This review contains full spoilers for episode two of Ms. Marvel, now available to view on Disney+. To remind yourself of where we left off, check out our Ms. Marvel Series Premiere Review.
Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) has a lot on her plate in the second episode of Ms. Marvel. Her to-do list includes superpowers training, investigating a long-buried family secret, developing a romantic crush, and helping best friend Nakia (Yasmeen Fletcher) with her mosque board election ambition. The latest addition to the MCU’s TV slate started strong, and “Crushed” doesn’t disappoint as it fleshes out relationships, adds new mysteries to the mix, and maintains the vibrant aesthetic established in the premiere.
Ms. Marvel taps into familiar coming-of-age and superhero tropes with its training montage, yet it also delivers a fresh take on this genre crossover. Showrunner Bisha K. Ali fleshes out the Muslim Pakastani American community while exploring Kamala’s gifts, how the public sees the hero they call “Night Light,” and swirling adolescent emotions. Let’s just say Kamala has more to contend with than the average teen, and this hasn’t even factored in the role the United States Department of Damage Control will play as the series progresses.
Is Kamran (Rish Shah) too good to be true? The new British senior is setting several hearts aflutter, including the besotted Kamala. By the end of the episode, it becomes clear Kamran’s transfer to this high school is not a coincidence, and his mother is connected to the larger story. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to meet you,” Kamran’s mom tells the shocked Kamala after they help her escape capture by the United States Department of Damage Control. At the moment it appears Kamala has found an ally, but her trusting nature (and her crush) could come back to bite her. Ending the second installment on this cliffhanger ensures every conversation with the British student is seen in a new light. Intrigue levels rise thanks to this interaction, and so far, Ms. Marvel is good at teasing information.
At school, Kamala gazes at Kamran from afar and it is Zoe’s (Laurel Marsden) party to celebrate “the fragility of life” that provides the ideal meet-cute location. Yes, Zoe is dining out on being saved at AvengersCon and her ridiculously over-the-top description of what happened contrasts with how silent she becomes later on when authorities question her. Unfortunately for Kamala, Zoe’s poker face needs some work.
At the big bash, Kamran makes a literal splash, and his effortless exit from the pool is accompanied by flashing 100 and flame emojis, emphasizing Kamala and Nakia’s reactions. Dialing up the teen lust using animation is part of Ms. Marvel’s charm, as is the “Be My Baby” dance number when Kamala gets home after Kamran has given her his phone number. Vellani sells every wide-eyed look and deep sigh of joy that someone this hot is on her wavelength. It wouldn’t be a high school-set show without a love triangle, and Bruno’s (Matt Lintz) jealousy has the potential to sour his relationship with Kamala — and the audience. Also, he would be silly to give up the Caltech opportunity. Even though Mr. Wilson (Jordan Firstman) is purposefully cringey (and Firstman is very funny), he also makes some valid points amid his bad film analogy.
Mr. Wilson has cast himself as Meryl Streep in his conversation with Bruno (who is dressed like he is cosplaying Marty McFly), and “Crushed” is awash with pop culture references that demonstrate a broader point with more success than the school counselor. Take Kamran and Kamala, who quickly form a bond over shared interests like hip hop group Swet Shop Boys and Bollywood movies. Bruno attempts to muscle in this conversation in the car ride home from Zoe’s party, but it only makes him seem more desperate. After Kamran gives Kamala a much-needed driving lesson, they continue their debate about the back catalog of real movie stars like SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) with MCU figures like Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani). “Don’t tell me you have a massive crush on Kingo too?” Kamran teases Kamala. Part of the reason why it is hard to tell whether Kamran is too good to be true is that Shah nails the charm of this character and appears sincere in these interactions.
Pop culture is a quick way to form friendships and even romances, so the conversation about Jon Bon Jovi (aka “the New Jersey Prince”) is heartwarming and hilarious. It turns out that Kamala has “Slippery When Wet” to thank for her existence as her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) cites this record as the reason why she met Yusuf (Mohan Kapur). Both siblings are appalled at where this chat is headed, and for the audience, it adds further texture to this family as they prepare for the Eid festivities. Shroff has the trickier task in her role as the strict Muneeba but reveals a lightness when not haunted by the past or fears for her daughter. Last week there was a lot of conversation about a divided life, and the second episode shows cultural factors don’t have to be alienating.
The effects of Kamala’s abilities have given her confidence to tell her teacher that he is mispronouncing her name. Her powers also cause her to flee to the bathroom after her nose starts to shine, and she still hasn’t figured out how to turn this off. There is an element that resembles the period conversation in Turning Red. Nakia offers her friend a tampon before adding pads as an alternative, and Fletcher’s ease at this moment captures the depths of this friendship.
Kamala doesn’t tell her best friend the truth, but the conversation that follows addresses some of the concerns I had about the surface-level introduction of Nakia in the premiere. For starters, the high school bathroom is intrinsic to the teen show narrative from My So-Called Life to Euphoria, so it thrills me to see Ms. Marvel expand on Nakia’s choice to wear a hijab in this particular location. “My whole life, I’ve either been too white for some people or too ethnic for others. And it’s been this very uncomfortable, sucky, in-between,” Nakia explains before adding that wearing the hijab makes her feel “like me.” Rather than come across as Muslim talking points to tick off, this scene gets to the heart of the themes of Ms. Marvel while ensuring stereotypes and misconceptions don’t persist.
Elements from the comic have changed dramatically in this adaptation, but dialogue regarding the partition and side entrance in the mosque come directly from “No Normal.” The mosque is central to the rescue that occurs later when a child taking a selfie almost falls to his death. Thankfully, Kamala is on hand to save him in a rather clumsy fashion. This life or death scene has some amusing moments, including the description of the combined “ice cream pizza” ice that this boy loves dearly and all the memes flashing before Kamala’s eye during this sequence. Eid provides the reason for this gathering, in which the various cliques are depicted with a Clueless-like reveal (with graphics, of course). These range from the Mosque Bros to the Insta-Clique, and the group with the best name is Illumin-Aunties.
Kamala has to infiltrate the all-knowing Illumin-Aunties to score some vital information about the family secret her mother won’t share. These women have heard many rumors about Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha, that primarily focuses on affairs and murder — Aisha is who Kamala likely caught a glimpse of mid-rescue. The recurring theme is that she brought shame to her family and cursed everything she touched. Earlier, Kamala discovered the mystical bangle’s origin lies with Aisha and the Partition. While her father’s family has been in Karachi for generations, Muneeba’s family only moved there after the Partition in 1947.
Ms. Marvel doesn’t spoon-feed information about this rupture, saying only that “the British left us with a mess,” which encourages further reading about the decision that divided India and families — Doctor Who also covered this in Season 11. Kamala’s grandmother was almost separated from her family when they were boarding the last train and only found her way back because “she followed a trail of stars.” This sounds a lot like the material generated by the bangle, and blending real history with mythology adds to the depth of the story — even if it is a significant change from the source material. Vellani navigates the different layers of Kamala’s story with an effortlessness that once again shows burgeoning star power in her debut role.
Kamala’s quest to find out about her past is interrupted, and she will have to pick up this trail while also evading Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) and Agent Deever (Alysia Reiner). They are the obvious obstacle, but Kamala must also be careful with who she trusts. For now, Ms. Marvel ticks the coming-of-age and origin story boxes while leaving us wanting more.
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