Ms. Marvel has concluded with a hilarious finale, topping off an enjoyable season. ‘No Normal’ brings the arcs of its main characters to a close and teases where Kamala is headed next. Damage Control takes the spotlight as the main villains, though any threat they have is lost extremely quickly.
‘No Normal’ does the right thing by quickly bringing Kamala back into the fold, and not dwelling on why she got back to New Jersey so quickly. Kamala attempts to tell her family that she has superpowers, only to find out that her secret has been leaked. This results in an amusing scene where Kamala is confused as to why she isn’t getting a huge reaction, with Iman Vellani giving an amazing speechless face to Kamala’s parents.
We finally spend a significant time with Damage Control, but nothing happens to flesh them out much more than prior episodes. They continue to display a lack of care for the Mosque, though there is a hilarious reversal of who’s in power. When Damage Control first visited the mosque in episode three, it’s clear they are the commanding presence, but in ‘No Normal’, this time it’s the Imam who has complete control of the situation, something he uses to his advantage.
While this is funny, it undercuts the threat Damage Control poses. They stop using lethal weapons, and all of a sudden care about public perception. It seems like there are divergent factions within Damage Control, though this isn’t explained well in the episode. And on top of that, Damage Control spends most of the episode being runaround across New Jersey and outwitted by children, again undermining their threat. All the missile drones in the world won’t compensate for that.
This culminates in Damage Control cornering Kamala and her friends in her school. Kamala proves the worth of her wild imagination, running rings around Damage Control with softballs and fire extinguishers. It is quite funny to see a high powered force given the runaround by children, though it does make them less threatening. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if Damage Control threatened Kamala in some other way that wasn’t just pure force.
What isn’t clear, though, is why Kamala and her friends stay at the school. They initially go to hide, but are followed almost instantly. This prompts Kamala and her friends to devise a plan to stall Damage Control. Why they need to do this isn’t explained very well, undermining the action.
In between the chase, ‘No Normal’ gives us some small character moments that help keep everyone grounded. Kamran and Kamala share several scenes together, and they further highlight why they should be together. When Kamran is lashing out at Damage Control, it’s Kamala that gets through to him and stops him by talking.
Damage Control being defeated by normal citizens, not just Kamala, sends a great message to the audience. It reminds them that they can stand up to overzealous units, and that they too have the power of public opinion to bring down even the most armed foes. While the show has a large focus on bringing representation to the Muslim community, it is everyone coming together that stops Damage Control. Stopping evil shouldn’t be left to one community after all.
The final two scenes of ‘No Normal’ help link it all into the rest of the MCU. The first is a reference to Kamala being a mutant, which is eye roll worthy, but the second is more interesting. Kamala turns into Carol Danvers, which is shocking, as many audiences thought Danvers would simply fly into New Jersey to investigate what’s going on. This way is more interesting, and serves to subvert what audiences expected.
‘No Normal’ satisfies audience expectations, with some funny action and the close relationships that have been present throughout the show. Damage Control lacks any sense of threat to make them compelling, a fault of prior episodes for not giving them enough time explaining them.
READ MORE: Ms. Marvel: Season 1 – Episode 5 ‘Time And Again’ REVIEW
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