Ms. Marvel Episode 5 Review: “A Brave, Necessary Story”

by James · July 6, 2022

Warning: spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 5 ahead – return now if you have not seen the last episode of the MCU show.

Marvel has been criticized for its stubborn production in recent years. For some, it lacks a unified purpose or Big Bad to bring the cinematic universe together. But there is another side to the argument: the Scattershot approach has allowed new writers and voices to flourish, and as a result you get brave, necessary stories like the one told in ‘Time and Again’.

Kamala may have been transported back to the time of the partition in last week’s episode, but this begins a few years earlier in 1942 with her great-grandmother Aisha. In a show called Ms. Marvel is a bold choice for the title character to be absent from the first half of an episode – and an even bolder choice to spend that time on a slow character study of a woman living through a broken time period that touches colonialism, religion and the diaspora to millions.

The care and attention with which Aisha’s journey is drawn allows the heavy material to flourish. These themes are wisely woven into the love story of Aisha and Hasan as they grow closer, have a child (Kamala’s grandmother), and are forced to flee their homes due to the twin threats from Partition and Clandestine leader Najma. It’s all hugely helped by actor Mehwish Hayat, who captures the emotional loneliness of a woman trapped between two worlds.

Ms. Marvel

(Photo credit: Marvel Studios)

When Kamala comes on stage, it brings the series full circle. The stories of Aisha and her grandmother, told as a legend over the dinner table, come to life screaming when Kamala – with a little timey-wimey deception – becomes the one who leads the grandmother to the train and finally to a life in America.

It’s a perfect cap on the episode’s main themes: in the midst of all the hatred and suspicion, a human connection prevails. It is also reminiscent of Watchmen TV’s much-famous episode of Black and White Hooded Justice – which also led away from the series’ main narrative to dive back into history and investigate the destructive cycle of generational trauma.

Where ‘Time and Again’ lags, however, is back today. The delayed reunion between three generations of the Khan family is touching and certainly strikes the right emotional tones, but it comes at the expense of Clandestines. Najma, as long as positioned as the primary villain, is sent – on his own – by stepping into Noor’s veil … and that’s it. No big fight, no big revelation. It’s as anticlimactic and deflating as anything seen so far in MCU’s efforts on small screens.

Back in the US, we get a difficult exchange between Bruno and Kamran – and a Damage Control cliffhanger. It would not be a surprise if the closing moments were significantly changed in the re-recordings – Kamran as the next significant roadblock for Kamala would have continued the thematic implementation of a painful lineage passed from parent to child (in this case Najma’s powers are transferred to Kamran). But instead, the DCC drone unveiling doesn’t really land.

Paradoxically, the greatest strength of ‘Time and Again’ – telling a complete, powerful story and wrapping Kamala’s bow – makes the impending finale feel a bit redundant. Marvel may have another rabbit to pull off the hat – please, not Mephisto – but you can not help but shake the feeling that Kamala should have been on his way to 2023s The Marvels on the back of this episode. After all, it’s one of the most interesting things Marvel has done in many years. Let’s just hope that MCU can shake off its usual season-ending curse – even though it may not be able to top what came before.

Ms. Marvel is on Disney Plus now, with new episodes coming every Wednesday – check out the entire Ms. Marvel release schedule for more. For more, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4 and Loki Season 2.