View source for The Blitzkrieg Button

{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series         = [[Agent Carter (TV series)|Agent Carter]]
| image          =
| caption        =
| season         = 1
| episode        = 4
| director       = Stephen Cragg
| writer         = Brant Englestein
| photographer   = [[Gabriel Beristain]]
| editor         = Chris Peppe
| airdate        = {{Start date|2015|1|27}}
| length         = 41 minutes
| guests         = * [[Dominic Cooper]] as [[Howard Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Howard Stark]]
* [[Lyndsy Fonseca]] as [[Angie Martinelli]]
* [[Bridget Regan]] as [[Dottie Underwood]]
* [[Meagen Fay]] as [[Miriam Fry]]
* [[Jack Conley (actor)|Jack Conley]] as [[Ernst Mueller]]
* [[Gregory Sporleder]] as [[Otto Mink]]
* John Bishop as Frank
| prev           = [[Time and Tide (Agent Carter)|Time and Tide]]
| next           = [[The Iron Ceiling]]
| season_article = Agent Carter season 1
| episode_list   = List of Agent Carter episodes
}}
"'''The Blitzkrieg Button'''" is the fourth episode of the [[Agent Carter season 1|first season]] of the American television series ''[[Agent Carter (TV series)|Agent Carter]]'', inspired by the films ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'' and ''[[Captain America: The Winter Soldier]]'', and the [[Marvel One-Shots|Marvel One-Shot]] short film also titled ''[[Agent Carter (film)|Agent Carter]]''. It features the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Peggy Carter]]  as she must hide the fugitive [[Howard Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Howard Stark]] while she retrieves the titular device for him, and is set in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] (MCU), sharing continuity with the [[List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films|films of the franchise]]. The episode was written by Brant Englestein and directed by Stephen Cragg.
[[Hayley Atwell]] reprises her role as Carter from the film series, and is joined by regular cast members [[James D'Arcy]], [[Chad Michael Murray]], [[Enver Gjokaj]], and [[Shea Whigham]]. [[Dominic Cooper]] guest stars as Stark, also reprising his role from the films. The titular device serves as a major connection to the film series, containing the blood of [[Captain America]], the lead character of the aforementioned films.
"The Blitzkrieg Button" originally aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on January 27, 2015, and according to [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen Media Research]], was watched by 4.63 million viewers.
==Plot==
[[Edwin Jarvis (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Edwin Jarvis]] is attempting to pay off smugglers for delivering a shipping container to America for him, when they pull guns on him and demand a higher price. His secret ally, [[Strategic Scientific Reserve]] (SSR) agent [[Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Peggy Carter]] takes them out, and they take the container without paying. Inside the container is Jarvis's boss, federal fugitive [[Howard Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Howard Stark]], whose name Carter and Jarvis are attempting to clear without the knowledge of Carter's colleagues, who are hunting Stark after he apparently sold dangerous weapons to enemies of the United States. Carter and Jarvis had recently discovered the majority of these weapons are still in [[New York City]], but they are now in the possession of the SSR. With the SSR working far harder to catch Stark, now that they believe he is responsible for the death of one of their colleagues,{{efn|As depicted in "[[Time and Tide (Agent Carter)|Time and Tide]]".}} Carter takes Stark back to her (women-only) apartment to hide. He gives her a camera pen of his own invention, which she uses to subtly photograph the weapons for him to study.
SSR chief [[Roger Dooley (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Roger Dooley]], meanwhile, visits a [[Nazi]] colonel, Ernst Mueller, in a German prison, who has been sentenced to death the next day. Dooley offers Mueller a cyanide pill in exchange for information on the Battle of [[Finow]], where the Germans supposedly massacred a battalion of Russians. Several of these Russians have been appearing alive in America and are seemingly involved in the Stark investigation. Mueller doesn't know anything about that, but he does explain that the massacre was not by German hand – when he and his soldiers arrived, the Russians had already been torn apart. While Dooley is away, Agent Thompson is in charge, and he is so focused on Stark that he pushes other things aside, like Agent [[Daniel Sousa (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Daniel Sousa]], who wants to investigate the docks where the weapons were discovered. Sousa brings in a witness from the docks, a homeless war veteran, and attempts to get information from him, but in the end it is Thompson who gets the information out of him (a man and a woman had been at the docks the night that the weapons were discovered), doing so with contempt for Sousa's apparent need for respect.
