Hello. And welcome back to another episode of MCU. You need to know a podcast dedicated to the Marvel cinematic universe and everything you need to know. I'm Trey. I'm Jude.
How you doing
Trey? I'm pretty good, man. I okay. I'm laughing because last week when I was editing and I got to the I'm Jude part, you said it. So like action news. Now that it, it, it hit me so hard in the edits. that's funny. I'm Jude.
You know what? It's so funny. Like I remember. Saying, my name was one of the hardest parts to learn when we first started and now I'm so comfortable with it. And I admit, I kind of vary it on purpose just a little bit still. Like, I haven't quite settled in the best way to say my own name. Um, so yeah, listen, you
got, you gotta keep 'em on their toes. You know, they never know what's gonna gonna happen after the I'm train that's
right. I mean, I'm sure people listen, just tune in for just that. Oh, okay. I said it this way. This time
click, if you exist, if that's you let us know, I wanna know. Yeah. The person that listens to like the first three minutes and that's up? What about you June? How are you doing
it's Friday mm-hmm of a three day. Which is also weird because it's summer school. So I'm only doing half days anyway. So it's like, I don't know. It's weird. um, but my oldest also comes home, been traveling internationally, gets home, uh, tomorrow super excited about that Sunday, his father's day. And we'll go to my dad's house for a little bit, eat a burger, eat a hot dog, probably take a nap.
so that sounds like a good father's day to me. you know?
Uh, so yeah, so like that's, uh, that's what I have
lined up. Nice. So I do wanna mention this cuz I'm super excited that I think it was this Monday, the day, our last episode dropped Thor tickets finally went on sale. So I was able to secure mine for that Saturday, July 9th. And I'm really excited, man. I it's getting to the point where it feels like the MCU movies are just sneaking up on me. Like they're happen happening so frequently. It's just like you turn around and there's a new one.
yeah. Um, I can't, I I've had my th tickets for a while. Really? Um, yeah, and I just, I don't, I don't really wanna get into how I got 'em cuz I have to bash. Multiverse madness to explain.
So, yeah. All right. So if you downloaded this episode, you need . Jude: Well, if you remember, it was, it was the whole thing about, about not bringing our food and, and drinks. Right. And we got comp two tickets. And so I love it. This is how mega Thor. I love how you can't say that without bashing multiverse.
look before, before I get us in trouble again, I'm gonna go ahead and say, if you downloaded this episode, you know that we're gonna be talking about season one episode, two of this Marvel titled crushed. Wanted to make sure I got that in this week since I missed it last week. Uh,
yeah. And look, look for all of y'all y'all know who y'all are. Trace, trace, sat me down, had the talk. So I will no longer talk about Dr. Strange and the multiverse. Sadness. You're driving me madness.
I like yours better. I love how you say I sat you down for the talk where you called me. oh man. So if you're new to this show, the way we're gonna handle it is we're gonna have some pre spoiler thoughts for the latest episode of miss Marvel followed by the spoiler zone where we'll get into the full details. So before we get there, Jude, what are your pre spoiler thoughts for this episode of miss Marvel? So
I spoiler texted you and TK all caps. Oh my God. I love this show. I think by the time the opening credit started like, I, I, I just, I don't know how they did it. Like as much as I loved episode one, they were able to like, I feel like they're setting me up for a fall cuz it's so good. You know? And it's just like, oh my gosh, how is this episode better than the first one, you know, or, or at least on par and. Crossing my fingers for episode three, that they keep this up.
Mm-hmm I have no reason to feel like that they can't.
So I think I'm the, the sour grapes in this scenario, because you were talking about how much you loved it and I just texted you back. I'm afraid to get hurt again. cuz it always feels like the Disney plus shows start off so strong and then by the end it's like, oh, okay, whatever. But yeah, I'm on that same limb with you.
And I just wanted to add, not only did you spoiler text the group that you loved it so much, you also messaged me in on a separate, just two me message and said take an hour off work and just watch it and uh, if I would've found time to take off for an hour to watch it, it would've been well worth it, cuz I I'm right on that limb with you. I think the biggest takeaway I had from this episode is we often talk about. How representation's important. Right?
And one of the things we mention is how it gives an avenue for people to see themselves on the screen. The thing that I think is wonderful about miss Marvel is not only is, am I sure that it's doing that it's educational as well? Like there are things that we'll get into that I, like, I didn't know about that. I found myself going down rabbit holes, reading about that really demonstrated why representation is so important because these are stories that are getting front and center attention.
And it's just, I, it, this, this series is special already and I I'm fully in love with everything. Episode two has done so far. Yeah. I,
I, I'm gonna say this. And it's weird because I feel like I've said this multiple times. And so it, it's, it's a recency bias that I'm trying to be careful of, but it's just like, this might be the, my favorite or the best, you know? And it's like, oh, I said that about Hawkey I kind of said that about moon night, you know, and, and stuff. And the, the excitement I have in watching it and, and rewatching, it is just off the charts.
I think the best distinguishing thing I can say before heading into the spoiler zone is we were talking about it and I had this distinction where it's like, look, I like midnight, two episodes in missed Marvel is such an easier recommendation than that show for sure. But I think it might be the easiest recommendation out of any of the MCU shows. So for, oh yeah. Without question. Yeah, well with those pre spoiler thoughts outta the way, I think we can go ahead and jump into the spoiler zone.
So, like I said, you're gonna hear an audio cue and on the other side, it'll be fair game for all spoilers in the MCU, except Dr. Strange in the multiverse of madness. We'll see you on the other side and we're back. So the way we're gonna handle this is we're gonna break this down into the most important topics. This week. We have the mosque board hero training, family history and hard light or flight.
The first one with the mosque board is going to have us detailing the storylines where NAIA is pointing out the inequality of the women's section of the mosque and how that eventually leads to her, deciding to run for the board after some encouraging from Kamala. So Jude starting with you, where would you like to start within this first section?
I'm gonna start with something that you said to me. Okay. How effective this show is telling NAIAs story as well. Uh, she's not just this sidekick supporting character. Like she has her own, you can see this own growth and the way, well, let's put it this way. She's not there just to support Kamala Kamala. Is there, you know, and supporting her as if like it's her show just as much as the other way around, um, in terms of.
The, not the interaction, but the encouragement of running for the board, you know, and, and, and those types of things, even, even like, like, okay, so like when they came out of the mosque and she's doing the whole, the future is here and the future is her kind of, kind of stuff like that whole conversation. If you just isolate that out, you would think that NAIA was the main character. And it's the story about her fight or struggles, which was, uh, really cool. I like that.
You, you, you teased that
out. Yeah. I went for the joke and I texted you right after I watched it. And I said, B plot, and my Marvel studio shows, what is this? And I was genuinely caught off guard by how much I felt I was missing that in the other Disney plus shows. And to kind of explain a little bit further on what it is I'm getting at and I'm welcoming any kind of pushback. Cuz I have been like just running through this criteria to see if any of the other shows reach this, but.
So many of the Disney plus shows feel so laser focused on the story, the problem at hand, where with this one, it is something that is pertinent to the themes that they're exploring with miss Marvel. But as you said, it stands on its own. And so the closest, I think we can get to is the boat plot line in Falcon and the winter soldier. But even then it was from Sam's perspective. We were seeing that outskirts of the story through what it was doing to Sam, but this is truly NAIAs story.
And I think what makes that special, other than the importance of the storyline, which I'm sure we'll get into. Is if these shows are about like, okay, here's this hero that is going to save the day they have this certain group or this population that they're trying to save. And we know it's important to them, but this show taking the time to show stories like NAIA makes it feel that much more important. And so it is wonderful storytelling.
