She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) – Review of the First Four Episodes

Quick Thoughts – Grade B+ – The first four episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are a delight. Ignore all the complaints about the VFX (which aren’t great) and just embrace a Marvel Cinematic Universe show that embraces comedy and feels like an actual television show. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) is a blast, and the weekly court cases will put a smile on your face. 

What I like about She-Hulk; Attorney at Law is that it’s in on the joke and knows it’s a show about a lawyer named Jennifer Walters (Maslany) who turns into a “She-Hulk” when she and her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) get into a car accident and his blood spills onto her and seeps into a cut on her arm. What’s nice about She-Hulk is that she doesn’t have to go on a soul-searching journey to figure out if she belongs because she already knows what she wants and is way better at keeping her temper than her cousin Bruce. Jennifer has no interest in being a superhero, and is more concerned with working cases with her friend/paralegal Nikki Ramos (Ginger Gonzaga) . The problem is, during one particular case, she is forced to “Hulk out” when the courtroom is attacked by a villain-influencer named Titania (Jameela Jamil). Her heroic outburst, which saves several jurors from being smushed, gets her fired from her job and forces her to figure out her life/work balance when it comes to being a human being who can turn into a large green giant capable of throwing boulders with ease. 

The show is at its best when it focuses on Jennifer’s dating life, or plays up the influence of John Byrne’s and Dan Slott’s comics (bright colors, cheeky humor). The comedy gives the show much needed distance from its other Phase Four properties and allows it to be a television show about a lawyer (which is nice). It’s also nice that She-Hulk’s origin story is quick, simple and dealt with in a manner that it’s not totally life changing. The first episode is dedicated to figuring out Jennifer’s new abilities, and then it’s on her trying to find a new job while worrying about her school loans. Throughout the episodes Jennifer isn’t saving the world (yet), or dealing with gods (yet), she’s more interested in breaking the fourth wall, arguing with fan-favorite Dr. Strange 1 & 2 alum Wong (Benedict Wong), and hanging out at a How I Met Your Mother-esque bar where she works on getting Abomination (Tim Roth – very good) out of jail. 

The four episodes fly by and I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises because I knew nothing about the show before watching it and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. What can you expect? You can expect rock throwing, dangerous portals, Sopranos references, funny Minnesota bits, and Tatianna Maslany stealing the show. It’s a lot of fun.