While Episode 2 of She-Hulk is Mighty Short, it Still Paves the Road Well for Future Story Arcs
Well, the good news is She-Hulk saved the day at the end of last week’s episode. The bad news is, her heroics were used against her to declare the case a mistrial, and she very quickly gets fired as a result. There’s lots of Jen being understandably mopey, talking with her bestie Nikki, and going to a truly awful family dinner. Her older parents clearly care about their daughter, but they’re not very good at reading the room. That goes double for her complete doofus of a cousin, Ched.
But, thankfully a new opportunity arises from GLK and H, the firm that had her last case declared a mistrial. Mr. Holliway wants to hire her, and Jen’s fortunes seem much brighter. There’s just one itty, bitty catch. They only want her to represent the firm in her superhero form. And let’s just say Jen isn’t comfortable with that, at least not yet. That said, she needs the money and wants to use her prodigious law skills, so she is seriously considering it. Which leads to her first client—Emil Blonsky, AKA the Abomination. Also known as the big, mean, green monster that tried to kill her cousin Bruce.
Jen wants to push back against the assignment, but Holliway makes it clear that either she takes it, or she leaves the firm. So Jen does her due diligence and goes to meet Emil in person. He’s being held at a maximum security prison that doesn’t allow superpowered individuals to enter. Meaning Jen has to shrink down before they let her in. To her great surprise, when she walks into the cell, Emil is tiny too, comfortable in his human form. Apparently he’s a changed man, and he offers to read haikus that he wrote to all his victims. Goofy humor aside, Jen starts to believe that perhaps he does want to do good, and so agrees to accept his case.
Later on she’s talking with cousin Bruce and trying to get his permission to take the job, which he readily gives. Though he has other things on his mind, since he’s apparently taking a trip in a Sakaaran cruiser someplace unknown. Yup, it’s all coming up Jen, and she tells Holliway she’ll be taking the new position in superhuman law. Moments later he has her look at the news, and she discovers that her “reformed” client Emil has escaped and is thrashing opponents in an unsanctioned fight club. Suffice to say, poor Jen looks to have a lot on her plate as the series continues.
Overall, I thought Superhuman Law was another solid episode of the great but painfully short format. Maslany continues to showcase her great acting skills, and I loved how she portrayed Jen as mopey, goofy, determined and much more here. I also thought her parents and cousin Ched were nice touches. It remains to be seen where the larger arc of the series will go, but I have a feeling Jen is gonna become a much less reluctant hero, and probably have another run in with superpowered influencer Titania. Be sure to tune in to The Workprint for more coverage of She-Hulk in the coming weeks!
