This fourth episode was more intrigue than action; it was a slower pace, with lots of new plot points introduced. But it wasn't slow, not by a long shot.
Howard Stark's return brought an infusion of gee whiz levity to the start of the episode (he invented a camera pen before Steve Jobs was born!) Hayley Atwell proved her range by playing so well off of both him and the Griffith's supercilious house mother. One of the best exchanges of the show thus far occurred between these two as Carter skirted around the lady's suspicions:
"Are you familiar with the id and ego?"
"Are they children's book characters?"
Stark wasn't just about the laughs and the girls (though he did score fairly well in both regards). He pushed Carter toward an even bigger mission: stealing one of his weapons back for him out of the hands of the S.S.R., quite a different proposition than his original "clear my name" plea.
Carter was suitably dubious of motives, which deepened with the obvious prevarication and unease exhibited by Jarvis. What she discovered threw her entire work up to this point into question: Stark wasn't after a weapon, but a vial of Captain America's super blood.
This revelation lead her to confront Stark in a dynamic scene made all the more compelling by its rarity: it was a major argument between a male and female character that had absolutely nothing to do with sexual tension. They faced each other as colleagues, friends, and allies who suddenly found themselves caught in situations beyond their control, fighting against forces they feel both superior to and powerless against.
The fissure in their partnership makes me curious how Carter will move forward: she no longer trusts Stark, but has already committed treason for him, and there's still Leviathan to go after (which will probably require Stark's help). It's a great subversion of the original plot and sets the show up to go in new, exciting directions that will push Carter to become even more than she already is.
In the secondary plot, the Chief followed up a lead about the two dead Russians introduced previously as Leviathan agents and who should have been killed at the mysterious Battle of Finow, which saw hundreds of Russians killed without known cause. He traveled to Germany to speak to a Nazi commander, leaving Agent Thompson in charge.
The Chief's interview of this commander was a classic spy story battle of wits. There was some fun camera work with shadows highlighting their dueling split motives, and the Chief proved he's got a gift for pumping even hardened witnesses with just the right blend of professionalism and wry style.
Thompson and Sousa locked horns over how to handle the ongoing investigation: the lead agent favored a top down approach while Sousa wanted to pursue a lead at the wharf in field work. The latter really got to have some great moments: he again proved he's the second most competent man in the office behind Carter, finding a potential witness to the call, bringing that man in single-handedly, and revealing some of his own postwar feelings via his soft interrogation approach. He also got the second best comeback of the night when, after stealing Sousa's thunder by winning over the witness, Thompson asked where he got his wound:
"Russia? Italy?"
"My femur, actually."
Of course, the biggest bombshell of the night was the recently introduced new resident of the Griffith, Miss Dottie Underwood. A potential assassin who snuck in to take out Carter and Stark got taken out himself by this blond with surprisingly lethal ninja skills. What she's doing next to Carter is yet to be seen. In the words of the Chief, "We've got ourselves a conspiracy."
Finally, the music continued to shine this episode with its mix of big band and Bondesque jazz. The soundtrack couples with the scenes perfectly.
