She-Hulk review, Episode 2: “Superhuman Law”

Alright, I’m here for She-Hulk, folks. It’s funny, silly, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still manages to incorporate all the things we love about Marvel. I know many folks were not feeling confident about this series, but it has been a pleasant surprise.

Plus, Tatiana Maslany is the perfect person to bring She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters to life. I love seeing her onscreen chemistry with Mark Ruffalo in particular.

And with that, let’s talk about what this week’s episode had in store for us! The premiere episode ended with Jennifer going full She-Hulk in the courtroom after Titania (Jameela Jamil) crashed a court hearing. She quickly had to embrace her superhuman side, whether or not she wanted to.

That is where this week’s episode picks up! So without further ado, let’s get into all the major  moments from “Superhuman Law.” Major SPOILERS ahead!

From Jennifer Walters to She-Hulk, Attorney at Law

Jennifer Walters’ superhero origin story has unfolded quickly. No time is wasted explaining that Jennifer got her powers from her cousin, Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) after they were in an accident and his blood mingled with hers. And voila, she became the second Hulk in the family.

After the trial where Jen reveals herself as She-Hulk, she and her best friend and paralegal Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) head to a bar where everyone asks her to change. They can’t get enough of it!

Jen explains that she doesn’t want to be a superhero and risk the career she’s worked so hard for. It’s just not the life for her…or is it? As she’s thinking this over, her boss shows up and fires her. He likes that she was able to save the jury, but because of her actions, the judge ruled the case a mistrial. He lets her go because she’s more of a liability than he is willing to take on. Not cool, boss, not cool at all!

Jen attempts to find a job and interviews with multiple law firms. However, they all share the same opinion as her former boss. They just don’t want to take She-Hulk in because of the risk she poses. But never fear: an interesting job offer presents itself, one that ties the show to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Enter Abomination

After being rejected by all those firms and facing her family (who have all sorts of comments about her life), Jen finds herself with a job opportunity: Mr. Holloway (Steve Coulter) offers her a position at GLK&H, where she would manage a branch on superhero law. Far from being concerned that she’s a tall green superheor, Holloway wants her to present herself as the She-Hulk in all professional settings, so she can provide a face for this new enterprise. It starts well enough; I like the moment when we meet Jen’s new colleague Pug, played by Arrow’s Josh Segarra. Things are chugging along until Jen finds out that she has to represent Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), aka Abomination.

That is a bit awkward because Abomination and the Hulk had an epic standoff once upon a time. Having to defend someone who once tried to kill her cousin isn’t ideal, but if Jen wants this job, it might be the only way.

Given that we know Charlie Cox will be in the show at some point as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, maybe Jen will join forces with his law firm instead. That would be great!

Anyway, Jen reaches out to Bruce to tell him she is taking the job, and he graciously understands. “I was a different man back then…literally,” he says. You’ll get the reference if you remember that Abnomination fought with the Hulk back when Edward Norton was playing him. Touché Marvel, I love the humor.

To represent or not represent

Jen takes the job offer after visiting Blonsky in his supervillain-safe prison. He’s not in his Abomination form and is quite insistent that he has changed. Jen is easily convinced to represent him because he reminds her that the government injected him with super serum and he was ordered to kill Bruce. It wasn’t all his fault, right? I’m not sure about that because soon after Jen agrees to represent him, the news shows that Blonsky broke out of the facility and is on the run.

Side note: I loved the tie-in with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in this episode after we learn Blonsky has escaped and has been fighting in some secret wrestling ring. That directly links this show to the events of Shang-Chi, where we see one of those fights. Don’t you just love all these connections?

Grade: A-

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