'Ms. Marvel Episode 4: Seeing Red' - Kamala Out Of Her Element Makes For A True Hero's Journey.
Ms. Marvel is ramping up to be one hell of a series by "Episode 4": Seeing Red (I see what you did there Disney).
This go around, Kamala is on her way to visit her Grandmother in Pakistan with her mom (who somehow agreed to take the daughter who she thinks sabotaged her brother's wedding, which is a bit of a stretch, but with what transpires throughout, I'm just going to go with it).
They arrive to find a country with as many differences as similarities - depending on who the guide is.When Kamala is with her oblivious cousins, who have been influenced by the west, the audience is given a history lesson into the struggle people from India had fleeing to this country.
While visiting the train station she has been having visions about, Kamala gets into a fight with another handosome young man in a red scarf played by Aramis Knight, a handsome rogue who soon realizes they are on the same side of the conflict with the Djinn.
She is introduced to the Order of the Red Dagger, a secret society who are set on stopping the Djinn from using the source of Ms. Marvel's power - her bangle - to open a portal to their dimension, only to destroy ours in the process as explained by Waleed (Farhan Akhtar), the head of the group.
What makes this episode so compelling is the aspect of a globetrotting adventure outside of the comfort zone of Jersey City, putting Kamala out of her element while believably explaining the cultural aspects that she as an American youth can learn about along with the audience.
You are also given a crash course in the family dynamic between the Mother (Zenobia Shroff) and Grandmother Sana (Samina Ahmed), which plays as an honest mother daughter relationship.
The episode then switches modes to show The Clandestines being processed by the Damage Control, only to escape their bonds - and, in an interesting turn, Kamran (Rish Shah) is left behind by his mother Namja (Nimra Bucha) for siding with Kamala.
What makes this scene so impactful is the lengths the Djinn will go to escape our world, not only destroying our existence, but their familiar ties.
Now being pursued by the Djinn, who somehow made it to Pakistan a matter of hours after their escape (again, I'm trying to look past this), Ms. Marvel gets to have her hero moments alongside her new cohort. Her skills have improved, but she still has a hard time controlling her abilities, showing her as a flawed but powerful adversary.
The episode is one of the more intriguing, insightful, and grown-up of any of them, giving Kamala a true hero's journey. I honestly look forward to seeing where they will take the character, and I haven't felt that for a Marvel property since Infinity War.
