That’s certainly one way to set up a series finale.

This was such an interesting episode solely because of how it was set up. The episode took place in three different main locations, each location having a different character included and following a different story. We started off with the ‘flashback’ we’ve been waiting for for ages, moved into Kamala’s current dilemma, and then finished with the final setup. Each part was of varying importance, so I want to get into everything we saw and the story that has fully unfolded. But before I do all of that, if you want to hear everything we said about this episode without some paraphrasing involved, make sure to listen to our entire podcast episode. You can access it on the platform of your choice by clicking the button below or listen to it while you read the blog by hitting the live link.

This is the type of episode where I think it’s pretty important to follow it in the order things took place, so let’s start with the flashback. I feel like we needed this an episode or two ago, only because a flashback taking up 1/3 of the fifth episode is what I think forced everything else to end up being rushed. Of course, this has nothing to do with the flashback itself but more of the actual thought process behind the show. Anyway, I loved the flashback because it gave us Kamala’s background and the bangles’, but it also so intricately showed us the Partition and what it was like to live during it. I continue to love the Marvel pieces that show us different cultures and historical moments (and no I’m not referring to CATFA). They’re extremely powerful works and of course, this one was crucial to the larger story as a whole. Especially that last little bit in which Kamala appears at the trains and her story intersects Aisha. Give me a moment and I will get more into the deeper time things with this, but I want to give credit to our friend @juliermig on Twitter who 100% predicted that Kamala was the trail of stars from her grandmother’s story. You know I always give credit where it is due and that was an awesome theory that ended up playing out.

The bigger thing past the emotional and plotline weight of these semi-flashback-like scenes is that in order for Kamala to have been the one to help her grandmother each time, there had to be some sort of time traveling happening. In the podcast, I related what we saw to the third Harry Potter film in which Hermione sort of time travels in a similar way. That doesn’t mean it makes more sense, but it at least might help some feel a little less confused. The main issue I had with this is that Marvel has already laid the groundwork for how time travel is supposed to work in the MCU and Kamala pretty much being on an endless loop of going back to help her grandmother, which is what allows her to get on the train and eventually have her mom then Kamala, feels very much like it somehow goes against some of the things we learned in Endgame and Loki. I’m not sure at all how this works in the long run and what the effects of it could be if there are any. I feel that there would be some since time travel seems something that should be heavily moderated since the TVA is in existence (or at least somewhat are in existence cause who knows with that Loki ending).

My biggest issue with the whole episode was that the flashback was given a lot of time and so it felt that some of the other current show moments were rushed. By current show moments, I mean what is happening in real-time to Kamala. My two big moments that seemed poorly written? The Djinn and how quickly they sort of just were written off and then the Red Dagger and the quick end to that. For the Djinn, it was especially weird because they were depicted to be the biggest threat to Kamala and made the most sense to me (at least in this version of Ms. Marvel). I anticipated some major fight scenes to come in the finale and for us to see Kamala be able to use her powers fully against them. Instead, they were killed rather quickly by the Veil and that was considered the end of their story. I feel like my time was wasted with them as they were so quickly done away with.

Then after this bit with the Djinn, Kamala’s friend Kareem just kind of said peace out and left afterward. This really bothered me, as I said in episode 4 how I was already feeling a type of way about the Red Dagger’s entrance into the show and I hoped they would utilize them more than just plot devices. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they were used to, and as soon as the Djinn were dead and Kamala had gotten the information that she needed Kareem was gone. I get characters can come and go from shows and some only appear for certain reasons, but to introduce a whole group of these fighters who are supposed to be battling things bigger than them and then just throw them out when the plot moves past them is such a waste to me. I really hope that Marvel is able to once again utilize Kareem somewhere else so that his short introduction doesn’t go completely unused.

I want to get into the Veil and what it’s all about. So I will say I thought it was super cool that when the Veil was open, you could begin to see the Noor dimension spreading out into ours. I really loved that as that was a critical detail that was shared with Kamala and us in episode 4. But I was first extremely thrown off by how it was opened, as we pretty much see Kamala come back to the present day and the Veil is open. My thoughts are that the power of the bangle opened the Veil as it was trying to bring Kamala back to our present day, almost like in Thor: Ragnorak when Heimdall opened the Bifrost to help Thor and Loki escape Hela and only ended up bringing her right to Asgard. Yet I had really expected to do something more with the Veil, so that’s why I’m wondering if it opened in more than one place. It could set it up for a battle at the series finale, having Kamala fight to close it everywhere, but everything that happened with Kamran in this episode may contradict that (give me five and we will talk about that). I just can’t feel that this is it, so I’m clinging to hope that more is coming from the Veil.

So we see Kamran’s mother whisper his name and suddenly the Veil closes and shifts itself to give power to Kamran…okay. Listen, I know Marvel has some inexplainable stuff like purple aliens, but this one was one of the weaker written moments of the show. Regardless, I think this is Kamran being his Inhuman comic equivalent and we will see him follow that storyline into being a villain. I don’t think it will happen in episode 6, as to Taylor’s point in the podcast, it would be a pretty hard turn from where we saw him with Bruno. But I do wonder if the Veil may be corrupting him over time, as Kamala’s power isn’t powered by the Veil but the Noor dimension itself. We have to see the Veil as an evil entity, so I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if the Veil is able to play some mind games to convince Kamran to try and open it again. For now, he will likely help Kamala fight in the final episode of this season, but an end-credit scene setting him up to be evil would not shock me.

Lastly, since I’ve mentioned the final battle, I guess we have to come to terms that the DODC must be the main villain of the show. If this is really what holds true, I’m going to be pretty angry and disappointed, as the storyline was so chaotic it almost feels like a scapegoat. I liked learning more about the DODC, but I think making them the final villain just leaves me feeling empty. I enjoy villains that fit the hero and the threat feels even, as the Djinn felt even to Kamala and fit her story. The DODC doesn’t (at least yet) fit Kamala’s story like that and just feels out of place. Regardless, they are obviously after Kamran too after he escaped their prison and now also has some powers on him, which is why I’m thinking the final fight will be Kamala and Kamran vs the DODC. I don’t expect them to beat them completely, though, or that also will be a waste of this group, unless they are in fact corrupted by Skrulls or Kree and that is how they become exposed. I mean, at this point there is still not a full connection to where Monica and Carol are regarding the bigger part of the cosmic MCU, so I really am throwing in our last real option here.

Overall, I will say I’ve been a little disappointed in how this show has turned out so far. I love the culture and Kamala as a new addition to the hero roster, but I think poor writing may have hit this one a little too much. I’m hoping some things are turned around in the final episode, which airs tomorrow(!!), to save some of the chaos and plot issues that the middle few episodes created. As for the podcast, you guys can expect us to release our reactions to the final episode by the end of the week for your listening pleasure. Of course, it has been extremely busy here lately, so we get to slow down a little bit after the end of Ms. Marvel, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and check out our calendar to stay up to date with what’s next. Don’t forget to watch the series finale of Ms. Marvel since Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Ms. Marvel Episode 5”, Aeron Mer Eclarinal, The Direct