The location change was neat, but what a messy rush this episode was. Travel to a new locale, a whirlwind tour of said new locale, introducing a secret society of good guys, training under said good guys, then the bad guys break into the secret hideout, a chase ensues, and the baddies kill the mentor. All of this in the span of one episode? It's too much, too quickly. Causes it all to lack weight.
Loving the Pakistani stuff but the punching and kicking is a bit lame
As much as I enjoy the superhero bits just fine, I just love the family dynamic in this show. This episode highlighted the mother-daughter relationships so well. Chuckled so hard when Nanni embraced Kamala, but then greeted Muneeba with a dietary comment (SO PERFECT)
As a grandchild of the Partition, this one hit right in the feels. Well done to the writers - this is authentic
Some of the direction was a bit poor at time, too many quick cuts to after a moment would happen, but Ms. Marvel continues to move along at a steady pace, with a talented cast. The ending was a big surprise. I also feel like they're saving the Inhuman reveal.
This feels nice. Just basking in someone else’s culture.
Those action scenes in Pakistan reminded me of the Bourne ultimatum. Excellent choice of music and great handheld camera work ala Paul Greengrass
While I still really love this show, this episode was less successful compared to the previous ones. As it leans more into the superhero aspect and away from the family story, I think it is drifting from what made it successful before.
So far this show has been pretty consistent with the quality from episode to episode. I really like that this episode took place in Pakistan and that the whole thing isn't just taking place in the Jersey City/NY area. It helps bring the cultural themes to life. I'm really liking the way they're doing Kamala's powers, and the Red Dagger fight scenes in the episode were fun. I'm glad that this show seems to be morphing into something more than just the typical coming of age high school show. All that being said, I felt the MCU formula starting to take over this episode so that held it back just a little and episode 3 is still my favorite so far.
ok now we're finally more in marvel territory haha
Messy episode but undeniably great setting. Farhan Akhtar cameo was completely unexpected ha.
[7.8/10] There’s something to be said for having quality action and excitement. I tend to focus more on character and plot, but part of what draws people to Superhero stories is the chance to see people with incredible abilities throwdown in combat. Ms. Marvel’s fourth episode more than delivers on that front.
We already get a good action sequence when Kareem, of the Red Daggers, challenges Kamala at the train station to test her abilities. But the show outdoes itself when a follow-up visit to the Red Dagger stronghold is invaded by the Clan Destine with attack on the brain. What ensues -- from the martial arts-inspired hand-to-hand combat in the base, to the kinetic car chase sequence down the streets of Karachi, to the final confrontation in a bright setting -- is the peak of the show’s visual acumen. There’s more flow and excitement to Kamala and her allies escaping their pursuers, and finally holding their own, than anything we’ve seen thus far.
I also appreciate the consistent theme that Kamala’s powers are at their zenith when she’s trying to help people. Sure, she uses them with some success against Kareem as they basically spar. But she pulls off something bigger when there’s a family of local bystanders who are liable to be run over without her assistance. The Noor-powered ramp she uses to protect them, and throw off the almost impossibly vibrant bus the bad guys use in pursuit, shows that whatever other self-doubts and quest for identity still remain for Kamala, she knows who and what she is when it comes time to save others.
Along the way, we get all the fun of what has nearly become the standard Marvel field trip, infused with the added richness that comes from Kamala witnessing and experiencing more of her heritage firsthand. This episode conveys Karachi as a living, vibrant place, one with foods that challenge Kamala’s palettes, but also wonders that open her eyes, of both the supernatural and more literal variety.
This is, true to the spirit of the show, also a family story. Kamala bonds a little with her cousins. She learns from her grandmother that she is, in fact, a Jinn, and grandma never thought it was much of a big deal. The Red Dagger leader tells her that the source of her powers may be the fact that, in keeping with the show’s subtext, she’s a child of two worlds. Kamala is of Earth, but also has heritage from her great grandmother, Aisha, that connects her to the dimension of Noor. All of these family bonds, both past and present, give her a superpower, which is a potent metaphor as she tries to resolve her identity.
But honestly, I love her mom and grandmother together in this. I think that if you stripped away the superhero stuff, Zenobia Shroff would win awards for her role as Mrs. Khan. The lived-in joy of sharing hard toffees with her daughter is such a sweet, distinctive moment. And the private moment between Mrs. Khan and her mother, about grandma worrying her daughter ran away from her, and mom feeling the shame of having the “crazy mom” in town is confessional and difficult but warm. Likewise, Grandma’s admission to her granddaughter, about not having found her own identity just yet, even at her age, and their being so much “blood and pain” at the bottom of it is heart-rending. There’s a great deal of emotional and cultural truth in this, and it gives the proceedings a weight beyond the fun and verve of the superheroics.
Plus hey, the end is a hell of a tease. We’ve heard quite a bit about partition, and the impact it had on the families who came to Pakistan as well as the ones who ventured to America. The scope of extras and setting of the train station is impressive. And Kamala’s glimpse back in time, of the equally heart-rending scenes of families being separated under challenging circumstances, seems poised to bring her face-to-face with the great grandmother in whose footsteps she’s been following.
Overall, this is another superb episode, one that comes with the best action and adventure the show’s had on offer to date, but also with some beautiful moments with Kamala’s family that reveal a richness beyond the thrills.
I feel like the plot is dragging...
Why does a show like this needs a Bad guy at all? Who decided to make it the main force of the story?! And in such convoluted way.
Set her on a journey of self-discovery, bangle and family's history included. But without ridiculous plot points with horrible pacing. Make her train and save cats out of trees.Why everything works so well in this series, except for the pacing when next infodump of a plot arrives? How nobody noticed that or tried to fix it? agh, it so frustrating!
Red Dagger just two people, huh? Poor they.
6/10
The chase lasted way to long at the end, it just got boring. The mentor's death should have been way more meaningful, also a secret base hidden with a glass ceiling...er okay whatever, (cough silly plot device)
We need even less of that annoying mother.
And we need way more Superhero stuff going on like way more if this show had any chance at sticking the landing.
It's an MCU Marvel "Superhero show" on D+
Not a documentary on the History channel.
That chase at the end was really bad, like Spy Kids bad.
What a mess. I'm just surprised that the people on the train platform weren't inexplicably speaking English. Small mercies.
I prefer the episodes that focus on heritage, family, culture over the lame high school drama, so for me episodes 3 and 4 are an upgrade.
I think it was rushed to kill red dagger mentor tho.
On point, trying to get the luggage before the plane even lands! Also nice of them to recreate the outro with Karachi clips instead of NJ!
I wasn’t expecting the map-hopping but the writing team continues to earn the tweak of Kamala’s powers by making the bangle so important to her family of origin. And now we’re time-traveling?!
Shout by tieflingBlockedParent2022-06-29T23:44:18Z
Lovely cultural exploration episode here for Kamala, leading to some real thematic treats for the audience as well as beautiful family moments.
I really feel though, unlike most of the other Marvel shows so far, that the pacing on this is a bit off. This series probably needs to be longer and needs much more space to explore it's themes, culture and characters rather than always feeling like it's trying to do a little too much all of the time. In some ways this is really to its credit - this series just has so much to say and do - but it's really suffering from cramming, much in the opposite way to Obi-Wan Kenobi which suffered from being padded out too much.
The Disney+ shows are suffering from this quite a bit and maybe they need to reconsider how they determine the length of a show run and let it be a bit more organic.