Last week, I questioned the direction of She-Hulk, as the pieces on the board didn’t fit any endgame I could conceptualize.
During the season finale, I learned the explanation for my confusion. So, let’s talk about She-Hulk episode 1-9, the one that defies conventional recapping.
The Savage She-Hulk
Image: Marvel
The season finale tips its hand before the show technically begins. We start with a passionate tribute to the 1970s series, The Hulk.
These opening credits position Jennifer Walters as the modern David Banner. She means well and does good, but there’s a monster lurking within.
At times, she transforms into THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK!
Image: Marvel
This bit absolutely slays. At least three different moments are worthy of additional mention.
First, the show plays on her frustrating dating life as a millennial and shows Todd, the rich weirdo, as a potential paramour.
So, we know this segment isn’t coming from inside Jen’s brain. She hates Todd.
Image: Marvel
Also, she spends part of her free time replying to trolls on the internet. Her communication tool of choice is apparently an IBM PC Jr. keyboard from 1984.
Finally, her retorts to the trolls won’t win her any writing awards. The text shows HulkKing saying, “SHE-HULK IS STUPID!!!!”
Jen’s reply is, “YOU’RE STUPID.” And thus, we have set the stage for the entire episode. I’m not even joking.
Image: Marvel
Seriously, that’s a certain kind of summary for the entire episode. It’s gonna be Jen believing HulkKing is stupid and arguing that point in front of a computer.
These opening credits are profoundly brilliant. I’m in awe.
The Shoe on the Other Foot
Image: Marvel
One of the high points of the early part of She-Hulk involved the parole hearing of Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination.
The superpowered being sat in a prison cell and debated whether he had changed while his attorney, Jennifer Walters, stood outside and argued his case.
At the start of episode nine, the oversized shoe is on the other foot.
Image: Marvel
Walters now finds herself imprisoned in the same cage, the only one capable of stopping a superpowered being.
Her friends/co-workers appear to discuss her options. Mallory Book informs Jen of the conditions. Like Blonsky, she must agree never to turn into her monster half again.
Sadly, this choice forces her to lose her job, as GLK&H specifically hired She-Hulk, not a normal person.
Image: Marvel
With no other options, Jen moves back in with her parents. It’s less than ideal that she’s sleeping in her childhood bedroom again.
Hilariously, BFF Nikki Ramos looooves the setup and especially Elaine, Jen’s mother. Elaine even texts her a college video of her daughter dancing wildly.
Somehow, this point proves vital to the plot. Nikki takes it upon herself to infiltrate Intelligencia, the nefarious organization that has hurt her friend.
Image: Marvel
Using the dancing video, Nikki pretends to be an incel and quickly gains the attention of HulkKing, who invites her to an Intelligencia gathering.
All this happens at a suspiciously fast pace, but you’ll understand why soon.
Party at Abomination’s Place
Image: Marvel
She-Hulk is tearing through the plot to set up a series of unlikely encounters.
Obviously, Nikki cannot attend an Intelligencia event since she’s a woman. So, Pug goes in her place.
Throughout the party, he pretends to hate women by saying offensive things, thereby earning the trust of the other incels.
Image: Marvel
At some point, rich guy Todd appears and – just as I had predicted several episodes ago! – proves to be a villain. Specifically, he’s the head of Intelligencia.
She-Hulk’s bad date from an early episode has also been the one making her life miserable throughout the season.
Simultaneously, Jen gets sick of feeling like a failure and goes to talk about it with someone who will understand. She heads back to Emil’s new compound.
Image: Marvel
By the 14-minute mark of the episode, not even halfway through, Emil has transformed into the Abomination and revealed that his compound is hosting the Intelligencia event.
Somehow, we’re just getting started.
Nikki and Pug also barge in, revealing that Jen is at an Intelligencia meeting.
Image: Marvel
Then, Todd shoots himself up with some serum created from Jen’s blood. He turns into a Hulk-like being that I’ll call Bro-Hulk for now.
Next, Titania busts through a wall, and then Hulk dives in from outer space or something. It’s a LOT.
Also, I HAVE to mention that Todd believes She-Hulk doesn’t deserve her powers because she didn’t earn them.
Image: Marvel
However, Todd feels he did because he paid a guy to sleep with Jen and steal her blood. Later, he paid scientists to synthesize it into a kind of Super Soldier Serum.
That’s how rich incel Todd earns things. He pays people to do all the work for him. The writers of She-Hulk have a lot to say this week.
Shattering the Fourth Wall
Image: Marvel
In the comics, She-Hulk has been breaking the fourth wall since the 1970s, whereas Deadpool didn’t even exist in 1991. In other words, he’s stealing her schtick.
For this reason, I cannot be surprised by what happens next, even though it’s so bizarre that describing it borders on impossible to believe is real.
Hulk misreads the situation and attacks Abomination, who is trying to defend his actions to Jen.
