'Marvel's Agent Carter' Recap: Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter Meets Howard Stark In "Now Is Not the End!" [Part 1]

After months and months of teasing, ABC premieres the pilot of Marvel's Agent Carter. Following the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is called back into action when Howard Stark is in dire need of help in Now Is Not the End.

Before heading off to work, Peggy has a short talk with her roommate, Colleen (Ashley Hinshaw). Despite saying she works for a phone company, Peggy is actually working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Though she fought bravely in the war, Peggy's boss, Roger Dooley (Shea Whigham), and co-workers only see her as joke.

After Ray (Kyle Bornheimer) mocks how many men she slept with in the war, Daniel (Enver Gjokaj), a wounded war veteran, comes to her aid. Carter insists she doesn't want him to defend her. After a terrible day at work, the day seems brighter because of waitress/budding actress Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca), but the night takes a sudden turn, when Peggy attacks a man in the alley.

The mysterious man is actually Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy), the butler of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper). Hunted by the SSR, Howard's technology has been sold at the black market. Howard's "bad babies" are causing a lot of harm to national security, but he swears to Peggy that his inventions have been stolen.

While Howard goes off into hiding, Peggy goes undercover at a nightclub. Wearing a blonde wig and speaking with an American accent, Peggy meets with a buyer, seduces her way into his private quarters, and knocks him out with a kiss. In his vault is a yellow-glowing bomb, which Peggy steals.

The SSR team, led by Jack (Chad Michael Murray), soon arrive at the nightclub. Peggy manages to dodge the SSR operatives, but also catches the eye of a hired assassin. After diffusing the glowing bomb, Peggy discovers her roommate, Colleen, has been murdered by the assassin.  

After a short fight and the assassin missing, Peggy reveals to Jarvis she feels death around her. She wonders if the mission is worth fighting for, but she will never know the answer. The death of Captain America continues to haunt her, even as she talks to Daniel, who's dealing with a missing leg. 

The clues lead to the Roxxon refinery, Peggy climbs over the electric fence with ease. In the lab, two scientists are making more of the yellow-glowing bombs. After blinding one of them, Peggy chases after the second scientist.

The scientists reveals his neck has been operated on and talks through a voice-box. He warns her about to future to come and that she could be scared of The Leviathan. He drops one of the bombs and drives off in a milk truck full of explosives. 

After seeing her friend, Angie, being mistreated by a rude customer, Peggy stabs his stomach with a fork. She promises to let him live if he leaves a very good tip for Angie. After Peggy leaves the diner, the customer drops bills and bills onto the table, which takes Angie by surprise.

Not everything is as it seems as the assist has new orders to terminate Peggy. Howard hasn't been telling the whole truth to Carter as well. The SSR is also developing the photos from the camera, which might captured the mysterious blonde woman in a shot.

Peggy Carter is back in action in Marvel's Agent Carter.  Readers, what did you think of the pilot, Now Is Not the End?