With its entry into the tiny screen on Disney Plus, Marvel has undoubtedly had more successes than failures. These programmes, ranging from the experimental WandaVision to the dark psychological drama Moon Knight, have altered viewers' perceptions of what the MCU can be. She-Hulk is now intending to advance the superhero genre even farther as their first full-fledged comedy - all while posing as a half-hour legal drama - as Phase 4 draws to a close with its last episodic series.
The show's head writer, Jennifer Gao, indicated that she wanted to focus on the conflict that arises when a person with superpowers learns to reconcile them with their everyday lives. The end product is Jennifer Walters' tale about a diligent lawyer who occasionally transforms into the Hulk.
As she gets ready to take the witness stand for her most recent case, we first encounter her in the middle of a monologue about the responsibility of power. However, it doesn't take long for us to realise that she is not your average attorney when her co-worker and closest friend Nikki tells her to "Hulk out" if things don't go according to plan. Jennifer turns to the audience in the first fourth-wall breach of the MCU to describe just how she acquired her abilities.
We shortly discover that her unfortunate road trip with her cousin Bruce Banner is how she acquired her Hulk abilities. The pair's car rolled and crashed when a rogue spaceship pulled out in front of it. Bruce spills some of his blood on Jennifer's open wound, transforming her into the She-Hulk.
Bruce snatches Jennifer away and takes her to his hideout in Mexico to teach her how to handle her newfound Hulk status. Jennifer, however, is not the Hulk. Bruce is surprised by the fact that she doesn't appear to be having any problems at all with her new abilities. She claims that as a woman, she is already predisposed to anger due to patriarchy. The relationship between these characters is really nice to watch. It Feels very natural between the two actors.
Prior to the premiere of the show, the heavily criticised CGI has likely generated the most discussion after first previews raised questions about the She-Hulk appearance. There is something unnatural about the She-Hulk design.
It could be that Jennifer's skin appears too smoothed out and perfect in comparison to Smart Hulk's rugged appearance, or it could be the decision to change her hair into an 80s bouffant that is stylized). Either way, the poor CGI choices take away from Tatiana Maslany's overall performance whereas the Hulk.
With the exception of the issues with the visual effects, She-Hulk does well to feel like she belongs in the MCU right away. Within the first five minutes, Jennifer starts talking about Steve Roger's virginity (make sure you watch until the end of the credits for a great pay-off to this storyline). There are some additional vintage MCU references to enjoy as well: Tony Stark constructed Bruce and Jennifer's hiding place, and they resolve Bruce's arm injury after the Avengers: Endgame conflict with Thanos.
The series can't exactly stand on its own yet because of its reliance on other references. When the episode ends with us back in the courtroom, only a brief glimpse of Jennifer's former life is given to us. Along with a truly blink-and-you'll-miss-it introduction to Jameela Jamil's Titania, the villain.
Given that She-Hulk has been sold as primarily a courtroom drama and that we have only spent a small portion of the first 30 minutes in one. Although, we'll have plenty of time to get to know Jennifer - and her alter ego - better with eight more episodes on the way. I am looking forward to spending more time with her and seeing how she can make her mark in the MCU universe.
Performance | 4.4/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.3/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.3/5 |