Stark, after studying Carter's photographs, points out one weapon that she must get back. Called the Blitzkrieg Button, it can take out the electrical grid for all of New York and beyond. Carter breaks into the SSR lab and swaps the real Blitzkrieg Button for a mock-up. Following her instincts, Carter turns it on, and rather than sending out an [[electromagnetic pulse]], it opens to reveal a vial. Carter returns to her apartment and demands to know what's in the vial, with Stark reluctantly revealing that it is [[Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Steve Rogers]]' blood. Though he tries to convince Carter that he lied to her to protect her feelings, and that he only wanted the Super Soldier blood for medical purposes, she doesn't believe him, and kicks him out. She is also furious at Jarvis for not telling her the truth either, with the regretful Jarvis pointing out to his boss that what they did was wrong.
Carter hides the Blitzkrieg Button in her apartment wall, while the head smuggler, [[Otto Mink]], breaks into the building in an attempt to kill Carter for her part in his not getting paid for smuggling Stark into the country. However, before Mink can get to Carter, he comes across Carter's new neighbor, [[Dottie Underwood]] (apparently a small-town ballerina from Iowa), who takes an interest in Mink's automatic pistol, and swiftly kills him for it. Dooley returns from Germany to be met by Thompson, who has discovered that Stark had visited Finow following the massacre, possibly to clean up the mess. Dooley, with thoughts of a conspiracy on his mind, remains at the SSR after all the other agents have left. In his office, the typewriter that belonged to one of the "resurrected" Russians, receives a long-range transmission from [[Leviathan (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Leviathan]].
==Production==
===Development===
At the 2014 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], [[Louis D'Esposito]] revealed that ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'' director [[Joe Johnston]] was interested in directing episode four,<ref name="SDCCDirectors" /> however, the episode was ultimately directed by Stephen Cragg.<ref name="Debriefing" /> "The Blitzkrieg Button" was written by Brant Englestein.<ref name="Debriefing" />
===Casting===
{{Further|List of Agent Carter characters}}
In January 2015, Marvel revealed that main cast members [[Hayley Atwell]], [[James D'Arcy]], [[Chad Michael Murray]], [[Enver Gjokaj]], and [[Shea Whigham]] would star as [[Peggy Carter (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Peggy Carter]], [[Edwin Jarvis (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Edwin Jarvis]], [[Jack Thompson (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Jack Thompson]], [[Daniel Sousa (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Daniel Sousa]], and [[Roger Dooley (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Roger Dooley]], respectively.<ref name="Debriefing" /> It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include [[Lyndsy Fonseca]] as [[Angie Martinelli]], Alexander Carroll as Agent [[Yauch (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Yauch]], [[Dominic Cooper]] as [[Howard Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Howard Stark]], [[Bridget Regan]] as [[Dottie Underwood]], Benita Robledo as Carol, [[Meagan Holder]] as Vera, Joanna Strepp as Gloria, John Bishop as Frank, [[Tim de Zarn]] as George, Billy Malone as "large" smuggler, Jeremy Timmins as "larger" smuggler, Chad Danshaw as thug, [[Jack Conley (actor)|Jack Conley]] as Colonel [[Ernst Mueller]], Kevin Cotteleer as Alex Doobin, [[Gregory Sporleder]] as [[Otto Mink]], Jim Palmer as goon, Tim Garris as hoodlum, [[Stan Lee]] as man (next to Stark) and Sarah Schreiber as Lorraine.<ref name="Debriefing" /> However, Carroll, Robledo, Holder, Strepp, de Zarn, Malone, Timmins, Danshaw, Cotteleer, Palmer, Garris, Lee, and Schreiber did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Fonseca, Carroll, Cooper, Regan, and Robledo all reprise their roles from earlier in the series.<ref name="PremiereSynopsis" /><ref name="Ep3Synopsis" /> Lee's appearance is just one of many [[cameo appearance]]s he has made in MCU projects.<ref name="LeeVariety" />
===Design===