And the thing that I meant when I said, okay, it's, it's pertinent to the themes that they're exploring. I love that conversation in the bathroom where NAIA says, until I put the hijab on, I felt like I didn't have a purpose. And now I finally feel like I get to be me. And so that's obviously paralleling what Kamala is going through with her, trying to find identity within her costume, within her new, uh, film superpowers. And so it is. Best example.
I think of what I talk about where superhero stories are relatable stories taken to the extreme. You have the extreme with Kamala going through the fantastical side and you have NAIA dealing with the everyday side. And I love that it's NAIA, who is being almost, not necessarily the mentor, but being the guiding light for Kamala within that scene. Mm-hmm well, and
you see it in Kamala as well, that, that culturally foot in both worlds, the, the, the, the connection she has with Bruno. But then the infatuation head over heels, uh, with come around and there's a similar interest there that is not just, I'm a junior, you're a senior or in high school, attractive, you know, there, there's also a cultural, similar cultural interest. And so in terms of the Bollywood movies and stuff like that, and, and more Bruno, he just he's, he's trying his best. Right?
Like he's, he's like, I like Bollywood, you know, um, I, I like this and I'm like, like, what are you talking about?
Didn't he, didn't he say it was pleasing to me which is the weirdest way to describe a movie.
yeah. You know, so, so even there, not just the, the identity of like, oh, who am I there? I mean, there is this identity of like, what, which I'm, I'm sure, you know, I'm many people. Various cultural differences have that experience of like I'm here in the us and my family's culturally one thing, but friends in this is culturally something else. And I kind of feel I have a foot in both worlds, um, and you can shift back and forth. Um, and you, and you see Kamala doing that between these two.
Love interest, maybe they're high school. So I, I didn't wanna use love, very crush, interest, very crush interest, maybe better, very, very loosely. Um,
and I think that's what hit me so much in terms of why representation is important in this episode, this is 100% an immigrant story. I mean, Nokia's line, I'm too white for some or too ethnic for others. And I feel like I'm in this sucky in between. And I think that's 100%, it's kind of like what, what sh Chi tackled a little bit, you know, he wasn't, he didn't quite feel American. He didn't feel quite, you know, in tune with his father's origins.
And so he was in this middle place and that's where he had to conquer. And so we're seeing that here. And I think, you know, just to put the, the hammer on it again, it's brilliant storytelling that they have put knock yet in this place.
Yeah. Well, and it's so funny to me. Okay. So a little bit on a personal side, you know, and, and where like, I feel like I identify with it and why I pull, tease that out. So like we're cousins, my mom, your rant.
Surprise.
you remember? Where's your that's. Why do you have a British accent? You're Pakistani. No.
I make that joke. Yeah. I wonder how many people who are listening are just now realizing we cousins for the first time.
yeah. Right. so, okay, so, so we're cousins, right? My mom's your aunt, your mom's my aunt. Um, so we have grandparents that are the same great grandparents and great grandparents from Mexico, from my dad's side, Irish, English, and French Canadian. Right. And so, you know, and I I've always felt like I've had this kind of foot in two worlds for that reason. And I remember in my early to mid twenties, one time memo said to me, and I forgot exactly the context and how it came up.
A memo said to me, don't worry. You're still my middle little Mexican grand baby. I'm in my early to mid twenties. And I'm like, I didn't know, this was a question like, like, I didn't even know this was, this was ever in question. Like what, wait, what, um, Like, I, I never felt like I needed to do that reassurance.
Um, but, but I, I guess I did so, or at least my mom thought I did at the time so, yeah, but it was just like, but, but it was one of those things where it was like, yeah, this kind of foot in, in both worlds on, on that and that, and that's um, so it's not quite the same is, is what Kamala and NA is going through, but it's definitely why something stood out to me, you know, in, in, in that
sense. And I think that foothold on both worlds. Makes them equally adept at pursuing the mosque board, because I mean, they're quick to point out about how the woman's side of the mosque is just so run down the audio. System's terrible to the point that it's causing disruptions and the lecture. Uh, I didn't even catch it on the first time because there's a scene where they're like washing their hands before going into the, the main room and something falls. And I was like, what was that?
And it wasn't until later that I realized, oh, that's literally the walls falling apart from just how run down it was. And so I like that it sets her on that path to wanting to run for the board to help, you know, a little bit more equal treatment. It's I love that. Eventually we get to that scene where, well, where it starts is Kamala is like encouraging her to do it. She's like, no, no, you know, my uncle's doing it. I don't wanna, I don't wanna get in on that. And it.
Yeah, I think this is the final scene of that storyline. In this episode, it ends with her talking to Kamala's dad, swaying him to vote for her. And I like how effective she was in doing, or at least proving her case that she's taking this seriously.
Yeah. Well, and it's interesting cuz in my second watch, it made me wonder about this show and the risks they were taking marvels taking, and it could be a risk and it can't, and it might not be a risk. And it's really one of those sayings. Well, let's put it this way. Uh, this show is a text, right? Just like. Anything. And there's whether it's a book show, any kind of media, think of it as a text. And there's the intended reading from the creator, author, showrunner, whatever.
But then there's also the reading that we have and participating with the work and the art and what do I bring to it and take out of it. And so I remember watching it and wondering like, oh, wow, are they, are they challenging the faith of Islam? Right. And, and maybe bringing delight perceptions of Islam, right. And, and treatment of women, like, is that what they're doing?
And that's, you know, for Disney Marvel, that could be kind of risky, but at the same time, like there, the second time through I'm watching, it is like, I don't think so, because for me, I'm looking at it and it's like, clearly the relationship they're shutting up with, you know, Kamala and her dad. Is one of tremendous love and care. Right. And NA's choice of wearing the hijab and stuff like that. Whereas which means you go back to the mosque, right. And there's like, oh, look at this area.
This is where we're at. And this is the it's falling apart. You wonder where you can look at it is like they don't care about women. Right. And that's one way to read it. But the second time through, it's more of like, no, that's not the case. It's, it's one of those. It feels like they're showing like how separate those worlds are.
Like, like they wouldn't know because you don't have a voice, you know, and, and on the board, or you're not in that area of the mosque and there's a separate, you have no idea, you know what I mean? Um, until you really, you know, you might, it's one of those things, like, even as a teacher, Have it with my students, right. Unless I am aware of their experiences as a student and what they're going through, you know, and I consider those things.
I'm just taking my best guesses off of perceptions that they're happy, you know, and, and things are going well. And, and so, so it was interesting how, in one way, I thought it was like, oh man, this feels like they're taking a risk. And then the other way, it's like, they're not really taking a risk.
They're really portraying that, that separation and showing that, yeah, there's still kind of a healthy respect because like, he didn't really chastise Kamala in Akia for speaking out, you know, during prayer time in the lecture, it was just like, Hey, don't speak during the lecture. Like, you know what I mean? He didn't raise his voice. He didn't there. And so there was a, a dignity and respect there, you know? And, and, and so, so I really liked how they portrayed that.
You know, I'm, I'm glad you highlighted that because that was, what did he say is like, oh, you know, thank you for showing us the importance of having your voice heard perhaps next time. Not during my lecture though. So it's like 100% there is that healthy respect. She does have pride in that faith. It's just showing the importance of having that seat at the table to be able to have that representation and be like, Hey, you know what? These are the problems we have.
This is how we can move forward to make things better. So I, I really appreciate that storyline a lot. And to bring it back one more time to that. The, is it emo bark wherever they, they are, or, or whenever Nokia is trying to convince USF, uh, Kamala's dad to vote for her. You know, we talked about it whenever we did. The Dr. Strange review where it's that filmmaking technique, right? Where you have a character and then the camera just like follows them as a perspective shift.
