SHE-HULK EPISODE 9 & SERIES REVIEW (SPOILERS)

 

            I can’t decide if the She-Hulk finale was pure brilliance or a genius cop-out.

On the other side of the glass.

            Skipping the usual episode recap, we got one done as a remake of the intro to The Incredible Hulk TV series (which was brilliantly handled). Picking up from last episode’s cliffhanger, we find Jen in jail and taking a deal to never be She-Hulk again for her release. With her reputation ruined and job lost, she decides to go to Emil’s (Tim Roth) sanctuary for a bit. However, she happens to pick the night when The Intelligencia is holding a gathering there. It’s discovered that Todd Phelps (Jon Bass), the creepy tech bro Jen had a horrible date with one time and who kept popping up during the show, was the founder of The Intelligencia and had stolen her blood to give himself Hulk powers. And then Titania (Jameela Jamil) crashed the party. And then Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) joined in.

Smashing those 4th walls like it's Matt Murdock.

            And then that’s when everything REALLY went off the rails. Echoing moments from the original run of The Sensational She-Hulk comic series, Jen breaks out of the show through the Disney+ menu to head to the Disney studio lot to confront the She-Hulk writers about the insanely overcomplicated finale. That leads her to confront the one in charge at Marvel Studios: Kevin. No, it’s not Kevin Feige making a cameo; rather, it’s a GLaDOS-like artificial intelligence named K.E.V.I.N. (Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus). Jen proceeds to offer up common fan complaints about how MCU projects all have similar endings or too many plots converging at once.

"Now say: 'The cake is a lie.'"

This resulted in K.E.V.I.N. tossing out his “exciting ending” in favor of a new, quicker one. Todd and his cronies are being arrested; Emil is going back to jail for violating his parole; Daredevil (Charlie Cox) returns to help out too late and gets roped into a family barbecue; Hulk returns (again) at the barbecue and introduces his son, Skaar (Wil Deusner); Jen is a lawyer again prosecuting Todd and declaring she’ll take on guys like him in the courtroom and as a superhero; and Wong (Benedict Wong) returns to bust Emil out to stay at Kamar-Taj.

"Okay, the MCU--I have some notes."

Okay, to my conflict. Every reaction video I’ve seen loved the ULTIMATE 4^th wall break of Jen leaving her show for the Marvel Studios Office, while all the ones who have hated on this show since it came out and some comic guys have not. I, personally, thought it was great. I found every bit of that hilarious; from the sudden Disney+ menu screen to the little faux baseball cap on K.E.V.I.N.’s “head” mimicking Feige’s. This is probably the most I’ve laughed out loud for the entire season. I thought it was a perfect homage to all the times Shulkie was about to step out of her comic to deal with then-scribe John Byrne personally. Also, Tatiana Maslany was all of us, asking the big questions like “X-Men when?” This ending at least made it clear that Marvel has been hearing fans, acknowledge their flaws, and possibly hinting that they’re going to improve going forward (with upcoming schedules shifting and the format of planned projects being changed).

"You want X-Men? I got you, boo."

But then we get the ending. Or, lack thereof, as the series once again attempted to subvert expectations. Jen’s legal troubles? Gone. The whole Josh/blood-stealing plotline? Gone. The Intelligencia? Gone. Titania’s unhealthy obsession with Jen? Gone. For the entire season, later episodes had slowly connected to things established in earlier ones while building up an ongoing subplot even slower than that. But they decide to pull a Monty Python and give us a cop-out ending where everything is dealt with offscreen and hunky dory. We don’t see Jen reassemble her life, despite going off on K.E.V.I.N. about the stakes of the show being her life falling apart just as she was embracing being a Hulk. Titania became pointless. The Intelligencia became pointless. There was no payoff for anything. We didn’t get to see Jen complete her arc. I mean, give us the conclusion to something we’ve been watching! The Skaar reveal, I don’t mind so much because we know there’s a World War Hulk project in development and will likely fill in the gap between the episodes as this did with Shang-Chi.

"The X-Men movies had a blue mutant restriction...I think we need to talk about a green gamma restriction here."

