Review: Ms. Marvel, "Seeing Red" | Season 1, Episode 4
A journey to Karachi further embeds Kamala's origin story into her, well, origins
Earlier this year, Apple TV+ released Pachinko, a story about the Japanese occupation of Korea, and how those Koreans who settled in Japan were still haunted by it, whether as memories for those who lived through it or cultural prejudices for those who must live in its shadow. If you haven’t had the chance to watch it, it’s beautiful and haunting, and worth catching up on even within the glut of Peak TV.
It also, as it turns out, makes a great thematic pairing for Ms. Marvel, which in its trip to Karachi continues to tie Kamala’s powers to the Partition of India that led to the creation of Pakistan and reshaped the lives of women like her grandmother. As she explains to Kamala as they overlook Karachi, she has a Pakistani passport, but she still feels Indian, and the border between those identities is bloody and painful. It is a very specific type of immigrant story, which echoes throughout the lineage as Kamala’s mother reflects on her choice to leave, and Kamala he…