Yeah. To show how a person has been or visually depicting how a person has changed. I love that they did that for USEF. You can see the moment where his vote has changed visually and it, the camera flips to you to the point where you see the uncle who's running as well, just out of focus. And he's like, what, what was that? So I love how they played with that mechanic visually, just to have him back in focus.
yes. Yeah. Like that was, that was really what the camera work in. This is amazing. I'm gonna get a little bit off topic, but it is pertinent cuz it just came up. Cuz you know, I mentioned in the last episode they didn't have to do the locker scene that way. Like from the other side of the locker, you know, with the locker separation, there was another shot and I'm forgetting it now. But my note basically is I love how. They visually show the walls.
People in particular teenagers put up with each other with, uh, with adults, with, with each other, but they're with, they're using the camera and the blocking to visually like they are separated, um, by the physical space. I think it was early on Kamala and Bruno after she did her little I'm confident dance through the halls and they made up a Bruno and they're, and they're walking, but they go through separate doors.
And so like, it's little things like that little techniques of like these, this like, and manipulating the space to show this separation for even as close as they are, there's this. And we all do it. It's a human thing, you know, and, and the younger you are, I think it's even harder. Um, but to have that, or be willing to be intimate in terms of being vulnerable and opening. You know, um, and, and so it's like, oh, this is my best friend, but you really, you know, and you're that age.
You're still kind of guarded a lot of times. And, and so they use that physical space like that it's really well done and really well
thought out. So I just looked it up real quick. That way we can properly credit this episode was directed by Mira Manan. And last week was a deal in bill law, which if I'm not mistaken, they are the guys who directed bad boys for life, which is one of the last movies that came out of, uh, 20, 20 before the pandemic. And I remember specifically, cuz I had no interest in the movie, but the reception was, this is way better than a sequel to this series deserves to be.
And they were crediting those directors. So like this, seeing the work that's been done so far makes me wanna go back and watch bad boys for life. Uh,
I'm gonna add that to my list for sure now. Well, and, and it's one of those things where I think there's three different directors. Each getting two episodes
for miss Marvel. Yes. It looks like there is a deal in Beal Mira, Manon. Charin obeyed Chino, and yeah. So like you said three different directors or three sets I should say. Yeah.
And, and, and they get, they're getting two, two each. So no I'm in, I'm gonna go watch bad boys for life now. Cuz that's well, cause, cause like I said, I, I wasn't like, I like the first bad boys. I don't even remember if I seen the second one. Um, which is weird. If you look at my letter box, I have like 1500 movies viewed. Like it's just love watching movies, man. If, if, if they're directing it the way they're directing this, I'm in completely, that alone will be worth it.
So I'm gonna use what you just talked about because I do, I remember this senior talking about that uses the filmmaking to show. Bruno and Kamala being on separate paths.
So the next section is hero training, which is going to be the section where we detail the newfound confidence that Kamala has in the opening, the training montage that they go through as she's trying to develop her powers, as well as the storylines featuring Bruno, where he gets accepted into Caltech while juggling with some of the jealous of Comran. So playing off what you just said though, the thing that is, there's two things.
The, I love the way you depicted, how they're going in separate paths, because it's a reverse of what you highlighted last week with the lockers, where he had to cross over demonstrating that he's on her side. And so the fact that this episode features them kind of straining that friendship just a little bit. I think that's brilliant. And the other thing that is so strong about this opener with Kamala is one expectation wise.
I had no idea where they were going with the way they ended in episode one, where she just got in trouble. So to start this one on such a high note, where she bursts through the school, and it's a reverse of how she was in the first episode is special because within this same episode, they specifically call out how, Hey, it really seems like this power is coming from within you and not necessarily from the BELE.
It's almost demonstrating how, like this confidence was in her from the beginning, because even though we know she's riding high from the captain Marvel competition, it eventually ends up where it's like, oh no, no, Zoe's the one who's getting all the accolades from that because she came in contact with the hero. So even though nobody has perceptually changed their view on Kamala, she feels different. And so I loved how that is. I don't know.
I don't wanna say foreshadowed, but you can feel that in the way this episode opens know what's gonna be really
unique. What's that? And interesting is Peter Parker Spiderman homecoming in civil war, right. Peter Parker and civil war says I couldn't play football before, so I can't do it now. Right. You know, he, the whole showing up to the party is Spider-Man and, and, and like, he's very like, no, I'm not gonna take advantage of this.
You know, that's a very, very grounded down to earth, mature, responsible thing to do of the high school kid, especially in the day and age, where in the day and age where I'm so old
so I heard what these kids are doing.
okay. You wanna talk about a reality check? So I'm flipping through these little, these reels, you know, and it was like, what, what is something you do now that you never would've thought you would've done when you were younger? And then it switches to somebody else? You know, somebody says that switches to somebody else and looking right into the camera.
And they're like, if you would've told me in my twenties that I would be 40 flipping through videos on my phone, short videos on my phone to ignore my own mental health. I would've said you're crazy immediately. I'm looking at it. I'm like, I can't, why are you calling me out? I like turned off throat now the whole, the point of that, and why I say that is like, is like, she's a junior. And, and like, she's such a typical kid so far, and it makes sense to, to have that.
I feel like a nobody now I'm somebody. And my quote, unquote, rival, so to speak is getting the credit that I should be getting. And so I'm really curious how they pull that through and that temptation to be like, no I'm Ironman or no, you know what I mean? That kind of have that moment. I miss Marvel because it is so tempting, you know, the kid, because to do that and not just because like, oh, you're a young kid, but I mean, how many followers do you have? How many views do you have?
How many likes, like we're in that culture that, that, that validation, you know, is, is, is there. And when you all of a sudden do something worthy of that validation and your quote and your arch nemesis, so to speak is getting that credit. That takes one. Hello, mature person, not to. Be like, okay, I gotta keep this secret. You, you know what I mean? Um, and so I'm really curious of if, what, what they're gonna do with that,
you know, I'm so glad you've drawn that Spider-Man homecoming and civil war comparison, because I mean, this straight up feels like homecoming felt in the authenticity of these kids and what it would be like for them to deal with these powers. And you're right. That Kamala has demonstrated being that typical kid so far. And I like that she, she's kind of right there so far with Peter Parker in that like, no, I know I shouldn't do this.
Like imagine if the person who saved her was, you know, public about it, how many followers they would've gotten. And Bruno's like, well, that's why secret identities are important. Right. yeah. So he's like trying to, cause he can see that she's being tempted by it, but she hasn't quite crossed into that, that revelation just yet. So it's definitely on her mind as well.
She understands it, I guess, at least internally, um, But it is interesting that outside of Spider-Man are there, is there anyone else who really holds their secret identity that close? I guess maybe the Eternals, but it wasn't necessarily them. Just the fact that they were super all together. Cause king out there making movies
yeah. The Eternals are the only ones that come to mind moon night, I guess. Yeah, but he's not public. The very public, the way Spiderman and already nightlight is
I, I want, you know, we always talk about this all the time. Like, let's get a perspective of just the everyday person as a Disney plus show. I would love to see what the everyday person would come up with for the names of the HEROs. Right? Not necessarily like the captain Americas and the Ironmans who are well known, but some of the lesser known like until in game, what did people refer to Scott Lang
I don't know. I don't remember. I don't know if the public called man, man. I think it was the, that man was all around PI.
