She Hulk Attorney At Law Episode 1 Review: A charming and unexpected origin story.

The MCU’s (Marvel Cinematic Universe) phase four has been disappointing (in my eyes) to say the least. Filled with lackluster and boring shows with reused plot elements, I was really looking for something fresh and fun in the MCU’s last episodic series of phase four. Something I could sink my teeth into and digest. This was exactly what I believe was achieved with She Hulk: Attorney at Laws first episode “A Normal Amount of Rage.”  She Hulk: Attorney at Law contains the right amount of humor invoking a sense of charm about the show you won’t find anywhere else. 

In the show, we meet Jennifer Walters, an ambitious, hard-working lawyer who is forced to come to terms with her “Hulk-like” powers and find a balance between her normal life and her green life. This conflict is what I believe was the driving plot point the writers and creators were trying to expand upon.

The episode starts off in a peculiar way as compared to the standard MCU show. Jennifer Walters discusses the responsibility of power as she prepares for her courtroom case. Her friend and colleague Nikki advises her that she can “Hulk out” if she ever needs to during the case. 

We now transition to the uniqueness of this show. The Fourth Wall Breaks (I really enjoyed the addition of the fourth wall breaks as it is something we have never seen in the MCU and it expanded on the charm of the show as a whole). Jennifer breaks the fourth wall to go on and explain the origin of her powers. She was actually hanging out with her cousin, who would’ve guessed, the Hulk (Bruce Banner) when it happened. A road trip gone wrong is what happened as an enemy spaceship appeared in front of their car causing them to crash. They both survive, but with the cost of Bruce’s “Hulk blood” slipping into Jennifer’s wound, which inevitably turns her into what we know as “She-Hulk.” 

Bruce takes Jennifer back to his Mexican hut to teach her how to handle her newfound powers. Interestingly enough, Jennifer isn’t too bothered by her new perks, explaining how she is usually angry as a woman. 

The show does a great job creating a captivating dynamic with Bruce’s cautious and caring personality fused with Jennifer’s ambitious and outgoing personality. The two actors bounce off each other very well. Furthermore, Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk) effortlessly carries out the humor in the show like a natural. 

She-Hulk, I believe, plays an integral role in the MCU (both filmwise and world-building wise). It does a great job at paying references to the universe’s previous events. For example we find out what happened to Bruce’s injured arm after his snap in Avengers: Endgame. Furthermore, the Bruce’s hut was actually built by Tony Stark. Little things like these help make a show like this one feel more interconnected within the universe. 

To address many people’s concerns about the CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery)  in the show, it is a bit noticeable but not too distracting in my eyes. I believe that the show displayed in the trailers was not an accurate representation of the CGI being used in the final product of the released show. With that being said, the CGI does look a bit jarring when Jennifer turns into She-Hulk as her skin appears a little too smooth compared to Bruce’s Hulk, but all in all it was not too distracting for me as a member of the audience. 

Despite the visual drawbacks and the quick 30 minute runtime, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law looks like a very promising addition to the MCU with the introduction of a unique take on a woman superhero, fourth wall breaks, and charming humor.