All right! We’re back with more She-Hulk: Attorney at Law … only five episodes to go after this, which still seems like a lot. After last week’s twerking extravaganza, I’ve given up trying to understand how or why She-Hulk exists. So, rather than overthink it, I’m just going to plow through this series in the hopes that it leads to something resembling anything.
Okay, Episode 4 is titled, “Is This Not Real Magic?” Let’s do this.
What Happens in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4
The episode opens with the “great” magician Donny Blaze riffing on Gob Bluth’s act by performing terrible tricks in front of a group of bored onlookers. He calls a woman named Madisynn to the stage. She’s decked in a short skirt and carrying a full glass of alcohol but seems to be invested in Blaze’s magical act. (This whole bit is basically She-Hulk in a nutshell, with Donny standing in for our big, green star, while Madisynn represents the show’s target audience.) Donny tries some more tricks and the audience groans. So, at the urging of his manager, he pulls out one of those rings from Doctor Strange and “does the thing” that opens a portal to another dimension. Everyone cheers.
Wong, meanwhile, is enjoying a night off from his duties and rockin’ out to some tunes when Madisynn stumbles into his room holding a beating heart and looking for “the Goblin King.” She also spoils The Sopranos, which infuriates Wong. “Donny Blaze is going to pay for this.”
With our plot established, we’re off to the races.
Jen pops in and addresses the audience, noting how everyone loves Wong. “It’s like having Twitter armor for a week.” Her pop comes in to offer assistance following last week’s “attack,” but Jen has no need for protectors. “I’m a Hulk,” she says with an eye roll. Glad Mark Linn-Baker is on this show.
Back at the office, a half-rendered She-Hulk is busy setting up a dating profile when Wong suddenly appears. The Sorcerer Supreme gripes about Donny’s use of magic and implores Jen to take legal action because that’s what a magical entity who answers to a higher power would do in this situation.
At their local hang-out, Jen and Nikki pour through the last of Emil Blonsky’s files to wrap up that case — and here I thought the show would use Abomination as more than a punch line — when a hilariously creepy old man appears and offers to buy them a drink. “We’re clearly working here,” Jen snaps, but the man persists and tells them he will be at the bar if they change their mind.
Anyway, Nikki mocks Jen’s online dating profile but manages to get her a date without using the She-Hulk moniker.
The next day, Jen issues a cease and desist to Donny Blaze, who says, “This is absurd. You can’t own magic.” He also doesn’t think you copyright art. This scene continues … and eventually ends.
Now we see Jen on a date with a man clearly suffering from some sort of mental disease who doesn’t have a job, looks at his phone when she speaks, and sneaks away when the bill arrives (though, Jen would probably be just as annoyed if he paid). The writers have clearly been on some bad dates and, after drinking six glasses of wine apiece, obviously decided to mesh all of their experiences together into one very relevant scene. Also, the show is only 30 minutes long, so there’s no time for nuance.
In the courtroom, Wong summons Madisynn, the funny drunk girl in a mini-skirt, who does her comedy schtick before recounting her horrifying portal experience with “Wongers.” This does nothing to aid Jen’s case. Donny Blaze’s legal team are adamant in their belief that you cannot copyright magic. “Well, we can copyright real magic,” Jen says, leading to a bit where Blaze and Co. perform a number of tricks in front of a very patient judge — “Oh, even his lawyer’s a magician,” Jen gripes. Wong takes control and explains how the magic performed by Donny has the ability to destroy all life, which makes you wonder why he doesn’t just use his power to stop … oh, never mind.
The judge refuses to grant an injunction or something, and the scene ends with Wong heading off to watch The Sopranos with Madisynn.
Later, Jen decides to spice up her dating profile by using her She-Hulk persona. This leads to a montage with more dopy men who are either afraid of Jen’s strength, or too enraptured by her big, green persona to talk about anything else. “Is there anything worse than dating in your 30s,” half-rendered Jen says before sipping a glass of wine.
Eventually, she comes across a perfect male who humbly offers to split some fries and only talks about her. Jen immediately says, “Let’s get outta here.” I honestly can’t tell if this is supposed to be satirical or fantasy.
Back with Donny, the magician tries more portal tricks with a new assistant who refuses to crawl into his “fire hole.” This is funny. He then tries something different, conjuring a bird that lays an egg on his assistant’s hand. Unfortunately, said egg cracks and reveals a goblin thing, which summons more goblin things. Donny grabs Wong for help and the Sorcerer Supreme tells him to call his lawyer.
Jen is with perfect male when Wong interrupts. Shucks, she was so close to second base, which is what we all wanted to see. (Perfect male has no reaction to Wong, by the way.) Our She-Hulk steps in and starts fighting the goblins. She also gripes about missing out on her hot date — not that hotness matters, she says before adding, “but it does.”
Anyways, the incident allows Jen to more or less shut the book on Donny Blaze and get back to her hot date. She carries him to her room.
The next morning, we learn via the TV that Titania, the superhero influencer, has somehow been cleared of all charges. Perfect male appears, takes a look at Jen’s “normal” appearance, decides hotness matters, and flees the scene.
A knock summons Jen to the door. She’s being served by Titania Worldwide LLC, which is suing for misuse of the trademarked name She-Hulk. “Kind of a bummer way to end this episode,” Jen tells us. “I bet there’s a fun tag.”
Cue credits.
Oh, cool, there is a fun post-credit tag featuring Wong and Madisynn. Glad we got that.
Final Thoughts on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4
I mean, that was certainly an episode. Normally I would jot down some theories and/or thoughts, but I honestly don’t think anything is going to happen on this show that warrants deep-minded thinking.
Initially, I thought Marvel was setting up a battle between She-Hulk, Hulk, and Abomination — perhaps even giving a reason for Betty Ross to return — but clearly She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is little more than a series of comedy vignettes designed to provide witty commentary on the life of a 30-something single woman. And that’s fine, I guess. I’m sure there are people out there that think this is the funniest piece of entertainment they’ve ever seen. Maybe they’re right. I could just be too far removed from pop culture to catch the witty references, gags, and structure of She-Hulk. I’ve never had to endure online dating, or the life of a single woman, so what do I know?
Basically, what I’m saying is: if She-Hulk is your jam, I’m glad you’re having fun. The series is not working for me, personally. I don’t get it. There’s no action, the humor is scattershot and the awkward attempts at social commentary feel forced and unnecessary. I like Tatiana Maslany, who seems to possess a natural charm that’s largely wasted here. The script doesn’t give her enough to work with and most of the chuckles come from throwaway bits that look like they were improvised on the spot.
As a character, Jen is pretty bland. Her problems are minuscule and easily fixed and the show hasn’t really explored how her sudden lifestyle change has impacted her personally. What would it be like to become a superhero celebrity overnight? How would one handle the burden of responsibility that comes with these newfound powers? Would friends like Nikki suddenly become jealous? Would villains arrive looking to prove themselves against a worthy adversary? There are literally hundreds of paths She-Hulk could have traversed that might have led to an interesting show, but the writers have taken the laziest route possible and are mostly using the series as a means to vent their personal frustrations about men and society, which would all be fine if any of it were clever.
As is, She-Hulk feels like a Marvel One-Shot dragged out to nine episodes. Maybe it turns a corner at some point and becomes a show about something. At the midway point, that seems like wishful thinking on my part.
