Now is Not the End
Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Carter from the film series, starring alongside James D'Arcy, Chad Michael Murray, Enver Gjokaj, and Shea Whigham.
The episode was praised by critics for its period setting, relative independence from the rest of the MCU, and especially for the performances of Atwell and D'Arcy.
In 1946 New York City, a year after the apparent death of the love of her life, Steve Rogers,[a] Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) agent Peggy Carter is stuck doing administrative work while her male colleagues carry out field assignments.
The latest case at the SSR is the hunt for Howard Stark, who has been branded a traitor for selling weapons-grade technology to U.S. enemies, and is now in hiding.
[4] In December 2014, Marvel confirmed that the episode would star main cast members Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray as Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa, and Shea Whigham as Roger Dooley.
[4] The guest cast for the episode was also revealed to include Lyndsy Fonseca as Angie Martinelli, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Andre Royo as Spider Raymond, James Landry Hébert as green suit, Kyle Bornheimer as Ray Krzeminski, Ashley Hinshaw as Colleen O'Brien, Carrick O'Quinn as tall bouncer, James Frain as Leet Brannis, Tim True as tipsy guy, Johnny Marques as bartender, Jeffrey David Anderson as short bouncer, James Urbaniak as scientist, Bill Kalmenson as Senator Webster, Lesley Boone as Rose, Costa Ronin as Anton Vanko, and Kevin Heffernan as Madison Avenue guy.
[5][6] Anton Vanko was previously portrayed by Yevgeni Lazarev in Iron Man 2 (2010);[7] Ronin plays a younger version of the character.
[25] Eric Goldman of IGN gave "Now is Not the End" a score of 8 out of 10, indicating a "Great" episode, and praised Atwell's performance as Carter as well as her dynamic with D'Arcy's Jarvis.
Goldman did feel that Carter needed a more specific villain to fight, and hoped that would change quickly given the short episode count for the season.
He praised Atwell's performance, the visual/period style, and D'Arcy as Jarvis, but he felt that Carter's sexist colleagues were cartoonish, saying "not that sexism didn't exist in the era, but that it's a tough thing to dramatize from a modern perspective without feeling winky and smug.
It's a dance many period dramas have to do, not always successfully, and while it would be foolish to pretend a woman like Peggy wouldn't have had to deal with these kinds of idiots all the time, Agent Carter is at its liveliest when the three stooges are nowhere to be seen".
It ties into the MCU in ways that feel natural ...There isn't a weak performance in the cast, and even the writing is strong, with compelling plots giving space to subplots which chug along at a nice pace."
[27] Amy Ratcliffe of Nerdist concluded her review of the episode saying "Overall, Agent Carter didn't open the door and tiptoe in; it busted through and took charge.
[28] Britt Hayes, reviewing for ScreenCrush, felt the episode "fumbles a little, as most series do when they're introducing us to a new world", but was positive of Atwell, D'Arcy, and the cinematography.
Club, graded "Now is Not the End" an "A−" as well, calling the series a gamble, but deciding that the first episode "surpasses expectations with its dynamic direction and fight choreography, clever writing, and hugely charismatic lead."
Other than Atwell's performance, which he called "confident, strong, and sassy", Sava was also positive about the writers and director, and overall found the first two episodes of the series to be superior to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