Okay, overall thoughts. The series as a whole was a bit uneven. It was always entertaining, but didn’t always reach the levels it should have. Maslany slays as the Jade Giantess and has always been the highest point of the show. I absolutely love her father (Mark Linn-Baker) and how supportive he is whenever he appears (best MCU dad!). Many of the side characters were fun, but woefully underutilized due to the short runtime of the episodes. Touted as a “legal comedy”, we really didn’t get a lot of the legal side (and, depending who you talk to, some would say not much of the comedy, either) but there were some interesting cases in what we did get. A lot of deep cut characters made their MCU debut on the show, which is something I hope continues to happen. Let’s get audiences familiar with more than just the A-listers. I had a good time with the show, but it just didn’t feel like any of the ideas were allowed to fully bake. I hear there is a season 2 coming and I hope that, while the tone is kept exactly the same, they make things a bit tighter on the storytelling side. Break all the 4^th walls you want, just give us a story in the process!

"Heard you were doing a Fast and Furious ending. So I brought more family."

One last point: it’s no secret that this series took a lot of shots at toxic fanboy trolls. And, every step of the way, they accurately predicted exactly was they would say and post about the show (especially since this show was done about a year before its release). And, of course, you’ve got the YouTube videos out there saying “they hate men!” or claiming victory for “getting in their heads.” And then you’ve got the people who take umbrage with interviews where cast and crew say this was largely the point—to call these so-called “fans” out. Here’s my take: if that bothered you, then you’re probably one of the guilty ones. I’m a man, and I had no issue with the depiction of men on the show or them stepping in front of the toxicity often attracted by women-led and diverse projects (that’s not to say there isn’t good-faith criticism to be had on these projects; just that it isn’t generally the criticism that ends up being levied). And you know why? Because they were right. Every. Single. Time. You don’t like something? That’s fine. Move on. Why would you stick around? Just to get ammunition to complain? C’mon, life’s too short and, to quote Wong: “We’re truly in an age of peak TV.” Find your own yum instead of yucking everyone else’s.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT REVIEW (SPOILERS)

 

            This is going to be full of spoilers because I don’t think I can accurately say what I want to say while tiptoeing around plot points, so you’ve been warned.

            Werewolf By Night is the first MCU special and their first official entry into their horror “imprint” (you can arguably state Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was technically the first, but this one had the special Marvel Studios branding, hence my use of “official”). The special centered on the titular werewolf, Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal), as he infiltrated a gathering of monster hunters to mourn the passing of the greatest of their number and their leader, Ulysses Bloodstone (voiced by Richard Dixon). Bloodstone was possessor of the legendary Bloodstone, which he used in his battle against monsters, and those gathered are to compete for the right to become the next wielder. The catch? They had to defeat a terrible monster it would be affixed to in a massive labyrinth garden.

Gentleman Jack.

            This short marked the first time that Jack was seen in live-action, having previously appeared in several cartoons and video games, and the return of Man-Thing (known simply as “Ted”, played by Carey Jones & Jeffrey Ford) since the abysmal Sci-Fi Channel film in 2005. It’s also the debut of Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) in anything other than a video game. However, fans of the character may be surprised to see she’s not the foul-mouthed, gun-toting badass she is in the comics. Oh, she’s very badass, pulling out some killer fight moves in the few fight scenes, but this is more Elsa at the beginning of becoming the character in the comics (as stated in some interviews with Donnelly).

This is one Elsa that's not going to let it go.

            Werewolf by Night is Michael Giacchino’s third directorial effort, and the longest so far. And he did an incredible job. The whole special was an homage to the classic Universal monster movies of the 30s and 40s, with its being shot in mostly black and white (with spot coloring on the Bloodstone and full color at the end), the addition of film grain (although it was clearly shot on digital), extensive use of practical effects and sets (more so than other Marvel productions, which I’m sure the overworked VFX community appreciated), the opening and closing titles, and the music, which was also by Giacchino. They even did a retro “special presentation” intro like the networks used to do. The opening introduction to all the characters especially felt like a classic movie; it was only after they entered the garden did the modern start creeping in. And the way they did the werewolf transformation seen in only shadow and Elsa’s reaction to it was a real perfect way to build up the suspense. The werewolf costume and make-up looked great as well.

