She-Hulk: Is This Not Real Magic?

The best part of this week’s She-Hulk? It felt like a normal, individual episode of a series and not like an MCU stepping stone leading to the next big thing in the universe – even if it did manage to spoil The Sopranos for those of us who haven’t quite gotten around to watching it (yes, I know, I’ve had literally years – I’ll get on it eventually). The episode was light, fun, and had plenty of Wong (Jen is right – Wong does make just about everything better), and it effectively balanced the superhero antics of She-Hulk with the normal, human elements of Jen’s life (hanging with her dad and bestie, trying to date, getting served a trademark suit from the always mentioned, rarely seen Titania). Basically, She-Hulk has hits its stride (which leaves me worried that we might be due for the rest of the MCU to rear its head to throw the series into Phase Four overdrive soon).

Normally, I would be less than enthused at the chance to watch Jennifer Walters try online dating – having a gorgeous, smart, put together female lead in a comedy realize she can’t get a date by being herself is a pretty overdone trope in the comedy world – but having her only be able to get noticed while hulked out? Yeah, that tracks. And having the hot, seemingly caring doctor drop her upon realizing that she’s just a normal person – albeit still better looking than most humans – was an interesting button that that particular plot (dude doesn’t mind her hopping through a portal with Wong to deal with interdimensional aliens, but draws the line at her not being a Hulk 24/7 – I suppose he wanted to date one version of Jen, not the other, but still, kinda fishy) works for the comedy aspect of things. So much of superhero lore focuses on the struggle between having a secret identity/life and balancing that role (the responsibility to use one’s powers for the good of the world, etc.) with day-to-day normal life. Rarely does dating enter the equation unless it’s a hero trying to hide their super identity from a significant other (think Superman and Lois Lane or Spiderman and MJ). It’s a dramatic and heartbreaking dance. Here, it’s a joke. Everyone knows who She-Hulk really is and the guys are far more interested in dating someone who’s a superhero than a lawyer without clear powers. And when Jen makes the choice to go all-in on She-Hulk, she’s gets a hottie, but doesn’t get a relationship. Of course, Jen needs to find someone who appreciates all of her, not just one element. But really, can a hero have a dating life with someone who isn’t also in the hero game? A question that we still have yet to answer.

In the other main plot, we get our superhero arc of the week, with Wong coming to ask for Jen’s help in stopping a former student from using his portal opening abilities to send unsuspecting audience members to alternative dimensions in his magic act. A pretty fun and interesting plot. Adding in Madisynn as Wong’s new TV buddy? Well, that was a stroke of genius and made the entire episode. Benedict Wong and Patty Guggenheim turned out to be the perfect on-screen duo, with Madisynn pulling Wong out of his stoic shell and bringing out the fun we’ve rarely gotten to see from the Sorcerer Supreme since he last appeared in Multiverse of Madness. In fact, I wouldn’t say no to a fun webseries of the duo watching TV and talking about drink options – maybe determining which drink works best with which show (something blue for Breaking Bad, something classic for Mad Men, etc.). And bonus points to our Disney overlords for letting Wong and Madisynn watch non-Disney owned shows with The Sopranos and This is Us.

The only real major plot point – aside from Wong stressing that even the smallest action of someone in our reality can destroy another reality through the use of the multiverse portals, which I suspect was a comment on Doctor Strange’s recent trials and tribulations as well as a hint as to what is to come with some time bending stuff in other films – was the latest Titania update. The series has been sure to keep her in the forefront of our minds, largely through news reports updating us on her recent legal woes. This lawsuit (claiming she trademarked the name She-Hulk and thus barring Jen from using it officially) should be a fun one to see play out. Considering Jen didn’t name herself anything – the press did – She-Hulk could be trademarked. Whether or not Jen even wants to keep it as her name (and let’s be real: it’s the name of the character and the name of the series, ultimately, it’s going to be her name) should pop up in the next episode. And, don’t forget, we’ve still got a Daredevil appearance down the line to see. How he fits into the world of Los Angeles law is something we’ll still need to find out (as far as we know, he’s not licensed in California – so perhaps it’s a purely superhero cause that brings him to the West Coast)? Lots to get through in the final five episodes, so bring on the next crisis.