She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1 Episode 1 Review: A Silly, Feminist Sitcom Sure to Upset the Men

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

She-Hulk is the one the men feared. It’s the silly, unbothered marvel project geared entirely toward a female audience.

From She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” it is clear this isn’t another “women get things done” sideshow. Women do not simply get equal screen time with Jen as our lead; they shine in a plot that caters exclusively to them.

With feminist ideology and jokes at the expense of the show’s token male characters, the time this sitcom doesn’t waste stroking the male ego is spent crafting truly chaotic, out-of-pocket comedy for everyone to enjoy.

It’s good too, which I fear will only upset them more.

That’s okay, though, because it’s time unconventional projects like She-Hulk take up space in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This comedy is one of the few Phase 4 projects to commit to being a TV show, not a spectacle.

This harmless superhero satire isn’t threatening legal action. Just a good time for anyone looking to escape this genre’s dark, gloomy trenches for a few hours.

Concerned with the day-to-day operations of the working class, She-Hulk also offers fans a ground-level tour of the MCU through an onslaught of jokes about crippling debt and History channel specials.

The glimpses we see of that lighter courthouse sitcom are exciting. For once, we are being given exactly what was advertised: a comedy and a sensational one at that.

Our Leading Lawyer

One thing that has become abundantly clear with these Marvel projects, the casting department does not miss!

Tatiana Maslany is entirely in her element, commanding the humor and physicality of this role with an effortless bravado. She is the perfect closer to ensure this saga of outstanding female superheroes lands on its feet.

The questionable special effects (although not bad during this first outing) do little to slow her momentum. Maslany’s expertise outshines any tedious world-building that threatens to bog this pilot down.

Jennifer’s mockery of the hero’s lifestyle is a joyous segway from the typical character study. She will tell Bruce to check his trauma and run him over with her jeep on her way to her 9-5 — so no Jen’s introduction is not exactly forgettable.

Orphan Black fans, you have every right to be insufferable. Your queen is thriving in this chaos.

Hulks Have All the Fun

Pilots generally suck, and pilots that have to introduce a relationship between two people who have never interacted seem particularly tedious to execute.

But She-Hulk produces a strong introduction, much of which has to do with the breezy dynamic between our two hulks. Bruce and Jen come off as actual cousins with a casual repour worn down from years of family get-togethers.

This is thanks to Maslany and Mark Ruffalo being seasoned pros who can make the strangest hulk lore seems sincere, even effortless at times.

That said, it’s not every day a new hero has you eager to say goodbye to the titular Avenger. But it’s clear from the failed pep talks that Jennifer is what Bruce and the Hulk franchise needs to finally pull rank.

Grief Is Funny Like That

Perhaps the most unexpected element of this team-up is the traumas Bruce and Jen unearth during their time together. Yes, raw undertones exist beyond this outrageous CGI monstrosity, and She-Hulk has the sense to reach for them.

Just as Hawkeye grieved Natasha, Bruce shares his grief for Tony. Briefly, the Stark era is alive again as Jen and Bruce immerse themselves in his fancy laboratory sets and collection of vintage band shirts.

As for Jen, the jokes graze the trauma women endure daily at the hands of a male-dominated society.

To hit the nail right on the head when explaining there is no getting angry as a woman or you risk losing your career (and maybe your life) puts She-Hulk miles above my expectations.

Just as Bruce faces an alter-ego, Jen Walters faces an ugliness she too cannot control. The pilot packages her shortcomings as fierce character development, but if this sitcom let it, that grief could be its secret weapon.

Chaos Comedy and Captain America

She-Hulk‘s special brand of chaos comedy proves the best punchlines are the ones you never see coming.

If Ant-Man declaring Steve’s ass the American standard is the height of all comedy, Jen obliterates it when she yells “Captain America fucked!” into the night sky.

That is just the kind of underhanded comedy that sets the internet ablaze for years.

There’s no flinching away from Maslany’s lethal delivery. The show is committed to exploring an attorney with an arsenal of meta superhero knowledge and absolutely no filter. You only get one shot at Cap’s sex life, and that’s with Maslany delivering the punchline.

Perhaps what I love most about this sitcom is how it is reinventing the giddy energy of the Marvel cameos, and post-credit reveals in the form of jokes.

This comedy utilizes the range and unpredictability of its protagonist to draw reactions from us as if this were the end credits of a major blockbuster.

That very same “beat the joke dead into the ground” and “never let the audience guess your next move” energy gave Brooklyn Nine-Nine its edge on the comedy genre.

She-Hulk bottles that same blistering Jake Peralta buffoonery, using blaring theme songs and savage cutaways to ensure absurdity is always around the corner.

Not to be underestimated is the sheer horniness of this show.

Jen’s boldness affords a wheelhouse of rich, untouched comedy. It’s confirmation that Marvel’s best shock value comes when the audience can no longer anticipate the rules of this genre — because “that ass didn’t deserve to die a virgin” comes at you in ways you never prepare for.

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New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law stream Thursdays on Disney+.

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