Ms. Marvel review, Episode 104: “Seeing Red”

This week’s episode of Ms. Marvel might just be my favorite one yet…of any Marvel Disney+ shows. This week, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) travels to Karachi, Pakistani with her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) to visit her maternal grandmother Sana (Samina Ahmed).

At the end of last week’s episode, Kamala had a vision of a train coming towards her through a portal, and shortly after her Nani (aka maternal grandmother in Urdu/Hindi) called her asking if she saw it. We’ve already learned that the bangle that gives Kamala her powers has some link to her great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat), so there is definitely something in their genes. Or at the very least, their jewelry.

What I absolutely loved about this week’s episode is that the show travels to Karachi, Pakistan, my mother and father’s home country. Even though Marvel didn’t actually physically film there, they got every detail right. From the authentic Pakistani transportation to the chaotic traffic to the narrow streets with shops on both sides to the people themselves, everything was just…perfect.

And I credit not only Marvel but the director of this episode (and next week’s), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. She is an absolutely brilliant director who won an Oscar back in 2012 for her documentary Saving Face, highlighting the plight of women that endure acid attacks. I was beyond excited to learn that she would be a part of the series.

I say this every week, but Ms. Marvel just tugs at my heartstrings and I fall deeper in love with it as every episode goes by. My heart is not ready to accept that we only have two more episodes left, but I am going to enjoy it to the fullest.

And with that thought, here’s what happened during this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel. Major SPOILERS ahead!

Ms. Marvel goes to Karachi, Pakistan

Kamala and Muneeba’s arrival in Karachi is perfect. As someone who has been there many times, I’ve become accustomed to the tiny traditions that make your arrival so memorable. There are always family members ready to greet you who swarm you with love even though you only vaguely remember them. That is exactly how Kamala is greeted.

Kamala gets to work quickly because she’s on a mission. She wants to learn more about the bangle and her family’s connection to it. She heads out to the streets of Karachi with her cousins, where she sticks out amidst the crowd. For anyone that goes to visit from the States, folks in Pakistan refer to us as “ABCDs”, aka “American Born Confused Desis”. Vellani nails this part of Kamala’s character.

Whenever I’ve visited Pakistan, I’m always told not to talk because my American accent will give away that I’m not from there, and therefore the street vendors will upcharge for everything. We see it happen to Kamala during the episode so I love that they threw that in there.

In search of answers, Kamala heads to the train station where she comes across a character from the Ms. Marvel comics: the Red Dagger, aka Kareem (Aramis Knight). They get into an epic fight but eventually Kareem realizes that Kamala is not a part of the ClanDestines.

And here, my friends, is where the episode gets super-interesting.

Ms. Marvel introduces Waleed

Okay, so the introduction of Waleed (Farhan Akhtar) is probably the second most exciting thing that happens in this episode. While others may not know the actor playing Waleed, I’ve grown up watching him act in Bollywood movies. To see him in a Marvel series is beyond exciting and something I would have never imagined happening. I’m still waiting for another actor I’ve followed for years to make his appearance but he hasn’t shown up yet (he’s rumored to be playing Kamala’s great-grandfather).

Anyway, Waleed is introduced soon after Kamala meets Kareem, who takes her through a Chinese restaurant and a secret entrance where she meets this mysterious man. We find out that he knows all about the story of Kamala’s great-grandmother, calling it “the stuff of legends.”

According to Waleed, there is a “Veil” that separates their world from the world of the ClanDestines, which can be torn down with Kamala’s bangle. That is why the ClanDestines have been so dead-set on getting it from her and why Waleed wants to teach Kamala how to use it properly so she can overpower them.

The series briefly switches back to the States where it shows the ClanDestines breaking out of the Department of Damage Control prison, where they were shipped off after being caught in last week’s episode. They make a run for it and head directly to Karachi to face off with Kamala again.

What ensues is a chase through the streets of Karachi complete with car crashes, Kamala trying to drive a stick shift on the opposite side of the street, and more. Unfortunately, Waleed does not make it out of the fight alive, but Kamala and Kareem do manage to prevent the ClanDestines from taking the bangle.

The crisis is averted for now, but my heart breaks for Akhtar’s short-lived performance as Waleed.

Ms. Marvel, Episode 4 ending explained

In the middle of the fight between Kamala and the ClanDestines, she is transported back in time after Najma (Nimra Bucha) stabs her bangle with a knife. Kamala finds herself in 1947 India just as the partition was occurring and many people were fleeing to Karachi, Pakistan. She’s at a train station (the same one from her visions), and as she climbs atop one of the trains, she finds that there are people everywhere.

It’s a madhouse, but the madhouse is where I believe she will see her great-grandmother and great-grandfather fleeing to Karachi. I think next week’s penultimate episode will finally bring us closer to learning the true mystery of the bangle, and what Kamala’s powers actually mean. It honestly cannot get here soon enough!

You all know already know how I feel about Ms. Marvel, but this week really hits close to home, quite literally. Getting to watch an episode that takes place in Karachi, Pakistan (even though I do not believe they actually filmed there) meant so much to me as a Pakistani woman.

It’s been such a pleasure to see this show unfold, and I am super excited not only for this character but for Vellani herself. She’s been doing such an amazing job playing Kamala Khan, and I know things are just getting started for her.

See you all next week!

Grade: A+

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