So we got, we got nightlight and we've got night monkey so far. Yes. So eventually we do get that wonderful training montage. And I immediately thought of you whenever they went through it, because so often you, I think you, if you go all the way back to our Daredevil episodes, I think you were the first person to illustrate that idea of how they're leveling up as you're going along through the story as a way to demonstrate like, kind of like that escalation from here to here.
I love that it's almost a literal leveling up as Kamala's learning how to use those hard lights to step higher and higher. But I with, I will say it is funny and it just, it speaks to the kid nature of her. I love how she was failing at shorter distances and kept trying at higher distances. well, if it didn't work from the safe space, let me go a little bit higher.
right. But what I loved about that training montage. Is how I think, I think how effective they, they did in terms of like, cuz we've seen training montages, you know, I mean we've watched Tony stark do it. We've watched. Oh,
add that to the bracket list idea. Oh
yes. Um, who else? So we've seen him do it. We've seen Atman do it right with the keyhole and all those other things. Did Keith Bishop have a training montage? Not really. She kind of was like, you
know, her training montage was the credits that demonstrated all her trophy.
right. Toby McGuire and his Spiderman had a training montage, um, you know, Andrew Garfield and his Spiderman had a training montage. So in other words, like we've seen it like, oh, I had these new powers and I gotta kind of figure it out. And so we've seen it before, but, but for, I don't know, I can't put my finger on it. Why did this one feel different? I, I, I, I actually know why between iron man and this one, because iron and iron man, he was like testing it out.
And it was very scientific, you know, 10%, 5% one, you know, and those types of things and very scientific kind of thing. Whereas Kamala was just very playful and there's this nervousness it's like watching a kid learn how to ride a bike the first time or skateboard the first time. And it's like, you know, there's this nervousness. And once they get it though, it's like, oh, I can do anything now. You know, it's like, no, you just kind of barely learn how to ride a bike.
You can balance now but, you know, and, and so they feel like they can do anything. And so. So I think it was the playfulness with, with how they did it, but it, it was definitely felt different. It was just, it, it felt like a training montage that I've never seen before, but it was like, I've seen tons of these before.
If I could take a stab at what you're getting at. I think it's a training montage in a world where superheroes are established. So it has that air of, okay, well maybe I have super string. So she goes and does pushups. She's like, okay, no, that's not it. And then you see her running. So maybe she was training for like super speed. No, I don't have that. And then she already reveals like, well, I tried to turn small, so clearly I don't have ANMP power . And so it's like, it has that.
Kid like worldview of, of being granted, something fantastical that you don't quite understand yet, which makes the revelation where she sees Bruno playing crash, Bandicoot so much funnier that she's drawing inspiration for video games. Yeah. On how to start accessing her power. Yeah. Yeah. But, but that's, the
other thing is like, is like with Tony stark, he's building it. Right. So there's this intentionality and thought behind it. This is truly just a discovery.
I will say this. Cause I know you haven't seen it without getting too much into spoilers. There is something very similar in Shaza. Okay. So that, that was the other one that it made. It reminded me of, uh, but I think I, I get what you're, you're getting at as far as why it feels different. And I think what's also different about it is how much it shows her getting.
And like, they didn't need to like that scene where she, like, she's using the hard light and she falls like face first and like almost skids a little bit. You're seeing consequences of her trying this. It's not that like, oh, I've got powers. I can do anything. She is like putting in the work and pain and sweating tears for it. Okay. So the other
training montage that just popped in my head with Sam Wilson with, um, the
shield, the shield, one of the best scenes in that series. And I
love that you brought up about the kidding hurt and the consequences, because again, a very typical kid thing, what I just said about now, I got this now where it's like, you're a superhero. If that's, or, you know, if that's what you're gonna do, you need to train, it's a craft. You have to cultivate your craft, right. Just cuz you know how to use your powers. There's this creativity, right. That, that comes with it of like.
Well, not just the creativity, but a lot of stuff that, that comes with it, that, that you get out of training and experience. And Bruno comes up to her and is like, Hey, it's, it's time to train. She's like, nah, I'll do I'll train some other time. It's like, no, what? No, like you need like, and I'm thinking that in my head, I was like, no, you need to train like this isn't you can't go running around using those powers without, with like training. It's like any skill or craft.
Um, but it's, again, it's very cute thing. Ah, I got I'll put it off to it later. I got this
study for a test. I think the best example. the best example. I think I, I can go back to Ironman. The difference of the, okay. I have these skills now versus the training. Obba when he didn't solve the freezing problem, like Tony stark had put in the work, so he understood what to do. So I get what you're you're. Explaining there. And so, you know, I do wanna say one more thing, cuz you did talk about how like, okay, no, you need to do the training. You need to like, what are you doing?
You need to do this now. There's wonderful foreshadowing where once they're in that attic and she's kind of like showing off that power again and she, I forgot what it was. She sets off a series of events where Bruno almost gets, uh, something VA on him. So she pushes another way and she's like, look, I saved you. Yeah. Only cuz you almost killed me first I thought that it was a wonderful foreshadowing for what we eventually get, uh, at the end of this episode.
so of course we'll, we'll pick that up later, but I think we can go ahead and move into our next most important topic, which is simply family history. So within this episode, we've got a lot going on where we have that wonderful dinner scene, where they are explaining to Taisha about their family history, with the partition, how their family came to be and how they immigrated to the United States.
Uh, we have the story of Kamala's great grandmother with the train and almost missing it and people not being quite sure how she was able to get back to her family. And of course, all the scenes in eed, mu bark with the Aluma aunties. I
love that. I love
that. So Jude starting with you this time, where would you like to start within this section?
All of it. Um,
oh, I did forget to mention this also can be where we talk about come run and the, the crush that Kamala has on him, as well as the unfortunate revelation by the end. Mm-hmm
so, well, I was gonna say, I mean, I jokingly say all of it cuz uh, family history is really fascinating to me. And in a couple of ways, uh, one is, and this is more my experience. So I don't, I'm, I'm kind of projecting out, but it's like when I was younger, I didn't really pay that close attention to family history. And as I've gotten older, I've, I've asked more questions. I've gotten more interested. I haven't dove into it yet.
And, and part of it is, cause I feel like I would be reinventing the wheel specifically from my dad's side. Um, I'm not sure if any on my mom's side is, has, has done this yet, but getting into like the ancestry or genealogy, you know, dot the ancestry.com or genealogy or something like that. And really just kind of putting together that family tree, um, because there's, there's this element.
And, and it's interesting that I talk that I, you know, I even talk with my students with this about sometimes, uh, sometimes about this whole like. You know, second death being the last time someone says your name right after a physical death, or, you know, on a, on a smaller scale, let's say I didn't return to my place of work next year as a teacher. Well, last year I had only seniors. So those people are graduating off who interacted with me regularly in terms of students.
I had some interactions with other grade levels, but pretty much, you know, two class that class is graduated off. I graduate one more class off. I'm gonna face a year in the yearbook. You know, like, like, you know, if a teacher teaches all freshmen and then leaves, no other freshman class has them, you know, and once they, you know, and once. That freshman class cycles out. They're kind of a name, a yearbook, and, and it's almost the same way in my head with family.
And, and I loved watching Kamala, you know, have that interest, start to ask those questions. Tell me about, you know, tell me this story, tell me what happened. I want to know because it's just as much of even, even though, you know, her, her mom is, is, is wanting to hide it. It is a much of it is just much about who she is and, and the connection to. I think a deeper connection to, to her family and, and her culture.
And, and so that's, that's why I say like all of it, just that digging in is just awesome.
You know, so, you know, preport with thought and I talked about the importance of representation, not only for what it can do in seeing yourself on screen, but what it can do as far as educating people, even outside of that culture. And the biggest thing for me was learning about the partition, you know, just through my own ignorance. It was something that I was not familiar with.
