"Time and Again" is the fifth episode of the American television
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''
Ms. Marvel'', based on
Marvel Comics featuring the character
Ms. Marvel. It follows
Kamala Khan, who time-travels from the present to 1947, and her great-grandmother Aisha before and during the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
. The episode is set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with
the films of the franchise. It was written by
Fatimah Asghar
Fatimah Asghar is a South Asian American poet, director and screenwriter. Co-creator and writer for the Emmy-nominated webseries '' Brown Girls'', their work has appeared in ''Poetry'', ''Gulf Coast'', ''BuzzFeed Reader'', ''The Margins'', ''The O ...
and directed by
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ( ur, ; born 12 November 1978) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality with women. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awar ...
.
Iman Vellani stars as
Kamala Khan, alongside
Matt Lintz
Matthew Lintz (born May 23, 2001) is an American actor known for playing Matty van Patten in ''Pixels'', Henry in the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead'' and Bruno in ''Ms. Marvel''.
Career
In 2018, Lintz played the older version of Hen ...
,
Zenobia Shroff
Zenobia Shroff (born May 27, 1965) is an Indian-born American actress. Shroff has been an actress, writer, teaching artist and sketch comedian for over 30 years and she is known for her role in the 2017 film ''The Big Sick'', and as Muneeba Khan i ...
,
Rish Shah,
Samina Ahmad
Samina Ahmad is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer and director. She is a veteran television actress with over 50 years of work experience in the Urdu entertainment industry. Ahmad performed for many of PTV's ma ...
,
Fawad Khan,
Nimra Bucha
Nimra Bucha ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actress who has appeared in variety of TV serials, films, web-series and has also worked in theatre. She played a role of Saadat Hassan Manto's muse in Sarmad Khoosat's ''Manto (2015 film), Manto'' which earne ...
,
Mehwish Hayat, Adaku Ononogbo, and
Aramis Knight. Obaid-Chinoy joined the series by September 2020 to direct two episodes.
"Time and Again" was released on
Disney+ on July 6, 2022.
Plot
In
India, 1942, Aisha takes refuge in a village, where Hasan, an Indian independence activist, offers her food and shelter. They fall in love and have a child, Sana. Five years later in 1947, Aisha's former friend Najma finds Aisha and orders her to retrieve the latter's bangle. Aisha leaves it with Sana and attempts to flee to the new nation of
Pakistan with her family during the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
but Najma finds and stabs her. Hasan and Sana are separated in the chaos. Aisha's great-granddaughter
Kamala Khan appears from 2025 and is able to interact with Aisha, who asks her to guide Sana before dying. Conjuring a projection of stars to lead Sana to her father, Khan realizes she was the one destined to reunite them.
Returning to the present, she finds that Najma's strike had opened the Veil of the ''
Noor'' dimension, which separates it from Earth, but it vaporizes anyone who interacts with it. Najma transfers her power to her son
Kamran
Kamran ( fa, کامران ''Kāmrān'') is a Persian male given name meaning 'prosperous, fortunate'. The name is commonly used in Iran and Azerbaijan, in addition to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, Pakistan. Variants include Kâmran and Kamu ...
before sacrificing herself to close the Veil. An older Sana and her daughter Muneeba find Kamala and the latter accepts her daughter's powers. Meanwhile, Kamran seeks refuge with Khan's best friend
Bruno Carrelli
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
. After being attacked by a
Department of Damage Control drone, Kamran destroys it, but the ensuing explosion obliterates the store below them.
Production
Development
By August 2019,
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
had begun development on a ''Ms. Marvel'' television series for the streaming service
Disney+.
In September 2020,
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ( ur, ; born 12 November 1978) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality with women. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awar ...
was hired to direct three episodes,
ultimately directing two episodes, including the fifth.
Executive producers include Marvel Studios'
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...
,
Louis D'Esposito,
Victoria Alonso, and
Brad Winderbaum
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
, in addition to
Kamala Khan co-creator
Sana Amanat, lead directors
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
Adil El Arbi (born June 30, 1988) and Bilall Fallah (born January 4, 1986) are Belgian film and television directors of Moroccan descent. The duo, collectively billed as Adil & Bilall, are known for writing and directing the feature films ''Ima ...
