Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law feels like it will be a really divisive series. This latest entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV division, is not bad. It’s just “not bad.” In a lot of ways, She-Hulk feels like the first time an MCU property feel indulgent or unnecessary. And here’s the thing. That indulgence feels like a good thing.
She-Hulk‘s nine episode series is fun, but it doesn’t feel important. It does not feel like a bingeable series, but rather a sitcom you tune in once a week to remind yourself that this juggernaut that is the MCU still exists. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law feels like Marvel Studios pushing the boat out a little past expectations to see how audiences would respond.
(She) Hulk Smash (Expectations)
From the first four episodes that we’ve seen, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law really feels like a stand-alone series. So far, it doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with anything else that is happening in that universe. MCU characters pop by, but the characters never feel overly concerned with all that Shang-Chi or space stuff. Jennifer Walters is a lawyer that just so happens to have superpowers.
This distinction feels like an important one. It is the crux of the She-Hulk series. Because you see, this series is not a story about a superhero-who-happens-to-be-a-lawyer. She-Hulk is a series about a lawyer-who-happens-to-be-a-superhero. This is the opposite of Netflix’s Daredevil. She-Hulk is a courtroom series. Oh and it’s also a sitcom.
She-Hulk is a 30 minute(ish), case of the week(ish) series that feels a little bit more like Ally McBeal. Jennifer Walters is hired to head up a new department in a private law firm focusing specifically on super-cases and she does that by talking to the clients, talking to witnesses and arguing cases in the courtroom. Yes most of the time she’s in Hulk form (a precondition of her hiring at the law firm), but Jennifer Walters, at least in the four episodes we’ve seen, is a lawyer on a sitcom about lawyers.
(She) Hulk Smash (The Glass Ceiling)
Emile Blonsky is a client. Wong needs an injunction against a magician. And it’s looking like the main conflict between the hero and the villain is a trademark dispute. This is not just a punch-up show. This isn’t (as yet at least) a series about She-Hulk saving the world. This is about She-Hulk the lawyer, doing lawyer things.
And this is where the series as an indulgence feels good. She-Hulk doesn’t ever feel like the next big thing in the MCU. The series isn’t trying to be Wandavision or Ms. Marvel and set up the next MCU movie. Falcon And The Winter Soldier felt like Marvel Studios didn’t want to take the risk of doing an entire Captain America movie where they tell us who takes over Steve Rodgers shield and why. Ditto with Disney Plus’ Hawkeye.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law feels like a Loki. Yes, Jennifer Walters may end up in the wider MCU eventually (probably a lot sooner than Hiddleston’s Loki), but that is not the point of this series. This is an indulgence the way an ice cream is an indulgence at the end of a good meal. You don’t need it, but it sure is nice to have.
The She-Hulk series is a fun, sitcom about the world that is in the MCU. The series feels like a true “street-level” superhero series, without any of the big overarching villainy attached to a Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage or Jessica Jones. She-Hulk is a sitcom about Bruce Banner’s lawyer cousin who has to one day deal with being a Hulk for the rest of her life, all while trying to pay off her student debt, be a good lawyer, and climb the corporate ladder. And you know what? I am here for it.
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