FEEDBACK (MCU L8R): She-Hulk

Imran from Huddersfield

Whilst I wouldn’t quite say I’m the anti-Ahmed, it does sound like we had quite different up bringings - my mother has way too much love, I could have posters on my walls (just not faces), and they were more then happy for me to listen to rock music - though it would have been hypocritical if they didn’t as my dad raised me on The Beatles, Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan.

So in that sense maybe the familiarities I see in the show are more pronounced for me - even taking into account that Kamala is a generation removed from myself, and we are of the same generation as her parents (which would explain there more liberal stance).

Anyway, on this episode - The first 20 minutes was fantastic. It did a great job of telling that backstory, and felt so Un-Marvel like - I’d imagine if my parents sat down to watch it they’d probably think it was some sort of Indian drama. In fact, I think they should have gone all-in and had a singing and dancing musical love song in there - but maybe thats just me! The train station scene was also great, so well shot, and gave me flashbacks to the Dev Patel film “Lion” - still the only time I’ve cried in a cinema in my entire life.

The rest of the episode was a bit of a let-down in comparison I thought, and the ending seemed incredibly abrupt - but hey, I guess we can’t stay in 1940’s India forever.

As we’re devling into British ruled India in this episode - this week can I recommend the movie “RRR” - an Indian movie released this year that is set around that time, and has actually managed to cut through the culture barrier and hit it pretty big with American critics and audiences. Its on Netflix and it is genuinely one of the most bonkers films you are likely to see - with action scenes so over the top, it would make Michael Bay blush.

2 Likes

I am really digging this show, and I love how we’re finally getting shows and media that reframe colonialism into its actual history of violent forced assimilation and how it displaced and disrupted so many cultures. That said, aside from the social and political contextualization of the family history and mythology, the characters are so compelling. I love the reconciliation and shared affection of the three generations of mother, daughter and granddaughter.

The visual FX of this show I am also still finding very fresh and intriguing. In the same way, I found the visual FX of Everything, Everywhere All at Once to be very simple but striking. Ms. Marvel of course differentiated by the very bright and clean Marvel Studios aesthetic, which can sometimes feel a little one-size-fits-all, so the visual FX of Ms. Marvel helps visually differentiate this show from the others.

Thank you!

I also mention Everything, Everwhere All at Once as a visual reference that also has a Mother/Daughter reconciliation narrative, so it’s interesting to see the similarities and differences.

Scrump

Over all I’ve enjoyed this show despite it not becoming appoint viewing for me.

Iman was born to play Kamala and is doing a wonderful job at doing so, however my only complaint with the show is it’s inability to keep my attention.

It’s not usually until the AEW reviews that I even remember that there’s a new episode out when you guys announce the upcoming shows for the week.

Good or bad, the other MCU Disney+ series have led to plenty of chatter online or at work but I just don’t hear anyone talk about this show.

Granted she’s not a main stream character but with no MCU proper connection, I get why people aren’t responding to it the way they should.

I’ve just personally felt very meh about this phase of the MCU as there’s no real direction they’re going in with this phase feeling like Kevin Feige beefing up his roster for the inevitable Secret Wars movie.

I’m still a dye in the wool Marvel fan, I’m at the Thor 4 premier as you read this, and will watch the shows and movies but this show has very much felt like an episode of Dynamite that’s just okay but you know nothing major is going to happen as the pay per view is still a long time away.

Really mixed bag episode for me…

The good -
Really cool seeing for the second week in a row, an “A List” south Asian actor… Bollywood multihyphenate Farhan Akhtar as Waleed last week and this week we got Pakistani superstar Fawad Khan as Hasan. Our stars don’t get a lot of exposure here, so always amazing seeing them in major North American productions

The sequence where kamala leads her Nani to Hasan… Tears… And WH was right, closed loop (like endgame)

Kamala and kareems chemistry is my favourite and their goodbyes were cute

  • zenobia shroff really needs more props, she is every desi (especially Pakistani/Muslim) mother

Not so good

  • this is a show more akin to a teen show, so we weren’t going to get a real look at partition, but the heavily sanitized version of it did bug me… My grandparents didn’t have many stories to share about their migration, but it definitely wasn’t that seamless
    -no one has said it yet… yes, but Kamran did get the Terri-djinn mist! But in such a lazy way

Bad

  • this episode felt like it needed to get to a finish line; the editing reflected that and it suffered due to it.

