#endgamedanielcarter

Yes, we know that Marvel can’t - permanently - kill Peggy in the Agent Carter timeline, because she’s alive and growing old until 2016. But Marvel also doesn’t give her the credit she’s damn well more than earned, in Civil War, because they don’t show family, they don’t show the effects she had on literally creating a new world. They have Sharon mention achievements, but damn it, she was a married mother of two who pioneered, in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, in espionage and diplomacy. Does no one in our world know how much that means anymore? Apparently not, because they didn’t even put a photo of her from after the damned war on her casket. 

They moved the show for season two, regardless of the grand possibilities that 1940s NYC offers. They set up not one but two (and a half?) unnecessary love triangles, had an engagement, had half-assed and unaddressed race relations, major injuries (both to women, unless we count the Zero Matter which affected one woman and our token black man), gave up on one of the most promising relationships from season one, had some more unsavory powerful white men...........

As compelling as it sometimes was, the attempt to make this show ‘interesting’ and ‘dramatic’ basically trashed it. And now, we don’t even get season three. 

Literally every time I think about anything this season, other than that Peggy and Daniel ended up together, I’m furious with the direction this took the show. I’m pretty much in actual despair when I think about it, and considering that most of the S1 characters were my absolute faves to write, that’s pretty damn terrible. 

So yeah, they didn’t get the ‘response they wanted’, and now the show is gone. But maybe if showrunners and writers actually cared what Peggy’s fans wanted, they wouldn’t have fucked it up so badly. 

Like, Daniel, their chief, their boss, the only agent with seniority in the office, is totally taken aback when Peggy shows up. All of a sudden, this notorious lady agent is working directly with the detective and Daniel is doing actual casework along with them, and leaving the office to do it. She’s gorgeous and sassy and at one point literally attempts to punch out a powerful War Dept. official. She directly disobeys her own boss’s orders, but works almost seamlessly with Daniel, except for moments which are very tense and fairly clearly not about the case they’re working on. 

When they’re giving the order for the raid, she’s standing behind the table right next to him, and no one’s paying it any mind. 

When they’re celebrating Daniel’s engagement and she asks what’s going on, she gets “didn’t you hear? Chief finally asked his girl to marry him.” and she doesn’t make any fuss but she is considerably less excited than they are - and Daniel is immediately awkward once she enters that conversation. 

And then she asks if they can talk, privately.

What do the other agents think is going on? Do they know of some history and think they’re having a fight between exes? Do they think maybe there’s a chance they were together long-distance and Daniel just hadn’t planned for Peggy and Violet to meet and thus there wouldn’t be any issue to speak of (super unrealistic, but it’s not like they’ve known him all that long.)

Daniel looks to her to confirm plans - like any other man might ask his wife, except that to everyone’s knowledge they aren’t together. he’s, as far as they know, permanently committed to someone else.

...but does everyone buy that?

Just a little drabble about what was going on in Daniel’s head during “The Kiss.” It wasn’t all soaring music and rainbows.

Thanks, @katiekeysburg and @ayearoftuesdays for pre-reading!

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Daniel’s introduction in the series is him ‘protecting’ Peggy (in a manner.) His snap back to Krzeminski, though, is far less demonstrative of his character than the following moment, when Peggy stops him before he leaves the room.

Now, I deduced way back when, that defending her was reflexive, and that it’s easy to imagine he does this pretty consistently when men are shooting women down. He has some privilege, and he does his best to use it to less privileged people’s advantages. In most situations, you’d think a girl would thank him, right? Because most guys would just laugh along, even if they don’t like the other guy’s comment - they wouldn’t make that stir. (It’s like how dads get congratulated for doing dad things; they’ve historically not been expected to hit the mark so when they do it’s seen as something special to be rewarded.) But he didn’t do it for the thanks, and he starts to point that out - but Peggy instead says “I wish you hadn’t.” And they both explain their reasoning: he sees her value and hates seeing her treated like a secretary....and she can handle what those adolescents throw at her. And Daniel’s reaction? To being told that his allyship was valiant but unnecessary? “Yes, ma’am. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” 

Two seasons and multiple near-death experiences later....

and Peggy’s now reflexively put herself on the line for him. And, because she did it reflexively, and because she would have made the same ‘choice’ no matter what, and because she’s planning on leaving instead of attempting some painfully drawn-out discussion of the whirlpool of feelings, she starts to shut him down when she presumes he’s going to try to make a mountain out of her saving him, and tells him she doesn’t need thanks.

But he’s not having it. She’s criticized him for putting her first, and he capitalizes on the fact that he has concrete evidence that no, if the gun had been to his head, she wouldn’t have let someone shoot him in order to protect their mission, and pushes back. Because yes, she’s totally fine putting herself on the line and totally unwilling to let someone she loves do the same. 

And, just like Peggy acknowledged back in the beginning, by agreeing that neither of them has to like how she’s treated: after Peggy, um, makes her point, Daniel just goes, “good point.” 

They completely echo the scene in which Daniel is introduced in that kiss scene!