'Ms. Marvel Episode 6: No Normal' - Powerful, Fun, And Truly Educational. This Final Installment Is One To Watch.
The MCU has concluded the story of Ms. Marvel, at least before she returns in the big screen team-up with her namesake in The Marvels (stick around for the stinger at the end of the episode).
Spoilers Ahead.
In the finale of Ms. Marvel, we find Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) coming out to her family about her super powers, all the while Bruno (Matt Lintz) and a newly suped-up Kamran (Rish Shah) are on the run from Damage Control.
Like any Y.A. property, Kamala will need a little help from her friends Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher) and high school influencer Zoe (Laurel Marsden), as well as her big brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh). What follows is a Home Alone-style gearing up montage where they booby trap their high school with everything from fire extinguishers, to softballs, and a pretty excellent foam bomb made in the science lab, in order to evade their persuers.
This is definitely one of the more fun episodes of the series, though it does get heavy towards the final act - which involves a bullet-riddled action scene outside of the high school where Kamala finally learns to hone her abilities to their fullest.
Given recent events involving mass shootings, the subject is handled deftly by giving her a hero moment, and Kamran a redemption.
If I had one complaint, it would only be the CGI. Not that it was bad, mind you, but Ms. Marvel's ability to expand her hands in an almost Mr. Fantastic sort of way didn't quite look as cool as it does in a comic book. A nitpicky gripe, which is only a minor distraction to the overall narrative.
I was impressed with the social message set forth and executed in a way young folks would get, by having the onlookers in the crowd all recording the action to point out the overreaction of authority figures - aka Damage Control. It shows that nobody is immune to the truth.
Ms. Marvel is powerful, fun, and truly educational in the way it shows the Muslim community as a loving, integral part of our society, who have been all too often scapegoated through fear tactics and propaganda. For the first time, Disney didn't just shove a half-assed message down our throats, instead taking their time to create a positive and well written story about family, cultural differences, and a blended community.
Ms. Marvel is a definite recommendation, and a welcome addition to the MCU's Phase 4.
