The Ms. Marvel finale, "No Normal", manages to turn Kamala Khan to a full superhero without the dramatic parts of her family and identity. A re:run of the conclusion of “Time and Again”: Kamala has returned to Pakistan, she discovers an ally in Kareem, part of the Red Daggers. The ClanDestine led by Najima has found her, she strikes Kamala's bangle, and opens the Veil! It is about to go out of control, pulsing different colors, Kamala forms a crystal wall so Kareem can evacuate the people. Najima is about to enter the Veil and Kamala tells her that she has Kamran. She had killed Kamala’s great grandmother, Aisha, and says that she can close the Veil! Najima says Kamran’s name, her eyes glow purple, she is crystallized and crumbles with her skeleton! Kamala forms a shield to protect Kareem and herself.
The Veil’s energy weaves around an alley and strikes Kamran whose eyes glow green! It closes, they are seen by Muneeba and Nani, and Kareem greets the women before running off. Muneeba is surprised that her daughter is Light Girl. Kamala shows her grandmother the black and white photo of her parents, Aisha and Hasan. Their story is dramatic, but they are not the central characters of the series. I think the creators were too in love with Aisha and Hasan to shorten their story, but if needed, this could be saved for a later point in another season or a bonus feature. There is just no way that Kamala or any other character would know about their meeting so this is just for viewers. Kamala leaves them for a moment to say goodbye to Kareem. He tells her that she can call him as needed.
Muneeba holds up Kamala’s broken necklace which makes a “S.” Later, Nani shows Kamala a photo album, love the shocked look in Kamala’s eyes recognizing that it is her mother at her age. Nani says that Muneeba ran away at 17 to go to a Bon Jovi concert. All of the Khan women apologize and they hug which is a nice moment. We go back to the Circle Q at night, Bruno is taking out the trash and is startled by Kareem. At Bruno’s apartment, Kareem is a bit awkward, and then tries to re-introduce himself. Then, he realizes that his name is not Brian, but Bruno. Kareem sees the Damage Control drone outside of the window and then uses his new power to blast it! It sends out a rocket that blows up the Circle Q! So a government agency is authorized to use live artillery rounds on a civilian business?
This brings us to the season’s finale, “No Normal”, we see the police tape, ambulance, and Agent Deever talking about kids with powers. She orders non-lethal, enhanced rounds, is this like the I.C.E.R. (Incapacitating Cartridge Emitting Rifle) in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? (I think of them as a G.I. Joe cartoon guns), later the rifles do glow blue like AoS. Bruno and Kamran are taking the train, Kamran grips a pole, and his hand turns to crystal. His powers work slightly different than Kamala’s powers, but the crytal looks the same. Bruno supports him so Kamran was apparently injured in the explosion. He sees Damage Control agents, runs into a passenger, who pushes Kamran and he sends out a crystal pillar out of the train window. Then, he projets a small wall which the agents dodge around, Kamran could have sealed off that part of the train.
At the Khan house, we have Muneeba handing out gifts from Pakistan. Unusual, that there is no pickup or greeting at the airport. Kamala says she has an announcement. She apologizes for not saying this earlier, ending the wedding, and sneaking out to Avengercon. Muneeba has her hurry up and Kamala says she is Light Girl. Her brother, Aamir, and father, Yusuf, pretend to be shocked, but everyone knows. Aamir and his new bride, Tyeesha, joke about her powers. Yusuf is worried about her being in danger. Muneeba smiles and says she trusts her daughter. So everything that was set up, the conflict of a strict family, her identity, is just all dropped because Kamala is a superhero. If this was the direction of the show, it should have at least started in episode three.
Kamala takes her brother's cell phone and Nakia asks Kamala about Bruno since the explosion. Kamala’s secret is important, of course, but ignoring an explosion in their neighborhood? She tries to call Bruno in her room, when Muneeba brings her something in a toffee box. This is her Ms. Marvel uniform! Kinda cool that she gets it from her mother, this is similar to Superman in Lois & Clark, but when did Muneeba have the time to design and pick up the costume in Pakistan? Kamala races across the city on her crystal ramps, every person watches her overhead, and she manages to stop at a stop light, that part is funny. Bruno brings Kamran into the mosque and they are met by Nakia. She says the mosque is under surveillance so they should go to the high school. Agent Deever enters the mosque, no warrant, and asks everyone to see I.D.s which they take out before she can say it!
She gives the description of the suspect, a woman says that could apply to almost everyone, funny. Deever and other agents check rooms, Nakia tries to stop her, and then admits that her boyfriend is inside. A guy with headphones is inside and is happy that Nakia said he is her boyfriend. The duo emerge from a side room with advice from Sheikh Abdullah. They hide in an alley as Kamala crystal leaps down to them. Kamrun suddenly unleashes his power, waves of force radiated from him as he screams. This is around the corner from the mosque, yet the Damage Control agents don’t flood the area and what happened to the drones? It is now night, they are on the run, when Kamala makes a call to Kareem for help. Kareem says he can help Kamran escape if they can reach the harbor by midnight.
Bruno opens the unlocked window to the bathroom, the school is very unsafe, and then they meet with Nakia. She was frustrated that Kamala kept the secret from her, but Kamala apologizes, and then everything is alright. The dramatic tension is just cut in favor of action. Bruno warns them about Damage Control have arrived at the school so Kamala uses her crystal platforms to escape with Kamran right? Then Zoe walks up, she has already figured out Kamala’s secret identity even though this was not worked out in the second episode. Zoe says she owes Kamala for saving her life. Kamala has a plan on a chalkboard, a police officer tries to ask Agent Deever if she is authorized for attacking a public school, ok, and Aamir startles Kamala. He explains that he knows how to sneak in to his old school and their mother sent him.