, and
head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy o ...
Bisha K. Ali
Bisha K. Ali (born 17 March 1989) is a BAFTA award-winning British stand-up comedian and screenwriter. She is the head writer for the streaming television series ''Ms. Marvel'' for Disney+.
Career
Bisha Ali was born to Pakistani parents. She wo ...
.
The fifth episode, titled "Time and Again",
was written by Fatimah Asghar.
Writing
Ali revealed that more material regarding the Clandestines, ''Noor'' dimension, and the Red Daggers had been created that was unable to be included in the series because of the
COVID-19 pandemic and other time constraints. She explained that the ''Noor'' dimension was never going to subsume another universe, with the ending an "emotional climax" between Najma, who was "a different kind of mother", and Kamala, who was "representing her kind of family", with Kamala "coming into her fight style" of approaching defensively first to deescalate and learning how to "deal with these difficult situations".
Casting
The episode stars
Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan,
Matt Lintz
Matthew Lintz (born May 23, 2001) is an American actor known for playing Matty van Patten in ''Pixels'', Henry in the AMC television series '' The Walking Dead'' and Bruno in ''Ms. Marvel''.
Career
In 2018, Lintz played the older version of Hen ...
as Bruno Carrelli, Zenobia Shroff as Muneeba Khan,
Rish Shah as
Kamran
Kamran ( fa, کامران ''Kāmrān'') is a Persian male given name meaning 'prosperous, fortunate'. The name is commonly used in Iran and Azerbaijan, in addition to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkey, Pakistan. Variants include Kâmran and Kamu ...
,
Samina Ahmad
Samina Ahmad is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer and director. She is a veteran television actress with over 50 years of work experience in the Urdu entertainment industry. Ahmad performed for many of PTV's ma ...
as Sana,
Fawad Khan as Hasan,
Nimra Bucha
Nimra Bucha ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actress who has appeared in variety of TV serials, films, web-series and has also worked in theatre. She played a role of Saadat Hassan Manto's muse in Sarmad Khoosat's ''Manto (2015 film), Manto'' which earne ...
as Najma,
Mehwish Hayat as Aisha, Adaku Ononogbo as Fariha, and
Aramis Knight as
Kareem / Red Dagger.
Also appearing are Vardah Aziz as Zainab, Asfandyar Khan as Owais, Zion Usman as young Sana, Shyam Annabathula as Rohan, and Bilal Dar as the voice of Rohan.
Design
The series' main-on-end title sequence was designed by
Perception who were given visuals by Marvel Studios of Karachi to develop the sequence. Perception designed the murals, "combining elements from the Jersey City sequence with the culture and aesthetics of Karachi".
Filming and visual effects
Filming took place in Thailand, specifically in Bangkok and at the Studio Park and Moonstar Studio facilities,
with Obaid-Chinoy directing the episode,
and Jules O'Loughlin serving as cinematographer.
Pick up shots were also filmed in
Karachi,
along with studio work in
Atlanta, Georgia, at
Trilith Studios,
Blackhall Studios
Shadowbox Studios (formerly Blackhall Studios) is an American film and television production studio located southeast of Atlanta in DeKalb County, Georgia. The studio has housed productions of many films and television programs and has worked wit ...
, and Areu Brothers Studios.
The fourth and fifth episodes are shot almost entirely outside, which worked to Obaid-Chinoy's strength as a filmmaker, given her past experience.
Filming had begun by March 23, 2021, and concluded in early May 2021.
Given the series' strict
COVID-19 protocols, ''Ms. Marvel'' was able to obtain a waiver from the Thai government to continue filming in the country throughout April and May 2021 despite
new restrictions put in place in April that suspended other film and television productions. The cast and crew of 450 people were divided into three bubbles in order for production to continue if a positive test was found in one of the bubbles.
