What a ride it has been watching Ms. Marvel. The show has delivered some great moments, beautiful visuals, fascinating exploration of Pakistani history/culture, and (most importantly) a great new superhero. Yet, that doesn’t mean the show hasn’t had some bumps along the way. (MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW)
First, let me talk about Episode 6. And thank goodness they finally delivered what I’ve been asking for ever since the show started: used S.H.I.E.L.D. as the bad guys.
I don’t know what the writers and directors were thinking by giving us the “Clandestine/Djinn” subplot, because it went nowhere. Okay, I get that Kamran is supposed to be the embodiment of the Dijinns now, but why couldn’t they have just made him a mutant like Kamala? (I’ll get to that in a minute)
The whole action scene between Kamala’s friends versus S.H.I.E.L.D. was infinitely more exciting than anything the Djinns showed in their two episodes. Plus, at least S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t killed off as the season wrapped. Yes, you read that right, all the Djinns are dead.
Kamala, who just learned how to use her superpowers, killed off 6-7 all powerful, interdimensional beings in the span of two episodes. Was Kamala’s mastery of her powers a little contrived? Yes. That doesn’t make me wish she couldn’t have finished off the Djinns sooner.
I can’t stress this enough: the Djinns were SO boring! They’re even more boring now that I know they won’t be coming back, nor will their Djinn world make an appearance in the Marvel universe. Like I said, their whole subplot was completely useless.
(Disney/Marvel-Ms. Marvel-Courage Trailer)
Anyway, this episode really didn’t have much else besides the high school showdown, which was the best moment (for me) of this entire series. I’m glad they showcased the US-located characters, such as Bruno, Kamran, Nakia, Aamir, and Zoe. In my opinion, the show kind of derailed when they shifted the focus away from these characters. Along with Ms. Marvel, they are the true heart of the story.
I’m not trying to say the Pakistani-located characters were bad (besides the Djinns) or that it wasn’t cool seeing the streets of Karachi, Pakistan, but they could have been shown in another season of Ms. Marvel.
Oh, and the “fast-travelling” got really bad these last few episodes. I mean, Kamala and her mom traveled from New Jersey to Karachi then back to New Jersey in the space of one episode.
That’s quicker than fast traveling from Solitude and Riften in Skyrim. At least there is a loading screen in that game that mimics the passage of time.
Anyway, that’s only a small complaint. Back to something I mentioned earlier, it is official: Kamla is an X-Men. Rather…she will be.
In one of the post credit scenes, Bruno all but confirmed that the X-Men are a part of the “original” Marvel timeline, and that Kamala has some sort of genetic mutation too. It was kind of obvious that the X-Men were coming to Marvel, seeing as Professor Xavier was in the last Doctor Strange movie. But that was in a different timeline.
Now we know they are in the original one too. Can’t wait to see them!
(Disney/Marvel-Ms. Marvel-Courage Trailer)
Nonetheless, I have to give it to Marvel with this show as it has completely blown my expectations out of the water. Coming into this show, I thought it was going to be a childish, 5–13-year-old girl orientated show that was not going to be watchable for anyone over the age of 14.
Thankfully, I was wrong. The show not only introduced a relatable, funny, and charismatic superhero, but also highlighted the Pakistani culture in an interesting, informative, and open way that I did not think was possible.
Plus, it featured a variety of side characters that had vibrant personalities and goals that I found just as compelling as Ms. Marvel’s own journey of becoming a superheroine. (Except for the Djinns! Is it coming across I don’t like them as characters very much?)
Yes, there were some bumps and wabbles that were avoidable, such as the Djinns plotline, rushed trip to Pakistan, somewhat cartoonish display of Ms. Marvel’s superpowers, and a whole episode devoted to an entirely different character than Ms. Marvel. But those are not show-breaking.
I would give Ms. Marvel an 8.5/10 and would definitely recommend everyone to watch it. Just skip over the Djinn parts. Let’s see what Ms. Marvel will be getting up to in The Marvels!
(PS: Did Brie Larson/Captain Marvel take over Ms. Marvel’s in the second post credit scene? I’ve got no idea what that scene was supposed to mean.)
Images Sources: Featured Image: (Disney/Marvel) (Courage | Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel | Disney+ – YouTube)
In text Image 1: (Disney/Marvel) (Courage | Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel | Disney+ – YouTube)
In Text Image 2: (Disney/Marvel) (Courage | Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel | Disney+ – YouTube)
