Ms. Marvel review, Episode 103: “Destined”

Okay guys, Ms. Marvel has my heart and soul. I’m sure this will become repetitive from my end, but as a Pakistani-American, this show means so much to me. Every episode that has gone by has hit me right in the heart with all the feels.

Marvel has hired a team that gets the Pakistani culture and all the tiny nuances that we have grown up with. This episode, in particular, was perfect in so many ways, and by the end of it, I was in tears once again because it’s unbelievable that I’m finally seeing myself on screen through Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani).

I never thought this day would come, but here we are–and it’s every bit of perfect and all that I would have imagined. Ms. Marvel is amazing, amazing, amazing!

Okay, love rant over…for now. Here’s what happened in this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel! SPOILERS ahead!

Ms. Marvel travels back in time

The episode kicks off in British-occupied India circa 1942. We meet a group of people we don’t recognize, but one individual stands out right away: Kamran’s (Rish Shah) mom Najma (Nimra Bucha). The timeline doesn’t make sense at all because how does she look exactly the same as when we first met her at the end of last week’s episode?

Well, this is our introduction to yet another group of Marvel supervillains known as the ClanDestines, aka the Djinn. This group of mythical creatures has ties to Arabic folklore and a connection to Islamic teachings. In the show, they are described as beings from the Noor (aka light) dimension.

In this flashback, Najma, alongside Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat), finds Kamala’s infamous bangle amidst the rubble, but when the British army arrives, they have to split up.

In the present day, Najma is filling Kamala in on all this history, including that she and her group are looking for Aisha. They are not in this dimension by choice and trying to get home. With her power, Kamala may be able to help, but something definitely feels fishy about the whole thing.

Kamala reluctantly tells Najma she will help them out, but again, it doesn’t sit well with anyone, including Bruno (Matt Lintz). By the way, I love that they have Bruno as a part of Kamala’s extended “family” as a lot of people from my community growing up always had that one friend that wasn’t from our culture. It’s just so perfect!

The ClanDestines cause trouble at Aamir’s wedding

After the ClanDestines introduce themselves, we see the Damage Control department visit Kamala’s mosque looking for the new superhero in town. It’s a classic example of how mosques are often targeted without any justification. It’s something I’ve seen at the mosque and I’m grateful that the writers shed light on it in this episode.

Nakia happens to be at the mosque at the time and says that Damage Control cannot just search the mosque without any cause. I loved seeing her step up! And it’s even more wonderful that Nakia gets elected to be a board member at the mosque so she has some actual authority!

Okay, now let’s talk about Aamir’s (Saagar Sheikh) wedding! This was amazing because it was exactly how we celebrate weddings: with song and dance! We got to see a performance by the parents and then by Kamala and her friends where they danced to Bollywood music. I was singing along the whole time.

In case you were wondering what those songs were, I got you! The parents were dancing to a song called “Yeh Mera Dil” from a movie called Don, and Kamala and her friends danced to a song called “Dil Bole Hadippa” from the same movie.

It’s a nice break from the chaos of the ClanDestines, but the sweet moments of Aamir’s wedding are overshadowed by Najma and her crew showing up to wreak havoc. Najma lost her patience waiting for Kamala to decide to help them, and intends to force her hand.

Kamran rushes in to warn Kamala before Najma arrives, but unfortunately it’s too late. In an effort to get everyone out of there, Kamala pulls the fire alarm and then is forced to face off with the ClanDestines.

What follows is epic as Kamala uses her powers to fight off the ClanDestines as best she can. She uses her iconic stretchy fist powers and then kicks some major butt, with the help of Bruno and Kamran.

Ms. Marvel’s Episode 3 ending explained

Watching Ms. Marvel in action was truly the highlight of my life because she was dressed up in traditional Pakistani wedding attire. I never thought I would see something like that!

At some point, Najma gets Kamala alone and touches the bangle, which reveals a portal showing a train. But before we can see much else, the Damage Control department shows up and arrests Najma and the others while Kamala and an injured Bruno sneak away. In the process of trying to leave, they bump into Nakia who realizes that Kamala is Ms. Marvel, or rather the name they’ve given the superhero in the show, “Night Light.” She’s pretty disheartened to learn that Kamala didn’t tell her the truth, but it’s not exactly the time to talk about all that.

Kamala makes her way home to find her family is waiting to find out where she has been. She can’t tell them anything, of course, but you can tell she so wishes she could. Side note: The way her parents tried to find out what happened to her reminds me of my parents so much. They even got that part down perfectly. Did I mention I love Marvel more than ever right now?

The episode ends on a bit of a cliffhanger as Kamala’s maternal grandmother, aka “Nani,” calls her to see if she saw the train. That is quite confusing because how does Nani even know about the portal opening? And how the heck could she have seen it too?

Tune in next week to find out what happens next on Ms. Marvel!

My, oh, my, do I love this show or what? It has made me so happy (as I’ve said so many times) and I’m loving the joyful representation.

I’m excited to see what comes; the introduction of the Djinn and mention of the Noor dimension certainly caught my attention. This is folklore that my community understands very well, so I am intrigued to see where they take it.

Can’t wait for next week!

Grade: A+

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