Episode 2 of the MCU's latest offering has dropped on Disney+, and it's safe to say that it maintains and even builds on the quality delivered by the series premiere. Meera Menon takes over directing duties from Arbi & Fallah, but the tone and style of the show remains intact and continues to deliver one of the MCU's most creative entries to date.
The background animation continues to have a presence in the show, adding a wonderful flavor to Kamala's already vibrant world. It did feel like this technique was slightly toned down from episode 1, though whether that was down to a creative difference or the fact that Kamala's is more focused on the real world as she learns about her powers remains to be seen.
The writing and direction of the show continues to be a highlight, with constant nods and homages to other CBM properties and characters that always feel real and authentic and never like needless fanservice. From Kamala's "Bully Maguire" like swagger as she enters the school halls, or the meta commentary on Paul Rudd's Ant-Man character (he and Kamala are both "charming and look a lot younger than we are"). There's even a nod to Kamala attempting to shrink, which is something that her character can do in the comics. I am absolutely loving the reverence that the series creators are showing for the source material, even going as far as to pull entire lines of dialogue from the comics. Kamala accepting the spiked orange juice at Zoe's party was pulled almost word-for-word from Ms. Marvel #1.
And the amazing fluffy hat she is seen wearing also comes directly from the books.
Bruno and Kamala continue to train and test her powers, which Kamala has dubbed "Hard Light", and fans of Kamala's inhuman heritage in the comics will be pleased when Bruno informs Kamala that her powers do not appear to be originating from the bangle, but already seem to exist inside her and are simply being unlocked by the bangle's presence. It does seem a bit of a stretch that a 16-year-old boy would have homemade tech that could measure such a thing, but the show makes a point of establishing Bruno as something of a teen prodigy, so it is easily forgiven.
After her heroic adventure AvengerCon, Kamala learns that school mean girl Zoe has used her near-death experience to capitalize on her social media fame and boost her follower count. Even going as far as to dub her mysterious savior with the moniker "Night Light". The social media posts grab the attention of Damage Control, who bring Zoe in for questioning and coerce her into revealing that the hero "Night Light" is a part of Jersey City's Muslim community. This leads to a very tense and borderline uncomfortable exchange between the two damage control agents about monitoring the tri-state areas minority gathering places, and how the FBI is "already monitoring" the local Mosques.
On top of the writing/directing, all members of the cast were firing on all cylinders and delivering wonderful performance. Iman Vellani delivers a performance well beyond that of someone taking on their first gig and watching her dance to The Ronettes "Be My Baby" across her living room was beyond endearing. Zenobia Shroff & Mohan Kapur once again bring tremendous depth to the roles of Muneeba & Yusuf Khan, with each being given moments to show off their considerable range. The family dynamic is just as strong in this episode as the first, and the dinner table scene with everyone laughing about Aamir's "Goth Phase" will surely leave you smiling. Kamala's peers are given far more time to shine this time around as well, as we see more of Bruno being completely enamored with Kamala, Nakia being a powerhouse but also vulnerable feminist (Her manipulation of Yusuf at the Eid Mubarak festival was masterfully done), and even a bit more insight into school bully Zoe, who may not be as ill-meaning and terrible as she initially appeared.
The introduction of new student Karman (Rish Shah) provides a charming new suitor that Kamala is immediately Smitten with. Fans of Ms. Marvel's debut comic run will be immediately wary of Kamran and his intentions. In the comics, Kamran was an inhuman who worked for a splinter group that believed Inhuman's should rule and attempted to overthrow Queen Medusa before the events of Secret Wars ended the series. With the influence of the Inhumans nowhere to be seen in this show, it remains to be seen if the live action Kamran will follow in the same villainous footsteps. Though the end of the episode does imply that his intentions may not be entirely wholesome.
The bulk of this episode centers around Kamala's bangle, which we learned once belonged to her great-grandmother who disappeared during the Partition of India. Muneeba is reluctant to speak on it and continues to insist that Kamala let it go, stating only that her grandmother "brought shame on the family" and refusing to elaborate further. Thankfully, Yusuf cannot help but spin a yarn about Muneeba's family escaping India during the partition and about Kamala's grandmother (who was a toddler) getting separated from her family, being saved by "A trail of stars", and then never seeing her mother again. While Yusuf revels in his captive audience, Muneeba can be seen in the kitchen, lost in thought, and clearly hurting from the memories. It seems as if this family heirloom may have imbued members of Kamala's family with powers in the past, to disastrous results.
The episode is full of great character moments and tongue and cheek references, and It carriers over its slice-of-life vibes from the premiere, shifting gears only in the last 10 minutes or so as a young, selfie obsessed boy finds himself hanging precariously out of the mosque towers. Kamala does a quick change and leaps into action. This is the first time we see Kamala intentionally use her powers to save someone, and the show handles it perfectly. Kamala is not an immediate expert in her abilities, and she knows it, approaching the situation without any real aplomb and a great deal of awkwardness. Lacking any confidence, Khan does her best to keep the kid calm as she uses her hard light abilities to create platforms for herself and the boy. Things seem to be going well as she helps the boy off the ledge, but when Kamala's bangle creates an illusion of (what we assume to be) her great grandmother reaching out to her, the hard light platform the boy is standing on shatters. Kamala attempts to grab him with an embiggened fist but misses, and only narrowly saves the boy by throwing several small hard light platforms that he bounces ungracefully down until landing on a car. Certainly not a smooth debut for the young heroine, as the boy appears to have broken his ankle in the fall.
"Night Light" makes her exit, using her hard light powers to parkour over the rooftops. She does not find any reprieve, however, as she is immediately put under attack by some drones that look not unlike the Stark drones from Spider-Man: Far From Home. Kamala is able to smash her way past the initial wave of drones and light-step over a blockage of Damage Control vehicles before taking a rather hard fall on the pavement. Thankfully, she is saved by the timely (and suspicious) arrival of Kamran, who escorts Kamala away from the Feds. The episode ends as Kamran ominously introduces the young Ms. Khan to his mother, who apparently has been eager to meet the new heroine. Whatever comes next, it seems clear that Damage Control isn't the only group interested in Kamala and her new bangle.
After a solid start I was worried that the show wouldn't be able to hold the level of quality, but I'm pleased to report that episode 2 not only meets but exceeds that of the premiere, and episode 3 can't come soon enough!