The ninth and final episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, aptly titled “Whose Show is This,?” brings attention to the mechanics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as well as grants Jen, played by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, Parks and Recreation) a satisfying conclusion (for now). While the episode does conclude the series, it does it in a lilting and confusing way, as if the writers simply expect viewers to easily catch on.
The previous episode had Intelligencia leaking Jennifer’s sex tape as she was arrested by the Department of Damage Control. This episode reveals the consequences of these actions, as she’s barred from turning into She-Hulk and forced to move back into her parents’ home. It seems as if the show is finally letting Jen suffer a little bit – it’s all been so happy go lucky until this point. She typically gets to hide from her problems by dealing with those of others, as she’s a lawyer.
As Jen is moping, Nikki, played by Ginger Gonzaga (Kidding, Togetherness) and Pug, played by Josh Segarra (Arrow, Trainwreck), infiltrate an Intelligencia event where Pug pretends to be a member. The way the Intelligencia members complain about She-Hulk is interestingly similar to those in real-life who criticize the television program, making things rather interesting and actually subtly witty for once. This being said, the tactic isn’t entirely effective because the dialogue ends up moving into the typical hyper-feministic reference/irrational misogynist style that the program tends to throw at its viewers.
As Abomination/Emil Blonsky, played by Tim Roth (The Hateful Eight, Pulp Fiction), arrives at the Intelligencia event and Todd, the revealed Hulk King, played by Jon Bass (Baywatch, Molly’s Game), uses She-Hulk’s blood to transform himself into a Hulk. All hell breaks loose as the battle ensues, and even Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight, The Avengers), miraculously returns. These events are incredibly absurd, but Jennifer voices every concern that we as the audience would be thinking of. She decides to break the fourth wall, crawling out of the Disney+ menu into Marvel Studios, where she confronts the show’s writers.
Jen’s whole exchange with the creative team is rather jumbled and confusing – did we originally know that the MCU exists outside of our realm? It’s odd that there wasn’t that clarification before. Jen comes face-to-face with K.E.V.I.N., an AI designed to produce perfect products for the MCU. It’s an interesting concept, but one that was poorly executed. There wasn’t a lot of clarification in regards to the direction the show was moving in.
The finale also pokes fun at what’s known as the formulaic Marvel finale – they strip the big battle away, and She-Hulk asks for Daredevil back and for Todd and Emil to face consequences for their actions. The episode then cuts straight to the happy ending.
By having Abomination back in jail for his crimes, it makes the whole storyline where Jen helps him get out pointless. Todd also gets no real pushback or atonement for his sins as Hulk King, so he ends up being a worthless MCU villain – same with Titania. The storylines end up getting wrapped up too quickly, concluding with a family barbecue where suddenly Hulk inexplicably has a son named Skaar. Hopefully, whatever Hulk movie that comes next ends up being better than this show.
Holistically, She-Hulk has been a fairly weak show with some funny moments, but ultimately draws away viewers’ attention with its constant poking at toxic masculinity and haters and pop culture.
Rating: 7.0/10.0