And I found myself reading about it in the Marvel studio, subreddits, as people were linking to it with information, uh, F you know, I watched a video that I'll link in the show notes that, you know, detail just kind of a broad overview of, you know, what happened in India as it was divided into these different religious sex and how it split up families. And what struck me as so hard hitting on the second time, because the first time it was like, wow, this is really interesting.
You can feel that there's history here, but on the second view, realizing how impactful that partition was for the family, but it was so commonplace for them that they were telling the story as though like, oh, Amir and Kamala have heard this a million times. They know how it ends. They were reciting what their dad was gonna say, but it's, it's tragic. And so like, that's, I think that contrast of how commonplace it was for them within their family origins, but how devastating the reality was.
And you could see the mom still carries it. Obviously there, that side of the family's impacted the most by it. I don't know. I just, it it's this, this show's powerful. I think. And that small little scene of the family as they were just sharing their stories to this newcomer, who's being married into the family with Taisha. It's it's one of my favorite scenes, I think, of the Disney plus show so far. Mm-hmm mm-hmm
well, and it's, it's interesting. You, you, you highlight that, cuz it's something I talked with, uh, my students about today kind of, I kind of more planning seeds next week. I'll dive into it a little bit more. Um, but when I talk to 'em about family and, and talk to 'em about if they decide one day to get married and how so much of their own, you know, in terms of family history, so much of their own view of family or any of us comes from and what a family is and should be.
Um, and what I say is, is cuz there's an element of, there's such a variety of family. So you have your ideas of what family is that comes from your experience. Um, but you could have a Terra, unfortunately you could have a terrible experience growing up a family and, and you get the idea of like, this is not what it should be. A family should be this and not this, you know, um, And you take that into this relationship.
And, and, and when you have that combining or melding of families through marriage, you're, you're starting something new, but I'm, I'm bringing as a person, I'm bringing those experiences with me, you know? And, and so to ask those questions, to hear those stories and want to know about those stories, I think is very important and having an interest and, and having an interest in the person is also, you know, knowing their family of origin and their family history.
And, and cuz it, it tells you something as to why people do what they do and act the way they act. And so it's it's yeah, it was, it was really, like I said, really, really powerful. Cause you know, she doesn't really like Bonjovi she just
to
get along with the mom.
Because this is like, oh, okay. Taisha. I thought I was about to say, wait, what do you mean the mom? Doesn't like, I see
what you mean. Yeah. Yeah. This is, this is like, we're getting about to get married, throw five years into the marriage and she'd be like, oh, I don't really like Bonjovi
I only knew the one song. I'm more Def Leppard. Oh man. Well sticking in that same dinner scene. I do wanna highlight the story that is eventually told because you know, we talked about it last week with there's some connection to the Beal and Kamala's powers that, you know, the mom is warier because she, she shuts it down again within this episode where Kama was like, you were the one who was telling me to find my own story. And she was like, yes, but not this one.
So of course the story is if I'm remember it correctly, Sauna is Kamala's mother, who is the child that is separated from the family. And the great grandmother. Aisha is the one that disappeared. That is the owner of the Bengal that eventually gets passed on to Kamala mm-hmm my interpretation of what that story is, is that sauna, the, the Kamala's grandmother gets separated as a child and claims that she followed the stars to get to her family. Again, I'm reading that as it was the hard light.
Well, we've now come to known as the hard light that that was somehow the guiding force that brought that child back to the train and reunited with their family. And it's setting up, I think, a very potential heartbreak in the future that if this is the, the story that it ends up being. Aisha was the one to help continue this family.
Yet. She bears the burden of all the shame, which whew man, as, as, as much as that, that, that nucleus of them at the dinner table is talking about the importance of their origin and the importance of like what it means to understand where you come from to have that miscommunication also thrown into the mix. I'm very curious to see where they're gonna go with this entire storyline. Well, that
story made me wonder who used the bangle because my first thought was Kamala's mom used the bangle to get back to the train,
but then Kamala's mom wouldn't have been born. Right?
I was thinking Kamala's mom was the little kid. No, that was the grandmother.
That was the grandmother. Um, the ones that ends up getting to FaceTime call. Yes. So her mother, her the one that potentially
used. Um, okay, so I got that wrong but, but, okay,
well it's still your first reaction. I didn't mean to cut you off. Sorry.
No, no, no, no. But I'm saying my first reaction E person, regardless, my first thought was like, oh, the little kid used the bangle, but now I'm wondering, did the adult use the bangle and help them? I don't know. I'm gonna have to rewatch it. Darn
as if you weren't already planning to do so. I know. Right. So I'm really excited about that. And, and, you know, it carries over because eventually when they get Tobar, one of Kamala's objectives is to visit with the illumines and try and find out more. Cuz obviously she's tried going through her mom, her mom's not gonna open up about it. So she'll go to, uh, the sisters and I love the progression of like I heard she had an affair. I heard she had multiple affairs. I heard she killed a guy.
yeah. I love how it just kept getting more and more judgemental and outlandish, which I think is why they have earned the title of Illumina on teams. mm-hmm mm-hmm
gossip like that is so wrong. But we do it, people do it and I'd be lying if I said I didn't participate sometimes. So why I'm so quiet. I admit there's times where it's just like, oh, I heard this. And it's just like, you know, uh, this is just hearsay. It's like, and then in the back of my mind, it's like, what are you doing? really, what'd the person say, like, it's dumb.
We all give into
it. We really that's how that curiosity.
I was gonna say, that's how Kamala, uh, enticed Bruno to go. I, because when that scene first happened, which was like, come on, even if there's gonna be some hot gossip, I thought that it was because Kamala knows that Bruno likes being a part of that family and like getting into all the details, but then it clicks like, no it's because they're gonna try and find out about the bank. mm-hmm mm-hmm . Jude: So good. You know what I go ahead.
I just realized we completely forgot to highlight any of the Bruno stuff in the previous section.
that's okay. Okay. He's look, Bruno has clearly been put on the bench.
You mean Brian? Yeah. I'm
sorry. Brian has clearly been put on the bench. Um, and you know, he can contribute a little bit, but over, off to the side. Um, but I do love the storytelling that how we're getting pieces of that family history from grandmother, this, oh, I can't say, you know, the Illuminati, the, the Illuminati, the illumines, you know, when you're getting little pieces and how they're slowly feeding us this story. You know, and, and, and, and putting this pieces together. I do really
enjoy that. It's interesting too, because so much of the theme so far is the emergent theme so far is like finding your story, finding who it is you wanna be in this world. And the north star isn't even truly a north star because it's being watered down through these other people, which I think is like highlighting the importance of it being you to, to make those discoveries on your own, because otherwise it is just somebody else's story until you've, you've made an active participation in it.
Mm-hmm . So the other thing I think we need to tackle within this section is clearly the come on stuff. And you know what, I'll start here before I get into what I was going to say, because obviously Kamala has a crush on him.
She eventually gets to have a lot of connections with him, where they start talking about Bollywood and they start talking about music and they clearly they're hitting it off mm-hmm And so they end up having their date, her coming back home, I might have gotten the sequence outta order, her coming back home. That was from the,
that was from the party,
right? The dance sequence where the lights all pink and she's dancing and happy. I loved it. Yeah. What stuck out to me and maybe, and this I, this is probably recency biased, cause I'm sure we can find other examples, but what was so beautiful about that scene is I feel like I've been conditioned where a character will have that sweet bliss. Only to be like, oh crap. The fact that they let Kamala live in that bliss for the scene was perfect.
