The last two episodes of She-Hulk were very different from the premiere episode of the series, they felt like a courtroom comedy series. I understand why for some this show does not work for them, it is very small in scope, the action feels more comedic, and the tone of the show is comedic rather than dramatic. There is a charm to She-Hulk that I think is something that fits perfectly in the MCU, it reminds me of Hawkeye in that it embraces comedy as an integral part of the show. I did not enjoy Moon Knight as much as I had wanted because the tone of the show was all over the place, it wanted to be funny while also serious. Moon Knight failed to find balance in the tone, but I think She-Hulk has a narrower focus on telling a funny story, as of the first three episodes it is not aiming for something deep. The MCU has been about entertaining, and She-Hulk easily accomplishes the task of being entertaining in the first three episodes. While the criticism of the CGI of She-Hulk is valid (it does not look great at times), it is unfair to expect the series to have the quality of the films. There is a lot of problems caused by She-hulk being an entirely CGI character, and the wrinkle added in episode two that when she is working for her new law firm, she is to be She-Hulk will only add to the need for CGI. The regular day life of She-Hulk visually does not look great, but when she is called into action as we see in episode three it does not look noticeably bad. The visuals of the show should not be the focus of criticism, the story of the show is the most important element; if there are story issues/acting issue then I can see the show deserving criticism.
In the second and third episodes we get an appearance by Tim Roth who is reprising his role of Emil Blonsky from The Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Hulk is a forgotten film from the MCU, when Mark Ruffalo was recast as Bruce Banner it became awkward for Marvel to acknowledge The Incredible Hulk, but She-Hulk is now righting those wrongs. Tim Roth is an incredibly under appreciated actor, and it was a smart decision to use Blonsky over Abomination. After the two episodes I have no clue as to whether Blonsky has actually changed, but he is obviously less intense than he was. At times it does feel like Blonsky is just saying what people want to hear, but he also does not appear to have ill intent. The third episode was the funniest to me, it involved her jerk former co-worker Dennis needing a lawyer to represent him after he was defrauded. Jennifer's paralegal setting a thirst trap to get a hold of Wong was something small, but very funny. The humor is the basis for the show, and Jenn's occasional chat with the audience was a smart choice of something from the comics to bring to the show. Having a nine-episode season will help the show avoid the chaos some of the other shows went through of trying to fit too much into one episode. She-Hulk is not rushing anything, it is like a leisurely drive through the country. I did think it was a mistake for the MCU Disney Plus series to be anything less than 8 episodes, almost every series had a rushed ending. If She-Hulk can continue to tell a story without rushing it could lead to one of the more entertaining and rewarding MCU series.
RECAP OF EPISODES TWO & THREE
The second episode entitled Superhuman Law opens with a news report recapping the encounter between Titania (who is a social media influencer) and She-Hulk. Jenn is at a bar celebrating her secret getting out, and her being labeled a hero, though while out her boss comes by and fires her because her interference caused a mistrial. Time has passed since her firing, and she is having trouble getting another job as a lawyer since her condition is considered a liability in the courtroom. Jenn goes to dinner with her family, the family bombard her with superhero questions to the point where her dad makes an excuse to take her away. Jenn is drinking at a bar by herself when Holden Holliway a lawyer from a firm comes to offer her a job. The firm is starting a superhero division, and they want She-Hulk (not Jenn) to be one of their lawyers; Jenn takes the job and brings Nikki along to be her paralegal. On her first day she is introduced to another lawyer named Pug (played by Josh Segarra) who is also in the superhero division. Jenn's first case is to assist Emil Blonsky (played once again by Tim Roth) in getting his freedom. Jenn does not want to represent the man who attacked her cousin, but Mr. Holliway convincer her to meet with Blonsky first.
Blonsky says that he is control of whether he turns into Abomination now, he has explored spiritual enlightenment. Blonsky says that he was given orders and told lies about what was going on when he was on the team trying to take down Hulk. Blonsky wants to move on with his life, he wants to open a spiritual retreat with his seven soulmates. Jenn calls Bruce to talk about taking on the Blonsky case, Bruce is okay since he and Blonsky have put their differences behind them. Bruce is on a spaceship heading off to some unknown location, we don't see or hear from him again. Jenn calls Mr. Holliway to tell him she will take the case, and Mr. Holliway informs her she might want to turn on the news. The news is reporting that Abomination escaped prison and was seen in an online video in some fight club (as seen in Shang-Chi) as the episode ends. There is a mid-credits scene involving Jenn helping her parents with some chores while she is She-Hulk.
