“Agent Elvis” Episodes 5-10 Review
Episode 5: “Maximum Density”
Elvis meets Watergate in this Oval Office episode.
Elvis, CeCe, Bobby Ray and Scatter go to Washington D.C. to meet President Nixon, but things take a turn when Elvis accidentally mentions the TCB in the Oval Office, which is recorded at all times.
At the episode’s conclusion, the Commander hands evidence to Bob Woodward and sparks the Pentagon Papers scandal.
This was a really funny episode that also handled some serious topics, including Nixon’s positions on social policies and the racism of the late 1960s.
It’s also relatively historically accurate, as the two did have a meeting in the White House and Nixon did give Presley a narcotics badge.
Episode 6: “Pookie-Bear”
This episode pays homage to Elvis’s time in the service with this Vietnam piece.
After reports of the sonic weapons from episode four in Vietnam, the gang heads east to shut it down, all while Elvis has a concert to play.
CeCe’s estranged mom ends up being the TCB contact, which makes things awkward for CeCe on the mission, but they put aside their conflict when they discover more than one sonic weapon overseas.
This episode put Elvis’s patriotism and nationalism in perspective and was just an overall fun watch.
Episode 7: “Maghrebi Mint”
The gang, including the Commander and Bertie, travel to Algeria to track down psychedelic drugs professor Timothy Leary and bring him back to the TCB.
While Elvis is overseas, he receives criticism on his music style and the common controversy that he stole Black music and made a fortune on it, to which he says that he didn’t and instead grew up and loves the music.
Additionally, the Commander tries once again to hit on Bertie, to which she wants absolutely no part in it.
This wasn’t the most exciting episode in the world, but the producers and creators are trying to hit on both the good and bad sides of Elvis.
This was really the first episode where his flaws and controversies were put on display, and the creative minds handled them respectfully and beautifully.
Episode 8: “Head Soup”
Elvis heads back to Memphis for this crazy episode.
On the plane back, Leary talks to him about the mysterious Tupelo Project, to which Presley had Winter Soldier-esque flashbacks to in the first few episodes. However, Elvis doesn’t quite know what he’s talking about.
Back at Graceland, Elvis and Priscilla take a drug that Leary gave to him on the plane, and after Elvis takes it, he has to defend Graceland against invading agents who followed Elvis and CeCe from an earlier episode.
Elvis struggles with his morality, as the Commander tells him to kill someone that he doesn’t want to.
However, the duration of the episode was actually Presley’s LSD trip, and none of it ended up to be real. But there were some really cool pop culture and Graceland references.
Episode 9: “Swollen Desire”
Project Tupelo returns for this wild ride.
Elvis and CeCe unearth the truth about Project Tupelo, and they find out that the Commander has pulled the strings of Presley’s life since he drafted the King into the army.
Elvis vows to walk away from the TCB, which is huge after learning how messed up he is from the experiments done to him.
Episode 10: “Godspeed, Drunk Monkey”
In an epic season finale, Elvis finally heads out to Hawaii for his big concert.
However, the Commander is also there and tells Elvis that Malus, who has the sonic weapon from the first few episodes, plans to use it when Elvis’s concert is broadcasted and turn America into a bloodbath.
So Elvis becomes Agent Elvis once again as he, CeCe, Scatter and Bobby Ray board the “Lisa Marie” and head into orbit to disarm the shield. But Bobby Ray points out that since the plane has no heat shield, there’s no way to get home.
Elvis, in Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit, puts himself in front of the plane to protect his friends as they re-enter orbit and the flames start to appear (hunk of burnin’ love).
As the Commander watches the “Lisa Marie” come in, he tells Howard that he might want to start cloning again because they might need a new Elvis.
Who would’ve thought “Agent Elvis” would’ve ended on a cliffhanger?
While this series might be far-fetched and goofy at its core, Priscilla was one of the creative minds behind it and said that “Agent Elvis” symbolized the King’s “sick sense of humor.”
The public remembers Elvis Presley in many different ways, including the boy from Tupelo, the Memphis superstar, the comeback kid and the tragic addict he was months before his death.
While Austin Butler’s depiction of Elvis was certainly the talk of the year, McConaughey’s performance brought back a light-hearted life to the King that has been shoveled under years of Hollywood dramatics, money and minehills.
Rating: 5/5
Adrianna Gallucci is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.
