She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 2 “Superhuman Law” Review: Kat Coiro and Jessica Gao Start Asking the Important Questions About the MCU in a Hilarious and Sociological Follow-Up Episode
In case you missed my review of the series opener, click here to read that review!
Since She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a series that prefers to get right to the story, let’s skip the usual preamble.
This week’s episode is phenomenal. I don’t often love the first two episodes of an MCU show, but She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has broken the mold in more ways than one.
For starters, this episode follows Jen after being hired at a huge law firm where she’s expected to appear to work and court as She-Hulk and represent a client with a rather complicated client. Through this central plot, director Kat Coiro and writer Jessica Gao explore the messy side of superheroes who try to lead regular lives and the wreckage that they leave behind.
Another great choice made in this episode is giving the supporting characters the spotlight, like Nikki (Ginger Gonaza), Pug (Josh Segarra), and Dennis (Drew Matthews). One of my minor complaints about the first episode is that we didn’t get to know who is part of Jen’s support system. In a show centered around the trials and tribulations of becoming a superhero, it’s essential to see who will help Jen during those times. These characters are the show's core, and I’m glad they got time in the spotlight.
Speaking of the spotlight, She-Hulk gets much more attention in this episode (about as much as Jen does). Much like Bruce had to reckon with his “other half” over the past 15 years, Jen has to suddenly reckon with the fact that she can no longer go under the radar, and that the world is less interested in Jennifer Walters: Attorney at law than they are She-Hulk. Except for the law firms who think she’s a “sideshow.”
Something I think “Superhuman Law” does so well is something other MCU shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye also did well: pointing out how unrealistic it is to be a superhero in any universe. After all, how do The Avengers get paid? Like, are they compensated by the United Nations since The Sokovian Accords were ratified? For a long time, the answers to these seemingly obvious questions have been provided by fans or YouTube channels providing their own explanations. However, since the Disney+ series set in the MCU are at least six hours long, they get to answer questions like this. For example, what happens, legally speaking, when a former villain from the MCU’s past is found to be a victim of their situation rather than a mustache-twirling villain?
Now, that might seem super specific, and that’s because it is. The first case Jen takes on in her new cushy job is none other than overseeing the parole of Emil Blonsky, AKA Abomination. In this episode, Blonsky (Tim Roth) makes his case that if the US government hadn’t pumped him full of Super Soldier Serum, he wouldn’t have turned into Abomination and destroyed Harlem way back in The Incredible Hulk. Remember what Dr. Erskine said when he told Steve about the serum in Captain America: The First Avenger? If not, here you go.
Yeah, but... there were other... effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows... compassion.
-- Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), Captain America: The First Avenger
So, in that respect, Blonsky could get paroled on the basis that since his commanding officer was Lieutenant General “Thunderbolt” Ross. He was on loan to the US government by the British Royal Marines. He would have had no choice but to follow orders and do anything necessary to complete the mission, which was to defeat the Hulk.
Oh, and before you cry foul, there is precedent for this. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we’re introduced to Isaiah Bradley, a former Captain America that his government tortured after following orders.
In the same show, John Walker was promoted to become the new Captain America, and was dishonorably discharged after murdering a member of the Flag Smashers in cold blood.
Don’t get me wrong, Walker’s actions were horrendous and uncalled for. All the same, a case could be made for Walker to regain his rank of Captain, as, at the time of that murder, he had taken the Super Soldier Serum for himself and been corrupted by it. Again: “good becomes great; bad becomes worse.”
While the idea of restorative justice may seem ridiculous when it comes to people who’ve wrecked cities, it’s clear that the MCU wants to explore this aspect of the creation of a villain and the outside forces that influence them.
Somehow, Coiro and Gao are able to find this as a connecting point between Jen and Abomination, as both of their situations are ridiculous. Abomination has been in jail for at least 15 years, while his target has become one of the most famous heroes. With Jen, she has to confront the trials of existing as a woman.
Relating each case directly back to Jen’s struggle ultimately makes She-Hulk: Attorney at Law so compelling to watch. While stories set in the MCU have long been criticized for making too many jokes and not focusing on what would happen in real life, this show directly addresses all of those problems and then some.
★★★★★
The first two episodes are now available to stream on Disney+. Check back each week for my commentary and review of each episode.
If you’d like to listen to me watch the episode, click here to listen to my audio commentary!
Until next time!
Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, Matthew Simpson, Thom Blackburn, Aaliyah, Libby Stephenson, Destiny, and Roze for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!
