DXAA

When the downright bad follows on from the very good The first season of Agent Carter is really very good. The series has an eye for detail, good lead actors and a pretty good script. The sets, camerawork and many other elements all contribute to a very aesthetic and credible rendering of the post-war United States (post WW2). The actress is, in her own way, a superhero, beautiful, strong... and intelligent, no less. It has to be said that it's better for her to be that strong, given that she evolves in a world of men, some of whom are macho. The series doesn't always show itself to be very subtle in this respect, but rather Manichean, although this is a minor detail. Hayley Atwell's performance undoubtedly brings a great deal to the character of Peggy Carter, who is believable and sympathetic. The series knows how to show finesse at times, and is even downright funny at times. There's never a dull moment, and every episode adds something to the first season: 8 to 9/10 for me. 9 is a lot, but that's how good the first season was for me. The trouble comes in season 2, and Agent Carter becomes unrecognisable. We lose all the finesse of the situations and characters, some of them even becoming lamentably ridiculous. You can like one of them in the first season, and want to slap him in the second, it's that bad. A typical situation of the second season, as the characters approach Jack Thompson. 'What happened to you Jack?' 'Oh, I don't know...' 'Oh, here, look on the floor, two metres away from you: A memory wipe!'. And it is typical of this season, tough! To sum up, after a season that was both excellent in terms of content and form, Agent Carter sinks into the depths of mediocrity and facile, even absurdity. Stop watching at the end of the first season, or endure season 2, you've been warned.