Spoiler-Free 'She-Hulk' Episode 1 Review: Cue The Origin Story
The first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law dropped this past Thursday. While the runtime was shorter than most Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) shows, there was a lot to discuss.
Brought to life by Tatiana Maslany, this Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk felt like a very authentic portrayal. Her signature fourth wall breaking was effective but not overdone. She was a good balance of quirky and confident, and her lawyer-first mentality hit the mark without feeling labored. Maslany showed her range with a character arc in one episode where you could feel it was the same character throughout, but there was a fluid change from before she got her powers and after she had come to terms with them. Overall, it was a well-acted and well-written character that felt true to the comics (especially more recent ones) as well as feeling modern and well adapted for television.
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The show began in the present to show off Jennifer Walters’ (not green) life as a lawyer. She was practicing closing arguments about power and responsibility, which seemed a bit on the nose. It had some Boston Legal vibes that show off her best friend (and also paralegal) and her work antagonist (a stereotypical jerk to represent male privilege in the workplace). She broke the fourth wall to reveal that she is already a Hulk and then threw us back in time for her origin story. Depicting how she acquired her powers was necessary, true to the comics, and mercifully short. This let us get right into the training and her cousin dynamic with Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
I'm torn on the portrayal of Bruce because we are almost left with “Bro Hulk.” He even used the word “bruh” at one point. On one hand, I am all for character development, plus everyone is a bit different around their family. On the other hand, it is such a far cry from most other times we have seen him as a nerdy, anxious, in over his head scientist. Did becoming “Smart Hulk” and hanging out with Tony Stark really change him that much? Either way, this version of Bruce worked well for this show with him trying to train his cousin. It played out similar to an older brother trying to teach his younger sister, who happened to be annoyingly quick to learn. With lots of quips, competition, and some fighting, it felt like a true family dynamic.
After years of criticism at Marvel Studios for its poor handling of women in the MCU and a few failed attempts (let's just stop all the women from fighting in the biggest battle ever so they can walk in a line together re: Endgame), She-Hulk seems to make up for this in a hurry. The first episode already highlighted some of the issues women face in the workplace from a personal safety standpoint to how society treats them in general. At times, it was addressed with all the subtlety of the Phase 1 Hulk. However, some people need a thunderclap to see these issues. I am hoping that we see these things fleshed out with a bit more nuance as the series develops to make them feel naturally ingrained in the show.
While the MCU is known for its quippy humor, She-Hulk is Marvel's first attempt at a true comedy. It certainly had a lighter tone than most MCU projects, even though I did not find it much funnier than a lot of other Marvel Projects. It wasn't unfunny, but it was more chuckling and not so much laughing. For reference, I found Guardians of the Galaxy to be funnier overall. Take this comment with a grain of salt, though, since most sitcoms take a season or so to find their rhythm. Also, the origin story took up a lot of oxygen, so there is still plenty of time for hilarity.
Overall, it was a very solid first episode that checked all the checkboxes and then some. While there were concerns about the CGI used in the trailer, much of that was improved in the first episode. There did seem to be a few times where the lips didn't sync perfectly, but again, it looked much better. I also don’t know why her hair straightened when she transformed, but I may just be nitpicking. Episode 1 established the tone and the status quo. It was a great prologue all around without feeling rushed. Don’t forget to check out the post-credit scene!
Check out the next episode when it drops on Disney+ on August 25th!
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