She-Hulk: Jen Walters has my heart

 After 9 episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, I love Jen Walters. There are spoilers ahead so watch out. This season gave us everything we could want from a Marvel Disney+ show. It is self aware, funny, comic-book accurate, and has character cameos we love. This show was always one step ahead of its haters, using their predicted criticisms of writing or plot to mess with our expectations. This is a show I constantly laughed out loud at. Let’s revisit what went down this season:

Episode 1: Immediately the 4th wall is broken and Jennifer (the incredible and endearing Tatiana Maslany) Walters is explaining what kind of show we are watching. This is a lawyer show. And oh yeah, also there was this one time with her cousin Bruce when she was turned into a hulk… I found myself nodding along as Jen explained how easy it was to contain her big emotions as a woman who deals with that concept daily.

Episode 2: True to the comics, She-Hulk is hired at GLK&H in their superhero law division. We get our first big Marvel cameo from Emil Blonsky aka The Abomination, who Jennifer is tasked with getting released from his cell. This show is really lawyer-y! Arguments become challenging when Jen discovers Emil has escaped from prison to fight in an underground ring…

Episode 3: Wong! We find out that Abomination was actually broken out of his cell by Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme. All of Wong’s (played by Benedict Wong) appearances are charming and fun, and this is only the beginning. This is the episode where the internet lost their minds over She-Hulk twerking with Megan Thee Stallion (again, perfectly capturing the comic book vibes of She-Hulk)

Episode 4: Wongers! I think everyone’s sentiment is that we’d watch a sitcom purely about Wong and Madisynn. Jennifer makes a dating profile as She-Hulk, which ends up helping her out later when Titania tries to copyright the name She-Hulk and sue Jen. Seh learns quickly that while She-Hulk may pull the guys, Jen Walters isn’t quite as desired. 

Episode 5: More lawyering as Jen is teamed up with Mallory Brook (uhhh Renee Elise Goldsbury of Hamilton anyone!) to counter sue Titania over the She Hulk name. Meanwhile Jenn gets some real superhero clothes from fashion designer Luke Jacobson. We get a glimpse at a familiar (*cough*daredevil*cough*) helmet in Luke’s studio, hinting at this new addition to the MCU. 

Episode 6: Vibe change! It’s a wedding episode! Jen is struggling between her identity as She Hulk and Jen Walters, where most people find She Hulk to be the appealing, alluring one, Jen meets a guy at an old friend’s wedding that she thinks may finally like her for her non-green self. One thing She-Hulk gives us is a small glimpse of other Marvel names, like Mr. Immortal in this side story, who has faked his own death multiple times to get out of marriages and relationships. In the background, an angry online troll named “HulkKing” has begun posting vicious things about She-Hulk to Intelligencia (mirroring dudebros online taking criticisms a little too far). 

Episode 7: Jen’s finally found a good guy, Josh, and we start this episode like a cutesy rom com. But after a series of dates leads to Jen sleeping with him, Josh ghosts her. I love how casual this show is about a sexy She-Hulk meeting guys and hooking up. While Jen waits for a text to ping her phone, she is called to check on Abomination, and finds him hosting a therapy retreat, where we see yet again MORE smaller Marvel names. 

Episode 8: By now the “fans” online are furious that Daredevil isn’t here! We saw his helmet and then had to sit through TWO whole episodes without him?! How dare this show….

But the wait has been worth it as Jen is representing a failed hero named Leapfrog as he tries to sue designer Jacobson for his suit melting. In strolls the our beloved Matt Murdock who gives Jen a run for her money in court, arguing that Leapfrog put jet fuel in his suit causing it to catch fire. Later, Jen fights a masked vigilante and finds out Matt is actually Daredevil. The chemistry between these two is in.cred.i.ble. Again, laugh out loud moments. We get a Daredevil walk of shame. 

 When you think this packed episode is over, it pivots unexpectedly to an awards Gala, where Jen monologues to us to explain the change in pace. At this Gala, intelligentsia attacks, broadcasting footage of Jen in some compromising bedroom scenarios. Jen goes full Hulk mode, for the first time unable to control her anger, and smashes everything in sight. 

Episode 9: The finale is here. Jen wakes up from her destruction and is required to wear an inhibitor, as people no longer trust her to control her Hulk side. Things really go off the rails in this episode, as She-Hulk smashes out of the Disney+ menu screen, breaks into the Marvel studios writers room, and demands to speak to “Kevin.” Who she meets instead is an AI robot named K.E.V.I.N. who makes all “nearly perfect” Marvel decisions. Jen confronts KEVIN about how her storyline doesn’t make much sense and makes her case for changing the plot. “I smash fourth walls, bad endings, and sometimes Matt Murdock” Perfect execution of a fantastical and silly Marvel show. 

Overall, I love when the MCU knows what it is. She-Hulk takes the charm of the comics and brings it to life. Tatiana Maslany is perfectly cast, you can’t NOT love her performance and comments to camera. The cameos make it fun, and it turns your expectations on its head, commenting on its meta interpretation of comic book shows.

 9.5/10