In not-so-surprising news, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is dead. There were rumors that the series would get a second season, but Tatiana Maslany herself stated that Marvel doesn’t plan to follow up on the first season anytime soon. Of course, anything can change, especially since so many hate-watched shows like Velma, which has been greenlit for a second season.
When She-Hulk debuted, critics enjoyed the origin story of the popular Marvel. Fans, on the other hand, weren’t too thrilled with its clear politics. As season one continued to play out, the cracks and weaknesses of the series exposed just how flawed She-Hulk was. The finale didn’t do any better as the big winking moment where Jennifer herself trashes the writing of the series doesn’t justify the lack of focus and character development of the first season.
She-Hulk has plenty of potential because Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk is a great character in the comics. It helps that Tatiana Maslany is an extremely talented actress. In fact, she’s primarily the reason season one isn’t an outright disaster. However, if season two does happen then these are things that She-Hulk needs to avoid.
A Focused Narrative
I get that She-Hulk was a full-blown comedy. Seinfeld, which was famously a show about nothing, is highly regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time. One of the biggest issues with She-Hulk is that it didn’t truly understand what it wanted to be. It was a rom-com sometimes. Then a serious superhero shows other times. Then a comedic lawyer series in between. None of these topics meshed well together and created a messy series finale.
Keeping the comedy aspects is fine, but She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters needs a focused narrative. What does she want? Jennifer had plenty of wants in season one, but it was never fully developed. There was no growth or development of Jennifer’s character, despite going through a massive lifestyle change. She-Hulk needs to narrow down what it wants to be for the series to bring out the true potential of its character.
Does it want to focus on the superhero aspects? There are fresh and original ways for the series to focus on Jen’s character as both a hero and lawyer. Even if the show is committed to the full comedy tone, there’s no reason why a comedic take of a lawyer representing superheroes can’t be both funny and focused.
Stop With The Unnecessary Politics
Part of the reason that Jennifer Walters was such an unlikeable character is because of the writer’s oddball decision to include gender politics. That entire speech in the first episode showcased Jennifer as a self-entitled brat who felt that she was always in the right. Bruce Banner was a man who overcame abuse, suicide attempts, and a massive war that saw one of his closest friends die.
Yet, Jennifer feels that unwarranted catcalls and being challenged at work exemplify that she’s better at holding her anger than her brother. If the series wanted to explore the topic of Jennifer being in a man’s world, then it should’ve done just that. The problem isn’t the politics itself. Every film or series has a message, and there’s nothing wrong with exploring a woman’s struggles dealing with a cult full of men.
However, the series never shows this. It never felt like Jen’s life was in danger because of men. Nor did it ever feel that her work was being consistently undermined because of men. If the writers wanted to explore this avenue then they should SHOW not tell. Otherwise, drop the unnecessary hate for men that feels out of place for a character that was beloved by most male readers in the comics.
Yes, a group of men is the cause for Jennifer’s issues later in the season, but even that arc doesn’t have proper development, which has hampered the series. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with tackling politics in film or television. But the random politics throughout the series felt like Jessica Geo focused more on criticizing the male audience than actually writing a compelling story for She-Hulk.
She-Hulk Should Actually Be…Funny
Oddly, for a comedy show, She-Hulk certainly lacked humor. Most of the jokes were lazy and uninspired. There were moments when the series managed to be funny. That’s mostly due to how committed Tatiana Maslany was to playing her character. Otherwise, you could see the jokes coming from a mile away. Random guest appearances somewhat helped with those chuckles, but characters like Daredevil or Wong were often undermined for a simple joke. She-Hulk needs to be funny in an organic way that serves both the characters and the story. The fourth wall breaking is a great idea that the comics nicely established first, but the television show struggled because of its lack of focus.
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