TV Review: "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" - Good Green Fun

 

The character of She-Hulk has been an interesting one since her creation in 1980. Unlike her male cousin of the same namesake, Jennifer Walters is able to maintain her rational personality, which has allowed her to live a more balanced life as a gamma powered individual. For the most part, She-Hulk has been depicted as a fun-loving character with stories to match. Going into her Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series, I feel that most need to know that beforehand.

In the case of "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law", this is basically Marvel's take on a workplace comedy, with emphasis on the comedy. Tonally, this show is a bit more over the top compared to other MCU movies and shows; I think it's because of that sitcom nature that makes "She-Hulk" feel the most like a Marvel TV show since "WandaVision", especially with episodes being mostly able to stand on their own. It has its serious moments, but its biggest strength is its comedy, which allows for some of Marvel's more sillier characters like the Wrecking Crew or Leapfrog to make their live action debuts. Before Deadpool debuted, the She-Hulk comics would frequently break the fourth wall, an aspect that has carried over to live action. Without spoiling much, the finale shows the fourth wall being obliterated in a way that not even the Deadpool movies have done (yet); the results of which I'm a little mixed on, but I still admire the risk and craziness of what was produced.
A point of worry that worried some since the show's first trailer was the CGI, especially for our title character. Thankfully, most of the issues with that seemed fixed in the final product. There are a few scenes where the character seemed a little off, but I think She-Hulk was well rendered in a serviceable way for a majority of the series.
There isn't a ton of action, which makes sense when you consider the nature of the show. What action that is present is still well done, and I think there was a lot of thought put into those scenes since they knew there wouldn't be a lot of them.
When you boil it all down, "She-Hulk" is a show where you're just supposed to have fun, and not everything has to be taken so damn seriously.

I really have to applaud Marvel for calling out a lot of toxicity in their fanbase. Since the mid-2010's, there have been a certain subsection of comic fans accusing Marvel of "replacing" their well-known characters, typically white males, with new ones, whether they be female or a different race, using the same monikers, not even waiting to read the stories they star in before decrying them (Jane Foster's Thor or Sam Wilson's Captain America being examples). Within the show, She-Hulk is the target of Intelligencia, a men's rights group who inexplicably hate her and think she doesn't deserve the power or attention. And if you feel personally attacked with how Marvel portrays the group or individuals within it, you're kind of proving their point.
I wish this was a problem solely within Marvel, but unfortunately many fandoms have these kinds of individuals. Star Wars, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, and even freaking Scooby Doo are only a few examples. It's people like this who give geeks with more open minds a bad name. It's kind of ironic when you think about how before geeky things became mainstream pop culture that those who liked this stuff were made fun of, and now some of those outcasts are now trying to exclude others from something they like. Before I get off my soapbox and back to the review, I'll just leave this message for those people:

Leading actress Tatiana Maslany does a good job at selling the average 30-something Jennifer Walters. Despite being thrust into the spotlight as She-Hulk, all Jen wants is to have a normal life working as a lawyer, with the primary conflict of the series being how having celebrity thrust upon you can get in the way of those goals. In addition to turning in some good comedy, Maslany's performance really shines as both Jen and She-Hulk when we see how she reacts and opens up about her feelings of inadequacy over how her Hulk form is able to open doors for her when she's still Jen inside. You really feel for her when life is kicking her down.
I also really enjoy how the first episode shows how she's different from her cousin Bruce. When Jen becomes a Hulk, Bruce is all ready to take her on his multiyear journey he used to reach the Smart Hulk state he's in now. However, Jen is quick to show that she has a more stable mindset to control her form compared to when Bruce first transformed. It goes to show that not all Hulks are the same (which can also apply to Abomination).

Going off of that, there are a couple things I'd want to talk about with the MCU's Hulk. The first, which came about while watching this series, is I really wish the character got some more spotlight after his 2008 film. This show goes into detail about why Jen is able to control her Hulk form, but why was Bruce different? The comics go into detail about this, but the MCU never did; I would really like to see a deep dive into Bruce's psyche and learn how his Hulk manifested the way it did.
Another thing is a long time fan complaint about Hulk being "nerfed" after "Ragnarok" and how turning into Smart Hulk made the character weaker than he was before. Let's just think about this. It's established that Hulk is as strong as he is angry, especially when he's in the driver seat. Smart Hulk is an amalgamation with Bruce's smarts and Hulk's strength. The comics have shown this combination, but when Bruce relinquishes control, we get our classic, savage, indestructible Hulk. Shouldn't it stand to reason that the same could happen at some point in the MCU with Bruce letting go of control? And even if it doesn't, shouldn't we just be happy that Bruce has been able to find some happiness in his life after so many years of strife?

Of course, what many fans were excited to see in this series was the return of Daredevil. After a cameo in "No Way Home", Charlie Cox once again reprises his role as Matt Murdock and suits up for the first time in four years. Despite the hiatus, Cox has not missed a step in either identity. He still kicks ass and has a way with the ladies, having immediate chemistry with Jen. And while some fans worried about adding the classic yellow to the new suit, it really works here and plays well with the more lighthearted depiction presented. It just makes me more excited for his series to return on Disney+ in a couple years and any team-ups with heroes he's yet to meet.

Overall, while it's nothing outstanding and is yet another needlessly divisive entry for the MCU, "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" is still a good show when you know what it's trying to accomplish.