For the "seedy underworld" smugglers depicted in the episode, series costume designer Giovanna Ottobre-Melton "designed a 2-piece utility-style dress so popular in the 1940s and perfect for a mission. The outfit was constructed in teal wool gabardine with a 1/4" chalk pinstripe accented trimmed with crème-colored rayon crepe trim on the collar and a two-tone belt with a brown leather buckle. The buttons were grey mother of pearl shank style." With the return of Stark, now permanently on the run from the government, Ottobre-Melton decided that he wouldn't wear a tie, like most men during the time, and would also go for casual shirts, along with "a custom-made two-tone loafer jacket of grey merino wool and black and grey wool check" and "vintage black gabardine pants." To illustrate the difference between Carter (whose "wardrobe is sophisticated, tailored and [uses] saturated colors") and Underwood, Ottobre-Melton gave the latter "an unstructured softness to her look with bits of lace and floral embroidery ... In this episode, she wore a blouse constructed in crème rayon crepe detailed with pleated detail and lace, for another feminine but modest look."<ref name="Fashion" />
===Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins===
The titular Blitzkrieg Button is a device containing a vial of [[Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Steve Rogers]]'s blood from [[Project Rebirth (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Project Rebirth]], which has been sought after by the government since ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'' for its Super Soldier properties.<ref name="Observationdeck" />
==Release==
{{Expand section|date=September 2023|with=[[Netflix]] and [[Disney+]] information}}
===Broadcast===
"The Blitzkrieg Button" was first aired in the on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in the United States and [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] in Canada on January 27, 2015.<ref name="Debriefing" />
===Home media===
The episode was released on [[Blu-ray]] and [[DVD]] along with the rest of the first season on September 18, 2015, as an [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] exclusive.<ref name="HomeMedia" />
==Reception==
===Ratings===
In the United States the episode received a 1.3/4 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 1.3 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 4.63 million viewers.<ref name="Ratings" /> The Canadian broadcast gained 1.96 million viewers, the third highest for that day and the tenth highest for the week.<ref name="CanadaRatings" />
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="SDCCDirectors">{{Cite web |last=Arrant |first=Chris |date=July 25, 2014 |title=Major S.H.I.E.L.D. Casting Additions ... Plus a Surprise Avenger? |url=http://www.newsarama.com/21704-sdcc-2014-cap-1-and-2-directors-returning-to-direct-episodes-of-agent-carter.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727183157/http://www.newsarama.com/21704-sdcc-2014-cap-1-and-2-directors-returning-to-direct-episodes-of-agent-carter.html |archive-date=July 27, 2014 |access-date=July 25, 2014 |publisher=[[Newsarama]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Debriefing">{{Cite web |last=Strom |first=Marc |date=January 8, 2015 |title=Debriefing Marvel's Agent Carter: The Blitzkrieg Button |url=http://marvel.com/news/tv/23912/debriefing_marvels_agent_carter_the_blitzkrieg_button |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110204518/http://marvel.com/news/tv/23912/debriefing_marvels_agent_carter_the_blitzkrieg_button |archive-date=January 10, 2015 |access-date=January 9, 2015 |publisher=[[Marvel.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="PremiereSynopsis">{{Cite web |last=Strom |first=Marc |date=December 11, 2014 |title=Marvel's Agent Carter Debriefs Her First 2 Missions |url=http://marvel.com/news/tv/23802/marvels_agent_carter_debriefs_her_first_2_missions |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141211204941/http://marvel.com/news/tv/23802/marvels_agent_carter_debriefs_her_first_2_missions |archive-date=2014-12-11 |access-date=December 11, 2014 |publisher=[[Marvel.