The third episode titled The People vs. Emil Blonsky starts with Jenn going to visit Emil in prison to question him about the news report. Blonsky explains that he was forced to leave his cell, but he chose to return of his own free will. Blonsky says the Sorcerer Supreme of the Mystic Arts named Wong was the person who forced him to leave prison. Jenn calls Nikki to look into Wong; Nikki says she set up a thirst trap to have Wong contact her. Dennis the jerk coworker of Jenn from her job at the district attorney's office needs representation. Dennis was tricked by the elf Runa into believing he was dating Megan Thee Stallion, so Dennis is suing Runa for all of the gifts he gave her. Pug is assigned to be Dennis' lawyer in the case since Jenn and Dennis have a prior history. Wong interrupts the meeting by arriving via a portal, Wong confirms that he did make Blonsky participate in the fight club. At the parole hearing Jenn makes a case that Blonsky has changed his life, and Wong eventually arrives to confirm that he forced Emil to leave prison. Blonsky then transforms into Abomination to prove he is in full control now; the panel says it will review and discuss before giving their decision.
At the hearing involving Dennis, Pug is able to make his case by proving that Dennis is arrogant enough to believe he could actually date Megan Thee Stallion. Jenn testifies in support of Dennis saying he is indeed thick enough to think he was dating the real Megan Thee Stallion. The judge decides in support of Dennis, and then sentences Runa to jail time for impersonating a judge. Jenn then attends the parole verdict where the panel has decided to free Emil with the condition wearing an inhibitor which will prevent him from turning into the Abomination again. Jenn then does a TV interview to set the record straight, the media have been putting out a lot of rumors about Jenn that are not true. Jenn is returning home when she is attacked by thugs (the Wrecking Crew), they attack her using Asgardian tools. Jenn transforms into She-Hulk and proceeds to easily defeat all of them very easily, the thugs were trying to get a sample of blood for their boss as the episode ends. There is a mid-credits scene with Jenn and Megan Thee Stallion dancing in Jenn's office after Megan becomes a client of Jenn.
WRAPPING UP EPISODES TWO AND THREE
I have enjoyed every episode of She-Hulk we have seen so far, and while it is not striving for much it is just a great 30-minute entertaining show. I wonder if the show will have a new case every week or two, I originally was expecting the Abomination case to be an entire season case. I also like how Dennis is a recurring character on the show, I find him funny because of how much a jerk he is. I hope the show is able to find room for Dennis to keep popping up, his being tricked into believing he was dating Megan Thee Stallion by Runa the elf was something unexpected. Pug calling Dennis' character into question and using that as a defence Dennis being dumb enough to believe he could actually get a date with Megan Thee Stallion. I like the Dennis character; he is a good foil for Jenn who I can see becoming an ally as the series goes on. I also like Pug, but he seems close to Holliway who I think might turn out to be a bad guy. As of episode three it does not appear that there is an antagonist established yet, but episode three did a good job at hinting at something.
The Wrecking Crew made their MCU debut, but it is far from a real threat as of now as they appeared to be bumbling fools who were no match for She-Hulk. The Wrecking Crew appears to be sent by someone who is interested in She-Hulk's blood. I think the villain could be either The Leader or Wilson Fisk. The Leader was a character introduced in The Incredible Hulk; he was the scientist who was messaging with Bruce who eventually turned Blonsky into Abomination. The Leader was last seen with Bruce's toxic blood dripping into an open wound on The Leader's head with was growing in size. It is possible that The Leader has been lurking in the background ever since then, and it would be a nice touch referencing The Incredible Hulk. Wilson Fisk would also make sense as we know Daredevil will appear on the show and getting Matt to L.A. might require Fisk to be in L.A. too. I don't think the series needs a big bad, but someone hired The Wrecking Crew, and we are going to find out who that is at some point in the season. It could even be Holliway who hired them, and maybe he himself is working for someone too. Holliway could also be Mephisto, that would be the ultimate trolling of fans if Holliway is revealed to be Mephisto.
Out of the two episodes, to me episode three was fantastic as it had a fast pace, it was very funny, but it also had a mid-credits scene that I did not enjoy. The dancing scene between She-Hulk and Megan Thee Stallion was a low point for me, I know it is supposed to be fun/funny, but that is not my type of humor. The mid-credits scenes so far have all been comedic-based, and the third episodes scene was the only one that I did not find amusing. Outside of the dancing, I thought episode three was great and I am going to give it an 8/10. The second episode was good too, but it was a change of pace episode that set the show up for what it will be. Episode two is going to get a 7/10 from me because it was still good, but for me it was not as interesting as the first and third episode. It is a sad thing that female driven superhero films and series are subject to negative review bombing by internet trolls who feel threatened by strong women. While I don't think She-Hulk is on the level of say an HBO show like Watchmen, it is a lot of fun, and quite funny. I am very excited to see Daredevil, and I also and wondering what it is up with Bruce. Bruce is back in space going to so,me unknown destination; there have been rumors that we are going to get a World War Hulk film or series. If Bruce is going back to Sakaar, is it to see his son; in the comics Bruce has a son during the events of Planet Hulk. I do not think Bruce's story will be a focus of She-Hulk, but I do expect them to answer where Bruce went before the season is over. Until we get the answer we will just have to enjoy She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which is easy since it is a good show.
Thank you for reading my review, and please share your thoughts on episodes two and three of She-Hulk.
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