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Premiere Review: Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 1

You'll like her when she's angry.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a 2022 superhero comedy series directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia, created by Jessica Gao, produced by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Disney Platform Distribution. It is based off of various She-Hulk comics by Marvel Comics. The show stars Tatiana Maslany and Mark Ruffalo. This is the thirty-seventh project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being the eighth TV show. It acts as a sequel to The Incredible Hulk, Avengers: Endgame, Daredevil, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Ms. Marvel and will be followed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Secret Invasion.


"When people start seeing you as a monster, that never goes away." - Bruce Banner

Plot


Attorney Jennifer Walters has worked extremely hard to achieve her current position as a lawyer. However, her whole life is changed when an accident turns her into the second Green Goliath. To navigate her powers, Jen turns to her cousin, Bruce Banner, to teach her how to be a Hulk.


The Sweet


She-Hulk: Attorney at Law shows us an interesting side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we haven't seen before. As of the first episode, there isn't a big, looming threat. This doesn't seem like an epic story. This is a comedy about a regular person navigating the troubles of being the Hulk. I think that was a good place to take this show. It makes it feel like an actual TV series instead of a movie split into parts, which will serve the show better as we move into the final few episodes.


We also get to see Bruce Banner in a very different environment than we've ever seen him before. He's not out being an Avenger. He's just living life normally, which is a cool setting for him. Every time we've seen Bruce, he has to fight. I always love seeing the MCU characters just being people, and that's what we get here with Bruce. He reminisces on friendships with Tony and Steve and talks about his troubles with being the Hulk...which was all stuff I really appreciated. I've never thought of Hulk as one of the best MCU characters, so I'm glad we finally get some true character progression here.


The Sour


Unfortunately, this first episode did not work for me...at all. The MCU TV shows just seem to have a lower quality to them, whether that's the storytelling or the effects or the dialogue...it doesn't feel like it's MCU-level quality. She-Hulk feels like a mediocre superhero comedy with bad visuals and cringe jokes.


The main reason I didn't like this episode is the character of Jennifer Walters herself. We have known Bruce Banner for fourteen years now. He's been a part of the MCU since the beginning. We met Jennifer Walters for the first time today, and she's just horrible to Bruce. She insults him and talks down to him, even though he's trying to help her. It makes her come off as very snooty and unlikable, and that's how I felt when the credits started rolling. She's our lead character. I want to like her, but when she's mean to Bruce, it's hard for me to do that.


Overall, this show just felt icky. I didn't like the tone. I didn't like the direction. I didn't like the comedy. I didn't like the main character. I didn't like the fight scene that we get in the end. I am now nervous for how this goofy, mediocre show is going to handle Daredevil, who is an extremely dark and gritty character. While I was looking forward to that before, I no longer am.


Final Thoughts


While I appreciate She-Hulk building out the MCU and feeling like an actual TV show, the goofy tone, CGI, and snotty lead character really made me dislike this first episode.


Fun Factor: 6/10

Acting: 7.5/10

Story: 3.5/10

Characters: 4.5/10

Quality: 4.5/10


"She-Hulk: Attorney at Law"

"A Normal Amount of Rage"


Directed by Kat Coiro


Rated TV-14 for superhero violence and action, language, suggestive elements, thematic elements


Premiered on August 18, 2022


38 minutes


Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk

Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos

Jameela Jamil as Titania

Drew Matthews as Dennis Bukowski

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