acted as a liaison with U.S. forces working mostly with Captain America and his Howling Commandos. It was important work and she was well qualified for the job. The war has been over for more than a year now; Captain America is missing and presumed dead after deliberately crashing a giant enemy bomber into the ocean to save New York City. Carter, still grieving his loss, is now working with America's top spy agency where she is treated with little or no respect by her male colleagues despite her outstanding war record. Welcome to "Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1," a smartly written, well-plotted short series that gets top marks for its stylish recreation of New York in the late 1940s. Hayley Atwell plays Carter and she does an amazing job as the agent who is beautiful, smart and someone who can also throw a mean right cross. I enjoyed her performance immensely during this short series for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that she comes across as someone who actually does know how to throw a punch. Atwell's Carter is no stick figure heroine; as is typical of female characters in the Marvel universe she is a strong, independent woman who carries her own gear and isn't afraid to mix it up. The series revolves around an attempt to frame billionaire inventor Howard Stark - yes, Iron Man Tony Stark's dad - as a traitor who is selling advanced weapons to America's enemies. On the run, he gets in touch with Carter and asks her to clear his name while he is in hiding. Carter, who worked with Stark during the war, agrees to help. Mostly ignored by her male colleagues at the Strategic Scientific Reserve, she is able to pursue her own investigation into the charges against Stark with the help of the billionaire's butler Edwin Jarvis, played by James D'Arcy. The series is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact it highlights the unfair treatment of women when the war ended. Without their many contributions during the war - contributions that ranged from taking over men's jobs on the factory floor to breaking enemy codes to nursing the wounded - the Allies would not have been able to force the Axis powers into unconditional surrender. Despite that, they were marginalized when the war ended; laid off from their jobs so returning male soldiers could find work, patronized by politicians and their contributions generally ignored. It is also remarkable because it faithfully recreates the sights, sounds and fashions of the post-war period making it a visual treat as well as a crackling good adventure series. In summary: A great short series that is well acted, has just enough humor to lighten the heavy drama, and plenty of action.
High-Flying Adventure in the MCU!
By RDD - Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
“Agent Carter: The Complete First Season” picks up after the events of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and the 2013 “Agent Carter” Marvel One-Short short film. In the story, Peggy (Hayley Atwell) works for the Strategic Scientific Reserve investigating Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), who is accused of selling weapons to America’s enemies. He enlists Peggy to help prove his innocence. She teams with Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy) to track a secret organization called Leviathan that seeks Stark’s more dangerous inventions, at times working against the SSR due to their predisposition to believe the official narrative. Agent Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) proves an ally, though Peggy and he often face off due to the nature of spycraft and their respective positions in the SSR. As part of Marvel Television following the first “Avengers” film, the series helps to expand the franchise’s universe by filling in some of the years between “Captain America” and the films set later in continuity. The sets and costumes in “Agent Carter” perfectly recreate the immediate postwar world while using the longer format of television storytelling to explore the politics of the early Cold War and the gender expectations as men returned home. The retro spy gadgets are a particularly fun addition. The series brings back several of the supporting cast from the first “Captain America” film, including Atwell and Cooper, while D’Arcy’s Jarvis helps to foreshadow Tony Stark’s later computer butler voiced by Paul Bettany. D’Arcy later reprised this role in “Avengers: Endgame.” Neal McDonough also returns as Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan of the Howling Commandos while the series introduces commandos Happy Sam Sawyer (Leonard Roberts), Junior Juniper (James Austin Kerr), and Pinky Pinkerton (Richard Short). Using its early Cold War setting, the series includes references to the Black Widow program and to Anton Vanko, the original Crimson Dynamo (played by Costa Ronin) from the comics. Agent Carter followed the second season premiere of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, which also featured Peggy and Dum Dum in a flashback along with Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi). Finally, Toby Jones reprises his role as Arnim Zola in a quick cameo. The only downsides to this Blu-ray set are the lack of a “play all” setting for the episodes and that the only bonus feature is a blooper reel. Otherwise, “Agent Carter” is a smart and fun thrill-ride that will entertain Marvel fans and does a great job connecting to the films and other television series.
The best mcu TV show...wasted
By Dax - Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
So much potential...well made show. The beginnings of Marvel...and a backdrop of the US in its glory, and unglory. There was just so much material that could have been played with. What a loss.
Get "Agent Carter"!
