Peggy comes down to the lab the next morning to find a half-drunk, upset Sousa, whom she called there to bring him in on the Wilkes debacle. They’re going to infiltrate Chadwick’s fundraiser dinner, but they need an unknown with a forgettable face. Like Brad Pitt said in Ocean’s Eleven, “He’s got to like you, then forget you the moment you’ve left his side.”
Dottie Underwood to that unknown is Dottie Underwood.
It’s fun to see the return of Dottie, pushing Agent Carter’s buttons and being such a great foil. Neither of them trust the other on their promises, and so Peggy helps Dottie escape, only to trap her in an electrified net. No seriously, Sousa hits her with a net that’s electrified as she tries to escape.
Dottie wakes up already dolled up and under a hair dryer, ready for her date with Jarvis. They go to the fundraiser only to have Jack Thompson show up to schmooze with the Council (though not realizing it). Of course Hugh Jones is there to blemish Thompson’s “impeccable” record, throwing Agent Carter under the bus and causing Thompson to worry…especially when Jarvis intercepts him to make time for Dottie to steal some of Whitney’s blood. She sneaks off without responding to the SSR.
jarvis and dottieDottie’s in the chamber when the Council meets with Whitney Frost. She brings out a rat to demonstrate her power, and when they try to restrainer her without touching her, she shoots zero matter out of her hands to destroy four of the Councilmen–no, make that five when she destroys her own husband.
She takes over the Council, completely and utterly. She now controls the most powerful men in the country. They’re too terrified to do much of anything against her (not yet, at least).
And of course Dottie runs into Vernon Masters in the midst of her escape. She ends up throwing people out three story windows on top of the SSR truck that knocks out their communications with Jarvis. And, of course, Jack Thompson shows up to knock Dottie out. Jarvis recovers the blood and gives it to Peggy and Sousa.
Vernon Masters verbally attacks Thompson, blaming Peggy Carter for all of his downfalls and the entire evening going to the dogs. “You’re gonna have to take her out,” Masters says regarding Peggy. But not to kill her–discredit her, disgrace her, subdue her to make her stop working and make it all invalid.
Thompson comes to visit Peggy at home, inquiring about the doctor she played to spring Dottie. He tries to get her to leave with him, head back to New York, but she basically quits to dodge it, saying she knows it in her gut that she’s onto something and she’s right.
**Post-Credits Stinger: Whitney Frost has Dottie in her possession.
**Badass Moment of the Week: Dottie stealing Jarvis’s watch. That was slick.
**Best One Liner: “Want me to kill him?” Dottie asks regarding Jack Thompson.
“DO. NOT. KILL. HIM.” Peggy and Sousa both yell.
We do get a tiny glimpse of Madame Masque when Chadwick offers her a hat with a cascading sidepiece to cover her scar. Sousa and Violet didn’t mention the brief moment Agent Carter and Sousa have together when he finally explains that Violet broke off their engagement. Peggy has a Leslie Knope moment of “I’ll go talk her straight, of course she’ll want to hear from me!” until he explains why she broke it off. They are moments from kissing when one of the knocked-out guards falls on the roof of the van they’re in. I’m kind of thankful they don’t kiss.
Hey, unless he was saved by Captain America, he’s not her future husband! We learn about that in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.