She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Starring: Tatiana Maslany (9 episodes), Ginger Gonzaga (9 episodes), Malia Arrayah (9 episodes), Jameela Jamil (5 episodes), Steve Coulter (5 episodes), Renee Elise Goldsberry (5 episodes), Josh Segarra (5 episodes), Tim Roth (4 episodes), Mark Linn-Baker (4 episodes), Jon Bass (4 episodes), Nicholas Cirillo (4 episodes), Drew Matthews (4 episodes), Mark Ruffalo (3 episodes), Benedict Wong (3 episodes), Charlie Cox (2 episodes), Nathan Hurd (1 episode), Megan Thee Stallion (1 episode)
Directed by: Kat Coiro (6 episodes), Anu Valia (3 episodes)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
2022

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) works to balance being an attorney, with being a super-powered She-Hulk.

Review:

Tim: Sometimes I just lament the time in which we live. She-Hulk might have had its problems, but this was a funny, warm, total change of pace for Marvel and their Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was quirky and weird and memorable. I had a fun time watching these nine episodes. But, because of stupid misogyny and idiot fanboys, and because Kevin Feige and Marvel have apparently lost their mojo, we're apparently only getting the nine episodes. This is now called a mini-series. It feels like such a missed opportunity. Another example of Marvel having lost the big picture.

She-Hulk is such an interesting character to adapt for a television series. She breaks the fourth wall, and her story has built-in humor. She's a spinoff of a long-time Marvel hero, but is interesting and complex enough to stand on her own. I love that the series really embraced the comedic aspect of this story- this is definitely a comedy-first series. Marvel has always embraced comedy, but it rarely works well when it leads with that (look at the mess of Thor: Love & Thunder. However, it works here. We didn't need a ton of big action sequences. We needed to understand and connect with Jennifer Walters, a woman who has her life upended when she transforms into a hulk, like her cousin. The difference, of course, is that she retains her intelligence. There's so much here, this character deserved multiple seasons, deserved a movie of her own. I guess that theoretically could still happen, because Marvel has had no clear vision and doesn't update audiences on its series. It's been nearly two years with no updates, other than the hints that the Disney+ series is likely done. So, I decided it was time to write this.

Tatiana Maslany is the best part of this series, hands-down. Her comedic timing is exceptional. She delivers an intelligence, authentic performance. You really feel like Jennifer Walters is a "real" person, amidst a lot of unreal things. She grounds the series and I truly loved watching her in this role. She deserved more support from Marvel. Even now, I smile when I think about the energy with which Maslany tackled this role. She was perfectly cast as Jennifer.

Jameela Jamil was fine as Titania. She's a bit unmemorable as a villain and I didn't always love her performance, but she worked decently well. Josh Segarra added a nice supporting performance. It was wonderful to see Tim Roth reprise his role as Abomination, after many, many years away. Getting to see Mark Ruffalo as Bruce for three episodes was a true delight, as was getting Benedict Wong as Wong for three. We also got to see Charlie Cox reprise his role as Matt Murdock, in one of the most surprising, funny, excellent parts of the entire series. I know people complained, but this showed us another side of Matt. It doesn't all have to be gloom and doom. This was a terrific, rare chance to flesh out a character more prominently. I loved what Cox did in the role and he and Maslany worked exceptionally well together. Cox, Wong, Ruffalo- this is such an great treat for fans of the MCU.

I did love that this series put forth a number of low tier Marvel villains that would otherwise never get a chance to be depicted in live action. Wrecker. Leap-Frog. Thunderball. Man-Bull. These (and others) are pretty terrible characters, but they did get their shot here. I'm quite grateful to the series for that reason.

Now, as much as I liked She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and desperately wanted many more seasons, it did have flaws. The whole thing did occasionally feel pointless. Sure, it was a chance to laugh and integrate further into Marvel Comics' history, but it was so disconnected from the broader MCU. This is a complaint I have with nearly everything in Phase Four and Five, so it's not just this series. And then, things like K.E.V.I.N. were fine, but I didn't completely love it. I liked it more than not, but the series did go in some odd directions. it was always entertaining, but felt too inconsequential.

That being said, I do believe the series was unfairly maligned, likely mostly by stupid white men who disliked seeing a strong woman depicted here and who they likely felt like was laughing at them. Sure, the visual effects were pretty bad- that absolutely hurts the miniseries. However, we need more series like this- the MCU is expansive enough that women can and should play a prominent role. Jennifer Walters is unlike anything else in the MCU and it desperately needs innovation and refreshingly new things. Of course, we're in a rough patch with Marvel, and so this series is probably dead. That's a true shame, and it frustrates me to no end.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The Incredible Hulk, WandaVision, Doctor Strange, Brooklyn Nine-Nine