Ms. Marvel’s episode 4 had its ups and downs moments. Kamala and her mother travel to Karachi to meet her Grandmother, Sana. Introduction to the biggest city in Pakistan and the family reunion and emotional scenes were the better part of the episode.
Kamala explores different areas of the city and tries to find a connection to the train in her visions. In the process, she navigates the hustle and bustle of the chaotic Karachi. We see a live, vibrant, and colorful city, quite the opposite of usual MCU locations.
Kamala’s Grandmother, Sana, had great scenes with Kamala and Kamala’s mother, Muneeba. She shared her knowledge of the power of Bangles with Kamala, proving her family tale of her reaching back to the last train to Karachi. Sana also shared an emotional scene with Muneeba, where the ladies discussed their past issues.
The episode also introduces new allies in the form of The Red Daggers. They are shown as a secret order trying to protect Earth-616 from The Clandestine. Their leader, Waseem, informs Kamala about the true intentions of the Clandestines of unleashing the Noor Dimension into our world.
Najma and the Clandestine make a comeback, escaping from DODC’s Supermax prison. They arrive and attack Kamala and the gang again. This time Waseem and Kareem from Red Daggers are here to help Kamala. However, Waseem sacrifices himself to protect her in the end.
Kamala and Kareem get cornered by the Clandestine and make a last stand against the villains. In the process, Najma stabs Kamala’s bangle, and she gets transported back to 1947. Kamala recognizes the place as the last train to Karachi was leaving India.
New Threat to MCU
In phase 4, a common pattern of threats emerges in the MCU. Movies and TV shows of this phase have focused on the threat of different dimensions and the universe collapsing with Universe 616 (the current MCU universe).
Ta-Lo from Shang-Chi, Dark Dimension from the Dr. Strange movie series, and now Noor (or Light in Urdu) Dimension are introduced in this show. All these dimensions are present within the 616 universes but cut off from the world with a type of boundary. The Noor Dimension is divided by a light veil from our world but has the capability of coming and damaging our world.
At the end of Multiverse of Madness, we see Dr. Strange going to the Dark Dimension to take care of a problem by cutting it into dimensions. Kamala’s trip back in time is also similarly shown. She gets thrown into a cut in time and space.
Episode 3 had already established a connection between Ms. Marvel and Shang-Chi. We can easily predict that these three characters will team up to secure the threats from different dimensions.
The Talk With Nani And The Cliffhanger
Kamala had a talk with her Nani, or Grandmother Sana, in this episode. Sana discusses her painful memory of the times of India and Pakistan partition. Sana tells about her sense of identity conflict, being born in India and living in Pakistan, a feeling shared with Kamala. Kamala herself struggles to juggle between a modern world in the USA and being part of a traditional family.
The episode ends with Kamala being transported back to 1947 when the last train to Karachi was leaving India. We can predict Kamala will finally meet her Great-Grandmother, Aisha. And the two of them will have a similar chat, with Aisha going through the pain of leaving her home in the Noor Dimension.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the episode was good but not better than the last one. It was fun to see Kamala exploring Karachi. The fight sequences were entertaining and amusing.
But there are still many unanswered questions. What happened between Kamala and Nakia? How did Red Daggers and Clandestines know about each other? How will Kamala get back to her time and stop Clandestine? Maybe the next episode will throw some light on these.
