She-Hulk episode 3 review: Small story, big laughs and cameos
Marvel/Disney+She-Hulk really comes into it’s own on it’s third episode, but like any piece of media, there’s still some flaws to be seen.
The third episode of Marvel‘s newest series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, has now premiered on Disney+. The show follows Jenn Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer who also happens to be a Hulk, as she attempts to survive the courtroom, her dating life, and those who keep trying to attack her.
Now, we stated that the first episode wasn’t great, but Episode 2 picked up on quality. Well Episode 3 is really where the show hits it stride, making its own niche.
Now, be warned, there are spoilers for She-Hulk Episode 1, 2, and 3. If you’re wanting a spoiler-free review of Episodes 1-4, we have it all ready here. But if you don’t mind the spoilers, then keep reading…
She-Hulk knows what kind of show it is
She-Hulk Episode 3 seems to have the vibe of the show perfected: It featured a fun case involving the wacky world of the MCU, and had a little sprinkling of MCU intrigue thrown in too.
The main court case of the episode features one of Jenn’s colleagues, who believes he had been dating Megan Thee Stallion (who cameos in a wonderfully hilarious way) but had really been catfished by an Asgardian.
The court case is incredibly funny, due to how the laws are affected by this new superpowered world. For example, when the judge states that Asgardian laws don’t apply on Earth, the Asgardian hilariously responds with the classic Thor: Ragnarok line, “Asgard is not a place, it’s a people!”
The victim of the court case, Jenn’s douchey frenemy Dennis (Drew Matthews), is very much a cliché of the show’s genre similarly to how Jenn’s best friend Nikki is, but he still manages to be funny in the role.
With the shenanigans making the show feel one of a kind, it’s easy to understand why they shoved all of Jenn’s training and origin into the first episode, which made it the weakest episode so far. Sure, condensing all of that stuff makes Jenn’s arc weaker overall in terms of development, but it doesn’t really seem like the show cares about that. It’s a simple fun courtroom comedy, and we’re here for it.
Meta, or worse?
Tatiana Maslany is still great in the starring role, and she is clearly having fun, despite being covered in still very bad CGI.
She’s still full of meta jokes which are definitely hit and miss. Her comment on the amount of cameos that the show has is funny, but her later statement when the A and B plots intertwine feels like the writers room is just giving itself a pat on the back.
But while the humor of She-Hulk can often feel like it’s undercutting some genuine emotional moments, there aren’t really any emotional moments in this episode to undercut, making for a less irritating viewing experience.
She-Hulk continues hinting at future plans
Being an MCU show, the series is still focused on building a larger plot which will no doubt lead to some other Marvel project down the line.
These kinds of plans do result in a interesting ending for the episode, where Jenn gets attacked by some enhanced thugs, in a scene that is (pleasantly) surprisingly not ruined by bad CGI. But these new villains don’t seem to be massively interesting, and you’re only hoping that they’ll just show up in the courtroom in future episodes.
The post-credits bit – which further features Megan Thee Stallion – thankfully brings the action back into the legal genre. It’s also a hilarious scene, though She-Hulk twerking towards the camera is something we never thought we’d see in the MCU.
Overall, Episode 3 shows that She-Hulk knows what it wants to be. It’s just a matter of whether the MCU will let her out from under it’s mighty foot.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4 will premiere on Disney+ on September 8.