In conjunction with the closing moments of episode three, Kamala Khan returns in the fourth installment of the original streaming series Ms. Marvel in “Seeing Red.” After the halfway point closes out with a facetime with her grandmother Sana, Kamala begins a trip to Karachi to reunite with her and also discuss the vision of the train that they both saw concurrently during the hero’s fight with the Djinn.
Despite being grounded for the disruption of her brother’s wedding, Sana has insisted that Kamala and her mother Muneeba make the trip from Jersey City to Pakistan, in particular, Sana’s home Karachi. During the trip, Kamala arrives to discuss and probe with her grandmother about the bangle and her great-grandmother Aisha. Sana informs Kamala that the bangle has not been used since she utilized it to follow the stars onto the train during the Partition, the image that was displayed during the visions that Kamala and Sana shared together.
While exploring the surrounding area, Kamala informs her cousins that she wants to see the train station due to its historical significance while also attempting to investigate and find any answers to her questions revolving around the bangle and her current situation. Upon arrival, she is greeted by a quick throwing knife fight with a man in a red bandana, later revealed to be Kareem. After the police arrive, Kareem takes Kamala to nearby safety after he deems her not a threat and recognizes her familial connection to Aisha. In the hideout, Kareem and his leader in the Red Daggers, explain the world of Noor and that there is a thin veil between their dimension and one where humanity exists. The Djinns, in particular this group of Clandestines, are attempting to return home and merge the two realities and in the process destroy humanity’s. In the meantime, Muneeba and Sana reconnect and the same struggle between mother and daughter is exhibited as Muneeba and Kamala undergo.
The last visual of these Clandestines was being placed in handcuffs at the hands of the DODC and on their way to a federally run prison suited to control the individuals. After Kamran makes a move to escape during their transport around the supermax prison, the rest of the Clandestines overpower the security officers and pursue the bangle and Kamala, except without Kamran as he has “made his choice.” Back in Karachi, Kamala undergoes a type of origin training montage with the Red Daggers to get an understanding of her newly found powers. However, this training is abruptly interrupted by the Clandestines who crash through the ceiling and a wild chase through the streets ensue which ultimately leads to Waleed’s fatal injury at the hands of Najma. Najma strikes Kamala, yet the Noor bangle gets in the way instead and Kamala finds herself transported back to the time of the Partition on the train platform.
Ms. Marvel takes a drastic turn in this episode as Karachi supersedes Jersey City as its main setting. The episode provides further exposition to the history of the bangle as well as explores the maternal bonds throughout the Khan family and how this affected the strict nature Muneeba takes on Kamala in order to counteract her own experiences with her mother Sana. Additionally, the episode introduces new scenarios to the series with a further explanation of the Noor and the Clandestines themselves which provides further clarification to Kamala and the viewer of the antagonists’ true motives. “Seeing Red” also provides a unique introduction to the first season’s penultimate episode, placing its main character back numerous decades into the time of the partition, which might allow for a scene between Aisha and Kamala that can further provide explanation and detail to the overarching uncertainty of this bangle and these cosmic powers that Kamala now possesses.
Rating: 8.0/10