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No reason to be angry

Published October 15, 2022

She-Hulk poster featuring Tatiana Maslany in green

I had mixed feelings going into this series - I was curious how they would give She-Hulk a believable origin story in a short time, and somehow keep that alongside the legal drama that it was promised to be. However, it looked like it was going to be fun and Tatiana Maslany is absolutely outstanding so I knew whatever it did turn out to be we could at least trust in her.

So what did it turn out to be? It’s actually quite difficult to describe in words. From the moment the first episode finished, we knew we were in for a treat. There was a legal drama underneath but layered on top of that were superhero fights as if they were nothing, existential crises about what it is to try and be yourself, and a lot of fun, meta jokes.

The meta stuff was very well done because you can have too much of a good thing and it really distract and grate, but here, it only ever served to add to the situation and bring the viewers in closer. Jen Walters would only reach out to the audience through that fourth wall to draw us in to the drama and let us know that she was thinking exactly the same as us.

It grew and grew as the series continued, until the final episode where, spoiler alert, Jen didn’t just break the fourth wall but She-Hulk smashed the entire set down. It was fantastic, not only because it poked fun at the MCU in the best possible way but also revealed that Kevin Feige and friends are fully aware of the tightrope they’re walking in keeping people happy, progressing the stories forward, and not having the house of cards crumble around them.

It was brilliant. Great guest stars (a weirdly cheerful Daredevil and wtf Hulk has a son??), great legal battles, great quips and jokes and moments to remember, and a fab ending. And throughout, Tatiana Maslany being as brilliant as I knew she would be. Now the only debate is where this ranks on the Marvel series’ we’ve had this phase, because it’s getting harder and harder to compare them!

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