Reshoots for the series occurred in late 2021 and early 2022 in Atlanta. Natasha Gerasimova, production designer for the reshoots, noted that sets had to be built in Atlanta to match material shot in Thailand, which was "incredibly challenging". This included the
Dhobi ghat set, first seen in the previous episode, which was built in a decommissioned mall in the Atlanta area, and the train yard set for additional material with Hasan and young Sana. That set was built in a train yard and a train museum in Atlanta.
Visual effects for the episode were created by
FuseFX
FuseFX is a motion picture special visual effects (VFX) company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Their creative studios include FuseFX, Folks VFX, Rising Sun Pictures and El Ranchito. Established in 2006, the company develops visual ...
,
Digital Domain,
Base FX
Base FX is a visual effects and animation company with production studios in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Wuxi and Xiamen, and an office in Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2006 and has completed more than 150 films.
Base FX specializes in high-e ...
, Folks VFX, OD Studios, Instinctual,
RISE
Rise or RISE may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world
* Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3''
* Rise Kujikawa, a video ...
,
Cantina Creative
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of
a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production.
The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...
, and SSVFX.
FuseFX worked on the sequence of the Clandestine attempting to enter the Veil. Though ultimately different, FuseFX noted the similarities with the effect to
Terrigenesis, which the company had created the visual effects for on the
Marvel Television series ''
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''
Music
Composer
Laura Karpman added an eight-voice choir of South Asian singers singing partially in Urdu to her score for this episode, in addition to the 70-piece orchestra and South Asian sounds she regularly used for the rest of the series. Describing the recording session with the choir, Karpman said a group of people "came up with the choir sound" from the music and themes she came with, adding, "Some unbelievably extraordinary things happened in that session. It was lightning in a bottle, not only having to come up with quick ideas based on what was happening in the room, but also what people threw back at me."
The following songs were featured in the episode: "Tu Mera Chand" by
Suraiya and Shyam, "Tu Jhoom" by
Abida Parveen and
Naseebo Lal, "Anguish And Despair" by John Harbury, and "Aaja Ri Nindiya" by
Noor Jehan.
Marketing
A
QR code was included in the episode that allowed viewers to access a free digital copy of ''Ms. Marvel'' (2014) #19.
After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including a Ms. Marvel doll, apparel, and accessories.
Release
"Time and Again" was released on Disney+ on July 6, 2022.
It was released in Pakistan as part of a special theatrical release through licenser HKC Entertainment, due to Disney+ not being available in the country at that time, on July 14, 2022 along with the
sixth episode.
The episode aired on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
as part of ''
The Wonderful World of Disney'', along with the
fourth and sixth episodes, on August 12, 2023.
Reception
Viewership
According to market research company Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, ''Ms. Marvel'' climbed to No. 9 on the digital originals chart with 27.9 times average demand, reflecting a 5.66% rise in demand expressions from July 9 to July 15, 2022.
Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 21 million worldwide users of its
TV Time
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
app, calculated that ''Ms. Marvel'' was the fifth most-streamed original series for the week ending July 10, 2022.
Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, reported that ''Ms. Marvel'' was the seventh-most streamed original series in the U.S. for the week of July 4–10 with 295 million minutes watched.
Critical response
The
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 7.60/10, based on 19 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Time and Again is charged with filling narrative gaps as efficiently as possible and largely succeeds, entertainingly relaying exposition without halting ''Ms. Marvel''s momentum."
Arezou Amin at ''
Collider'' gave the episode an "A+", complimenting the directors, saying it was "arguably the strongest and best-paced episode to date".
Emma Fraser, writing for ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'', gave the episode a 7 out of 10, highlighting the "interactions between the different generations of Kamala's family", adding, "the scenes between mothers and daughters pack an emotional punch".
Accolades
Karpman was nominated for
Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special (Original Dramatic Score) at the
75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for her work on the episode.
References
External links
*
Episode recapat
Marvel.com
{{Ms. Marvel (miniseries)
2022 American television episodes
British India in fiction
Ms. Marvel (miniseries) episodes
Partition of India in fiction
Television episodes about time travel
Television episodes directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Television episodes set in India
Television episodes set in Pakistan
Television episodes set in the 1940s
Television episodes set in the 2020s
Television episodes written by Fatimah Asghar