By Jersey Devil - Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2016
Verified Amazon Purchase
Witty, intelligent, with characters that you learn to care about, this is an outstanding show that just didn't get the audience numbers it deserved. Hayley Atwell is a star and her performance as the under-appreciated, over-qualified Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) Agent Peggy Carter is nothing less than spectacular. From beating up bad guys, to disguising herself to go undercover, to showing her frustrations at the barriers thrown in her way as a woman in post-WW II U.S., this is a true star-turn. Also to be appreciated is the very low-key James D'Arcy as the prim-and-proper butler Edwin Jarvis for rich, genius, playboy industrialist Howard Stark (Tony "Iron Man" Stark's father, played with lusty gusto by Dominic Cooper). He shows as great a range as Atwell as he plumbs the depths of a ex-pilot dealing with his guilt about an event in his past to the giggly heights of a kid playing soldier when he accompanies Agent Carter on her often-unauthorized missions as a gleefully enthusiastic chauffeur-cum-untrained assistant. The (non-romantic) chemistry between the Atwell and D'Arcy is one of the many joys of this series. The writing, the plotting, the performances are superb and the fact that this show only lasted two seasons is a genuine loss to the TV-viewing audience. But don't worry - most (though not all) the loose ends are tied up by the end of the second season. My only complaint is the one posted by many here previously, the absurd "exclusive" release of this series by Amazon alone and its consequent artificially high costs compared to similar non-exclusive series titles. Shame on you, Disney!
Ah, so much fun! Cap' really knows how to pick 'em!
By tralfaz the psyuloran - Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
Verified Amazon Purchase
As much as Chris Evans says that Captain America is the kind of guy that he wants to be IRL, Peggy Carter is the kind of woman that men want as a partner: Intelligent, knowledgeable, attractive, vivacious, etc. I'm so glad they made a series for this character, and specifically this terrific, engaging, and pretty actress. It's refreshing to see a strong, mature, feminine role model. There are plenty of other shows out there that portray young, coming of age women who are redefining themselves -- and there is a place for that. So, it's nice (unique, novel) to see a mature (i.e. well-defined) woman as the central character. Side note: As much as I love Beckett on Castle (also ABC), Agent Carter is better. Lots of reasons. Let's start with the shoes. :) Beckett wears ridiculous spikes as a detective on the streets of NY. Agent Carter wears period-appropriate dancing shoes. <End Rant> The stories in the Agent Carter series are integrated, fun, and the tempo moves quickly without being too obtuse (I'm looking at you ER, The West Wing, etc). It's more like watching a movie than watching individual episodes of a TV series, and it benefits from that level of commitment by the writers and production staff. I'd love to see this series go on for a long while. Go Marvel, go ABC!
I know my Value
By Caitlin - Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2015
Verified Amazon Purchase
Smart, sassy, and one of very few shows that has a woman as the lead character, Agent Carter will tilt your world and offer suspense and mystery. Not a Marvel or Captain America fan? No worries, for although this is the Peggy Carter from the Captain America movies, the show brings up the plots from those films briefly and carries an arc that stands on its own two feet. Ironman fans may be amused by the appearance of a younger Howard Stark, but Agent Carter is the one dealing the cards, blows, and breathless charm in this show. And while it is true that some of the male characters are chauvinists (it is the 1940s), there are other men who support her in her endeavors, though approval seeking is not what Peggy is out for. One of her famous quotes is "I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter" and that is a good creed for the character and for women in general. The show is red, white, and true blue good fun, probably not for tiny tots but a good example of what Marvel can do with TV when they put their all into it, with sharp wit, crackling dialogue, and spot-on acting. Oh, and you don't have to watch Agents of Shield first, this pretty much stands alone.
Agent Carter is a good television ride
By Electronics gal - Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2016
Verified Amazon Purchase
Love Agent Carter, it is a newer and better offering than all the CSI, redone television shows. It is also something you don't have to sit through a year at a time. It is a vignette or a mini series with first 8, then 10, episodes. You get a beginning, middle and end and then the next year when tv is in the doldrums you get a breath of freshness. I particularly love the 40's genre and the feel that you are back in that time. The actors and actresses look like real people look, not the skinny, scrawny emaciated men and women we see today. The clothes are beautiful and the action serious. The plot lines are well written, even if you have to suspend yourself in the craziness of weapons that destroy the world. It is worth spending time in a world of non reality. I gave it 4 stars for lack of additional features or lack of directors cuts. They could have given some of those to amuse those if us who like background.
the actual show was good
By paul - Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018
Verified Amazon Purchase
the show was good and picture quality was what one would expect from a blue ray movie. however the blue ray was not what it should have been. im referring to the menus. no play all option which doesn't seem like a big deal but all digital format shows should have a play all option, who watches one episode when they put the disk in anymore. second you are stuck watching the episode recaps after every episode you select, ive only come across one show where it had a "play all skipping episode recap" option and it was fantastic and convenient. these recaps don't even line up with the skipping forward one scene option you wind up missing the beginning of the episode, so you have to fast forward every episode until the intro credits. not that big a deal but unnecessarily time annoying.
Show more reviews