Like, it was just completely joyous that she was excited. She ends up, she ends up in the bed and you see the text in the covers, which is brilliant. Yeah. I love that. They gave her that before, especially knowing where this is going to end up with the revelation that it is her cousin. Mm-hmm wait, I'm glad upset her cousin. I'm fairly certain. It
is. No, that was a cover for her brother, but,
and I'm gonna double check this. I cuz I went and read, uh, a recap from Marvel of the episode. No. Why are you?
Okay, go ahead.
and the woman that, okay. I guess this is up for debate then because the woman in the scene where she collapses at the dinner table and she sees someone reaching through and then she wakes up with her family, all concerned about her mm-hmm briefly has shown. And then I believe that is also the woman in the car. With Comran where he said, Hey, this is my mother. I'm interpreting. That is Aisha, the great grandmother. So I think there's a relation there.
I know it was the cover, which I thought ended up being the irony that they ended up being related. But I, you know, I guess it's up for debate cause that that's how I interpreted
it. Okay. I'm watching it again.
I'm looking up the, uh, the recap on marvel.com so I can read what I saw. Yeah. Okay. So this is according to marvel.com. At the very end, speeding off to safety, a woman in the backseat says she's excited to finally meet her and to commonly surprise it's the same woman she's been seeing in her visions. So the X factor here is they haven't clarified who the woman is. Right. But given that, we just learned the history of the, the family.
I'm I'm willing to bet it is the great-grandmother because she mysteriously disappeared.
I'm not sure. But okay. We'll see. we'll see.
Anyway, all, all I was getting to, I love, they gave her that moment, the joy, especially where we know it ends up, regardless if it's family or not, it ends up that it's not as teenage crush between each other, as we thought it was. There is some ulterior motives here. Mm-hmm , which leads me to what I originally wanted to bring up everything evolving him is a whole heck of a lot less sweet on the second subsequent watches.
yeah. yeah. I, I definitely agree with you on that as a, as I think through, but see, at the same time, I don't think it was, is meant to be sweet necessarily. Like, and the only reason I say that is cuz we're seeing so much through Kamala's eyes, you know? And so it's like, and it's almost weird. Like is there small hints of like.
A, I hate to say this, to use this term, I'm going to the unreliable narrator, you know, because like when he's walking up and there's the, the graphic outline and the fire and the 100 and the pluses, you know, and all that, you know, we're seeing through Kamala's eyes and that, and that imagination and stuff. And so, because it's all through Kamala's point of view, it's like, oh, this is awesome and sweet. You know what I mean?
Whereas like when you do that second watch and, and you're aware that no, this is just Kamala's point of view, then it's going to be different than what he actually is.
I do see what you're saying, because obviously it is from her point of view, but. It seemed very flirty in that diner. Like it wasn't, it wasn't purely her point of view because he was still like participating in that conversation. Yeah. Where so far it's been very clear when we're seeing the live action depictions of Kamala's interpretations of reality. Mm-hmm like, again with the, with the family, like Kama, you're the best and they're wearing shirts with her face on it and dancing.
Right. That was still I think, rooted in reality. Right. So I, but I, I do see what you mean about like all the hearts and all the fawning with all the visual flares, but yeah. So, okay. Yeah. On that note, on that note though, I do wanna bring this up, thanks to Ben dot Mattie in the discord, you know, last week. And even when we reacted to the trailer, you were talking about how you don't know if Kamala's ADHD, but you were feeling that representation on screen.
Somebody actually asked, uh, Bishop Kayley, the creator of the show on Twitter. And they said this about that. I'm supposed to be offline, but this is V important to me. Some ADHD friends sent me this, so I'm popping up to respond. I don't know if KK has it in the MCU or comic cannon, but I have it. And it affects every aspect of my life. I'm glad you can see yourself in her, in the sh and the show.
So even if canonically or whatever, Kamala is an ADHD, it is very center at the showrunners writing
in my head Canon. That's a yes. Yeah. Cuz it's just, cuz there's so much and I'm not, and I'm not saying that it's like, oh, if you watch Kamala con and you don't know, or you don't have ADHD that this is an illustration of it. Right. Not saying that, but there's so much stuff that I identify with that when I'm younger and even now.
Of like the, in, in particular, in the daydreaming, you know, I mean, there there's other ways and other different things that manifestation and, you know, don't, we're not gonna get into it in there, but it is one of those things where it's like that alone. It's like, oh yeah, like this. Um, and it's not an inability to focus. It's it's that? Well, okay.
I'm trying to talk about this without diving too far into it, but it it's it's you hear, if you hear people talk about a, a hyper focus, you know, and, and some people think of that means like, I am, I can look at one thing and I am drawn to it. Right. And in terms of like hyperfocus, myopic, just this one thing. And whereas hyperfocus really means like, everything grabs your attention, you know?
And, and which makes it easier to like, get lost in your thoughts end Dayr, you know, cuz you have that thought. And all of a sudden there, you know, and then within that daydream, you have another thought and as that takes you over to here and, and, and so it's so much, and that's why I think that it really identify with it on, on that, on that
way. Yeah. I, I thought it was worth bringing up on the podcast again. Thanks Ben dot Mattie for, for sharing that screenshot of the tweet. Uh, but as much as that has stuck out to you, it was nice to get that, as you said, personal head cannon confirmation. All right. Well, I think that's gonna wrap up family history for now, which is gonna bring us to our final, most important topic, which is hard, lighter flight.
This is going to be the section in which we detail Kamala's first true test as a superhero, as we discover who the boy leaning out the window, who has an unfortunate fall, uh, and also give us a, a chance to talk about the department of defense control as they are integr. Interrogating Zoe and eventually chasing Kamala at the end. I'm gonna start with me this time.
And I already kind of highlighted it when we were talking about the hero training, but it was important to me that they, or it was notable to me that they had that line of like, Hey, I saved you. Well only cuz you almost killed me first with Bruno and then have this moment at the end where she saves the boy. But she gets caught up in like the superhero pose and almost accidentally lets him fall again. And she ends up saving him. She kind of ping pongs him down with the hard light.
And there's a lot of things that stood out to me about this whole sequence one. And again, I I'm, I'm open to push back cuz I, I really do. I'm relying on the hive of the internet to help me here because my memory is bad, but I can't think of a recent example where a hero is helping of the regular civilian in something quote unquote trivial.
I know a little boy falling out the windows, not trivial, but when you also have someone like Thanos snapping away, half the universe, this feels like such a low level or a street level problem. Mm-hmm that adds to the like, I don't wanna say realism of a superhero show, but it's, it's nice. It feels special. Yeah. And the fact that we get that training montage, where we talked about how it's slowly escalating, she's not quite mastered it yet.
She is paying a price for it because she is taking these falls. Be truly tested with a life or death situation. Mm-hmm and not pull it off. Cleanly is wonderful because you have all the stakes of a traditional superhero show where it's like, okay, you know, they're gonna do it, but you still have that like moment whenever she accidentally lets ' fall. And the outstretched hand just barely misses. And you still see like, okay, she pulls this through. Even if it wasn't a clean landing. Right,
right. Did the kid deserve to get hurt? No. I mean, he stole the key of shoes.