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Ep3Synopsis">{{Cite web |last=Strom |first=Marc |date=December 22, 2014 |title=Debriefing Marvel's Agent Carter: Time & Tide |url=http://marvel.com/news/tv/23863/debriefing_marvels_agent_carter_time_tide |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225194152/http://marvel.com/news/tv/23863/debriefing_marvels_agent_carter_time_tide |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |access-date=December 22, 2014 |publisher=[[Marvel.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="LeeVariety">{{Cite web |last=Weinstein |first=Shelli |date=January 12, 2015 |title=Stan Lee Sets 'Agent Carter' Cameo |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/stan-lee-sets-agent-carter-cameo-1201402930/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212073909/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/stan-lee-sets-agent-carter-cameo-1201402930/ |archive-date=February 12, 2015 |access-date=February 11, 2015 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Fashion">{{Cite web |last=Gopez |first=Patty |date=January 29, 2015 |title=Agent Carter Fashion: The Blitzkrieg Button |url=http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agent-carter/news/agent-carter-fashion/012915-fashion-the-blitzkrieg-button |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211134601/http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agent-carter/news/agent-carter-fashion/012915-fashion-the-blitzkrieg-button |archive-date=February 11, 2015 |access-date=February 11, 2015 |publisher=[[ABC.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Observationdeck">{{Cite web |last=KevinGarcia.com |date=January 28, 2015 |title=Hoodwinked: Secrets of Agent Carter episode "The Blitzkrieg Button" |url=http://observationdeck.io9.com/hoodwinked-secrets-of-agent-carter-episode-the-blitzk-1682237408 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213075107/http://observationdeck.io9.com/hoodwinked-secrets-of-agent-carter-episode-the-blitzk-1682237408 |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |access-date=February 12, 2015 |publisher=[[io9]]}}</ref>
<ref name="HomeMedia">{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=David |date=September 16, 2015 |title=Agent Carter - 'The Complete 1st Season' Bonus Material is Uncovered |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Agent-Carter-Season-1-Extras/21540 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918205427/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Agent-Carter-Season-1-Extras/21540 |archive-date=September 18, 2015 |access-date=September 17, 2015 |publisher=[[TVShowsOnDVD.com]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Ratings">{{Cite web |last=Kondolojy |first=Amanda |date=January 28, 2015 |title=Tuesday Final Ratings: 'MasterChef Jr.' & 'Marry Me' Adjusted Up; 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/28/tuesday-final-ratings-masterchef-jr-supernatural-adjusted-down/356586/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129075024/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/28/tuesday-final-ratings-masterchef-jr-supernatural-adjusted-down/356586/ |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |website=[[TV by the Numbers]]}}</ref>
<ref name="CanadaRatings">{{Cite web |date=February 10, 2015 |title=Top 30 Programs (January 26-February 1, 2015) |url=http://assets.numeris.ca/Downloads/January%2026%20-%20February%201,%202015%20(National).pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215160003/http://assets.numeris.ca/Downloads/January%2026%20-%20February%201,%202015%20(National).pdf |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |access-date=February 14, 2015 |website=[[Numeris]]}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
* [http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agent-carter/episode-guide/season-01/04-the-blitzkrieg-button "The Blitzkrieg Button"] at [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]{{Dead link|date=September 2023}}
* {{IMDb episode|4125400}}
{{Agent Carter (TV series)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blitzkrieg Button, The}}
[[Category:2015 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Agent Carter season 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Stephen Cragg]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Brant Englestein]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in New York City]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in Germany]]