Spoiler Review Of The ‘She-Hulk’ Finale: Well That Was Unexpected
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There have been ups and downs, laughs and tears, and some questionable CGI, but after 9 episodes, season 1 of She-Hulk has come to a close. Between the highs of episodes 4 and 8 and the lows of episodes 2 and 5; I really wasn’t sure what to expect with the season finale. No matter what I expected, there is no way I could have predicted this absolutely off-the-wall episode.
I usually review the episodes more topically, but this episode doesn’t suit that sort of review. Anyways, it starts off with a pretty ridiculous and great throwback to the Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk series as a series recap. Jen then wakes up and finds herself in jail. Last week, Intelligencia’s efforts to take down She-Hulk were successful as they made her private life very, very public, and it was hard to watch. Jen was understandably upset and hulked out. What happens next is a well-done parallel of what sometimes occurs when women show their emotions. Jen was left with a number of repercussions, and the focus was entirely on her being “emotional.” Meanwhile, the ones who did the worst offense and were the cause in the first place were in the clear. It was a great example of showing instead of telling when it comes to social issues because we felt the injustice of the situation.
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But, of course, that wasn’t the end of it. We then had another Nikki/Pug mission to remind us how great the side characters are and how they aren’t given nearly enough time. They figure out how to infiltrate Intelligencia while Jen is on a “mental health break.” The Intelligencia meeting feels very real and self-aware. The dialogue between the misogynistic members felt incredibly relatable and was almost ripped from Youtube comments. Everything from the justification to the misinformation; was just another well-executed critique of a culture that is very much real. Then, all the stories (except Madisynn, unfortunately) come crashing together. All at once. It’s madness and indicative of the messiness of the series itself at times trying to balance one too many aspects of itself. It feels like a runaway train. Then…
The biggest and best 4th wall break. I want to go full spoiler, but I won’t. It’s Deadpool level 4th wall breaking and then some. As usually happens with She-Hulk, when they take risks and lean into the craziness of everything, it pays off heavily. She-Hulk goes full meta and essentially critiques itself and Marvel in general. It was so fresh and poignant while still being funny that it made me wonder why we got such typical and occasionally dull episodes. It actually touched on some of the criticisms I had been having of how they kept trying to impose the classic superhero/Marvel formula on what should have stayed a legal sitcom.
It summed up what I think is the biggest struggle with She-Hulk; when they let it find its rhythm as a show in the Marvel universe, it’s phenomenal, but when they try to turn it into another superhero story, it just adds bulk and squeezes out some of the more successful elements of the show. There is also some less obvious but phenomenal criticism of the Marvel universe that was so wonderfully executed. We are then snapped out of the 4th wall break and into a much cleaner storyline. We have some quality (but rushed) resolutions. It’s a good ending, especially in contrast to the off-the-rails middle act. It also featured the return of a post-credit scene.
This was my favorite episode so far. They did everything that made She-Hulk a successful show and executed them all beautifully. It felt like a good picture of the series as a whole. We saw nearly all the characters from the whole series but in a way that made sense and not just crammed in. They hit many of the show’s key themes, such as societal obstacles for women, self-acceptance, and injustices and how we respond to them. It had good pacing, used some of its best humor, and leaned into ridiculous situations while still holding on to its legal roots.
One of my favorite things about the episode is that they took a risk. Not just by doing an episode like this, but they would use it as a season finale. For better or worse, Marvel has been accused of having somewhat similar content (especially on the film side), so whether or not it worked for you, at least they tried to do something fresh and something more or less unheard of. In acting, they say the most important thing to do is to commit, and they went all in while self-critiquing.
It has been a journey and a show that I have considered worth the watch. It certainly has not been a perfect show, but it hasn’t been like anything else coming out of Marvel. At its peak, it is a wonderfully ridiculous and fresh legal sitcom that happens to be set in the MCU, and all that entails. At its worst, a slow comedy that can’t make up its mind between being a superhero show with humor or a character-driven sitcom. I’m hoping they will fix the holes, lean into their strengths, and we get a season 2, but time will tell if K.E.V.I.N. approves.
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Source(s): Disney+