Sometimes a show comes along that is so run of the mill and textbook, that you don’t quite know what to make of it. Disney gave us a perfect example of just that this week, when they premiered “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law”.
She-Hulk is the latest Marvel character to gain entry into the MCU.
The latest entry into the MCU is not by any means a bad show. There were parts of it that were entertaining and the humor was there. In the end however, the show does fizzle out into an average endeavor that falls short of greatness.
The Premise
Tatiana Maslany, who won a Daytime Emmy award for the hit show “Orphan Black” plays Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, the cousin of Bruce Banner who becomes infected with Banner’s tainted blood after avoiding a UFO and crashing her car.
Award Winning actress Tatiana Maslany portrays Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk.
Banner takes Walters to his lab in Mexico and attempts to train her. It turns out that Jennifer Walters is a much more advanced Hulk than Bruce. The training ends prematurely and she returns back home to resume her job as a lawyer.
Character Development Flaws
I know it’s just the first episode of the show, but there was a serious lack of necessary character development. We end the first episode learning nothing about Jennifer Walters aside from her being Bruce Banner’s cousin.
We don’t know about her past, there is no mention of her personal life, we don’t know why she was in a car with Bruce in the first place, or where they were going.
There is no reason for me to root for or against this character. She’s just a lady who got Hulk powers.
Jameela Jamil made an anticlimactic appearance as Titania towards the end of the first episode.
The antagonist of the series, Titania showed up for a total of thirty seconds of screen time. She bursts into a court room with no explanation as to why she is there and gets promptly kicked into a wall. What should have been a fight sequence was an uninspired climax that fell flat.
We learned more about Tony Stark in this episode than any of the actual characters in the show.
The Writing Needs Improvement
Tatiana Maslany doesn’t do a bad job with what she is given. She is a good actress. She has charisma, emotion, humor, and good screen presence. The writing in the first episode is beneath her performance.
The dialogue is wooden at times, especially between her and Mark Ruffalo. The chemistry just isn’t there.
The dialogue between Mark Ruffalo and Tatiana Maslany was flat and uninspired.
It seems flavorless at times. There is no excitement or emotion behind the words. It doesn’t help that the show is titled “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law” and head writer Jessica Gao didn’t hire anybody who knew how to write a T.V. show about the legal profession.
That’s like having a room full of single twenty year olds write a show about parenthood. It’s not going to work and that issue needs to be addressed.
What Does Work
If the writers can get with the program and write material that matches Maslany’s talents, “She-Hulk” has the potential to be a really good show. They stay loyal to the source material with the self aware humor and breaking of the fourth wall, but they need to liven things up a little bit.
A strong character that female viewers can actually relate to is a step in the right direction for the MCU and I think that it is a long overdue concept. A lot of women read comic books. That is a demographic that is often overlooked. It is nice to see the ladies get a seat at the table.
Final Thoughts
“She-Hulk: Attorney At Law” is an entertaining half hour that is mildly disappointing. It wasn’t disappointing enough for me to stop watching the show altogether, as there are bright spots in the show that deserve consideration. There is potential there and I wouldn’t give up on it just yet. If the writers room can get some direction and put some feeling behind their words, this show could end up being a real treat.
What do you think, fellow geeks? Do you love the show? Hate it? On the fence? we want to know how you feel, so sound off in the comments section!
Thank you for reading. When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my wife Barbara, my two year old daughter Frankie, My hound Marbles, and Ms. Farrah Pawcett, my loveable ferret.
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