She Hulk
We tell you, without spoilers, what we thought of the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which premiered on Disney Plus
As the song of that ad said that only our most veteran readers will remember: «We have a new girl in the office». And her name is not Farala, but Jennifer Walters. The first episode of the She-Hulk: Lawyer She-Hulk series premiered today, adding a new hero to the extensive UCM roster. And, in my opinion, she has done it with a very good grade.
Review of the first episode of She-Hulk: Lawyer She-Hulk
Like the unique premise of Scarlet Witch and Vision, the stylized visuals and cultural portrayal of Ms. Marvel, and Loki’s mind-boggling conception of the Multiverse, the She-Hulk series immediately departs from the expected narrative style of Marvel Studios with a protagonist who breaks the fourth wall.
Although in the Marvel comics it was Jen who did it first, anyone who’s seen the Deadpool movies will be familiar with the concept of talking to the viewer/reader of course, but here it’s used to great effect, enhancing what we’re seeing at throughout the series rather than simply serving as a cheap method of introducing an extra gag or two.
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In this first episode, we see how Jennifer Walters, the cousin of the Hulk, aka Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), is imbued with the powers of the Hulk after an accident. While her cousin struggled for years to come to terms with her alter ego and ultimately the anger that resided within him, Jennifer finds no alter ego living inside her mind as her body changes. Even in the form of the Hulk, Jennifer is still herself because she controlled his anger years ago. Instead of letting her out of it, she struggles to balance her personal life, a new work environment, and people’s perception of her body.
Maslany also has a lot of fun supporting characters to work with, like Ginger Gonzaga, who plays Jennifer’s best friend Nikki Ramos, but she still carries the show on her broad green shoulders. Nikki only appears for a few minutes in this first episode, but I’m sure the dynamic between her and Jen will play a lot in the following ones.
She-Hulk’s CGI has improved in the series
As for the much-criticized CGI, Maslany spends perhaps half the series as Jen, cheerful and likable, and the other half as She-Hulk, clearly recognizable under special effects that aren’t impressive, but rarely try to be. She-Hulk is large and green in a lithe, athletic, and stylized manner. If there were more action scenes or more sequences that required a lot of effort, literally or figuratively, on the part of the effects, perhaps the technical modesty of the series would be a problem. But, at the moment, he is not.
Although most of the first episode takes place outside the courthouse, She-Hulk is more Ally McBeal than The Good Fight when it comes to legal-focused comedies, and it’s closer to being a relentless replica of classic comedy clichés. of situation, characteristic of the first episodes of Scarlet Witch and Vision, then of the darker and richer background of the last episodes.
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In short, She-Hulk: Lawyer She-Hulk is snappy, funny, and full of winks, but anyone looking for “more” – more darkness, more drama, more cohesion – will be disappointed, at least in this first episode. Marvel Studios promised us a legal half-hour sitcom and that is what they have given us. If that is what we wanted and were looking for, the series exceeds expectations.