What
do you mean karma? The kid stole the key of shoes. That's the, that the kid that she saved, that's the one that stole his. That's the one that stole Nikia his shoes from the mosque. How do you know that? I saw it right now. I gotta
verify, I saw that theory, but since you brought it up, I was waiting for you to explain to the audience why you know that oh my
God. I Google who stole NA Kia key of shoes. The first. Three things that come up is the Google map, famous footwear GSW designer, shoot warehouse, and new balance store. Like
what I love that in this episode, you told that sweet story about like the importance of learning about family history and how those stories live on through us and why you should look into it. But also screw that kid. Yeah, no, it's the
kid. It's it's it's the kid. It's it's the kid she saved is the one that's the, that kid is the one who stole Kamala his shoes. Mm-hmm I'm not saying he should have died. I'm just saying, you know, a little bit of injury isn't, you know, goes a long way.
so, well, I. I don't know where to go from so, you know, and, and on the topic of mistreating kids, let's switch over to agent Clery, who is interrogating Zoe dim
is this dude, is this mistreatment I'm gonna defend NAIA here.
She had some issues. Okay. All right. They were cool. . So we talked about it last week, where there was a potential for the, in tag of the department of defense control, seeing the video of Kamala out of NGS con and you know, being like, okay, we gotta bring this girl in I've and I think I settled. It should have been in the. If they were gonna come back to it this quickly in the very next episode, just put it part of the episode. I don't know why it needed to be an tag.
Yeah. I'm with you too. It didn't. I was so hopeful that this was gonna be an awesome tag. And we talked about it. Yeah, no like you, could've not shown that and that would've had no impact whatsoever on them showing up in episode two mm-hmm like, like episode two, you wouldn't have to change a single thing and not show that in tag or put it another way. If I didn't actually watch the in tag because I'm trained to not have an tag. After the first episode, it wouldn't have affected my
viewing experience. Or imagine if it was the cold open of this episode before we get the confidence of her struting through the high school. Like yeah. That, that sets the tone for what's gonna happen in this episode more than the in tag. Yeah. Yeah. Like we said, there's a reason we make the podcast, but you know, I, I did wanna highlight man, agent Clery is so good at getting those kids to talk, man. Like he like with Ned where he was like, dude, I've half my guys are guys in the chair.
And then he gets like Ned to be like, oh yeah, I help Spider-Man and this and that. And so on and so forth. He's like, okay, so you do the way that he plays to Zoe is like, dude, we're we love your videos. We all sing the popcorn song. Yeah. And then she starts gushing about it. It's it's slimy in the best way is the only way that I can describe it. oh my gosh. It's gosh, it's perfectly evil.
that's so funny. And it, but it is, it is. It's just it's that teachers do it. We do our, like, I mean the, the most obvious one checking role. Where's so, and so is he absent today? I don't know. I just saw him last period. It's like, well, okay. You just told me everything, you know, the old Ropa dope. like, I mean, just simple things like that and there's, I don't know it just on tricks of the trade. That's all. Its
mm-hmm I think one of the other standouts of that interrogation scene is the way. CLE insinuates. So is that when the enhanced individual tried to kill you and I perked up in my watch through, because I feel like when one division came out and Falcon in the winter, soldier came out, there was this low rumbling of anti superhero sentiment within the population.
And then it just kind of got back seated, like even, and it's funny because even in, Spider-Man no way home where it's like, Spider-Man's a menace. I didn't really get that feeling of like superheroes need to be stopped. And it's more so like, oh, Spider-Man himself is dangerous. Coming back to this idea of like pushing back at the idea of, of enhanced individuals was, is really, really exciting. Uh, I don't know where, obviously we've only got kind of a taste of it here.
I wonder how much this is going to be a, a reoccurring theme in the show, as well as something phase four continues to explore from here. I'm gonna go
out on the limb and say, he's gonna be in secret wars and be a scroll.
Wow. You're already putting that, uh, gauntlet
down. Yep. But not a good scroll,
but he's gonna be a scroll. Oh, like an antagonist. Yeah. Mm-hmm , you know, they're, they're doing something for him because we talked about the importance of like, Hey, this is a Sony character coming to the studios, Marvel studio side. There's clearly importance here. We've already talked about the comparisons to Spiderman home trilogy. It is fitting that this character is here and potentially making their way as more of a prominent figure in the MCU. One
of the things that just popped into my head, remember that I wanted to bring up about that interrogation scene the way they got her to. I don't wanna say, admit, but talk about what she looks. Oh, so she didn't look like you, you know, and those types of things, the fact that they specifically asked about south Asian, I think was, was really nice in terms of representation. Yeah. Cause because there's not fully this understanding of, of Asia and Asian, you, you know what I mean?
Um, in terms of like, you, you, you people think like just it's this one thing. Um, and, and not realizing, um, what it all, what all that encompasses
was that clear? Who said that? I can't remember who exactly said something. No, it was the other one. Mm-hmm uh, cause on that same token,
her name is the Dier ancient
Dier Dier. Yeah. On that same token, it was like ski V, which this is its own rabbit hole to go down that I I'm still learning about, but she was like, was it Latino? Oh, we're supposed to say Latin X now. And it was the, like the disdain at which she had that, that it was like, I could see the sentiment of like, okay, this is good representation, but man, she was mm-hmm, definitely the, the bad cop of the good cop, bad cop thing they had going on.
Mm-hmm mm-hmm yeah, I completely, I was thinking about the south, the, where I completely wasn't thinking about the, that comment there. So
one of the last things I wanna to highlight, because we we've made multiple comparisons to Spider-Man, we've talked about the feel of it, the AU, this authenticity of the high school, uh, a young person dealing with superpower, Peter Parker and Kamala share that for sure. It is very interesting that not only are we seeing agent Clery coming in from Spider-Man no way.
We are seeing the Edith drones from Spiderman far from home mm-hmm in the possession of the depart, the department of defense control attacking Kamala. This one is wonderful because it adds to that cohesive world, but it is, it has me wondering of yeah. Where Spiderman, noway homes out of the spoiler zone exemption. There is that scene where Matt Murdoch is talking to Peter. Parker's like, no, you're pretty much in the clearer, but happy it is.
You're under investigation for why star tech is ending up in all these different, wrong hands, which I think is going to lean into armored wars. I'm glad that we're starting to see. I, I think armored war is going to be a lot bigger than I was anticipating because of the inclusion of those Edith drones in this final sequence.
Yeah. And it makes me wonder. Who's in charge of that.is it D O T D
ODC, D ODC. Department of defense. Yeah. Wait, department of advantage control department of defense.
no, that's not good. Uh, but it makes me wonder who's who's in charge of
that. I'm desperately trying to remember the name of the guy, the, the original mispronounced name villain in one division Haywood director, Haywood, Haywood, Hayward Hayward.
Hey, y'all part of me says him. Part of me says the power broker. Part of me says Val, like, like who is that? So, yeah.
Ooh. Val would be a very good guess because we know she's clearly got connections. She's able, she was able to find out a lot about John Walker before she knew about the connection with Hawkeye to the death of Romanoff. I think you might be onto something there. Yeah.
Do I do a podcast
surprised I didn't get a Nick Sandy trough. Well, that's pretty much wrapping up the final act of this most important topic. Again, I loved it just to highlight it one more time. Kamala is definitely a hero in training, even though she is successful in escaping the drones, she takes a fall in tumbles and has to be rescued by, as we talked about Comran and his mother out come on in his mother. I'm I'm excited, man.
I, I think they are doing a great job of again, telling, I think I mentioned this discord, this feels like the most complete level of storytelling that we're seeing in the MCU. We're getting these individual stories with just enough of a hook to get us into the next episode. And so starting with Kamala being in that training place, getting into the first test, completing that arc and being like, okay, here's the next little wrinkle. Now we see this deeper examination of the family history.
Well, I, I mean
to put it that way, it feels like an actual series. Yes. Whereas the others having that kind of, oh, it's a six hour movie. Kind of idea. It's like, no, you actually have natural breaking or endpoints. You know what I mean? Like the, that you would expect in a, in a regular series. And so that's, that's the thing that I think is really making it really well done.