The clandestine story ended with barely a whimper and they felt like nothing at the end. It felt like there was a rush to get everything tied up so we can see the real bad guys next week… White people lol

I’m still all in, but definitely the weakest episode

Sorry for taking long, but Id like to make a film recommendation for anyone who’d like to watch something about partition and the lead up

Earth - 1947 is a 1999 Canadian-Indian production from Deepa Mehta and really heart breaking. Great movie to see to understand how people were separated and relationships destroyed. Available on Crave for all us Canucks…

I also second the RRR recommendation… Just watch it high AF

Thanks guys, excited for next week’s finale

A rather uneven penultimate outing. I felt like Najma and the Clandestines bowed out a bit too quickly. I bet Kamran’s gonna be her new vessel with the DODC returning to the forefront. The first half of the episode in partition-era Pakistan was some poignant stuff and it was almost entirely in Urdu with Aisha and Hasan’s love story as the focal point amidst rampant Islamophobia.

Between getting the red scarf and her necklace ruined. Kamala’s gear is almost complete.

I hope the finale sticks the landing.

Comic recommendation: The Ms.Marvel Generations one-shot from G. Willow Wilson.

Marvel is in a slow build, with a direction… Thor, Black Panther, The Eternals, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight & Ms. Marvel all set up the concept of alternate dimensions of Gods and powered beings from Earth mythologies and religions. Which will ultimately connect with Dr. Strange, Antman and other multiverse/dimensions. Secret Wars may be the first milestone piece on that journey, but it’s likely a 10 to 15 year if not more plan.

Put this on the wrong thread… Wanted to share this hear, because her film is great.

My friend Gabriella has a documentary project called “Hyphen.” She herself is a mixed-race person of colour, so she started working through some of her experiences. So, then she started to record interviews with other people about their experiences and BOOM! Here’s “Hyphen.”

It’s a really great piece, she’s managed to work on and present it across a lot of different mediums.

Anyway, if you’re ever planning an episode of “The Wellness Policy” about the subject, maybe she’d be a great guest to come on and chat :smile:

finale feedback…

Bravo. To paraphrase Brian Michael bendis, they just broke the internet…

I can’t believe it was right under our noses the whole time.

The Xmen were created by stan and jack in the 60s to be a metaphor for xenophobia and the fight for civil rights. Magneto being a stand in for the black panthers and Charles Xavier their version of MLK. Their job was to good in the world but be hated by the people they’re sworn to protect.

While she likely won’t count as the “first mutant” in the MCU (with rumours of namor appearing in wakanda forever and Wanda all ready here) having a Muslim-American hero get that tag first is fitting and will hopefully be a solid lead into finally seeing the mcu version of the X-men and easily understand their mission statement.

Yousuf’s explanation to kamala of her name was a favourite scene; I wondered too why that’s been her name. Kamala is a hindi/sanscrit word meaning lotus, for an Indian-Muslim, you wouldn’t see that name given (VP Kamala Harris has a hindu mother)

The word “Kamaal” does mean marvel/amazing and understanding why it was given to her warmed my heart.

Loose ends were all tied fairly well, Zoe joining the squad was a nice touch and the DODC with their appropriated stark tech definitely seem like the type of folks that will make sentinels…

One of my favourite mcu tv finales and a show I’m proud to claim as “ours”

I had a lot of worries when the show started. I had bought the first volume for my then 11 year old marvel obsessed niece for eid.
I was excited that she could see someone like her as a hero… The opposite happened; she found herself not liking kamala due to a few panels and scenes in the book where she felt Kampala wasn’t “respecting faith” Since the show started, it took just a couple episodes for her and my other nieces to have any concerns about their faith being disrespected, gone

My non-desi/Catholic wife enjoyed the whole series, being able to learn a little more about my background and get on board with a great coming of age story and is excited for the marvels (she disliked captain marvel the movie too)

Sorry for the long post folks, was hoping to share feedback more regularly, but ya know, life lol
Excited to hear the podcast and for what you guys have in store for She Hulk

Imran from Huddersfield

Way to stick the landing! A great finale to what has been a really fun series.

Couple of things that stood out

  • Her father used the term “Tobah” - which is generally something you’d say if someone says or does something wrong… So didn’t quite fit in the lounge scene, but maybe he was just using it as an exclamation.

  • It really triggered me that damage control didn’t take their shoes off in the mosque! Especially after the Imam specifically told them last time…

  • the haram and halal hats got a big laugh of me.

