Ms. Marvel

The only things that I know about this character is from the Avenger’s game, and that she makes fanfics. Kinda interested in how they will handle the Pakistani-Muslim representation, and her powers being changed from the source material (lowkey glad that they did because those giant hands in the Avenger’s game look horrid). Ep1: So this was surprisingly really good! I was kind of expecting a Disney channel/Teen sitcom vibe, but it kinda gave off a Diary of a Wimpy Kid kind of atmosphere. The thing I was surprised by the most was the cinematography and editing. MCU movies and TV shows rarely have a unique style to them (eg. I cannot tell the difference between the film style of Peyton Reed and Jon Watts) but seeing the graphics being edited on to the environment in creative ways made me force myself to stop staring at my phone and pay attention to the screen.  I found the humour to be kinda funny, mainly because some of these characters actually remind me of my own family members. But the fact that the gora knows more Urdu than me makes me feel even more like a coconut… Although I’m glad that we didn’t get big hands Kamala, her new powers feel uninspired. The fact that the super powered bangle was mysteriously hidden from her just feels unoriginal (also any normal Asian mother would’ve thrown it away and associate it with djinns). But surely there’ll he some Shang-Chi connections, right?!? Her using the powers for the first time came off as goofy (not the good kind).   Overall I’m genuinely am interested in where this series goes. 4/5 ** ** Ep2: So this ep explores a bit more with her powers, but it’s still going with this whole family relic trope - again is a major departure from her being an Inhuman. So her powers are basically a mix of  Sue Storm, Green Lantern and I guess Reed Richards??  It also seems like they’re pushing the teenage female high school aspect, which I’m fine with because it distance itself from the other shows, and it’s campy enough to not mimic a cringey CW series  (eg. Gotham Knights), but it isn’t my cup of tea considering I’m not the target audience. The aspects that highlight the Muslim culture are still good. I thought the scene where they highlight the different types of Muslim groups is still hilarious/accurate (The Illumin-Aunties is ridiculously accurate).  3.5/5 ** ** Ep3: (Reviewing this a day late, so going through by memory) The episode seemed solid. Honestly it didn’t seem as visually engaging as the other episodes.  I’m kinda weirded out that they’re calling Kamala a Djinn though. I was honestly worried how my religious mum would react if she saw me watching this lol.  The wedding stuff seemed pretty cool and wholesome.  (Also the actor for Bruno confirmed that he was in the casting list for Peter Parker, and now I can’t unsee him as that, and plus he reminds me of the PS5 Spider-Man). 3/5 ** ** Ep4: I’m not sure if I should give on expecting this series to link with the Inhumans, or what exactly. I just learnt that the Clandestines are their own type of community in Marvel comics?? So it’s hard to say for certain. I liked how they’ve showed off Pakistan, but I really wanted to see more of that.  The introduction of the Red Daggers was interesting (although that Terminator joke is so bad that it reminded me of why TikTok hates the MCU), but at the moment this show has been giving us more questions than answers. I guess we have 2 weeks for answers. At least they introduced Waleed to us before we see him die, unlike “WADE!!” in Kenobi, but still a rushed death nonetheless. The ending with Kamala going back in time (or visiting a memory??) is pretty intriguing. I just want to know how long she’ll be in there for, and if we’ll see Bruno and Abu in the next episode… 3.5/5 ** ** Ep5: Tbh I’m torn to whether I should give it a 4 or a 4.5. This episode is technically filler, but I think it does a good job in showing Aisha’s life, insight of the partition, and the connection between Kamala’s nani with her mum and dad. Plus the ending with her nani receiving the photo of her parents was very wholesome. The episode slipped for me when the illusion ended. Kamala’s mum discovering that she had powers didn’t really have that grand level of expectations that I would have expected. I thought it would be the same level as Aunt May discovering Peter is Spider-man in Homecoming. I think I might leave it with this score at this point. 4/5