A.B.C. and Marvel are making a smart, unique move right now. They’ve cut Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sophomore season into two halves, ending the first on a great cliffhanger that makes us hate (in a good way) that we have to wait until March for the second half. In the meantime, we get to see the origins of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 8-part Agent Carter mini-series.

With Carter’s prior appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s like watching the same series stretched over two time periods and one time slot. The detailed continuity between the shows allows audience members to fully immerse themselves in the M.C.U. We’re in good storytelling hands as evident by Marvel’s recent winning streak. That streak continues with Bridge and Tunnel.

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Peggy Carter is a well-rounded, complex woman handling multiple problems on multiple fronts. When not hunting down Howard Stark’s stolen inventions of mass destruction, she’s coping with sexism in the work place. When not dealing with that, she fears her clandestine lifestyle endangers friends. (In the case of her murdered roommate, that fear would not be unfounded.)

On top of all this, Peggy mourns the death of her true love — Steve Rogers — who is believed to have died in World War II. She’s also working to get out of his shadow, which is not an easy thing to do when that shadow is red, white, and blue. No matter what she does or where she goes, everyone knows Peggy was Captain America’s main squeeze. Like Uncle Sam, Cap’s image is everywhere for propaganda purposes. She can’t even turn on the radio without hearing a live broadcast inspired by his adventures.

Hayley Atwell continues to impress in her multifaceted portrayal of Carter. She can deliver every emotion called for by the snappy script and make it all seem natural. Atwell’s steely disposition makes strong dialog even stronger, as demonstrated in this exchange with guest-star Ray Wise:

RAY: “What’s your first name, darling?”

HAYLEY: “Agent.”

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Her chemistry with James D’arcy’s Jarvis (J’arcy?) is a standout among standouts. Hopefully their relationship remains platonic. Also on hand is Lyndsy Fonseca (formerly of Nikita) as Angie Martinelli, a fast-talking waitress/actress who befriends Peggy in a time when she may not want friends, but certainly needs them.

Fonseca gets most of the funny dialog, including this gem, “That’s Sarah. She’s a slut.” That may not make much sense out of context, but in context it kills! Another great-in-context comedic line comes from the mouth of Peggy’s S.S.R. boss when he nonchalantly says:

“I used to strap a chair to my ass and walk around the neighborhood too.”

If you’re not laughing, then you haven’t seen the image that those words refer to. Annnnnnnd maybe you don’t want to.

Bridge and Tunnel is confidently directed by half of the Russo Brothers who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier. (One assumes the other half is busy prepping Captain America: Civil War.) The 1940s sets and costumes are Emmy-worthy, particularly the staging of the aforementioned live radio drama. Also of note is the score by composer Christopher Lennertz who is simultaneously composing the music for A.B.C.’s other mini-series, Galavant. For more on Lennertz, watch B.T.M. webisode #74 wherein marquee’ologist/film score aficionado Chad Frye interviews him.

The only less than stellar part of the episode is Carter fighting a bad guy on top of a speeding milk truck. She does this while standing.

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In a dress.

Wearing high heels.

And she never falters.

It wouldn’t be so unbelievable if it was a short scuffle, but it goes on long enough to test even the strongest threshold of disbelief. On a lesser show, this would be the Jump the Shark moment. Or the Nuke the Fridge moment. Speaking of…

If shark jumping refers to a good T.V. series turning bad and fridge nuking denotes a great film franchise going downhill, then what’s it called when a mini-series follows suit? Is there a term for that? Luckily Agent Carter doesn’t need one because everything else is top notch. Having said that, here’s hoping that any future milk truck battles don’t include heels.

NEXT MISSION: Another ____ and ____ episode entitled Time and Tide.