100% again. Kay Lee, wonderful showrunner of this, uh, the directors we highlighted as well. Oh, please don't hurt me this Marvel. I'm I'm head over heel with these first two episode. Well, in
my gosh, season two, can't wait.
Well, you know what? Let's, let's stick with episode two, moving into our final thoughts where we can either make a prediction, stray thoughts, or highlight things to consider moving into next week. Jude, uh, or any of these applicable to your final thoughts.
My two final thoughts is gonna be the high school counselors write with Bruno and this whole, like you're the protagonist in your own story. This is that moment. And I'm cringing of like, oh, you can't not go. You can't not go, please go, please leave. Don't stay for Kamala. Don't stay for Kamala. Oh, that drives me insane. Like, and, and, and it just because it's like, no, this is the opportunity to apply. This is you wanted go there's, that's what you should do.
And, and so, as, as cringy as the high school counselor is, he's not wrong. Like you gotta go, you're going to be a Jedi . Yeah. Um, and then I find it so funny of like this whole and, and the term didn't come up, you know, and, and I honestly think it's a stupid term and it doesn't really exist. Um, but just that whole, but it's portrayed very well. The, the di the dynamics of between Bruno and Kamala and what some might term, the friend zone, which I, again, I don't like the term.
I don't think the friend zone exists. It's unbelievably stupid. Um, but that what people will try to the dynamic, they try to explain what that term of like I'm interested, but they're not. And so we're friends and, and, and to see that, especially AF uh, Camron comes in the picture, um, I think that dynamic is, is shown really well. I just, I don't know what else to call it. Unfortunately, natural jealousy. . Yeah. It's just because again, I that's dumb, but
yeah. So like to, to pull us out from perpetuating that, like, I, I want to one speak to. I think the jealous I'm with you, the jealousy, I think is well done because he is clearly, he does have feelings for Kamala. It's not going the way he plants, but I mean, he's still there for her. He's still a friend. So I think it's showing a more well-rounded character than that.
Uh, but also in the defense of Bruno, like, I don't think it's as simplistic of like, oh, I'm not gonna go because I, I have feelings for Kamala and now there's this other guy, like I gotta be here for that. I think there is this, like, he has a clear interest in tech and yes, designing things and coming up mm-hmm like, they they've actually done a wonderful job seeding that without being front and center. But there's just these little nods of like how he's such a brilliant engineer.
Yeah. And I think there is this push and pull. Yes, you're right. There is a bit of that jealousy, like, oh no, you know what, what's gonna happen when I am gone. But also. He's got like kind of this opportunity of a lifetime too, where he's helping Kamala develop these powers and as important as it is to her for like being this superhero, he's in a position where he gets to be kind of that guy in the chair. So I think there is this level of like unfinished work that he might be feeling as well.
So I don't think it's just purely like, oh, young, what did we call it? Uh, crush. I can't remember what we called it earlier, but that like that young crush in high school, like I think there is multi-layers to Bruno here. Yeah.
Yes. I agree with you on that, but I think the high school counselor's right. You gotta go.
Yeah. Oh, 100%. You gotta go. get out all, all expenses paid, dude. Come on. I know, right? Like
that's, like, like you can go do that, get your training and come back and help Kamala even more. But
100%, you know, I'm glad you brought that up. I felt so bad that we, we, uh, skipped over the Bruno stuff cuz Bruno man, no one talks about him. well, excuse me, Brian and NAIA. I, that, that whole friend group is just so wonderfully written. Like they feel real. I'm gonna keep being a broken record on that.
Like the point in the beginning of the episode where they're, uh, whereas Kamala and Brunner are excited and they're jumping up and down about something and the NAIA comes in, it's like, what are we jumping about? Like, it just, it feels real. So I'm glad that that chemistry is there.
The other thing I wanted to highlight kind of sticking with Bruno loved, loved the Avengers in game reference, wherever they were doing the training montage mm-hmm and she tries to do the hard light step off into the ground as she falls. And he catches her and she's like, you gotta let me go. yes. Yes. It's just so good.
Yeah. Well, and, and, but just the way they play into that of like, you know, I, I thought of, um, Hawkeye and Kate Bishop, you know, in that scene, but just the whole, I thought of actually Toby McGuire and like, okay, I gotta really test myself, um, into the spider verse and really test yourself in like, okay, leap of faith. I gotta do this, you know?
And, and like you said earlier, like you're trying to get, and it gets higher and higher and difficulty, even though you're not really accomplishing it. And then it's like, oh, it's it's you, you are fine.
the final stray thought I wanna share. And this is stupid and also very visually dependent. So probably not great for a podcast, but. They're the scene when Kamala and Bruno go into the attic to really start demonstrating the powers mm-hmm off into the bottom right corner. There is almost this framing that makes it look like a white, a and the only reason that that stuck out to me.
I remember when the, in between infinity war and in game before in games, title was revealed, the Russo brothers shared a picture where it just said look closely. And it was supposed to spell out in game in game. Yeah. So because of that, now that shot that stupid a, that was the only thing I could think of cause I poured hours over that dumb image, trying to figure out what the title of the final Avengers movie was gonna be. Oh,
that's so funny. that's so funny.
And of course I'll link to the tweet and I'll try and get a screenshot too, of miss Marvel where I'm talking about mm-hmm and the, the tweet the Russo brothers put out so people can see what I'm talking about. so that's where my
brain went. That's all right. I, I just love the sequence of just like, again, the, the, the experimenting with it, but not really knowing what they're doing. You know, and a pretty
Bandicoot
it was clever. That was clever.
Very clever. Well, I think that's gonna do it. So if you want to get ahold of us, you can always follow us at MC you need to know both on Twitter and Instagram, but as of right now until July, the best place to actually get in contact with us is in the discord. Uh, that's where you can comment both on the MIS Marvel episodes as they happen.
You can have any feedback for the podcast episode in which you just listened, or you can just join the community as they celebrate various different pop culture, fascinations, and become part of that community. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, you can find a link to the discord in the show notes.
Of course, as we stated last episode, this pod is beautiful and you gotta share that beauty with friends. I'm only saying that for your sake now, cuz I know that through you so far off but yeah. Share it with a friend um, you know, it gives them something to listen to. You know, deepens your friendship, cuz Hey, this is something I'm into and now you get to share it with someone else, give you something else to talk to, uh, to talk about.
So please share it with a friend ratings and reviews, Spotify and apple podcast and wherever else that actually you can, you can do them. Uh, please do. So it's super helpful, uh, for us.
Yeah. We'd also like to thank Nick Sandy for the use of our theme song, which is his rendition of the Avenger theme. You can find more of his work on a SoundCloud, which is linked in the show notes as well. Well, that's gonna do it. Thank you so much for listening and Jude. Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you, Trey. We'll see you all next week. Uh, is there anything else that I wanted to bring up? Um, not that I can think of. I think I'm ready.
Cool stuff. Watch is up. Oh, okay. What I was looking for Reaper is like to like start recording and I was like, wait, okay, it's already recording. We sing. I was about to say, we're recording sun up. We we're sunk up. Synced up, sunk
up. look, we're early. We're earlier than we normally record. So any zaniness that may happen in this episode will be blamed on not being our regular time.
yeah. That's that's exactly. What's what's going wrong here.
this is like that time that I sat down thinking I had an hour ready, left to go and you're like, Hey, are you ready? And I'm like, what? like, all my alarms went off. The moment you messaged me.
oh man.
All right, we
good to go. Cool. Yep. Let's roll it. All right,
here we go. Episode one 13. Here we go.