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Ms. Marvel Episode 2 (Disney+): In the last episode, Kamala Khan got her powers and the audience was introduced to the major players in her immediate world. The next logical step is to have Kamala explore her powers, determine what she can do, and widen her world enough to introduce new characters outside her immediate status quo so she has someone to enter into conflict with. This episode delivers on that and continues the unique visual style and sense of humor that made the first episode so good. The one concern is not so much with the show as it is with the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large where there are too many organizations going around trying to fill the void left by the Avengers at the end of Avengers: Endgame. WandaVision
introduced S.W.O.R.D., Spider-Man: No Way Home expanded the Department of Damage Control’s jurisdiction, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
and Black Widow showed the beginnings of the Thunderbolts which is in active development at Marvel Studios. Considering what S.W.O.R.D. did in WandaVision, it would make a lot more sense if they were the organization tracking Kamala over Damage Control.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5 (Disney+): Giving Reva a backstory does benefit the story greatly, that said they should not have waited until episode five out of six to exposit it. The fact that she was a survivor of the attack on the Jedi Temple in Revenge of the Sith adds a lot to who she is as a character, however if her only motivation is to get revenge on Darth Vader for killing her friends at the temple there is no reason for her to be waiting this long. At one point in the episode before she interacts with Obi-Wan to exposit this information, she is on the bridge of a Star Destroyer with Darth Vader without any other Inquisitors around and she does not make a move. The other problem with the show (and really Star Wars as a whole) is that no one actually makes sure anyone is dead before they walk away from them. The idea that just stabbing someone and leaving them behind and hoping they don’t get back up is incredibly silly, especially with the frequency it happens.
The Time Traveler’s Wife Season Finale (HBOMax): The best thing that can be said about this episode is that the show is entering a hiatus until a possible season two. A lot of television shows tend to not leave anything on the table at the end of a season because it is not a guarantee that a second season will come. Considering the show started with Henry seeing parts of his dismembered body, a literal crime scene level of blood in his bathroom that came from him through time travel, and his older version of himself saying “you’ve seen the blood, you know it doesn’t end well for us,” it is confusing as to why they would not tell the story of Henry’s death. This episode follows the wedding of Henry and Claire and feels similar to Barry and Iris’s romance in The Flash where it doesn’t feel like the two fall in love as much as the guy falls in love with the girl and the girl just gives in to fate because she is powerless to stop it. If the show is designed to be a romance with science fiction aspects and neither of these portions of the show work properly, there is nothing to bring audiences through the finish line.
The Worst Person In The World (Hulu): After being nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards, The Worst Person in the World finds a VOD home at Hulu. The movie follows Julia over the course of four years as she tries to navigate her love life and career and battle through her own indecision. It is worth a watch for anyone who enjoys romantic comedies, especially black comedies. The movie is in Norwegian so it will in all likelihood be watched with subtitles for most viewers.
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Thor: Ragnarok (Disney+): With Thor: Love and Thunder just a few weeks out, viewers may want to revisit the movie that righted the ship for the franchise that was in deeply troubled waters. Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok tells Marvel Studios’ version of the end of Asgard while also borrowing elements from Planet Hulk. It brings a new sense of levity to the characters and breathed new life into the franchise after Thor and Thor: The Dark World failed to set the world on fire.
