I’m an absolute geek. I love all sorts of films, books and tv shows, and as Simon Pegg says below, I’m not afraid to demonstrate that affection!
One of my absolute favourite characters is a Marvel character, Peggy Carter, I have to confess, partly because she links my love of geekery to my love of vintage.
Captain America – The First Avenger is one of those films I tend to watch over and over. I adore the almost Cinderella-ness of the story, and the fact that it’s Steve Roger’s bravery and goodness that paves the way to his heroism, not just his super-strength.
It’s also great that while this story is going on, Peggy is portrayed as strong and intelligent and asserts herself in no uncertain terms.
She is written as something of a mentor as well as a possible romantic interest for Steve Rogers, and she’s a lot more than that besides. She has a special place in the MCU that crosses the boundary between film and tv, and has cameos in a lot of the films.
So, imagine my joy when after a particularly successful Marvel One -Shot, here was a whole series based on Agent Carter’s story beyond the film! Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint – at all.
Hayley Atwell is brilliant as Peggy, making it clear why she ended up one of the founders of S.H.E.I.L.D.
Dominic Cooper misbehaves to great effect as Howard Stark, showing where Tony gets his Playboy tendencies from. 
And James D’arcy does a fabulous job personifying Jarvis, the butler who would inspire the personality of Tony Stark’s A.I., and would essentially, eventually become Vision. 
This show was so well written, that every character was fully realised, from Rose who mans the door at the S.S.R. to Peggy herself.
The partnership between her and Jarvis is the anchor and the heart of the show, but even Peggy’s enmity with Dottie Underwood, a product of the Red Room and a major villain, was entertaining, with the characters clearly having a grudging respect for each other.
The idea of having a whole series based around a strong female character is excellent in itself, but the show never seemed preachy and the stories were engaging and entertaining. There was no question what the message is here though. Like so many women after WW2 was over, Peggy was expected to go back into secretarial and support jobs. Of course, this is the Marvel universe, so that just won’t do!
But though the emphasis is not on historical accuracy in this show, it is because of women like Peggy Carter, who refused to be pushed back into that mould, that we are able to benefit from a much changed society. They proved themselves, again and again, until they could no longer be denied. I love that.
Of course, as a vintage enthusiast, I particularly enjoy the era this show is set in, and it’s full of gems, not least the gorgeous costume design by Gigi Melton. If you want to find out more, she’s interviewed here.
I liked the costumes so much, I did Agent Carter cosplay for our local Enfield Assemble event and for MCM Comic con. For the first, I used a royal blue vintage dress and a red trilby, complete with brunette wig (which is, incidentally, my natural hair colour) to recreate Peggy’s iconic Agent Carter look, and for the second i had the help of the glorious Oh Sew Vintage, who made a gorgeous replica of Peggy’s secret mission dress in the first episode. A blonde wig, vintage bag and Peggy’s actual lipstick shade of Besame Red Velvet and I was away! (come on, I already told you I was a geek…)
I’ve actually worn the Gold dress again to Twinwood in the evening, and it’s still gorgeous, perfect for drinking cocktails at the Colonial Club…
So, with all the gorgeous costumes, great writing and brilliant characterisation by the actors, it’s no surprise I loved it all, and I was really sad when it ended after two seasons. Luckily, it bears rewatching and Erin loves it too, and it’s become another thing we tend to watch together.
For those of you yet to watch it, both seasons are currently available on Amazon Prime Video. And if you like it, and would like to see Peggy return to the small screen, then there’s actually a twitter account called Renew Agent Carter! (@renewagntcarter).
BewitchedBB Vintage 