**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is in the books with “Whose Show is it Anyway” closing out Marvel’s legal comedy. Finales are always a good opportunity to reflect on a series as a whole. In this case, the finale is an excellent illustration of so much of the best parts of this series, as well as its pitfalls. Not everything about the finale will likely work for all fans. What does work may be among the best that’s come from Marvel in a long time.
First, it has to be said that Tatiana Maslany maintains her star power to the end. This remains one of the most relatable characters to this writer. Maslany never stops wanting the best for both Jen and She-Hulk. Her complaints are all about how Jen should be given the justice that she deserves. The fierce commitment Maslany has to this character is commendable. It makes it easier to buy into this character.
The finale is sadly another example of Marvel’s villain problem. Don’t get me wrong, Todd not getting superpowers was absolutely the right choice. Although there was potential here to have commented on the villainy of dude bros online, this may have landed flat. Titania, too, could have been a fascinating villain as an influencer, but remains another disappointment. Shoe-horning her into the finale was the perfect way to illustrate just how much this series screwed up this villain. Titania was absolutely a villain worth rooting for.
The question needs to be asked, if something is self-referential, is it funny or is it an indictment of poor storytelling? Marvel has certainly made a brand of self-referential humor, with arguably variable results. The Kevin-Feige-as-a-robot was maybe the joke that worked best. It’s hilarious to think that there’s a robot in charge of the entire MCU rather than an actual person. It’s also necessary shade at a man who has become an entity unto himself. Someone with this level of power needs to be taken down several pegs.
Unfortunately, there’s a flip side to this. If the MCU is aware of all of these issues, why are the same choices being made? Marvel series so far have struggled to bring their finales together in a compelling way. Why comment on this, instead of fixing the problem? It also feels more than a little underhanded to be commenting on the cost of special effects when SFX artists have already spoken about their experiences.
As has always been the case with this show, the strongest moments of the finale are the character moments. The Daredevil content is prime, and it gives this character a chance to show off his sillier, himbo side, rather than the brooding darkness adjacent to The Batman. The all-family ending was the perfect way to end this series in a sweet way. If the rest of the finale had kept this tone, it may have fixed the Marvel finale problem, which was glaringly obvious throughout.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been a lot of things to a lot of people. At its best, the meditation on life and love in your 30s was charming and relatable. Having mostly terrible ‘friends’ with occasional gems, and terrible dating experiences seem to be a hallmark of this age. Being at this stage of life, I can personally attest to this authenticity. At its worst, however, this show was yet another example of how lost Marvel can get, particularly when it comes to telling compelling stories centred around a female superhero. Marvel has much work to do. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law could have been a great place to start.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+.