I've never sent out a personal invitation to be attacked on the internet, but I might as well send one by stating that I have never seen anything to do with the Avengers. I have no idea how it connects to Marvel or DC. I assume that legal copyright is involved, somehow? Regardless- I was excited to watch She-Hulk. Finally, a superhero that's also a Lawyer! So aside from being an unstoppable superhero, she fights her battles in court? Yes, yes and yes. But how relatable are some of the Lawyer scenes in the episodes?
Episode 1 | A Normal Amount of Rage
Let's Introduce our iconic protagonist Jennifer Walters. A relatively unassuming name but not a wallflower in the courtroom. She has main character energy. But how did she get into this mess? She didn't just wake up and was magically She-Hulk. But let's get down to the juicy details about her life as a lawyer in episode 1. The scene opens with Jen in her office, talking with her paralegal. Another lawyer in the room yells, "Are you seriously going to listen to your paralegal over another lawyer?" The paralegal shuts the door in his face, and I cackle because many paralegals are the backbone of many firms, so it felt like a welcome nod to their hard work and efforts. Speaking of acknowledgements, will we talk about the episode ending with an assault in the courtroom or leave that to the authorities?
Episode 2 | Superhuman Law
You're up to episode two! That means you've made it past this chaotic fight scene between She-Hulk and her Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. You've also passed the stage where Jen states that she desperately wants to return to her life as a lawyer, and we don't blame her. Knowing that those student debts won't pay themselves is an injustice. Even though the real injustice could be that she got fired after saving the jury's lives, it's a fair call since the disruption by Titania in the courtroom resulted in a mistrial to avoid the jury being biased in She-Hulk's favour. The laws of Evidence don't change for anyone, and that's admissible AF.
Episode 3 | The People vs Emil Blonsky
I was not ready for this episode to involve Megan thee Stallion. I'll tell you that much. But I'm so happy that the first case we see at the firm is when Mr Bukowsky has been de-frauded by his ex-girlfriend, a shapeshifting elf. Someone needs to step up our legal hypotheticals- that's all I'm saying. This mystical elf from another dimension shapeshifts into Megan thee Stallion, and I would if I had her talent and wasn't scared of the legal consequences. But like Jen Walters, I agree. It's hilarious that he didn't doubt for a second that he was dating Megan thee Stallion. In episode three, they also finally introduce Wong. I'm not going to lie- I was sweating when Jen was waiting for him to appear in court. I also loved that he still participates in due process, such as the client interview. He can travel through time, but he can't circumvent the law even if he does want to send his opponents to the shadow dimension. Dial it back.
Episode 4 | Is This Not Real Magic?
By the time you're up to this episode, things have started to escalate at the firm. I feel comfortable objectively stating that Jen is working a lot during this time. Wong has his hands full with watching the Sopranos and Danny Blaze. Wong wants our MVP lawyer to set a precedent that prevents Danny Blaze and other unlicensed magicians from practising the dark arts again. She asks all the right questions, was there a contract? Is it in writing? Iconic, but she files a desist since there's no American legal system paper trail. Proud lawyer moments! But our main character also starts dating, and he's a paediatric oncologist, it's going so well, but my heart broke for her when he said that he was only interested in She-Hulk and her OG form as Jen Walters. Lawyers deserve love too. **Cries in legalese**
Episode 5 | Mean, Green and Straight Poured into these Jeans
At this point, our girl She-Hulk can't catch a break in the office, on Tinder or with Titania. Who is coming after using the name She-Hulk, following allegations that it's been poached off Titania's cosmetics line- which conveniently sprung into existence. Yes, there's a real superhero fighting in these episodes, but ISTG the best and dirties fighting is in the Courtroom. I can't believe Titania would hit where it hurts the most. I would argue that Jen being beaten as a lawyer would be more devastating than her suffering a hit as she navigates to become a superhero. This episode blurs the lines between superheroes at law and out of the courtroom, but I also cringe at having to interview all of your exes as evidence in court. But I will admit, it was an excellent strategy.
Episode 6 | Just Jen
Since Jen Walters is a thirty-something lawyer, that also means that she's not exempt from the social obligations of a millennial such as attending weddings, what I loved about this episode is that when people ask how she's doing, you can tell that Jen is fulfilled by her career and where she's at in life. Since She-Hulk is away from the firm, Mallory Book from previous episodes has her hands full with love rat Mr Immortal. His lawyers deal with the division of assets, which gets messy. I mean, he's lived infinite lifetimes under different names. She's not wrong- his numerous spouses should be pressing criminal charges. It was a negotiation worth watching. The episode ends with Mallory confirming that she's been married many years and has kids. Not only is she a badass lawyer, but she's also balancing competing responsibilities at home.
This spoke to me a lot since I don't find studying law exceptionally difficult, but balancing lawyering with competing responsibilities is challenging. Despite everything, we still manage to champion our own needs and protect the rights of others. She-Hulk didn't fail to represent the complexities of being a lawyer, and I can't wait for the next episode. #lawyergoals #shehulk