Ms. Marvel (1×03) Destined Review

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

It’s all about family as Ms. Marvel takes a major step forward now at the halfway point of the series. Packing so much within a short period of time may be a lot though the writers still pull it off as the episode dives into the origin of the bangle and Kamala’s powers and suffice it to say that that story isn’t so simple. There is definitely more to the Khan family than meets the eye but how it will eventually come together remains to be seen. What more can be said about Iman Vellani and the writers? The youthful energy she provides and her perspective, giving viewers a window into the American Muslim world and culture on top of being a superhero origin story has been an absolute delight to watch so far. While this episode pulls her in many directions, she handles those internal conflicts in a compelling and believable way, including seeking out advice from those around her. These moments truly show off the strong supporting cast.

The episode begins the backstory with a flashback of 1942 but a lot of the exposition comes from Kamran and his mother Najma (Nimra Bucha) whom we saw at the end of the last episode. It seemed like there was more to them and there was. They are part of a group appearing in the flashback though look the same some 60+ years later, Kamran excluded. Known as the Clandestines for which Kamala’s mysterious great grandmother may have been part of, they were banished from the Noor dimension and believed the bangle to be the key to getting back home. Though the reason for their banishment is unclear, Kamala was now their only hope. That being said, could they be trusted? Their folklore has led to plenty of nightmare stories. Going at it for so long would inevitably lead to some desperation.

As with all her dilemmas, Kamala turned to Bruno but it’s pretty obvious that whatever it took to help the Clandestines get back to their dimension, it would be dangerous. Nevertheless, she was not deterred as her hopefulness and good nature led the way in spite of the potential consequences. Meanwhile, Damage Control and agent Deever (Alysia Reiner) were also interested in Kamala and had no qualms about it, crashing her mosque looking for her. Thankfully Nakia stood up to them, holding them off at least for now. And she won a seat on the mosque board. The parallels to real life were clear. Ultimately, the focus was Saamir and Tyesha’s wedding which was the climax of the episode, featuring a few fun choreographed dance numbers.

The Clandestines’ desperation was showing as their intentions for Kamala weren’t so noble after all. However Kamran, having developed a connection with her, did not share those views. He warned her as the group crashed the wedding to attack her and anyone who stood in their way. Getting her family out of the line of fire, Kamala took them on in what was an exciting but tense sequence set to some Bon Jovi, going with the series’ New Jersey setting. In the end, there’s nothing like adversity to bring out the best in someone as her powers developed even more. Bruno and Kamran had varying degrees of success trying to help until the party ended once damage control showed up to arrest Kamran and the rest of the Clandestines. Though Kamala got away, Nakia stumbling onto her secret is a problem for another day.

The episode started with family and ended with family as Kamala’s grandmother calling her and telling her she needed to go back to Karachi. There is a connection there of course.

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.