Disney+ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Marvel Cinematic Universe) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Spoiler: September 1 episode

I was underwhelmed by this episode.

Wong mentions in this episode that he won't wipe people's memories again. This was thrown in as a laugh line just so that Jennifer could tell him how unethical that is. But it continues to muddy the waters regarding the impact of the No Way Home climactic spell, because Wong shouldn't be able to remember the spell being done. They really need to be more specific about things like that and not just throw stuff like that around as jokes.

I also thought it was really inconsistent with the character as previously written that Wong would break Blonsky out of prison just because he needed a worthy adversary in his training to become the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange is the rash one, not Wong. This feels like they wrote it that way because the plot needed it, not because it makes sense for Wong to do something that stupid. That doesn't really work with the timeline either, because Wong became Sorcerer Supreme by default after Doctor Strange was dusted. But the fight between Wong and Abomination took place in Shang-Chi, which is clearly set post-blip when Wong has been Sorcerer Supreme for a while. This just doesn't add up to me.

Also, I get that the show is probably going to employ a case-of-the-week format like most law shows, but I would be really surprised if this episode is the end of Tim Roth's presence on this show. Considering how long ago The Incredible Hulk was, and what it meant to bring him back from that, they didn't really use him all that much.

 

[Walter Kittel]

This episode felt like a minor step down after episode two. I am not as conversant with some aspects of the MCU as discussed in Jake's spoiler, but his critique seems reasonable.

The show continues to have fun breaking the fourth wall and it was effective again in this episode. I found the B story line to be a lot more fun. It was so silly that you had to laugh, and it was an excuse for a fun cameo in the post credits scene. Also enjoyed the spot on criticism of the shallowness of most/all entertainment media.

This episode seemed a little bit less focused vs. episode two but I am still enjoying it mostly due to Maslany's engaging presence.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yup, I’m not going there with Jake’s criticism because I haven’t seen the movie in question which I might do on Saturday.

Anyhow, I enjoyed the third episode quite a bit. Jennifer needs to stay the She-Hulk all the time for her own safety.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

When the thugs at the end mentioned their "Boss", I thought that it might be a good platform to finally follow up on the long left dangling thread of Tim Blake Nelson's 'The Leader" character from the Edward Nortan film.

 

[Sam Favate]

I enjoyed it. It’s a light-hearted lawyer show that happens to take place in the Marvel Universe, and I like it for what it is.

However, I confess that

Spoiler

I have no idea who Megan Thee Stallion is.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Spoiler: September 1 episode

Wong mentions in this episode that he won't wipe people's memories again. This was thrown in as a laugh line just so that Jennifer could tell him how unethical that is. But it continues to muddy the waters regarding the impact of the No Way Home climactic spell, because Wong shouldn't be able to remember the spell being done. They really need to be more specific about things like that and not just throw stuff like that around as jokes.

My understanding is that:

Spoiler: Spider-Man: No Way Home Ending

Wong and Strange remember the spell being done, they just don't remember who Strange did the spell for. The extent of the erasure seems to depend on the person; MJ and Ned needed to forget the events of the entire movie, because they wouldn't have had any reason to interact with Spider-Man if his alter ego wasn't their good friend. But Spider-Man's secret identity was incidental to Strange and Wong; in contrast to Peter's friends, they knew Peter Parker through Spider-Man rather than Spider-Man through Peter Parker. So the impacts to their memories could be a lot more surgical.

I also thought it was really inconsistent with the character as previously written that Wong would break Blonsky out of prison just because he needed a worthy adversary in his training to become the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange is the rash one, not Wong. This feels like they wrote it that way because the plot needed it, not because it makes sense for Wong to do something that stupid. That doesn't really work with the timeline either, because Wong became Sorcerer Supreme by default after Doctor Strange was dusted. But the fight between Wong and Abomination took place in Shang-Chi, which is clearly set post-blip when Wong has been Sorcerer Supreme for a while. This just doesn't add up to me.

I do agree with that it felt out of character for Wong. But, at the same time, Wong and Abomination's appearance in Shang-Chi don't make a lot of sense without that explanation.

Also, I get that the show is probably going to employ a case-of-the-week format like most law shows, but I would be really surprised if this episode is the end of Tim Roth's presence on this show. Considering how long ago The Incredible Hulk was, and what it meant to bring him back from that, they didn't really use him all that much.

Tim Roth is credited as a series regular, as opposed to Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Wong, who were both credited as special guest stars. But then again, Megan Thee Stallion was credited as a series regular too, so who knows?

This episode felt like a minor step down after episode two.

I do agree with this episode didin't feel as strong as last week's. It was pretty much a straight sitcom episode, so it didn't feel as meaty as that episode.

Also enjoyed the spot on criticism of the shallowness of most/all entertainment media.