Source: Marvel Studios
Meanwhile, she’s angry at her client for violating his parole terms and refusing to apologize.
Todd having superpowers isn’t great, either, and Titania’s attacks feel haphazard and random.
Jen stares directly at the camera and states, “None of these storylines make any sense.” And she’s right.
Photo: Marvel
At this point, She-Hulk turns into something akin to WandaVision. Yes, I’m serious.
Walters leaves the fight scene by – you’re not gonna believe this – going to the Marvel menu on Disney+.
She exits the She-Hulk panel and enters one for Marvel Studios Assembled. This is a real thing that happens, people.
Image: Marvel
As She-Hulk, Jen roams through the Disney/Marvel campus and enters the She-Hulk production office. Then, she walks into the writer’s room where a terrible season two pitch is happening.
Jennifer Gao, (legitimately) the show’s creator, sits beside this person as he speaks. Then, another writer asks She-Hulk if everything is okay.
Image: Marvel
After some back and forth over the stupid storylines at play, She-Hulk learns that K.E.V.I.N. is controlling it all. So, she leaves to speak with K.E.V.I.N.
People without closed captioning would presume this means Kevin Feige, head of Marvel. But I’m spelling it correctly as K.E.V.I.N.
Image: Marvel
Yes, the closed captioning accidentally gives away the joke here. There’s a sentient robot running the MCU, and Jen wants to speak with it.
I’ll give you a moment to process all this.
Ready for More?
Image: Marvel
After signing an NDA, She-Hulk beats up a few security guards and makes her way to the place where K.E.V.I.N. resides.
The acronym stands for “Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus.” It’s a floating three-eyed fire hydrant with arms. Or something like that.
K.E.V.I.N.’s appearance is the appropriate level of visually hysterical for the moment. It’s what someone in 1962 would have thought a sentient robot would look like.
Image: Marvel
Understandably, She-Hulk has questions.
What follows is a back-and-forth discussion about the series, the MCU, and even a critique of ways that Marvel could have done better.
While K.E.V.I.N. may not look like Kevin Feige, She-Hulk definitely treats him as such.
Image: Marvel
Of course, She-Hulk must switch to Jen because “you are very expensive.” Also, “the visual effects team has moved on to another project.”
These are spectacular jokes that wink at the audience and all the criticisms of She-Hulk, some of which I’ve made.
K.E.V.I.N. brags about his near-perfect stories while acknowledging that some are better than others.
Image: Marvel
Jen correctly wonders if She-Hulk is still a lawyer show. K.E.V.I.N. indicates that is, and so she makes her closing argument.
The superheroine argues that the story involved the sudden change in her life “right when I was learning to be both Jen and She-Hulk.”
Surprisingly, the K.E.V.I.N. proves willing to listen to new ideas. So, Jen takes away Todd’s newfound abilities because he’s the villain, not his powers.
Image: Marvel
She wants Bruce gone as well, which leads to another great joke about how Bruce will explain why he was…but Jen cuts the report off before it can finish. So now we’ll never know!
Finally, Jen wants accountability for Emil…and she “would not mind seeing Daredevil again. A woman has needs.”
We’re watching a writer’s room pitch as actual dialogue. It’s amazing.
The End of the Ride
Image: Marvel
She-Hulk’s changes on the fly end the big battle at Emil’s compound. Instead, it’s daytime when the police are arresting Todd for being the head of Intelligencia.
For her part, Jen promises to sue Todd for all his crimes, like stealing her blood and invading her privacy and whatnot.
The closing argument has worked quite well, although K.E.V.I.N. never answered the most important question, “When are we getting the X-Men?”
Source: Marvel
Daredevil does appear, though. Also, Blonsky agrees to the “karmic price” of returning to jail for ten years. So, he shows the penance Jen had wanted.
Of course, I’ll go ahead and spoil the post-credits scene by saying that Wong (without Madisynn) ports in and saves him. They’ll be at Kamar-Taj.
The bigger surprise happens at the family picnic, though. Murdock, who only stays for the week, gets peppered with questions about how much money he makes.
Image: Marvel
Jen’s parents are ready to marry them off and have them start a family.
The shocker happens when Bruce appears. Presuming this is canon – and I have no reason to think otherwise – Bruce reveals his son, Skaar.
World War Hulk definitely looks like it’s happening, folks. But this is the story of Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, not the Bruce Banner Hulk.
Source: Marvel Studios
While the line of dialogue doesn’t happen at the end, Jennifer Walters does explain her newfound dual persona, though.
“That’s what Hulks do. We smash things. Bruce smashes buildings. I smash fourth walls and bad endings…and sometimes Matt Murdock.” Aww, yeah!
Image: Marvel
Really, I can’t think of a more fitting way to end a recap of this season. It’s intentionally messy and stubborn and nonconformist and an absolute blast.
I’m surprised to say that She-Hulk rivals WandaVision in its daring and bravado. This is definitely an A+ television season.
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