The Expanse and Lucifer are two very different shows with one similarity – they’re both shows that have been saved from cancellation this year. With the rising influence of streaming services, a lot of fan favorite shows have gotten second chances when the numbers have shown that they’re not profitable for network stations. This is no longer the case with the changes in our media and cultural landscape. In a time where women are pushing for more representation in media, one show stands out that was regrettably canceled too soon — we need an Agent Carter Season 3.
Agent Carter got canceled in 2016, right before the age of streaming services saving network TV shows. The argument can be made that had Agent Carter been on the chopping block this season, Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon would have picked it up. Agent Carter had a huge fanbase as well as important messages for our time. With its use of relatable inclusive feminism, Agent Carter, now more than ever, is a show that’s desperately needed back on the airwaves.
We Need Cathartic Reactions to Sexism
Agent Carter is set in a post-WWII era where women were asked to go to work and then asked to retreat back to domesticity. Because of that time period, sexism in the show is a lot more blatant than a lot of the sexism women encounter today. Peggy Carter is tasked with taking lunch orders when she is more than capable of handling investigative work (which she does better than the menfolk, by the way). Several of her male peers make sexist comments to her face, but Peggy is always ready with the perfect clapback.
Agent Carter ended right before the proliferation of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Women are faced with horrific tales of sexual assault nearly every day in the media, not to mention their own day-to-day experiences with sexism. Having a show with strong female lead tackling extreme sexism head on (sometimes literally tackling) is comforting. Peggy has to fight to be heard and respected, much like the women of today.
We Need Complex Female Heroes and Villains
Though the post-WWII time period comes with a lot of nostalgia and charm, Agent Carter doesn’t stick to traditional gender roles of the time. Peggy is definitely conventionally beautiful with the perfect lipstick and nail color on at all times, but she’s also a skilled fighter and whip smart. Her fight scenes are just as impactful as any of the other Marvel heroes. Peggy isn’t a one-note character either; she is both kickass and emotionally vulnerable.
Agent Carter’s second season featured a female villain that also didn’t conform to gender roles. Agnes Cully, aka Whitney Frost, was first and foremost a scientist who turned to the Hollywood starlet life out of fear she will only get far in life using her looks. She takes on the raw power of Zero Matter into her own body, and for a while, she is the most powerful person on the show. And this is a show with Howard Stark in it. With the push for more women in STEM fields in the present, it was interesting to see a powerful woman in science, even if she was trying to open up a rift and destroy us all.
We Need More Opportunities for Unconventional Characters
Agent Carter gave underrepresented groups characters to root for. Peggy’s love interests are Daniel Sousa who is a person with a disability, and Jason Wilkes who is a black scientist. Sousa was never defined by his disability – we saw him capably navigate the espionage world. The fact that he walked with the assistance of a crutch also didn’t detract from Peggy’s attraction to him. Seeing characters with disabilities is rare enough in media, but Agent Carter also made one a love interest, which is even more rare.
In the second season, Doctor Wilkes is another love interest for Peggy who was unconventional for that time period. Doctor Wilkes is a black man, and the show handled the racism of the time while sending a message to us in the present about racism. Racism has no place in determining who you choose to spend your time with nor what field you choose to pursue.
Rose Roberts is another unconventional character worth highlighting because she doesn’t look like the typical Hollywood starlet. Yet, Rose gets her moments to shine when she accompanies the team on the mission to infiltrate Roxxon. She takes down guards and schools one of the male characters, Samberly, to boot. Rose shows that we can be successful in our fields even if we don’t necessarily “look” the part.
We Need Streaming Services to Step Up
Hayley Atwell has said in interviews that she’d be tentative about returning to Agent Carter because it would have to be done right. However, given the current political climate, the Agent Carter creative team would have a lot of inspiration to draw from. These stories are ones that need to be told in an inclusive, relatable way. We just need to give them a chance.
With Agent Carter as a period piece with a specific look, some people may have concerns about the cost required to bring Agent Carter back. However, streaming services have proven to be capable of handling shows that require a certain look and budget, such as Stranger Things on Netflix or The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. Agent Carter Season 3 wouldn’t even have to be a whole season – a mini series would also be just as effective in storytelling.
Agent Carter taught us to know our value, but streaming services should recognize the value of Agent Carter. Now that they have begun saving shows, it’s time we bring their attention back to Agent Carter, a show that was cancelled too soon and that’s desperately needed as a mouthpiece for women and other underrepresented communities. Plus, we may never find closure until we know for sure if Thompson survived that gunshot wound.
