Better Angels

Better Angels is the third episode of the second season of the television series Agent Carter.

Synopsis
Peggy's search for the truth about Zero Matter puts her on a collision course with her superiors as Howard Stark barnstorms in.

Plot
Peggy Carter goes to the home of Jason Wilkes to meet with Chief Daniel Sousa and Agent Vega who are already there; they want to discover what possible connection Wilkes had to the men who tried to kill Wilkes and Carter the night before. The three find evidence that Wilkes is a Communist spy, including the gun used to kill Agents White and Beringer, but Carter does not believe the evidence because it was too easy to find.

Meanwhile, Calvin Chadwick and Whitney Frost applaud themselves for accusing Wilkes of espionage to keep anything from disrupting Chadwick's Senate bid. Hiding her scar, Frost asks Chadwick about retiring from acting, but he misinterprets her reason for asking and tells her that she can become a stay-at-home mother after they move to Washington, D.C.

Carter and Edwin Jarvis go to where Stark Pictures is filming a motion picture based on the Kid Colt comic to show Howard Stark the film that Wilkes gave her with the origin of Zero Matter. Stark, Jarvis, and Carter make a plan to sneak Carter into the men-only Arena Club to plant eavesdropping devices, but the devices do not work inside the hidden room where the Council of Nine meet. Carter sees pre-printed newspapers with a future date, saying that Representative Anderson has resigned from the Senate race, but before Carter can take them, Rufus Hunt inspects the room, causing Carter to hide. Jarvis helps Carter to leave the Club before she is caught.

Carter finds Jack Thompson in the office of Sousa when she comes to the Auerbach Theatrical Agency; he wants her to sign a forged report saying that Wilkes was a Russian spy and the investigation is concluded. Carter refuses, so Thompson does it himself. He tells Carter that she is to accompany him back to New York City. Carter tells him and Sousa about the newspapers, but Thompson notes that she has no evidence. While Sousa tries to calm Carter's anger, they notice objects floating in her presence. Thompson is visited by Vernon Masters just as Thompson finishes watching the stolen film. Masters says that Wilkes stole something sensitive from Isodyne Energy and hopes that Thompson can find it to give to him; Thompson feigns ignorance, originally, but later, gives Masters the film reel.

Carter goes to Stark to discover if she is infected with Zero Matter when Stark uses his genius to create a concoction that makes Wilkes visible and audible, though not tangible. The two scientists start to work together to find a cure for his dilemma. Carter goes to see Frost since she was also in the explosion that gave Wilkes his abilities. Frost continually lies during the conversation. Frost then asks her husband to hire Hunt to dispose of Carter. While Carter is exercising to relieve stress, Hunt attacks her; however, Carter and Jarvis force him to flee after Carter shoots his hand.

The next day, Stark decides to go to Peru to see an old professor of his who could help Wilkes; Carter convinces Wilkes to stay at Howard Stark's Estate, though Carter had an assassination attempt, just by requesting it.

Thompson decides to say farewell to Masters before his flight; they enter the Arena Club where Thompson is introduced to Chadwick. Thompson notices that the morning paper has the articles exactly as Carter described them.

Kenneth, the film director, tries to seduce Frost, who Sousa discovered is truly named Agnes Cully, but is repulsed by the scar on her face. Suddenly and accidentally, Frost turns him into Zero Matter and absorbs him. The scar grows larger.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter
 * James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis
 * Chad Michael Murray as Chief Jack Thompson
 * Enver Gjokaj as Chief Daniel Sousa

Guest Stars:
 * Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
 * Wynn Everett as Whitney Frost
 * Reggie Austin as Jason Wilkes
 * Currie Graham as Calvin Chadwick
 * Chris Browning as Rufus Hunt
 * John Balma as Torrance
 * Kurtwood Smith as Vernon Masters
 * Randy Sklar as Director Kenneth
 * Rey Valentin as Agent Vega
 * Walker Roach as Kid Colt
 * Clayton Norcross as Sheriff
 * Hope Lauren as Gorgeous Blonde
 * Chris Harrison as Security Guard Warshauer
 * Unknown actor as Leopold

Locations

 * Los Angeles, California
 * Wilkes Residence
 * Auerbach Theatrical Agency
 * Howard Stark's Estate
 * Arena Club
 * Frolic Room Bar (mentioned)
 * Griffith Observatory (mentioned)
 * Isodyne Energy Headquarters (mentioned)
 * New York City, New York (mentioned)
 * New York Bell Company Office (mentioned)
 * Moscow, Russia (mentioned)
 * Washington, D.C. (mentioned)
 * Broxton, Oklahoma (mentioned)
 * Turkey (mentioned)
 * India (mentioned)
 * Pakistan (mentioned)
 * Peru (mentioned)
 * France (mentioned)

Events

 * World War II (mentioned)

Items

 * Zero Matter
 * Kid Colt (Comic)

Vehicles
To be added.

Organizations

 * Strategic Scientific Reserve
 * Stark Industries
 * Stark Pictures
 * Council of Nine
 * Isodyne Energy (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Dottie Underwood
 * Jane Scott
 * Beringer
 * White
 * Arlene French
 * Representative Anderson
 * Andrew Henry
 * Meltzer
 * Violet
 * Abner Brody
 * Jack Thompson's Father

Trivia

 * The glass window decoration in Howard Stark's Estate resembles the Arc Reactor.
 * The song that played in this episode is "" by Glenn Miller.
 * During a conversation with Whitney Frost, Peggy Carter introduces herself with her full name; Frost corrects her and calls her Agent Carter. This is part of an on-going in-joke in the MCU where the first name of a person is thought of as "Agent".
 * Edwin Jarvis makes a meta-reference to the AI J.A.R.V.I.S., stating that he has no desire to spend the rest of time as a disembodied voice.