"YOU'LL LIKE HER WHEN SHE'S ANGRY" // A SERIES PREMIERE REVIEW OF "SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW"
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone a lot of different ways, and even for those who might complain that some of Phase 4 isn't their favorite (I'm not one of those people, but you know, some people have), you have to admire how their latest projects are swinging for the fences and really crafting different kinds of storytelling. From Sam Raimi being very "Sam Raimi" with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to the horror thriller vibe of Moon Knight to its latest offering SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW, they all feel VERY different. With She-Hulk, Marvel is taking on two new genres: the romantic comedy and the law procedural. Only one episode has dropped, but it's clear that this fast moving, sweet and fun new series is getting off on the right foot.
Tatiana Maslany (best known for playing 17 characters in Orphan Black) takes the lead of Jennifer Walters, a sweet and charming District Attorney. Her best friend and coworker Nikki Ramos (Ginger Gonzaga) is a paralegal and someone who always has her back, especially when sexist coworkers rear their ugly head. Almost immediately Nikki checks in with Jennifer as she's preparing for a closing argument and asks if she's gonna "Hulk out." Whoa, did we skip the origin story here?! Well, kinda, but only for a moment. Jennifer then turns to the camera, breaking the fourth wall just as she does in the comic books and tells us that yes, she's a Hulk and we should probably know how she came to be that way. We then spend most of the episode with Jennifer and her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) finding out how his mild mannered and sassy cousin ended up following in his big green footsteps.
The entire episode felt like a fresh, fun and self-aware set up to what looks to be a really entertaining series. Maslany is fantastic and perfectly cast as Jennifer Walters, and her chemistry with Mark Ruffalo (who is also charming as usual) is pitch perfect. Just like Deadpool, She-Hulk constantly breaks the fourth wall in the comics and by continuing that into the series, it gives the show a self aware and fresh feel. Director Jessica Gao also has some fun and nifty tricks here, like giving us a confused monster POV when Jennifer first changes and a fun almost sibling rivalry of who can "out Hulk who" as Jennifer trains to control her powers. We also get a bit of fun filler information regarding Hulk, see how he's able to revert back to Hulk and where he hid away during the blip to craft his "Smart Hulk" persona. Banner annoyingly quips at one point, "Smart Hulk. You don't get to pick the names." Which is a fun side comment that's clearly going to come back with Jennifer not being the one who chooses to be called "She-Hulk." And although there was plenty of griping about the unfinished CGI from the trailers, it looks good here, with a clear difference in how much work they put into the She-Hulk finished look.
What's interesting about Jennifer's transformation is that she's basically "Smart Hulk" right away and Bruce doesn't quite understand how. So we won't have to sit through any "Hulk smash" moments of dual personalities here. In fact (minor spoilers here), she sometimes practices law as She-Hulk and not Walters in the comics, so it'll be fun to see what they do here. The episode ends with a blink and you'll miss it intro to Jameela Jamil's Titania character, a character that everyone involved promises to be loads of ridiculous fun. It does feel like A LOT is crammed into a this first half-hour episode, but since this series (unlike Marvel's other offerings) will run 10 episodes in total, I have hope that it'll be giving plenty of time to establish the law world and personal life of Jennifer Walters and the super power beings that she will be forced to work alongside. I'm excited to see where this charming ride will take us.
GRADE: B+
BASED ON THE MARVEL COMIC CHARACTER CREATED BY Stan Lee and John Buscema SERIES CREATED BY Jessica Gao WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Jessica Gao STARRING Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Ginger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil. NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY PLUS.