Kamran and Zoe take similar hoodies from lockers (which are all open?). Bruno and Kamala use the chemistry room which is unlocked so students can make dangerous experiments. They start taking fire extinguishers, Zoe breaks into a case, ignoring the chain and bar on the side, silly Zoe. All of this happens while Damage Control patiently waits outside. The situation is so teen comedy that it is difficult to see anyone in danger. Agent Cleary is concerned about the school siege, but Agent Deever says it is two “enhanced individuals.” She says they are causing destruction, but the Circle Q explosion is ok? He tells her to evacuate and she ignores his order. So the Damage Control take authority from only one person? This is just absurd. Kamala updates Bruno on the death of Najima instead of telling Kamran. Bruno tells her not to tell Kamran.
Damage Control agents set explosives on the school door to breach it and none of the school officials are informed? Explosives and entering a school with rifles? This is too topical at this time. The agents come across a device that they think is a bomb, but it is really a speaker playing Urdu music complete with a disco ball, ha ha I guess. Kamran greets the agents from the second floor. Then, Bruno has Zoe go on TikTok. All of her followers, most of the characters we have seen all head to the school, and apparently the media is not interested in a government assault on a school. The onsite Team Leader reports Kamran’s description with the red hoodie and baseball cap. So the agents are confused because all of the friends have the same clothes and use fire extinguishers for some reason. Agents activate a trip wire at the chemistry lab which sends out an expanding white goo that falls on agents like in Ghostbusters (1984).
Kamala and Kamran hide behind a desk and neither have used their powers in the hijinks. They are about to kiss, but Bruno interrupts them and then provides a distraction dancing until agents violently restrain him. Zoe rides a bike through the gym and then jumps over their softball pitching machines. They are used by Zoe, Aamir, and Nakia, but agents arrest them. Kamala and Kamran are walking to the bathroom, again, and Kamran asks about his mother. An agent breaks through the window, doesn’t make sense, but ok, and Kamran batters him with his power. Kamran starts to run, Kamala tells him that his mother is dead, but she apologizes. They are cornered, but Kamran uses his power to slam lockers down on agents. Kamala slams him back with her crystal fist and he runs off. Outside, the crowd is taking video while the police hold them back.
The others are sitting in the back of a van. Kamran explodes a door to have the agents target him. Agent Deever has a bullhorn to tell him to get down. Kamran’s eyes glow and then Deever gives the order to fire. What is the hostile act and why attack a teenager? Kamala leaps down from a window and forms a crystal shield to deflect the gunfire. Deever orders a ceasefire and then brings out a Stark Sonic Cannon, why the escalation? It shatters Kamala’s shield. Everyone is stunned especially since discharging such a weapon could injure all of the bystanders. Kamala says, “Embiggen” to go giant size and smash the Damage Control trucks. She throws a crystal shield Captain America-style to knock down agents. Kamran fights other agents with powers and his fighting skill, probably learned from Clandestine.
Agent Deever is about to shoot him, but he bashes a truck at her, and it is about to fly into the crowd! Of course, it is caught by Kamala’s crystal hands. Deever picks up her gun, the police are ok with her shooting a teenager?, and Kamran bursts out with his power. Crystals emerge from everywhere and even threatens the people in the van. It’s a CGi fest. Still, Kamala forms a crystal dome around them. Kamran thinks that he has done so much and Kamala says his mother wanted him to be in this world. She uses her crystal fist to punch a way for him to slip away. Deever orders her agents to get her. This is really an unethical order, but the agents are really mindless. Instead, the crowd surrounds her, protecting her like the people on the train in Spider-Man 2 (2004). Then, the police form a line barricading Damage Control.
Kamala runs above them on her crystal steps and the crowd cheers. Agent Cleary calls Deever and says she’s “relieved of duty”, all of the agents should be arrested for endangering a community, property damage (which the comic book team was trying to fix), and threatening minors. We see the TikToks of people excited to be there including G. Willow Wilson, the writer of Ms. Marvel. Kamala watches on her phone including Sheikh Abdullah saying they have their own superhero. Kamala goes to the rooftop and is joined by her father. We see glimpses of all of the characters the next day picking up their lives and Kamran goes to see Kareem. Yusuf tells his daughter that they had tried to have another child, Kamala arrived, and he says she is perfect like her name in Arabic. He continues that her name in Urdu is “marvel” and dubs her Ms. Marvel, nice.
Kamala has a scene that is similar to the show's poster. Then, we get “One week later”, Bruno drives up with Kamran’s car. Bruno says that he made a discovery of her genetics, I can see Shuri with access to technology, but Bruno is an orphan teenager in a suburban city who had lived above a Circle Q. We get a little synthesizer with the hint of the X-Men: The Animated Series theme. So this is a standard superhero drop that is just to tease viewers that has nothing to do with the comics. Ok. Nakia is in the driver's seat and tells them they are headed out for sharwarma like the end of Avengers (2012). The mid-credits scene that ties into The Marvels. So there is so much potential with the cast especially Iman Vellani. For some reason, it lapsed into a standard superhero show this episode. Ms. Marvel, “No Normal”, has great potential with the main character, still the finale needs to be honest like the rest of series.
Three Bangles out of Five!
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