Ms. Marvel (1×02) Crushed Review

For our spoiler-free review of the last episode of Ms. Marvel, click here.

It was never going to be just a coming-of-age story. This is the MCU we’re talking about.

The end of the last episode saw Kamala finally arrive and this latest episode of Ms. Marvel was about her coming to terms with what had just happened and perhaps facing some of the repercussions of it. But little did she know what that really meant. One thing for sure was that her newly-gained powers granted her a newfound confidence. However, that confidence only took her so far. Either way, the next step was for Kamala and Bruno to figure out the extent of her powers. Though they were fun to watch and more bountiful here, she clearly still had a long way to go if she was ever going to get anywhere. 

A detour at a high school party saw Kamala, Bruno, and her cousin Nakia’s (Yasmeen Fletcher) time cut short by the cops but a potential new love interest in the form of a character named Karman (Rish Shah). There may have been some resentment from Bruno who was watching from the sidelines, however, Kamala was taken over by infatuation. As she was pulling away, Bruno potentially could do the same by going to school at CalTech where he was accepted for their Early Immersion program. In spite of that opportunity, the prospect of leaving still weighed on him. 

Family dinner was an opportunity for intel on her magical bangle. She learned that it was connected to her mysterious great grandmother who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Rumors about her were rampant, however, she was not viewed fondly by her mother’s side of the family for whatever she may have done or not done that may or may not have led to her disappearance. Meanwhile, the episode also took the story away from Kamala and her powers for a bit to deal with her local mosque which was falling apart. Nakia vowed to step up and make it her mission to improve things for the female contingent by running for the mosque board elections. The community’s Eid Mubarak celebration was her opportunity to campaign. 

An incident at the celebration proved to be another opportunity for Kamala to step up to save a boy. While not perfect, her shame and/or embarrassment drove her right in the hands of the organization who had been looking for her. As she had almost gotten away, Karman and his mother were ultimately there to save the day. It was not a coincidence that he appeared in her life when he did as they had known about her and were waiting for the right moment to bring her in. Now that’s a story for another episode. 

In the end, Kamala needs more practice of her powers and some confidence but she’ll inevitably get there sooner rather than later. 

still courtesy of Marvel Studios

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.