It speaks to how lame and predictable the misogynistic wing of the show's detractors are that the episode was able to mock them pretty savagely even though it was written and shot way before the outrage machine had kicked into gear.

Anyhow, I enjoyed the third episode quite a bit. Jennifer needs to stay the She-Hulk all the time for her own safety.

It made sense that she appeared in her human form before the parole board, but a lot of times in the episode it seemed like she was human just so that they didn't have to pay for a VFX shot. After largely solid visual effects for She-Hulk in the first couple episodes, there were some dodgy shots this week, especially the wide shots that capture her in motion.

When the thugs at the end mentioned their "Boss", I thought that it might be a good platform to finally follow up on the long left dangling thread of Tim Blake Nelson's 'The Leader" character from the Edward Nortan film.

The thugs and the bent syringe were the most intriguing dangling thread from this episode. Somebody clearly wants her hulk blood, but toward what end? From what Bruce Banner described, the genes needed to hulk out rather than die when exposed to gamma rays are fairly rare. So her blood alone wouldn't be enough to create a hulk army.

 

[jayembee]

My understanding is that:

Spoiler: Spider-Man: No Way Home Ending

Wong and Strange remember the spell being done, they just don't remember who Strange did the spell for. The extent of the erasure seems to depend on the person; MJ and Ned needed to forget the events of the entire movie, because they wouldn't have had any reason to interact with Spider-Man if his alter ego wasn't their good friend. But Spider-Man's secret identity was incidental to Strange and Wong; in contrast to Peter's friends, they knew Peter Parker through Spider-Man rather than Spider-Man through Peter Parker. So the impacts to their memories could be a lot more surgical.

It seemed inconsistent even just within that film. Because the immediate question that's begged is why did Happy have a relationship with May if it wasn't through Peter being Spider-Man? I mean, sure, there's no reason why Happy and May couldn't have gotten together through some other circumstance, but when Happy thinks of how he and May got together (and having just lost her, there's no way he wouldn't dwell on that) how does he think it happened?

It speaks to how lame and predictable the misogynistic wing of the show's detractors are that the episode was able to mock them pretty savagely even though it was written and shot way before the outrage machine had kicked into gear.

Because the outrage machine wasn't about She-Hulk specifically. It's been about any form of...oh, let's call it...hmmm...The Great Replacement Theory?...which has been operating with respect to the MCU since Captain Marvel went into production.

I think I loved this episode as much as the first two. It's wit is wickedly sharp. And the "B" plot, with Pug and Dennis, was fun as well. Anyone recognize Josh Segarra (Pug) as Prometheus/Adrian Chase from Arrow? Although Pug seems closer to his character from EMT-based comedy Sirens.

 

[Joe Wong]

Even with the inconsistencies, I liked this episode's "groove", as in the tone it's settling into. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the brief glimpse of Wong's resume. And it seems like regular humans are so used to the presence of superheroes most aren't fazed or amazed anymore.

Spoiler

Leaning into the timeline... since this show is roughly concurrent with Shang-Chi, Bruce in the Shang-Chi post credits is using the inhibitor to be human, and has either finished his dealings with the folks from Sakaar or is doing the conference call while still dealing with them.

 

[Jake Lipson]

It's not concurrent with Shang-Chi. The head writer of She-Hulk confirmed that it is set after the movie in an interview a while back. But even if that were not the case, the show itself clearly places itself after the movie. As you noted, Bruce is using the inhibitor, which he wouldn't need after the events of the She-Hulk pilot. He is now back to living as Smart Hulk all the time.

I think that the footage of the fight just took a while to come out. Whoever leaked it did so because they wanted Blonsky to stay in jail, so they deliberately put out that footage just prior to his hearing thinking it would guarantee his parole would be denied.

 

[Jason_V]

It's not concurrent with Shang-Chi. The head writer of She-Hulk confirmed that it is set after the movie in an interview a while back. But even if that were not the case, the show itself clearly places itself after the movie. As you noted, Bruce is using the inhibitor, which he wouldn't need after the events of the She-Hulk pilot. He is now back to living as Smart Hulk all the time.

I think that the footage of the fight just took a while to come out. Whoever leaked it did so because they wanted Blonsky to stay in jail, so they deliberately put out that footage just prior to his hearing thinking it would guarantee his parole would be denied.

I'm down for parts of that theory. Someone or someone's was trying to set Jen up to fail trying to get Blonsky out of jail. They thought she couldn't do it, but she's a crack attorney (and pretty lucky, let's be honest) so she accomplished the goal no one thought she could.

That footage was 100% released to blow up her case in my mind, until they tell us differently.

Lots of dodgy VFX this week (whew...), though I am managing to look past it to the actual story. I'm very happy Marvel is taking these kinds of swings, knowing full well there are folks in the audience who will be review bombing the show, refuse to watch it, say it doesn't matter and get offended over the character and the depictions of some of the men in the story.

