September 1, 2022

CABLE | Tatiana Maslany Defends 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'

"That is for billionaires and narcissists and adult orphans for some reason."
Tatiana Maslany Benedict Wong Patty Guggenheim Jessica Gao | She-Hulk: Attorney at Law | Disney+
Marvel Studios
Saskatchewan native Tatiana Maslany stars as the Hulk's lawyer cousin, Jennifer Walters, in the half-hour superhero legal comedy, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Much more of a self-aware, fourth-wall-breaking series, this Hulk very much plays up its sitcom premise with a strong, quirky vibe from the female-focused late-90s or early-2000s-era of network workplace comedies—think Ally McBeal only with superpowers.

Spearheaded by comedy writer Jessica Gao and primarily directed by Kat Coiro, She-Hulk provides a much less tortured or repressed interpretation of the green monster. Maslany's characterization offers a more confident, feminist sheen often making fun of her male counterpart's struggle to control his rage. Watching She-Hulk perform with the same personality as her human version makes for some fun comic setups including a truly great playing drunk performance.

The Incredible Hulk himself, Mark Ruffalo, appears early to establish She-Hulk's origin and keep Maslany's Walters in check before going off on his own adventure off-world—surely, to be explained in a later Marvel entry. Tim Roth's Abomination also shows up as a reformed, haiku-spouting prisoner seeking legal representation while tying up his previously unexplained reappearance in Shang-Chi.

Revolving around a self-referential throwback to legal procedurals, She-Hulk's refreshingly different but familiar approach to its absurd superhero storytelling is a welcome change of pace. Maslany's comedic approach and performance make the series much more fun and surreal. How her character brings up basic logistical realities of being a reluctant Hulk or superhero in the physical world provides some amusing fodder for jokes in episodic form.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's nine-episode first season is available to stream weekly on Disney+.


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