  • Everything in the school was great, so ridiculous and over the top - and having Riz Ahmed as the soundtrack made it even better

  • my favourite line - maybe of the whole show - was the Imam saying “Free ice cream pizza… After Salaah of course”… You have no idea how many times in my life I’ve been told something will happen after prayer…

  • Definitely one of the better “this is your superhero” name speechs I’ve seen, really well delivered by her dad too - who I’m glad got a bit of a spotlight in this episode

  • and finally… That X-Men sting!

All in all, great show and great recaps from you both. Here’s looking forward to season 2!

I usually don’t comment on looks but after that when I see her face… Backpfeifengesicht

Mannie from Pacoima

Really great episdoe from start to finish
With the way things were going i was sure this would be the heel turn for kamran but justice prevailed and kamala was able to get through to him.

The “surprised” looks on kamala’s brother and father wheb she revealed that she was night light was priceless. Seeing her brother help out at the highschool was also a nice touch and the conversation between kamala and her father was beautiful. It also gave us a great reveal to the meaning of her name but to also the origin of her hero name.

Lastly Kamala is a mutant!!! Will this play a significant role in the Marvels? Only time will tell, and we will also have to wait to find out where kamala was transported as well. Unless i missed it we never found out where the second bangle is, could it be safe to assume that maybe the 10 rings are the second bangle?

On the subject of x-men, Gambit is one of my favorite X-men and though I feel origins: Wolverine didnt do him justice and though i wasnt a fan of channing tatum being chosen to play him in a solo movie. Would you like to see him in the mcu’s iteration of the X-men and if not do you feel this character would benefit from a solo disney+ series?

This episode was okay… I did enjoy the teamwork shenanigans combatting the over-zealous DDC agent. Too much was being crammed into this episode and the last one as well. I wish they had extended this series by an episode or two, in order to further the exploration of the characters, their relationships and more about the history of the Red Daggers, and even the family coming to terms with their unconditional support of Kamala.

Dropping the “M” word in the 616 is some serious seed planting.

As per usual these days, with any mainstream media product that isn’t about cishet males and satiating the worst among audiences and fandoms, Ms. Marvel is being attacked by 1-ratings on its IMDB score, 0’s and 1’s via Metacritic and even Rotten Tomatoes has been hit marginally. So, I take any talk about its potential “poor performance” with a grain of salt since a bunch of Pedersen INCELs are militantly spamming moves on the internet. They’re the dudes doing “The Move” in NHL '93 on a Sega Genisis on all these platforms and they’re just the absolute worst.

Gonna plug my friends’ film and project again… Wonderful piece if y’all have the time. I’m sure she’d love to chat about it if you ever had the need for a show or anything :slight_smile:

I am a white 50+ year old man living in Idaho and it’s about as non diverse a place as you can get. The state has legislated against the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community, voting rights and has started to ban books from schools and libraries that deal with race relations and don’t give white people a positive spin.

So to me, these Marvel movies and series are extremely important. They are some of the few ways that inclusion and diversity is brought into my home and attract the attention of my children. My kids asked questions about the partition and we watched the 1982 movie Ghandi. I have a brown daughter, so now she has a relatable positive character.

I have been here since Iron Man came out and Marvel has earned my trust. There will and have been misses. Ms. Marvel is not a miss though. The fact this series, Shang-Chi and the upcoming Wakanda Forever have my kids excited, gives me hope for the future.

Jay from Colorado

I’m a 44 year old white male and I kept hearing that this show may not be for me, that didn’t stop me from watching it and it definitely didn’t stop me from loving it.

This was definitely one of my favorite Disney plus shows yet, and I enjoyed most episodes. But as most of these shows have done, they start out at a completely normal pace and spend a lot of time thoughtfully building the characters and the world, then the last episode or two it’s a full on super hero stuff, which I don’t mind, these are super hero shows at the end of the day. But my point being that the character and world building is what I’ve enjoyed the most in these shows.

I never thought I’d come out of this show with a deeper understanding of the history of Pakistan, and a deeper appreciated of Muslim culture, but I definitely did, and I love that. Seeing the family dynamics of an American Muslim family really opened my eyes to not only the differences between south Asian families and my white family, but also.the similarities, my parents were always riding my ass too. I love how Kamala’s mom, Muneeba, is the one who ends up making her iconic costume, I wonder how she’s going to react to Carol Danvers suddenly appearing in her daughter’s bedroom. I wasn’t expecting the mutant twist at the end. Lastly I have to say Iman Vellani absolutely crushed this role. She’s every bit Kamala Kahn as Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark.

