Review 674: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

 

At times uneven but ultimately a delightfully light and breezy legal procedural, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is another prime example for superhero shows incorporating the sitcom format.

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 super-powered Hulk.

Out of the eight Marvel/Disney+ shows we've recived so far, She Hulk: Attorney at Law is the one that feels most traditionally like a TV show,  She Hulk is a skilful, at times, a very smart and understated Legal Procedural.

The subtitle instantly tells you what this show is going to be about: It's a legal procedural first and Marvel show second. 

One of the shows strengths is how the four female leads are smart, strong and girllbossing it. These are not subtle character traits

The humor in this show is very hit-or-miss. Some gags like Walters doing a certain dance move with a certain guest star whose name will remain unrevealed are incredibly sophmorphic making She-Hulk one of the horniest Marvel shows to date and in some ways, one of the most refreshing and in others a detriment to the films 

At times the show can feel too fluffy and too light. The procedural stuff can become a detriment to the show's narrative and pacing and its adherence to the 30-minute sitcom format does make the show feel somewhat disposable.

Episode 6: Just Jen was noticeable in two lights. Firstly, in how it tackled one of the most iconic staples of sitcoms: The wedding episode which leads me to my next point; the wedding backdrop served as an excellent catylist for the shows main conflict: doe Jen love or resent She-Hulk and how does that make her feel about her non-Hulk self.

Then we get to the finale “Whose Show is This?” 

With the exception of Titania, none of the villains were particualrly memorable. The Wrecking Crew, a team pulled from the comics who are usually Thor villains mainly used as canon fodder for Jen to deal with as She-Hulk. The true big bad Todd Phillips (Jon Bass) who never amounted to anything than a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist douchebag who comes off as a wannabe Tony Stark.

Directors Kat Coiro and Anu Valia do a (mostly) specular job of balancing  the score by Amie Doherty is catchy expertly balancing the bombast of surperhero duties and the quirkiness of courtroom drama. The cinematography is splendid, the production design is impressive; sets like Bruce's tiki bar, his beach house garage, sleek law firms, Blonsky's spritual retreat "Summer Twilights” are impecably crafted and beautifully detailed. Even Jen's bedroom in her parents gives off this vibe of being just the way they left it and they never had the heart to change any of it. The costumes are terrific

Tatiana Maslany delivers a winning, amiable and charming performance playing Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. What's appealing about Jen is she's a young woman who's spent so much time working and hasn't really had the time to grow her life romantically, to spend time with her friends and really to just live a fun life as a young adult and then she's involved in an accident and her dilemma becomes how does she navigate her everyday life, trying to be good at her job as a normal, anonymous lawyer, trying to be a good friend and trying to figure out what she wants as a person and then as a Hulk. Jen never grew up with any of the trauma that Bruce did so a lot comes more easily to her than him. Jen is also full of contradictions, she's so fixated on her work and yet she also has a huge heart and wants to fall in love. In one sense, she loves being She-Hulk yet at the same time she resents it - she's directly in that contradiction. As a lawyer, Jen will fight for what is right, no matter what. Jen is the antithesis of most superhero narratives because she doesn't want her powers. There's a great element of denial in her that's relatable; she epitomises these duel sides of our lives. We all want to be She-Hulk, but we really relate to being Jennifer Walters. She embodies the charm and charisma to carry this show through its 9 episode run.

Ginger Gonzaga also impressed playing Nikki Ramos, Jen’s best friend who works as a paralegal. Gonzaga brought a likeable charm to the role whilst also channeling her quirky, sardonic energy Nikki helps Jen to let loose and colour out the lines. Jen can be quite tightly wound and so fixated on her work as  her only defining feature that Nikki consistently reminds her that there is a life outside of work and to embrace the She-Hulkness of herself.

Jameela Jamil from NBC's The Good Place is a lot of fun playing Mary MacPherran/Titania, a social media influencer who comes into conflict with Jen. Jamil has a lot of fun playing her as a preppy, prissy, petty internet celebrity who thinks the world revolves around her. I'm not entirely sure why She-Hulk has to deal with her since she really doesn't pose much of a threat to her. Never mind, this leads to a hilarious sitcom-esque rivalry between them which were a hoot to watch. Titania is all narcissism and ego who believes herself to be the strongest woman in the world.

Josh Segarra, whom you may arrive recognise as Adrian Chase/Prometheus, the Big Bad from Arrow (Season 5), also shows up playing Augustus “Pug” Puglies, a fellow attorney who works alongside Jen. Maybe he’s a variant of Prometheus. Segarra  Pug is a ride or die for his two gal pals.

Renee Elise Goldsberry is fabulous playing Mallory Book. She is the face that never lost never lost a case  Book has a lot of preasure on her to achieve perfection and after initially seeing Walters as a threat, she becomes one of her most valuable allies after helping her deal with a lawsuit from Titania. She's a superhero in the courtroom. Goldsberry brought a lot of nuance to this tough-as-nails character who is, outwardly, icy and untouchable but she smartly ties some beautifully human moments.

We also see the return of Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination from The Incredible Hulk (2008). In this show, we’re treated to a much calmer and more laid back  The writers wisely bring a lot of shades of grey and ambiguity to his character: He’s clearly rehabilitated  Roth brought a lot of layers where we don’t know if Jen should trust him, but at the same time, he still deserves justice.  

Charlie Cox does show up for a couple of episodes as Matt Murdock/Daredevil reprising his role from his Netflix series, unseen by me, but not by its loyal fanbase. Maslany and Cox share good chemistry and their banter is witty and 

A surprise character appearance but a welcome one was Benedict Wong as Wong from Doctor Strange.  

We also get a handful of appearances from Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, he wants to be Jen's mentor, there's no other person who's gone through what he's gone through so he's excited to have his cousin of all people to lay all this on but what's frustrating for him is she's so far ahead of him. Jen and Bruce have a wonderful sibling relationship but there's not really that much of it. After getting a lot of focus in the premire episode, Bruce just disappears back to space.

3.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic