'Ms. Marvel Episode 5: Time And Again' - Big On Plot, Light On Action, But That Doesn't Make it Bad
As stated in the previous review for Ms. Marvel, the show, much like its titular namesake, has grown up. Issues have become more dire. Story, more mature. History is coming to light which much of our world is grossly ignorant of. Episode 5: Time and Again is no different, with the only caveat being that it has a bit of a thud at the climax.
Spoilers ahead.
Beginning in British occupied India in 1942, the narrative has Kamala (Iman Vellani) transported back to when her grandmother was a child by means of Namja (Nimra Bucha) stabbing the magical bangle during the fight in the last episode.
Though her time travel aspects are saved for the final act. Instead viewers are given a history lesson in British colonization of India and the divide of Pakistan which were driving people from their homes to seek refuge elsewhere. This is where we learn Aisha's (Mehwish Hayat) backstory.
She was on the run, knowing namja would stop at nothing to get the bangle, open the Veil, and destroy the world as we know it in an attempt to get to her home dimension. She meets a kind activist named Hasan (Fawad Khan).
Walking with a cane, this kind soul takes Aisha in, where they fall in love, have a daughter, and eventually have to leave their home to escape the British by train. This is where Kamala comes into play.
Kamala's story feels secondary and forced to play out as quickly as possible for sake of time, though it could have had more gravitas if it wasn't just a device to wrap up the episode.
Trapped in the past, Kamala finds herself at the train station on the night of her great grandmother's disappearance. Forced to reason with Namja, Aisha leaves her daughter in the care of Hasan to make sure they get away safely only to be stabbed by her old friend.
Kamala finds her and is tasked with finding her toddler grandmother and get her back to Hasan who has lost her in the chaos of the crowd. She does and realizes that she created the starlight from teh banglke that led her grandmother onto the train to safety.
The show loses a bit of steam once Kamala is transported back to her time. The Veil is open and Namji thinks she can pass through only to be turned into a heap of skeletal remains. Kind of a weak way to get rid of the heavy of the narrative.
This puts her Djinn abilities into her son, Kamran (Rish Shah), who seeks refuge back in the states with Bruno (Matt Lintz), who is quickly attacked by Damage Control, who is looking for Kamran. Kamala learns of her mom's (Zenobia Shroff) wild days back when she was a teenager and she learns of Kamala's destiny.
Full circle, but rushed, this isn't a bad episode by any means, just more of a rushed final act which could have been a more impactful story beat instead of an info dump. With little in terms of action, this is another clarifying episode which puts the puzzle together. Noble in what it accomplished, it lacks the whiz bang action of the previous one. But then again, a good story takes time and I am still on board to see how this all plays out in the end.
