The pilot episode for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was a solid start that served as a fine if somewhat unspectacular origin story. Superhuman Law sets up the Ally McBeal legal comedy within the MCU and the episode shines as a result.
Tatiana Maslany continues to deliver as Jennifer Walters, and Tim Roth‘s reintroduction as Emil Blonsky is outstanding. Maslany’s ability to portray righteous indignation and ride with the punches that come with her newfound, unwanted fame instantly makes Jennifer relatable. In a small but substantial scene, Roth provides an earnest portrayal of a reformed criminal.
Superhuman Law basically has two storylines going on. The longest time is spent on Jennifer’s job search after she’s fired from the DA’s office over losing her case. The latter portion of the episode revolves around Jennifer’s new job at GLK&H, which has hired Jennifer to be the face of its superhuman law division. Her first case is Blonsky’s parole hearing. Obviously, Jennifer has misgivings due to Blonsky trying to kill her cousin, Bruce.
Superhuman Law flies by with some great dialogue and performance. The one issue is the episode’s length. For some, the episode’s 30-minute runtime is too short. I don’t have a problem with brevity. In fact, I think the episode could have been shorter. Unfortunately, the transition from the job search story to GLK&H as well as the Blonsky case is rather abrupt. Superhuman Law should have ended with Jennifer accepting the job. Abomination’s reintroduction should have been saved for the next episode.
The scene with Roth is great, but everything happening at GLK&H feels rushed as does Blonsky’s prison break.
Overall, this is a much more confident and funnier episode than the Pilot. I have a feeling the series will only get better from this point forward.
With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in Superhuman Law. There may be some minor spoilers. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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Attorney for Hire
It’s not easy being green. Titania’s courtroom attack was foiled by She-Hulk. Jennifer is received by the public and more importantly the jury as a hero. She heads to a bar with Nikki to celebrate. Of course, the celebration is about She-Hulk, not attorney Jennifer Walters. Jennifer’s boss shows up to have a serious conversation with Jen.
Jennifer returns to human form. Maslany does a great job of showing Jennifer’s inability to hold her liquor while in human form. Jennifer is fired at the bar. Jennifer did the right thing in saving the jury. However, in doing so, she made it impossible for the jury to be impartial. The opposing firm was able to have the case dismissed.
In a fantastic montage, Jennifer’s job search doesn’t go very well. Before she can dive further into alternate careers, she heads to her parents’ house for a family dinner. Marvel does a great job of creating realistic family dynamics within the superhero genre. These sequences in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are no exception.
One of the best recurring gags in the episode begins with a father-daughter heart-to-heart conversation. Realizing the pressure her daughter’s under. Morris retreats to the basement with Jennifer. She launches into a rambling monologue of shorts with questions but does it at such a pace leaving no room for Morris to answer. In life, we don’t realize the answers are inside of us. Sometimes we just need someone to listen as a sounding board and this is another relatable moment for Jennifer as a character.
Practicing Superhuman Law
Jennifer heads to the bar to drown her sorrows. Holden Holloway, who was opposing council and had the case thrown out, approaches Jennifer. He goes straight to the point.
Holden’s law firm, GLK&H, is starting a superhuman law division and wants Jennifer to head up the division. There’s one catch. Jennifer has to work in the office and represent the firm in court as She-Hulk. Jennifer is horrified but keeps her indignation to her fourth-wall-breaking self.
With Nikki in tow, Jennifer settles into her new office. A friendly co-worker says hello and provides a map to the best restroom for pooping (the delivery in this exchange is perfect). Holden gives Jennifer the first case and it’s a doozy.
Jennifer must represent Emil Blonsky at his parole hearing. She cites a conflict of interest, which doesn’t phase Holden. Emil has already waived the conflict of interest waiver. Holden makes it clear. Jennifer will either represent Emil or she doesn’t have a job. Before making a decision, Holden tells her to visit Blonsky first.
Finally, we are introduced to the setting for this show and it’s fantastic.
Abomination, reformed?
Jennifer meets with Emil at a DODC prison. Emil’s in human form and explains he has control over Abomination.
Emil also offers an explanation. He was tasked by the US government to stop the Hulk. The government injected him with a superhuman compound. He thought he’d be regaled like Captain America. However, he was treated like a criminal. Jennifer points out he destroyed Harlem, which is a big problem. She also points out that he’s going to need to demonstrate remorse. He expresses remorse for his actions and desire to live with his seven cellmates on private property. He’s even written several Haikus to the people he hurt.
Whether she believes Emil or not, he’s convincing enough for Jennifer to want to take his case. Before she does, she calls her cousin Bruce. Just like in her conversation with her father, Jennifer steamrolls over Bruce. Once she’s finished, Bruce simply says Jennifer isn’t so much calling for permission as she is calling to tell him she’s taking the job.
In the funniest line of Superhuman Law, Bruce claims he was literally a different person back when he fought Abomination. Actually, Emil even sent one of his aforementioned Haikus to Bruce and Bruce was moved by the poem.
Superhuman Law ends with Jennifer telling Holden she’s taking the case. Holden says goodnight and suggests she turn on the tv. Abomination has just broken out of prison and participated in an underground fight ring, which was shown in Shang-Chi.
Roth was just sensational. You believe everything Emil is saying, but there’s just something about the look in his eyes that implies subterfuge.
Superhuman Law Final Thoughts
Jessica Gao’s dialogue and Maslany’s performance continue to carry this show. These first two episodes have largely been used to set up the series. The pilot set up the She-Hulk transformation. Superhuman Law set up Jennifer’s new workplace and the show’s setting moving forward.
Now that the setup is complete, I’m interested to see where the series goes from here.
The Review
Superhuman Law Review Score
PROS
- Jessica Gao's dialogue is fantastic.
- Tatiana Maslany continues to balance humor with drama.
- Tim Roth is terrific as Abomination.
- "I'm a different person, literally."
CONS
- Episode length needed to be shorter or longer. The transition from Storyline A to B is pretty abrupt.