Shadow dance.

            The most interesting aspect of the special was the contrast between the so-called monsters and the monster hunters. Jack did everything he could to avoid hurting anyone, especially after he transformed (except those that deserved it, of course). Ted was acting in self-defense (those who know fear burn at the touch of the Man-Thing). And both of them actively worked to rescue the other. The monster hunters, however, were so eager to win the Bloodstone that they, without hesitation, were willing to slaughter each other to get it. And this was encouraged. So, it begs the question: who exactly were the real monsters?

You, uh, got a little something there...

            My only real negative was the final fight scene when the werewolf was unleashed. The choreography didn’t feel feral enough in parts. Werewolf Jack moved too much like a trained martial artist rather than a reactionary creature. Otherwise, the action was top-notch; with Elsa clearly getting some Black Widow-esque training and some savage finishing moves, and the visceral bloody ends to the Bloodstone goons delivered by the werewolf (this entry was allowed to be gorier than other Marvel projects since it lacked the color to indicate the liquid splashing the camera lens was blood).

Instructions from the dead.

            Overall, Werewolf By Night was fantastic (although I might’ve titled it Bloodstone, all things considered). In its short runtime it managed to accomplish everything it set out to do: introduce the horror side of Marvel, give us several new characters, and homage the classic monster films while giving us something completely new from the MCU. And yes, some of the MCU humor was present, but they were situationally appropriate and didn’t overstep their bounds like many feel it tends to do lately. The costume and special effects were well done, as were the few fight scenes. The lighting was on point, making effective use of the shadows with the lack of color. I hope the largely positive reaction I’ve seen towards this special encourages Marvel Studios to take more chances.

Just call him "Ted".

            Predicting it now: based on some reaction videos I’ve seen, Man-Thing will become the next Groot.

SHE-HULK EPISODE 8 REVIEW

 

Froggy-man, Froggy-man, does whatever a froggy can.

            Okay, let’s just get this out of the way: fans, rejoice! The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here! Yes, it’s the MCU debut of…LEAP-FROG!

The 'Devil, you say?

            No, no, I’m just kidding. Well, I mean, Leap-Frog does appear in the episode, but this is also the episode that finally features Daredevil (Charlie Cox). Now, I have to remind everyone: the Netflix Daredevil was rated TV-MA. She-Hulk is not. So don’t expect all the bone-crunching, bloody stuff you’re used to getting with the character. HOWEVER! That doesn’t diminish his awesomness in the episode. He’s got some slick moves, takes down a ton of guys on his own, and shows Cox hasn’t missed a step since Daredevil stopped filming. I don’t know if this is fully indicative of the MCU Daredevil going forward or if it’s just distilled through the lens of the show like Wong was, but if it is I’m here for it.  

Team-up!

            That said, this episode was just…wow. Keeping in mind we still have one episode to go, I’d call this the best episode of the series thus far. Shulkie gets to meet Matt Murdock when Eugene Patillio, aka Leap-Frog (Brandon Stanley), retains her firm to sue the designer of his costume after he’s injured when it malfunctions. Interestingly, the MCU chose to combine Leap-Frog’s character. In the comics, Leap-Frog was actually Eugene’s father; an engineer who turned to costume villainy when life kept dealing him bad cards (although mentioned as a prominent client of GLK&H, it’s not revealed if the elder Patillio ever donned the costume himself). Humiliated by his father’s past, Eugene decided to take the Leap-Frog suit and become the superhero Frog-Man. The MCU Eugene was reimagined as a spoiled rich kid who wanted to be a hero so badly that he ended up becoming the villain. But, like the comics, he remained as much of a joke as anyone frog-themed not named Throg deserves to be.

Shulkie is in a bit of a pickle.

            Now as fun as all that and as awesome as having Daredevil back on screen was, the real meat of the episode happened in the last five minutes. There isn’t much I can say without delving into spoilers, but I will say that The Intelligencia makes their move at the most inopportune time and manages to cause Jen some serious damage. I’m looking forward to the finale to see how things finally all connect together and we learn what the show has been building towards.