Do you guys think this is the “death knell” for Inhumans in the main MCU universe as some have argued?

James from Wales

I really enjoyed Ms Marvel, especially the colourful aesthetics and Kamala’s performance. It’s upped my excitement for the upcoming The Marvels film when Captain Marvel was one of my least favourite.

I need know how these characters get to Karachi and back so quickly! Got a 4 hour drive this evening and would much prefer Kamran’s teleportation.

Hi,

Emanuel from Sweden. I watched it with my daughter and we both like the series. It’s fun to see it through her eyes as she’s really into the marvel cinematic universe but not in to comics. This was my daughters favourite series yet.

Best regards
Emanuel Turesson

Nas from NYC

I only finished episode 4 so far. But I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to leave feedback.

I just want to praise MCU for putting a light on the ever growing South Asian Muslim community in America (and Canada as well). I’m a 32 years old Bangladeshi immigrant who moved to NYC 11 years ago. So obviously I have cousins, nieces and nephews ranging in age from 5 to 50 the length and breadth of North America.

The show really puts in the effort to get the small details right. The mosque scenes, the music, the Eid celebrations, the over protective parents to the one white friend of the family. It’s all very accurate. My favorite scene was where they put in the small detail of the groom’s shoes being stolen. It’s a generations old tradition. No idea how it started. But it happened to me at my wedding.

Major criticism would be that the show so far seems incredibly rushed. I know the blockbuster movies take up all the budget, but surely we could have done 10 episodes.

Anthony from Melbourne

First off WH as Wai said “people got shit to do” and I’m one of them! I really did want to leave feedback every week but just haven’t had the chance.

In all seriousness I really hope the decline in popularity of this series isn’t due to the Muslim culture, I have really enjoyed the educational experience on Muslim customs and the partition whilst being entertained.

From my group of friends I attribute the decline in viewership due to the lack of star power and the law of diminishing returns, as each Marvel series has released I have gauged less and less interest from people I know after lacklustre enjoyment from previous series. However, my partner would leave the room when I was watching Moonnight but during Ms Marvel she actually would ask if a new episode was out yet, so from a casual fans perspective, this series seemed to be more engaging.

In terms of my thoughts on the episode I really felt they shoehorned Sadie in as an antagonist. They played with the idea of her being racist but deferred away from it when she made the comment she was after them because they were kids. It really made her motives to go against her bosses orders perplexing because even if she caught them she would have known she would suffer punishment or loose her job, yet she went after them anyway.

Maybe she was still meant to be received as a racist and therefore her motives lacked the logic of a reasonable person but if she only didn’t want kids to have abilities her motives to go after them so strongly were lost on me, perhaps you can provide your interpretation of her character?

THE MOVE!! There are actually two, but they exploit the same goaltender issue.

Wrap-around move.
https://youtube.com/shorts/yOYrQq516FQ

And then the spin-off the boards and cut into the slot.
https://youtu.be/a0oCBhOgcpM?t=268

You could pick the old and terrible Hartford Whalers and beat the All-Star teams 99-0 if you wanted to waste enough time.

My friends Mike, Ryan and I used to play tournaments on Ryan’s Genisis, and later on Mike’s SNES… Mike had to buy Ryan a replacement controller because he would lose his shit after someone did “the move” on him. Then, later he broke two of his own controllers losing his temper for the same reason. Now, Mike was always pissed off with the “cheating.” But, he was also the first one to rely on “the move” to get an advantage or to try and tie up or take the lead.

Anyway, “the move” has always been marked as a dishonourable way to win, because it relies on a flaw to exploit in the game.

So, the Brethren of INCEL wankers spamming ratings and review scores are just spamming an exploit in the flawed platforms. Lazy journalists and ass hats go to these pages and then publish "hot takes, “spicy takes,” and “chilli flake takes,” or “Ghost Pepper Takes” about the show performing poorly. THEN… Disney+ may report that the overall viewership might be lower, and with enough of these lazy articles appearing, then they end up affecting the way the show is being reported in more mainstream outlets like Variety, Deadline, or the bloody E! Network.

I’m sorry, I’m legit ADHD and sometimes I write 10 steps ahead of my intended point and I lose my own plot. I see now where the analogy fell apart, I opted for a budgeted amount of words instead of adding in the explainer… Next time, I’ll leave the archaic-ass 90’s reference with Joey Lawrence wherever he is nowadays.

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