Jennifer Walters navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered Hulk.
When the first trailer for “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” dropped, fans were outraged because its CGI was horrendous. It was, and it was embarrassing for Marvel. A short while later, they released a second trailer whose CGI was greatly improved, and in watching the series, the CGI works exceptionally well. There are still a few spots where it’s a little haphazard, but it works for the most part.
We are introduced to Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), an attorney getting ready to close a critical case. However, before she leaves her office, she turns to the camera and, in true Deadpool manner, addresses the audience. This aspect was based on the “Sensational She-Hulk” comic series that ran from 1989-1994, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t know if breaking the fourth wall would work, but Tatiana Maslany is such an accomplished actor, she makes it work. She claims that she is Bruce Banner’s cousin and a hulk and then takes us back in time to show how she became the emerald-hued hero.
After a car crash involving her and Bruce, his blood accidentally transfuses into an open wound on her arm, thereby giving her the powers and abilities of the Hulk. Bruce doesn’t want her to struggle with her newfound skills alone, as he did, and takes her to a private compound he built over the years in Mexico, allowing him to study and comprehend his powers. Together, they grasp what causes her to transform into She-Hulk, but unlike Bruce’s formative years where he struggled to remain human, Jennifer can easily transform into her alter ego whenever she wants and retain her human personality like Bruce, equal parts intellect and brute strength.
Jennifer is hired as the head lawyer for a new department specializing in superhuman-oriented legal cases. Her first case is that of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), also known as Abomination, the man who fought her cousin Bruce in “The Incredible Hulk.” He states he is a new man, that prison has changed him and that he just wants to return to society. Hesitant, Jennifer reaches out to Bruce to inform him of her case, and he tells her to go ahead with it, that Emil sent him a friendly letter apologizing for the past, stating that the variant of the Super Soldier Serum that Thaddeus Ross injected him with, caused him to lose control. Jennifer accepts the case, but things don’t go according to plan.
I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s and watched the TV series “The Incredible Hulk” religiously. I loved the show, but in hindsight, I realize there was very little humor throughout. Even the big-screen adaptations, 2003’s “Hulk,” with Eric Bana, and 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” with Edward Norton, were both very serious in tone, with an occasional laugh thrown in, but for the most part, they were all straight-faced and solemn. What I love about “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” is that it is more humor-orientated, it has some serious moments but is never as dire or ominous as many other Marvel properties, and that is a welcome relief.
Tatiana Maslany is the perfect choice for Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk; she embodies her character with sheer determination and the single-minded pursuit of truth but also imbues it with delectable playfulness, rounding out her character as believable and highly relatable. Ms. Maslany was mesmerizing in “Orphan Black,” and here, she brings the same level of authenticity needed to take a comic-book personality and turn it into a credible character, despite her incredible powers. To date, I would have to list “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” as my favorite Marvel TV show; I just hope they do a second season or at least introduce her into their film franchise.
“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” streams exclusively on Disney+ Thursday, August 18th
