Episodes Watched: 4 of 9 / Written by: Jessica Gao (Episodes 1 & 2), Francesca Gailes & Jacqueline J. Gailes (Episode 3), Melissa Hunter (Episode 4) / Directed by: Kat Coiro
Although we've seen the first four episodes of She-Hulk, we've done our best to keep spoilers to a minimum by discussing, for the most part, episode 1. However, some may creep in, so please make sure you watch episode 1 first!
19th August 2022
The Pitch: In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany)—an attorney specializing in superhuman-oriented legal cases—must navigate the complicated life of a single, 30-something who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
Does expectation kill enjoyment?
Increasingly, as more and more of the comics I love, and let's face it, some I've never heard of, get turned into live-action entertainment, I'm concerned that the things we want from these shows and movies outstrip any possible chance for them to find their feet. That is to say, perhaps we're living in a constant, expectant rehearsal of how we want things to go rather than living in and enjoying the moment. In the opening scene, we see Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) rehearsing her closing argument for a big case. It's this scene that provides a key metaphor in the show: Jen is a woman often rehearsing the ideal version of her life rather than living in the moment and experiencing it. And her life never goes according to the rehearsal.
This is not to say Jen is a mouse, living life without joy. She loves her job and family, finding particular enjoyment from quizzing her cousin Bruce about Captain America's alleged virginity. In these moments, the show finds its comfort zone, never taking the world that's been built around it too seriously. In the hands of director Kat Coiro (who directed this year's popular Jennifer Lopez rom-com, Marry Me) and writer/showrunner Jessica Gao, the MCU becomes fair game. They point out the absurdity of a world with super-powered influencers like Jameela Jamil's Titania and Elves from New Asgard run riot. Whilst the MCU as an entity often retools the characters of Marvel's comics universe for its purposes, Coiro and Gao make the MCU malleable for their agenda. And that agenda is earned positivity and fun.
THE SHOW HAS PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT EMPOWERMENT
Skilfully, the show reinforces the idea of sisterly togetherness and support. From the grounded, positive affirmations given to Jen by her Paralegal, Nikki Ramos (played with polished glee by Ginger Gonzaga), to the rallying efforts of a group of women she meets in a bar after she first 'Hulks out', Jen is supported and gives support. Even if that support is in the form of barbed honesty directed at Bruce. One also feels the anger that honesty is tinged with, with Jen perhaps holding a grudge at Bruce for the disease he has, unwittingly, introduced into her life. With Jen wanting to get back to normal and Bruce counselling caution, I for one felt that perhaps there was an AIDS metaphor at play, showing the difference between how we thought of that terrible disease during its earliest days when it was considered a death sentence to how we treat it now, a condition people can survive with. The show also has plenty to say about empowerment, both in day-to-day life and within the extraordinary parameters of the MCU. Jen makes salient points about how men - and society - choose to treat women.
maslany’s acting is effortless and organic
Maslany is by far the best choice to play this role, a dual life, one that you might think should be a breeze after the nine roles she played (often around four in the same scene) in Orphan Black, where her talents first hit the mainstream. Her acting is organic and effortless. The scenes between Maslany and Ruffalo are delightful. There's a familial, competitive nature to their scenes that makes them fun, whilst hitting interesting, salient points about their lives. Bruce won't deal with his shit. He's missing Tony, heartbroken and alone and tutoring Jen on being a Hulk may just be his salvation. He knows it, too. Ruffalo's bruised ego as he realises that Jen is adapting to being a Hulk and has more control over her transformations is one of the first episode's pleasures. There are some minor gripes, however. Principally, the CGI doesn't stay consistent for the entirety of the episodes. But the rest of the show holds up so well that it doesn't matter.
Interestingly, the show embraces a meta-style, previously unseen in the MCU. Riffing on Fleabag, Jen gains, along with her new powers, an awareness of an audience – not us, but perhaps the audience within the MCU. She talks to the camera as if we're all living in this world where half the population vanished at the snap of a space madman's fingers and talking racoons helped save the world. It's an interesting move, and I'm curious to see how it will work against other MCU entries in the future. Here, it enriches the material and speaks to the theme I mentioned at the beginning. Jen thinks she's the star of a “fun lawyer show”, rather than a superhero adventure. Rehearsing for the life she thinks she should be living rather than living the one that is happening right now. In terms of structure and thematic construction and how it relates to the action on screen, this may be the best Marvel show yet. It does take some truly daffy turns – parts of the abomination storyline in later episodes are charmingly batty. But the show holds it all together. In closing, I was glad to have seen the first four episodes of the show as waiting another week may have filled me with rage – just a normal amount, mind you. My expectations for this have been met - and surpassed.
She-Hulk is on Disney Plus now, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.