Ms Marvel - Episode 2 - Review

The first episode of Ms Marvel ended with Kamala getting her powers, getting busted for sneaking out and deciding she loved what they powers could be. The second episode had a lot to do, in order to connect me to it and it had some interesting beats, but there are still issues.

****Spoilers Ahead****

It has to be said that anytime a teenage kid is the star of a show or movie, I tend not to care, simply put because they always seem to rely on the same tropes that everyone does, like a horror movie where someone walks off into a dark basement on their own. I had hoped that Ms Marvel wouldn’t lean into those elements going forward, because the show would have been fine without them, sadly though that is not the case, they didn’t just lean into them, they went full Tony Stark with them. Seeing Kamala attempt to understand her powers with the help of Bruno was charming, she clearly has a great friend in him, though the attraction he has to her is clearly one sided. So, when the hunky new boy shows up at school, her throwing away plans with her best friend for the new guy was just predictable and wouldn’t you know, it happened.

The problem with introducing a new character, that is played off as mysterious, means that no matter the direction their go in, it never matches the expectations of the viewer, except here. Given that he was new to school, instantly clicked with the social awkward Kamala and even had a very fancy car, just meant he was not a simple addition to the cast. Speaking of, while the first episode introduced us to Kamala’s immediate family, the second episode brought fourth more members of the community, from the local Imam to the people that attend the Mosque and of course, the members of the Department of Damage Control, like Agent Cleary. The new characters, or in the case of some – returning characters, all provide a richer tapestry of people for Kamala to interact with, even though the ending is predictable.

While we have seen countless times in comic book movies and shows, where characters learn to control their newly acquired gifts, it is usually over the course of a montage and that was the case here. But as the main character is a teenager and most are known for never committing to anything long term, Kamala blowing off the training to hang out with new friends and go to a party makes sense. It does somewhat undercut the final moments of the episode where she is attempting to be the hero, we the audience know that she never mastered her powers and seeing her attempt to use them was likely going to end in failure and while it did, it was not a fatal one. My issue with this, was that the show was clearly building towards her being successful, only to pivot at the last moment to it ending badly, but anyone paying attention wouldn’t have been fooled by that.

I said it last week, the show is clearly aimed at a much younger demographic, so maybe the issues Kamala giving up to go on a date or trying to do the big thing and have it fail, will resonate with that younger audience. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never had a show or movie like this, yes Black Panther and Shang-Chi had casts that were from the regions those stories were based in, but they were still enjoyable to those from other parts of the world. Ms Marvel however isn’t doing that, it is aiming for a much more focused niche and while it is hitting that fairly well, it is ignoring other demographics. Pixar movies could be described as movies for kids, but there are some that skew more adult, but regardless of which group you fit in, you can all still enjoy the movie, as there is something for all here.

As far as the cast goes, the major players are doing a great job still and it is nice to see Arian Moayed get to add more layers to the role of Agent Cleary, it would be nice to see the character not be such a tool. The inclusion of the subplot of Mosque board gives Yasmeen Fletcher a chance to stand out some more and seeing her play off against newcomer Iman Vellani is fun. While the inclusion of Rish Shah and Nimra Bucha will see things take a different direction going forward, they have very little to do in the episode as a whole.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten to the point now, where not every single show or movie has to appeal to everyone, Marvel comics have been doing that for years now. The problem is that there is a very fine line between not being made for one group and focusing in on another and they haven’t quite nailed the balance here. The story is relying on too many tropes, which makes it predictable for most older viewers and while the cast is doing a wonderful job, that can only take you so far.

The Score

7.5

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+Getting to see Kamala work out her powers is fun and ticks off an item from the superhero to be checklist

+The secondary cast are helping to flesh out the world, making it feel like it is alive

The Cons

-Story wise, a lot of what is happening are the same beats that happen in almost every teenage related series or movie

-The twist that there is more to the bracelet, was so not a surprise, it makes you wonder why they bothered