Review: She-Hulk Attorney at Law is a breath of fresh air for the MCU

Marvel's latest series overdelivers on both comedy and heart

In the first episode of the absolutely delightful She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Jennifer Walters (portrayed by the incredible Tatiana Maslany) engages in a running discussion with her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) about a hotly debated topic: whether or not his friend Captain America died a virgin. It’s in this moment that you realize that this series is unlike anything that has come before it in the MCU. And thank goodness for that.

The genius of the universe Kevin Feige has masterminded is that all of these epic individual stories combine to tell a somehow even more epic master story. It’s great. It can also start to feel very one-note. Perhaps Feige himself realized this as well since he made the brilliant decision to put She-Hulk in the hands of two brilliant women whose backgrounds are steeped in the world of comedic television: head writer Jessica Gao who, among other things won an Emmy for her work on Rick & Morty, and director Kat Coiro, who has helmed episodes of some of the best comedies of the last five years including Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Girls5eva (a personal fave), and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The result is easily the MCU’s biggest foray into comedy and given Gao and Coiro’s credits, it’s no shock that this series overdelivers on that promise. The comedy never feels forced. Yes, there are broad attempts at humor like when one of Jen’s colleagues thinks he is dating Megan Thee Stallion only to find out it’s actually an Asgardian shapeshifter. In another subplot, our favorite Sorcerer Supreme Wong (the always terrific Benedict Wong) strikes up an unlikely friendship with party girl Madisynn (the hilarious Patty Guggenheim), and yes that’s how her name is spelled. (As Madisynn exclaims multiple times in the episode, “the Y isn’t where you think it is.”)

But a lot of the comedy is rooted in an aspect of superhero life that has yet to really be explored in the MCU: the mundane day-to-day life of having powers. Both Jen’s professional and dating lives are explored in detail, and Gao isn’t afraid to focus on the struggles the character has to overcome as a smart, powerful woman in a profession dominated by men. This obviously aided by Maslany’s perfect performance. For diehard fans of BBC America’s Orphan Black, it is unsurprising that Maslany can be both endearing and a complete badass, often simultaneously. It isn’t simply that she is the obvious best person to portray Jennifer Walters. It’s that if you sit and think, you will struggle to come up with another name as a viable alternative. Without Maslany, this show doesn’t work. Hell, it probably doesn’t even exist.

The only comedic element that didn’t work for me is the one that has garnered the majority of the pre-show press. You have undoubtedly read thatShe-Hulkbreaks the fourth wall, with Jen addressing the audience directly at least once per episode. (“Kind of a downer ending,” she notes at the conclusion of one.) Some of the asides are funny, particularly when she is referencing the show itself. But truthfully, I found it more of a distraction than anything. It’s almost as if the writers felt they needed an injection of comedy but this show is funny enough to stand on its own. Gao has referenced Phoebe Waller-Bridge’sFleabagas an inspiration for how Jen addresses the audience but, in that series, it’s a part of the show’s fabric and character. Perhaps there is a reveal yet to come that would make the device essential but at least through the first batch of episodes, I found it not necessary.

The series’ essentialness to the rest of the MCU may be a problem for some fans. Press was shown four episodes of the nine-episode season in advance so there is plenty of time for this to change but at least so far – save for a quick scene with Bruce that won’t be spoiled here – nothing points to this show affecting the larger MCU as a whole. As you’ve probably guessed if you’ve made it this far, that is a positive for the series in my book. The MCU has become too expansive, rendering Phase 4 slightly disjointed, as if the parts don’t quite make up a whole. For me, that’s actually ok. Not every Marvel entry has to bear an overall importance to the Multiverse Saga, at least not to me.

Then again, that last paragraph could be rendered moot by the episodes to come. We know for a fact that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil will be making an appearance and I have a feeling Hamilton’s Renée Elise-Goldsberry is playing a more significant character than the pre-show press has let on (she only has one scene in the first batch of episodes we were shown.) But I will keep watching She-Hulk not for the clever cameos and overall MCU tie-in but because I’m invested and interested in Jen’s story and where her journey takes her as a person and as a superhero. That’s the mark of great television.