REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Doesn’t Quite Bring the Hulk
With little downtime, Marvel is back with the next addition to its Marvel Cinematic universe, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Based on the hit comic book character, the new series focuses on Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), aka Hulk’s cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer determined to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. However, Jennifer finds her life turned upside down when she becomes exposed to Bruce’s blood during a car wreck and can how “hulk-out”, much like her cousin. Unlike her cousin though, who spent years trying to battle the “other guy,” Jennifer is able remain completely in control when she takes on her alter ego. But even with her powers completely under control, Jennifer is determined to return to her normal life and attempts to hideaway her new powers from the public eye. But, nothing ever goes the way Jennifer would like and the new hero finds that hiding her other half is easier said than done when she is asked to join a new law firm, where she has been tasked to represent superhumans. The catch, she must represent her clients as as She-Hulk, and not Jennifer. Now, Walters must embrace her new greenside if she intends to keep her job and find a way to live her life again.
To simply describe the premise of She-Hulk, is it’s a procedural comedy wrapped up in a superhero TV show. Almost every episode focuses on a client that She-Hulk must represent and the ramifications that come with that representation. The decision to go this route with the show is an original and refreshing take for the Disney+/Marvel creations that brings a light-hearted feel to the universe. Tatiana Maslany is perfection as Jennifer Walters. Her comedic timing not only drives the show but brings a much lighter feel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the lightheartedness doesn’t stop with her. Every character introduced on this show leaves the drama behind and only brings the comedy. Whether it is watching as Jen’s paralegal, Nikki Ramos (Ginger Gonzaga) banters with Jennifer about her dating life or watching Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) attempt to teach his cousin how to Hulk, you are guaranteed a funny moment. Jameela Jamil’s Titania plays a minor part in the first four episodes as does Renée Elise Goldsberry’s Mallory, but you are lead to believe the two will play bigger parts as they season progresses.
After watching the first four episodes, there are some flaws to the series. One is the breaking of the fourth wall, which will definitely be a hit or miss for viewers. Personally, I found it broke the flow of scenes when Jennifer would stop to point something out to the audience, but I do know people who love that type of story-telling. I just wish they had done a better job of merging it into scenes. Another flaw was the inconsistent writing on episodes. There were many great scenes with wonderful and clever writing that really captures the female perspective in a modern world that is unlike anything seen in any other MCU entity. But, there were other scenes with writing that felt a little lazy and would then force the story three steps back. It’s this inconsistency that cheapened the stakes for me.
Though, my main issue with the series is that episodes are dropped weekly. Sure, all the cameos are nice, but, in my opinion, there isn’t enough meat in each episode to keep audiences wanting to come back for me. I had the advantage of being able to watch all 4 episodes back-to-back, so I had a reason to keep watching. I’m not sure watchers will be able to find a reason. This has nothing to do with the performances or the cast, but this is the type of show that I recommend holding off watching weekly and instead watching the full season when it is fully released on Disney+.
Grade: B-