Presenting the Ms. Marvel Episode 1 Workshop! Every week I’ll break down each new episode of Ms. Marvel “workshop” style! I’ll mention what I liked, disliked, and a question I had for the show.
For “Generation Why,” the first episode, I liked: the color palette. The colors are rich and saturated, mimicking a comic book/Sharpie aesthetic and South Asian clothing. I also liked Kamala’s father–his acting is so natural that it doesn’t even feel like he’s playing a character.
I did not like Kamala’s mother’s acting. It was strange and stiff and I couldn’t figure out her personality. I also did not like the calligraphy in their home because it felt too modern and high-end. It also featured Arabic script in a font never really used in South Asian calligraphy.
My big question: how are Kamala’s parent’s okay with her having a male best friend? I cannot make sense of why they’d allow Kamala to be so close with Bruno when they are concerned with what boys may think or do in relation to her at AvengerCon or any other “party.” Most Pakistani-American Muslim families, even if they do not practice Islam that much, would never allow this. Yet, Kamala’s parents are okay with Kamala and Bruno hanging out alone together, a huge problem in Islam and threat to Kamala’s “innocence” and “purity.” Her parents don’t just tolerate Bruno, they treat Bruno like a nephew! What makes Bruno so exceptional? Why have her parents turned a blind eye to the fact that he is a guy? I’m suspending my disbelief for now, but the show will have to prove to me why this is plausible.
I’ve borrowed this “workshop” style from my Creative Writing classes in undergrad. We would give feedback to our peers on their stories, mentioning what we liked and what we had questions about. I threw in what I disliked in here since I don’t have to worry about hurting a peer’s feelings.
All future video workshops can be found using this hashtag: #MsMarvelWorkshop
Brown Teacher Reads 