Marvel has come under fire in recent years for its erratic production. The lack of a single objective or Big Bad to unite the cinematic world may be a problem for certain people. One side of the debate is that because of the scattershot approach, new writers and voices have been able to develop, and as a result, you get bold, vital pieces like the one in ‘Time and Again.
Last week’s episode may have sent Kamala back to the period of Partition, but this story actually begins in 1942, with Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha. There aren’t many shows where the titular character isn’t present for the first half of an episode, but Ms Marvel makes the brave choice to use that time to focus on a lady who has to navigate colonialism, religion, and millions of people moving across the globe.
Aisha’s trip is drawn with such care and devotion that the weighty material flourishes. They are cleverly woven into Aisha and Hasan’s tale as they get closer and have a baby, and are forced to escape their home owing to the dual threats of Partition and Clandestine leader Najma. Actress Mehwish Hayat, who portrays the emotional isolation of a woman torn between two cultures, contributes greatly to the overall effect.
In the end, Kamala’s arrival completes the series. Legends of Aisha and her grandmother come to life around the dinner table when Kamala, with a little time-wimey deception, is the one who leads her grandma to the train and, eventually, to a new life in the United States. It’s a fitting conclusion to the episode’s main themes: despite the hatred and scepticism, there is a human connection. A similar black-and-white origin episode of Watchmen’s Hooded Justice, which likewise detoured from the series’ main plot to address the devastating cycle of generational pain, is evocative of this.
‘Time and Again’, on the other hand, falls short when it comes to the present day. However, the reunion of three generations of the Khan family is heartwarming, but it comes at the expense of the Clandestine. Najma, the principal villain for so long, is killed by stepping through the Veil of Noor… and that’s all there is to it. There wasn’t much of a battle, and there wasn’t much of a revelation either. The MCU’s small-screen efforts have so far been abysmal in terms of climax and deflation.
Bruno and Kamran have an uneasy conversation back in the United States, which ends with a Damage Control cliffhanger. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the closing moments were significantly changed in reshoots – Kamran being the next significant roadblock for Kamala would have continued the thematic throughline of a painful lineage being carried from parent to child (in this case, Najma’s powers transferring to Kamran). DCC’s drone unveiling, on the other hand, never makes it to the ground. However, because ‘Time and Again’ tells a comprehensive, dramatic tale and concludes Kamala’s journey, it makes the upcoming conclusion seem superfluous in some ways. You can’t avoid the impression that Kamala should have been travelling to 2023’s The Marvels after this episode, even if Marvel has one more rabbit to pull out of the hat (please, no Mephisto). As a result, it’s one of Marvel’s most intriguing projects in a while. Let’s only hope that the MCU can break its season finale curse, even if it can’t match what came before.