Ms. Marvel review, Episode 105: “Time and Again”

Just when I think Ms. Marvel isn’t going to get any better, it goes ahead and surprises me. I’ve mentioned this in the past reviews, but as a Pakistani-American, this show means so much to me. Seeing my culture, language, music, and parents’ home country represented in a Marvel series is something I never thought would happen.

I’ve been hosting watch parties with members of my community, and it’s been such an amazing bonding experience to see Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani) journey. There have been so many elements of this series that people of all ages have been able to relate to. I’m reminded of my maternal grandmother telling me stories of fleeing India to find safe haven in Pakistan.

All these elements came together during this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel, where we catch up with Kamala after she’s been transported back in time to 1947. She finds herself there after Najma (Nimra Bucha) stabs her magical bangle.

This week picks up from where the last episode left off, with people trying to force their way onto departing trains. My heart is heavy as I’m reminded of the brutal past, but I feel happy to know that others will learn about this important moment in history.

So now, without further ado, let’s talk about all the major moments from this week’s episode of Ms. Marvel, “Time and Again.” SPOILERS ahead!

Ms. Marvel travels back in time

“Time and Again” starts off with a narration of the historical events that took place on August 15, 1947. India gained independence from Britain after nearly 200 years. At this time, there was a mass migration of Muslims who were essentially told to leave India because it was supposed to be a majority Hindu country.

Millions of people tried to find safety from those who were attacking and killing Muslims. It was a difficult time to be Muslim in India. It was amazing to watch how director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy brought that history to life. She did not undermine the trauma of those moments. It felt visceral and painful.

Aisha and Hasan

We’ve heard a little bit about Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha (Mehwish Hayat) and great-grandfather Hasan (Fawad Khan); this week’s episode takes us back to the moment they met and fell in love. We then fast-forwards to the birth of Sana, Kamala’s grandmother. Sana is a few years old when Muslims are forced to flee India.

The night before her family leaves, Aisha is paid a visit by Najma, and we learn that Aisha is a ClanDestine. She is in possession of the bangle, which Najma wants to return to their realm.

Aisha claims to have buried the bangle somewhere safe. Najma gives her 24 hours to get the bangle to her, otherwise, she will force Aisha to leave with her.

Aisha convinces Hasan that they must flee, even though he feels they shouldn’t have to leave their home. He wants to make peace with everyone, but the time for that has passed. Instead, they rush to the train station where hundreds and thousands of people are trying to find safe passage to Pakistan.

People are trampling one another and shoving their way into any free space. Watching this is disheartening and devastating, in part because it’s not fictional. These events did indeed happen (sans Ms. Marvel of course).

Kamala was always the one

Aisha, Hasan, and young Sana arrive at the train station, but things get complicated amidst the chaos. Instead of going with them, Aisha tells Hasan to get Sana to safety because she knows Najma will be hot on their trail.

There is so much going on around them that Hasan doesn’t have time to process. This is probably why he momentarily loses sight of Sana in the middle of the crowd. It’s frightening to watch Hasan’s fear; Khan does a great job of making us feel the immediacy of the moment.

Meanwhile, Aisha runs into Najma who is livid to learn that Aisha betrayed them. She shows no mercy and drives a knife into her stomach, essentially ending Aisha’s life right then and there. But before Aisha takes her final breaths, she utters the words, “What you seek, is seeking you.” As Aisha’s eyes light up purple, the bangle begins to light up in Sana’s hands.

Kamala arrives at this very moment, and we learn that it is she who saved her grandmother as a child.

Using her powers, Kamala gets Sana back to Hasan. It’s such a magical moment to see the granddaughter help her young grandmother. Things come full circle.

If you’ve seen the Harry Potter movies, you’ll remember when Harry went back in time and thought he was going to see his father summon the Patronus. However, he ended up being the person who saved himself. Something like that sort happens here when Kamala realizes she was the one who saved Sana and allowed her to have a life that ultimately created the family Kamala belongs to.

Ms. Marvel, Episode 5 ending explained

After Sana reunites with Hasan, Kamala is suddenly transported back to the present where she was fighting the ClanDestines. During that time away, the Veil that Waleed (Farhan Akhtar) spoke about in last week’s episode has begun to open.

In a strange turn of events, Najma — who’s reminded that anything she does will impact her son Kamran (Rishi Shah) sacrifices herself. The Veil turns her to dust and closes. There’s a stream of magical light/dust/mist that travels out of Najma’s body as she utters her last word: “Kamran.”

Whatever she did affected Kamran, although it’s unclear how. If I had to guess, I’d say that was Terragen mist. In the comics, Kamran’s powers are activated by Terragen mist, so perhaps this is the start of something.

In Kamala’s absence, her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) is frantically searching for her. She manages to find out and discovers that her daughter does indeed have powers. She finally figures out that Kamala is “Light Girl.” And she’s rather pleased and proud!

The episode comes to a dramatic close as Kamran asks Bruno (Matt Lintz) for help. He needs a place to stay until his mother finds him, but little does he know that she’s no longer alive. But there’s no time to worry about that because a drone starts shooting at them from outside, and the last thing we hear before the screen goes back is Bruno yelling, “You’ve got powers too?!”

Ms. Marvel is capturing the hearts of people all around the world, but this week felt different. Looking back at a traumatic past is never easy, but Obaid-Chinoy captures the essence of these brutal moments. I don’t think there’s any other director who could have done this storyline justice.

I am just so thankful to Marvel and Kevin Feige for giving this show a chance to shine, and for letting the right people bring it to life. This has been such an amazing experience, and I’m so sad that next week is the final episode.

I certainly hope that it is not the end of the series. But we’ll worry about that after next week, which hopefully will bring us a cameo from Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). I mean, it would make sense given Vellani is going to be in The Marvels movie, right?

Guess we’ll find out! See you all next week for the season 1 finale!

Grade: A+

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