She-Hulk is nearly done with season one and it's time to ask: Is it working? Is She-Hulk bad like half the internet wants you to believe? Is the show actually great? Is it somewhere in-between? (Hint: Most things are!) She-Hulk episode 7 is out as of this upload, but this was recorded right after episode 6. Still, I stand by most of my thoughts here. Curious? Read on or go straight to the play button!

She-Hulk has a lot going for it: It has an amazing cast, with Tatiana Maslany and Josh Segarra as standout talents in my mind. There are a ridiculous number of fun cameos, from Wong (Wongers!) to Bruce Banner to Abomination and soon, Daredevil - and lesser known, obscure characters like Mr. Immortal, Frog-Man, Man-Bull, and so on, and so on. There are hints of a greater, darker threat lurking beneath the comedy veneer, and the episodes are digestible.

But there ARE some things not working. (And the problem is NOT that it's got feminist themes or an agenda. Or that it's "too woke." Or that She-Hulk yells at Bruce once.) So, what IS the big problem in She-Hulk? It may not be THE answer, but I do have my answer: The 4th wall breaking.

To be clear, She-Hulk NEEDS to break the 4th wall. She essentially pioneered it in comics, well before Deadpool starting breaking the 4th wall. But there's something about these that doesn't always hit the mark, and to me, it belies the underlying problems in Jennifer Walters' characterization, the writing, and the difficulties with trying to cram a superhero origin story into 30 minute comedic episodes of a legal procedural.

Want to hear what I mean by all that? Then stop reading this and hit play, already!

#shehulk #mcu #videoessay