After finishing the seventh episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it is extremely natural to wonder—what is this show? For a series billed as a legal comedy, there certainly is no particular plethora of legal plotlines. In Episode 7, for example, there are none at all. For a “superhero show”, there can be a stunning lack of superheroics. So what is She-Hulk? That may not be an easy question to answer, but the series has a personality that connects everything at its core; that is not a given for most series. In any event, it is genuinely hard to care about picking apart every ounce of She-Hulk when Episode 7 was everything a reasonable person could want.
Some of the biggest, deepest laughs of She-Hulk come from this episode without a doubt. The level of comedy the series attained in some of its earlier, more legal-heavy episodes returns in a very different form. In a universe and franchise so focused on action, adventure, and high-concept stories, any person that has the capacity to feel joy can appreciate some D-list supervillains in group therapy helping out the protagonist get over a guy who did not text her back. That premise is absurd, and it can only work in a very specific context. Luckily, She-Hulk provides that context.
Nothing could be said about Episode 7 without emphasizing how amazing the supporting cast of characters is. Obviously, Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky makes a welcome return after his last appearance in Episode 3 to continue the “Abomaste” gag. And while various legal cases brought out some interesting figures in the past, such as Donny Blaze, Mr. Immortal, or the shape-shifting light elf, Episode 7 absolutely knocks it out of the park. Man-Bull, El Águila, Porcupine, Saracen, Wrecker, and Blonksky all come through as colorful characters. The fact that such a group got to spend most of its time together and interacting with one another is simply a unique experience in the Marvel universe, which allows She-Hulk to bring out the inherent humor of corny comic book characters in a safe space both literally and figuratively.
A major theme running through She-Hulk is that Jen is constantly losing. Sure, she is a functional Hulk and landed a snazzy job, but episode after episode has emphasized that Jen the human is not enough. Her dating life is perhaps the prime example of that, and the episode’s focus on Josh building her up and then letting her down just hammered that theme more. The “twist” that Josh is actually a villain was perhaps one of the most obvious reveals, so it was smart that her emotions stemming from the rejection were in the spotlight while the dramatic reveal was only given a few seconds in the end. It was refreshing to see Jen get a personal “win” this episode when she has her emotional breakthrough at the Blonksy retreat with the friendly help of some memorable characters with their own identity struggles. In fact, self-identity seemed to be the core issue tying all of those people together in one way or another.
Since Jen now knows, apparently, that “Jen is great” alongside She-Hulk, perhaps that is the audience’s cue to prepare for less self-growth and more plot resolution going forward. Granted, there are only two episodes left in the season, so that may not be hard to guess. But it does potentially give away what kind of place Jen will be mentally when she has to eventually deal with the invisible HulkKing villain (to the extent She-Hulk itself will actually deal with a potential explosion of Hulks in the MCU), as well as when she inevitably comes across Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Doubtless, many have suffered in agony for seven weeks with no Daredevil, but at least they can be grateful the show may combine them when Jen/She-Hulk is at her best.