The episodes still feel too short yet just right for me.

And if I never hear the name "Megan Thee Stallion" again, I'll be good.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I'm down for parts of that theory. Someone or someone's was trying to set Jen up to fail trying to get Blonsky out of jail. They thought she couldn't do it, but she's a crack attorney (and pretty lucky, let's be honest) so she accomplished the goal no one thought she could.

That footage was 100% released to blow up her case in my mind, until they tell us differently.

Lots of dodgy VFX this week (whew...), though I am managing to look past it to the actual story. I'm very happy Marvel is taking these kinds of swings, knowing full well there are folks in the audience who will be review bombing the show, refuse to watch it, say it doesn't matter and get offended over the character and the depictions of some of the men in the story.

The episodes still feel too short yet just right for me.

And if I never hear the name "Megan Thee Stallion" again, I'll be good.

Yeah I had no idea the "Artist" was apparently real and not made up until the extra scene which I'm really sorry I waited for.

 

[Joe Wong]

Spoiler

Also liked how they highlighted the misogynistic takes from social media (on a female superhero), reflecting what has happened with films like Captain Marvel.

And fun fact (according to his resume): Wong was a Target Sales Associate for 9 years!

 

[Joe Wong]

Spoiler

 

[Francois Caron]

I'll be honest, ignorance is bliss. You're all talking about what these characters did in other movies, and I have absolutely no idea what it's all about because I've never seen any of them! And I'm glad I haven't because it would be a monumental distraction!

Even better, the show doesn't give out long explanations on who these characters are. Maybe a few tidbits during the narrative, but it's the exact minimum I really need to know in order to enjoy the show.

And I'm really glad on how the show's tightly edited. There's very little dead air to allow my mind to wander off and lose focus on the story. I can follow and enjoy this show very easily without having to look up summaries online afterwards just to recap what I may have missed.

As for the quality of the special effects, I'm not gonna worry too much about that. One of my favourite "comfort" shows is Babylon 5, and the digital effects on that show are honestly pretty atrocious, but not so much as to pull me away from the excellent long narrative storyline.

It's been a long time since I didn't feel the urge to speed-watch a superhero movie or TV show, or worse yet limit myself to YouTube clips or a CinemaSins presentation just to get through the massive drudgery.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I'll be honest, ignorance is bliss. You're all talking about what these characters did in other movies, and I have absolutely no idea what it's all about because I've never seen any of them! And I'm glad I haven't because it would be a monumental distraction!

I don't mean this as a criticism or an attack on how you view the show but as a genuine, sincere question.

If you haven't seen any of the MCU movies, what is it that makes you interested in watching She-Hulk individually?

The unique thing about this show is precisely that it exists in the MCU. That's not a distraction; it is the bedrock of the storytelling here. Characters from throughout the wider franchise can come seek Jennifer's help with their superhero-related legal issues. Although I have been very mixed on the show overall so far, I do think that it is taking advantage of that placement by bringing in characters like Blonsky and Wong or an Asgardian shapeshifter. It wants us to know who those people are.

If you take the MCU elements out of this show, then it's basically just another lawyer show. There are plenty of those on the air. So what brought you to this one if you're not into the surrounding universe?

 

[Francois Caron]

If you take the MCU elements out of this show, then it's basically just another lawyer show. There are plenty of those on the air.

It's about superheroes facing the consequences of their actions within the legal system. We only caught a glimpse of that in Pixar's "The Incredibles" franchise. Now we see how all that superhero recklessness is judged in a court of law. It's not a rehash of ancient narrow genres that have played for decades and worn out their welcome. It's a combination of two genres resulting in something different and refreshing, and I'm really grateful for that.

The last time I was interested in any superhero or legal material were the movie "Superman" and the TV show "LA Law". After that, everything else simply looked like a rehash of what I've already seen. The resemblance in story structure between different superhero movies was really getting on my nerves even during my speed-watches. And legal shows and movies weren't any better with the possible exception of "My Cousin Vinny" just because the protagonist was very much out of his league for much of the movie. And that movie has now become a prerequisite for legal students!

Now, we have something new, something completely different with a lot of potential. And just for that, I'll keep watching the show because, deep down, I want to be entertained with new stuff and not with recycled hash.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I fundamentally disagree with that assessment, but I appreciate your taking the time to respond to my question and sharing your perspective.

 

[jayembee]

Yeah I had no idea the "Artist" was apparently real and not made up until the extra scene which I'm really sorry I waited for.

Hunh. I'm not a fan, but I've certainly heard of her enough times that I knew she was real. Maybe it's because I always found it weird that a woman would be referring to herself as a "stallion". I did appreciate that she embraced the joke by appearing in the episode.

 

[Citizen87645]

Again, felt too short. And where's Titania?

 

[Sean Bryan]

And where's Titania?

She’s out hypnotizing people.