Directed by Fletcher Moules and Gary Ye and created by Priscilla Presley, Mike Arnold, and John Eddie, “Agent Elvis” is a rather quirky and grandiose approach to the heroic ideals that Elvis used to harbor and dream of for himself. The series makes use of a heady mix of gore in its portrayal of over-the-top life-threatening missions, augmented by the visual imagery associated with the use of psychedelic drugs to maintain the colorful aesthetic and the action-packed pacing.
The TCB headquarters Elvis had been recruited into resembled the headquarters of MIB, and similarly, Elvis’ swagger seemed to resemble that of a very renowned arrogant agent whose movies are enjoyed and watched by many. Meanwhile, even the other characters resembled many known characters, which came across as Easter eggs hidden throughout the entirety of the series. Although Scatter was certainly more original and based on the real pet Elvis once owned, The plot was rather tried and tested and gave the biography of Elvis Presley a sci-fi twist. This is a recommended watch for die-hard Elvis Presley fans as well as others who would like to delve into the various conspiracy theories mentioned across the episodes.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Agent Elvis’ Plotline: What Is The Series About?
The first season of “Agent Elvis” gave life to the conspiracy theories, the myths, and the rich imagination behind America’s Prince Charming, the enigmatic Elvis Presley. The season follows his journey throughout the years between 1968 and 1973. It began with his special comeback album and concert in Las Vegas and lasted until the broadcast concert he had in Hawaii in 1973. The season depicts an unbreakable bond between Elvis, his buddy Bobby Ray, and his pet chimpanzee, Scatter. Bobby Ray was the designated stand-in and a driver for Elvis while also providing him with cool gadgets here and there, while Scatter seemed to be addicted to drugs, alcohol, and gambling while also being very helpful in the missions as he was something of a killing machine. Elvis was later joined by Cece, an agent sent from the TCB (the Central Bureau) to save and recruit Elvis. Elvis had been hesitant to join TCB from the beginning and did not seem to trust Cece; however, he ultimately agreed to join after Cece later bribed him with her stun gun. Elvis thought of himself as a hero and thus devoted himself to catching the drug dealers while also dealing with them in his own way. “Agent Elvis” Season 1 focuses more on him finding out about his past while confronting the people responsible for it.
Did Elvis Discover His Memories Again?
From the very beginning of the series, Elvis was haunted by flashbacks of a past he could not recall. In various instances during the episodes, the series hinted at a much larger game at play. With Bertie confronting the Commander over the mention of Project Tupelo by who had been in charge of Tupelo, Professor Leary, it is very obvious that Elvis had been tortured and trained during his days in the army. The Commander had been heavily involved with his training, and with the addition of psychedelic drugs as well as nuclear radiation that could give rise to the primal instinct in the human body, Elvis had also had the TCB messing around with his brain, making sure that those memories stayed locked.
In “Agent Elvis” Episode 8, Leary piques Elvis’ interest when he mentions that he knew Elvis from his days at the center working on Elvis. The psychedelic drugs he provides Elvis as a means to find answers remind Elvis of some of the flashbacks. Elvis then demands answers from the Commander; however, the Commander remains uncooperative and instead chooses to give Elvis a chance to find his own past by himself. Thus, in Episode 9, Elvis follows him around to figure out a way to get to Sub Level 7 in order to find out more information about Project Tupelo. On reaching Sub Level 7, he finds a signboard that points the way to the project, which really seemed to be part of the Commander’s plan. Elvis, with the help of the tribute set up for him, remembers certain bits and pieces well enough to charge at the Commander. He takes his revenge by shooting him twice, not with the intent to kill but rather to injure and also to get answers. He then quits TCB and asks the Commander never to contact him again.
‘Agent Elvis’ Ending Explained: Did Elvis Go Up In Flames Or Is It Just The Beginning Of A Second Season?”
“Agent Elvis” Episode 10 marked a turning point in the season as the most anticipated questions were quite tactfully answered. The episode left the audience wondering if Cece’s father had really been Goulet, a Tony Award-winning singer, while the most perplexing plot twist was when Goulet admitted to being a part of TCB’s most coveted project, Project Tupelo. While fighting tooth and nail with Elvis, Goulet admitted that it was quite a miracle that Elvis had come back alive when he was supposed to have died after the drugs had turned him into an animal. Of course, Goulet had been jealous of Elvis as well as TCB for getting to keep him, which suggests some unresolved, closeted issues that Goulet had been projecting. It also suggests that Elvis might also be a clone. The beating he gets makes his brain recall Goulet, as well as the torturous training he has undergone. It had served as a key to open his locked memories so that Elvis could finally access them.
However, this only cemented the suspicions among the audience, as the memories could also mean that they were planted in his brain, and it took a while for Elvis to get used to them so as to finally access them. Another instance was when, at the end of Episode 10, Elvis tried to use himself to protect his plane from burning up due to atmospheric pressure. The Commander called up Howard Hughes, the mad scientist behind his many successful ventures, to ask him to continue with the clone project as they would need another Elvis. This creates another huge suspicion that Elvis could be a clone. The Commander had thought of turning Elvis and his enigmatic personality, voice, and charm into a big nuclear-powered weapon that could take hold of a huge population that tuned in to listen to his songs. However, that plan had to be scrapped when a traitor stole the patented formulas TCB had created to weaponize Elvis’ singing voice via speakers.
Another reason behind Elvis supposedly “blowing up” at the end could be that the Commander knew that if he sent Scatter to finish off those capsules holding nuclear power to turn humans into primal beings, then Elvis would surely rush to save him. The Commander had sent a drunken Scatter with a one-way ticket to space as he knew that Elvis would follow suit to save the chimp, and the Commander could bring in a new Elvis clone to replace him because the present one did not do things the way he wanted.
“Agent Elvis” Season 1 left us with this criminal cliffhanger, where they show Elvis gradually turning into light while he tried to save the plane/spaceship that had his friends on board from getting overheated and burning up mid-journey. This simply points to a second season because the series dropped a bomb and left us with mysteries to solve. The biggest mystery of them all was if Elvis had really been a clone all along. The second mystery would be the identity of Cece’s father. The person, Gabriel Wolf, who had tried to exact revenge on Elvis because of the early demise of his father, had been revealed, but a full-fledged confrontation was still missing. His father had died first being burned while burning the vinyl records of Elvis’ songs, as he referred to them as the songs of the devil, and then drowning as he tried to put out the fire he was caught in, thus creating a villain arc for Gabriel.
“Agent Elvis” Season 2 might just bring in a new arc where Elvis is miraculously safe due to some safety features in the costume he has been wearing as confrontation awaits him. I’d also like to point out that Elvis is yet to fix the misunderstanding that Priscilla had about him and meet her and his daughter in general, which is why there is a high chance he might just be alive. If the real timeline of Elvis Presley’s life is to be followed, then we still have a few years left before he takes his last breath, and so there is a huge chance that the series could very well have a second season of “Agent Elvis.”
