Created by Jessica Gao
Based on Marvel Comics
Starring Tatiana Maslany, Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Segarra, Mark Linn-Baker, Tess Malis Kincaid, Tim Roth, Megan Thee Stallion, Benedict Wong, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jon Bass, Rhys Coiro, Griffin Matthews, Patti Harrison, Steve Coulter, Charlie Cox, Brandon Stanley, Drew Matthews
Music by Amie Doherty
Executive producers Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kat Coiro, Jessica Gao, Wendy Jacobson
Producer Melissa Hunter
Production location Atlanta
Cinematography Florian Ballhaus, Doug Chamberlain
Editors Jamie Gross, Stacey Schroeder, Zene Baker, Tim Roche
Running time 30–38 minutes
Production company Marvel Studios
Distributor Disney Platform Distribution
She-Hulk always struck me as one of the sillier characters in comics. Granted, the original Hulk was pretty silly to begin with (“Hulk smash! Hulk KILL!”). Gender wasn’t a real vital part of Hulk makeup, which made She-Hulk kinda…superfluous. Maybe she wasn’t on the level of DC’s “Legion of Super Pets” (featuring Krypto the Super Dog, Comet the Super Horse, Streaky the Super Cat, and Beppo, the Super Monkey) but silly enough. (As an aside, the notion of a housecat with Superman’s powers always struck me as utterly horrifying. Kid Miracleman, Johnny Bates with claws.)
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is also very silly, but fortunately in a different way. Tatiana Maslany, who played eight major roles in Orphan Black, effortlessly segues between being a pert, ambitious thirty-something lawyer and a two-meter tall green monster. Her formidable acting skills make the CGI elements something of an afterthought. The main difference between Tatiana Green and Tatiana Pink is that Green doesn’t make witty asides to the camera. Green is somewhat sober-sided, and Pink is snarky. But the result is that Maslany speciality: same person, similar personality, but entirely different. She really was an inspired casting choice. Despite size and coloration, gender isn’t quite so problematic for Maslany’s version, as Big Green she finds she is sexually attractive to a variety of creeps. (And I haven’t looked, but I’ll bet there’s already Rule 34 version of her out there by now. Um, ok, I looked. Yikes.)
The fourth wall doesn’t really exist in this show, much the same way it doesn’t exist in Enola Holmes with Millie Bobby Brown. It vanishes completely at the end, where Maslany is asking the audience what their opinion is on what direction the show should take. They even take some light jabs at Marvel and the MCU, with CEO Kevin Feige represented by K.E.V.I.N, a multi-eyed dangling C3PO-type robot with pre-programmed script presentations. The final episode suggests that She-Hulk will join the MCU, which would be a pity since one of the show’s main attractions was that it wasn’t part of that ponderously inept film universe.
In the first two episodes, Mark Ruffalo does a star turn as the original Hulk, her cousin. His blood accidentally mingled with hers, turning her into a Hulk. However, this is a new, woke Hulk, who now burns incense candles, engages in transcendental meditation, and reflects on the political and spiritual state of the world, complete with mournful shakes of the head. He very nearly steals the show.
There’s a good, if somewhat overcrowded supporting cast (total run time on this is about 5 hours, remember) including a few reasonably well-rendered super villains (including an also-woke Abomination) and lots of amusing twists and turns.
The show does make some salient points about the difficulties that still face women in the professional world, and has some fairly novel takes on the problems of being a superhero. However, its main purpose is to amuse and entertain, and it does that very well.
Now on Disney+.
Comments
Yep, a silly concept that made me laugh, and was a lot of fun to go along with the gag. However, some people and by that I mean the social media mob (of which we are all part if we engage with social media) had a complete sense of humour failure.
As you say, Enola Holmes employs the same fourth wall gag, but somehow that is loved and She Hulk is abjured. And of course there is Deadpool, again same shtick.
Though with the latter, the character and story is more in line with MCU theme, whereas She Hulk deconstructs the themes and goes for the fish out of water take. As I said, we enjoyed it, would watch more, and thought it good.
Author
I admit I don’t get the differing responses to the fourth wall gag. Maybe the two genres have different fen, or somehow Millie Bobby Brown is less threatening than Tatiana Maslany? I just don’t know.