Image via Disney+
Honestly, I went into this show with already low expectations but, even those were shattered. From the CGI to the story itself, I am truly shocked at how much this show has deteriorated within the span of two episodes.
If you want to see our review of episode 1, check it out here.
Pacing
The pacing of this show is very underwhelming. I felt like there was no real substance within the second episode as every segment was rushed. Everything was spread out easily with no real transitioning between scenes. For example, the way it was revealed that Abomination truly had evil intentions in the end was plain out lacking. The episode itself had only around twenty minutes of content in which large events in the story were shoved into and not given their proper time. We didn’t get to feel the inner conflict or surprise Jen felt when she was offered a new job and the show rushed immediately to her getting a new office after a plain and boring monologue. Overall, the way everything was rushed truly made me feel like the episode was extremely forgettable and unimportant.
CGI
In my opinion, the CGI in the first episode was not horrible. But the second episode destroyed that, completely. I felt like there was no real detail on the character of She-Hulk. Her face also often moved in strange ways that didn’t necessarily match with the words she was saying. Overall, the poor CGI quality left me questioning if this was just yet another factor that was going to get worse as the series progressed.
Character Development
Jen Walters as a character is not all that bad. She’s funny, she’s charismatic, but she’s not relatable or inspiring. It’s sad to say that there’s no character development within her and she instead resorted to crying and drinking alcohol in opposition to looking for solutions or trying to control her power. Even though, yes, the show has only gotten to episode two, a lot has happened within these two episodes that would affect the character. Instead, because the show is so fast-paced, there was no true reaction or affect seen on Walters. In the first episode, she had a panic attack as a result of finding out she would be a Hulk. This was resolved by a plate of pancakes and, after little argument or discussion, she decided that she was fine with staying a Hulk. In the second episode, her reaction to having her identity being revealed as well as to getting a job was short-lived and it felt like her character just moved on and went back to being a lawyer. She just didn’t display any true emotion or reaction. To me, it just felt extremely unnatural and out of place.
I totally feel like her humorous character would’ve fit in well with the MCU but, in the end, humor is not everything in the story of a dramatic change like this. Her character is just quite saddening.
Plus, as a side note, what happened with Hulk is quite demeaning. He was reduced to a calm, relaxed scientist instead of the mean green-fighting machine he used to be. I don’t mind there being a mix between the Hulk and his human form, but I’m just feeling a loss from his character.
The Story
I actually found the initial story behind She-Hulk to be interesting. I liked that it was more of a different perspective on the life of a Hulk. While it felt like Jen’s transition into a Hulk was fast, I liked how her character was different in the way that she was fully-conscious as a Hulk. I also thought that the idea of seeing someone try to live their day-to-day life as a Hulk was pretty cool and would help the audience get more of an understanding of the hectic lives these heroes have to go through. Unfortunately, this story was butchered by poorly executed humor, quick scenes, and no real effort behind the struggle of the character. In other words, the show kind of sucks.
Also, the villain who attacked the courtroom in the first episode was an influencer? What? That’s just goofy.
Overall Rating
I would honestly rate this episode a 2/10 for participation points. There were a couple of funny moments and it was interesting to see more into the story of She-Hulk. But, the episode itself was just not given the time it needed which left it feeling empty and somewhat boring. It’s not one of those shows that I would watch again and I even found myself waiting for the episode to end. I hope to see some improvement in the upcoming episodes of She-Hulk and a bit more emphasis on the essence of her being a Hulk.
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