**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s penultimate episode is here with ‘Ribbit and Rip It’. In many ways, the second-to-last episode represents the best of everything the show has been so far. The show feels as though it’s come full-circle. This episode also represents She-Hulk’s aspirations, and arguably everything that the show was meant to be from the beginning. The combination of humor and heart is what ties everything together in a near-perfect package.
For fans who have been complaining about a lack of Daredevil, you can relax, he’s finally here in all his ketchup-and-mustard glory. Tatiana Maslany and Charlie Cox have incredible and perhaps surprising chemistry, that gets used to perfection. Everything about Matt Murdoch’s introduction is written for the female gaze. Having him introduced to viewers through Jen immediately changes the dynamic of a Catholic playboy, arguably for the better.
It’s been a little bit since we’ve Jen do any actual lawyering. Unfortunately, this episode doesn’t reflect particularly well on her professional abilities. Here, she represents arguably the worst superhero in the MCU, who’s whole schtick is a terrible supersuit. At a minimum, would a lawyer of Jen’s calibre not check the specifics of how the suit functions, before having it sprung on her that the client went against explicit suit instructions? It’s a baffling choice that’s played for comedy, that really doesn’t land.
In many ways, the real villain of this series is Todd (Jon Bass) who adds an additional layer of ickiness by revealing how obsessed he is with Wakandan culture. It’s super gross, but also a very effective way to drive home the point that white men feel entitled to everything under the Sun. Todd is a stand-in for every bro-y guy we’ve ever met, who can do no wrong in their own minds. It’s sickening, frankly, to see how easily he moves through the world without anyone batting an eye.
There have already been mixed reactions to that ending sequence, and how the show handles a storyline about revenge porn. It’s slightly concerning that there is only one episode left to tie up all of these loose ends. In a way, however, it feels like everything in the show has been building to this. The idea of female rage guiding a superhero was introduced at the beginning, and has never really been explored since. Presumably, this story had to receive some kind of conclusion. Taking an approach that isn’t trauma-informed, however, would be a mistake.
With one episode left, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has the opportunity to bring it’s story to a satisfying conclusion, and set up this character as a necessary part of the MCU. While it hasn’t always been perfect, the show has so often straddled being a standalone project as well as setting up to be a part of the larger Universe. Hopefully, with the end around the corner, the show can maintain this balance, and get it right.
New Episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law air Thursdays on Disney+.