Ms. Marvel is officially over halfway through its season. The first three episodes offered up a smorgasbord of pop culture tropes, music by Pakistani artists, and more. And the back half is no different. In fact, there’s so much that we had to make this into a two part endeavor.
Here are the best pop culture references in Ms. Marvel, continued.
Episode 4 – “Seeing Red”
“Summer Nights” – Raaginder, Wisechild
This song plays in the background in the first scene, where Kamala and Muneeba are on the plane to Karachi. Raaginder is an American of Punjabi Sikh descent music producer and violinist, and melds Indian classical violin with hip-hop.
“AAG” – Talal Qureshi feat. Naseebo Lal
Talal Qureshi is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ. Naseebo Lal is a Pakistani folk singer who sings in Punjabi, Urdu, and Marwari languages. This boisterous song plays over the opening credits (where you can see Ms. Marvel written in Urdu) and while Kamala and her family arrive at Sana’s house.
“Pasoori” – Ali Sethi, Shae Gill
“Pasoori” plays when Kamala, her cousins, and her mother go to the boat club. Featured on the most recent season of Coke Studio Pakistan, Pasoori took Pakistan and India by storm, as it climbed charts in both countries. The song tells a story of a traitorous love, and includes Punjabi and Urdu lyrics.
Vague Directions From a Stranger
Of course, it’s only a matter of time before Kamala begins her investigation about this mysterious train that she and Nani saw in a vision. She’s out with her big cousins who, despite knowing she’s from America, leave her to her own devices to explore the train station. She gets there but not without the classic “ask a stranger who will give vague directions.” It’s a wonder our precious Ms. Marvel didn’t get lost.
Thinly-Veiled Superhero Disguise
As she prepares to explore a restricted area of the train station, Kamala does what many superheroes do when they want to be incognito: use a thinly veiled disguise. Superman with his glasses. He-Man simply changing his shirt. Those tiny shifts that only marginally change how they look. Love to see it.
Ninja Turtles and Donkey Kong Insults
Kamala meets Kareem, whom comic fans know as Red Dagger, and they get into a friendly fight. In the midst of putting her epic powers against his skilled daggers, there’s some good old teasing about each other’s jumping skills. We love the Ninja Turtles and Donkey Kong references here.
Come With Me If You Want to Live
This is the line that Kareem says to Kamala when they are busted by authority figures. In reality, they are not in danger of death at that time. But he admits he always wanted to say it. This is a direct reference to the Terminator film franchise’s well-known catchprase.
“Disco Deewane” – Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was one of the most influential pop singers of Pakistan and of South Asia in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and Ms. Marvel features one of her most famous songs, “Disco Deewane,” as Kamala and Kareem are walking into the Chinese restaurant that serves as a front for the Red Daggers’ headquarters. “Disco Deewane” was a chart-topping song when it was released in 1981, and was unique not only because of its sound, but also because it was not on a Bollywood or movie soundtrack, and still did so well, despite soundtrack songs dominating charts.
The Not-So-Weird Woman Who Really Knows
A common trope in TV and film is the “crazy lady.” She might be the neighbor next door or the one who lives in a creepy house on the outskirts of town. She’s full of strange stories and theories that make everyone think she is either hella weird or spiraling. But she’s not so weird after all. That’s Sana, who knows exactly what she’s talking about and refuses to let others’ opinions stop her from telling her story.
“Mera Laung Gawacha” – Musarrat Nazir
This song plays when Muneeba and Sana are in the house together. Muneeba is cleaning the room, and “Mera Laung Gawacha” plays on an old record player. It is a Punjabi song sung by Musarrat Nazir, who was a Pakistani singer and actress and was most prominent in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
A…Vehicle Chase!
A good chase scene in the city is a must. And that’s what we get with Ms. Marvel with Kareem driving a Tuk Tuk while several ClanDestines chase them in trucks and other vehicles. Kamala even uses her frankly awful driving skills to help save Kareem in a pinch. What a fun scene.
Time Traveling?
Time travel never gets old. NEVER. Najma strikes Kamala’s bangle and sends her back to the night of Sana’s escape during the Partition. It appears that Kamala is stuck—it’s always that way, right?—but maybe not. This could simply be a vision, albeit more vivid than what she’s experienced before.
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