I loved season one of Loki. With season two now starting on Disney +, I can start looking forward again.
Okay, this was epic.
One of the best parts of this was the fact that I did not have to either stay up until 2 AM Central time or wait until the early morning to see the new Loki episode. Prime time, Bae-beee! Apparently Disney + had success with the release of Ahsoka in prime time so they decided to do the same with Loki. I loved it. The anticipation as the clock slowly moved toward 8 PM. Watching it without being half asleep. This is the way they should release all shows.
And… Ke Huy Quan brings every ounce of charm you expect from him. The title of the episode is named after his character, Ouroboros, or O.B. as Moebius called him (apparently).
We are reminded immediately how much chemistry and charisma Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson have together as Loki and Moebius. They are the ultimate buddy cop duo in the MCU. Putting themselves on the line for each other, this is one of the big reasons that Loki season one was so great. And Ke Huy Quan fit right in with that pairing beautifully.
Kang… or, I suppose He Who Remains, as Loki knows him, is all over this episode without ever showing up. Statues, murals, recordings, he is totally enveloped in the TVA and the frantic dread and sinister nature of the world.
This looked amazing, with unbelievable sets and a beautiful direction. The music was spot on.
I can’t believe I have to wait until next Thursday. This is the feeling I used to have with some of the early Disney + shows. I have enjoyed them all (except Secret Invasion) but with WandaVision and Loki Season 1, there was a different feel between episodes. I remember counting down to the next episode, looking forward to the next one.
The second season of the animated short series, I Am Groot, dropped on Disney + as we return to the time of Baby Groot.
The first season of the show included short films that were fun and cute. This is very much the same, but, to be honest, the second season was even more light and inconsequential as season one. Seriously, there is just not much to these shorts.
Some of my favorite moments included the fact that, in a post credit scene, we hear Bradley Cooper’s voice saying one word so he could get a credit on the show. I did enjoy the use of Jeffrey Wright’s voice as Uatu the Watcher, who narrated the “Groot and the Great Prophecy“, which was probably my favorite of the five new shorts.
The whole Groot finds a nose episode was odd. And honestly, that was about all that sticks out in my mind of these five episodes.
I am sure that maybe some young kids would find these all fun and entertaining, but they are, for the most part, a little too young for me. I had a couple of chuckles, but this is something that I will not remember moving forward. Even the Watcher episode doesn’t stick out for anything else but Jeffrey Wright.
The animation is fantastic though. It is a beautifully detailed and constructed series. Vin Diesel is listed as doing the voice of Groot for all five episodes, despite the voice of Groot being considerably higher than we’ve heard before. Vin Diesel has done some excellent voice acting with this character over the years and this I Am Groot series has not been as exception.
The finale of Secret Invasion dropped on Disney + this morning and I am struggling with the feeling that I am having. It is the first time that I am feeling disappointed with a Marvel series on Disney +. Secret Invasion started so strong, but the truth is, the quality of the show slipped with every episode and this finale is so underwhelming that this has become my least favorite MCU TV show.
There was so many things about this episode that I did not like that I feel that there is just too many to list. I’ll give it a try:
The showdown between “Fury” and Gravik was dumb. Of course, it was G’iah instead of Fury and the whole Super Skrull fight at the end was terrible.
Does this mean that G’iah has the powers of all the Avengers?
Gravik and G’iah sure seem to master their new powers quickly and easily.
What is up with the President?
With the phone call Fury made to the president, why is he leaving the earth again?
They rush through the reveal of the kidnapped people and just taunt us with how long they were held.
Oh, and by the way, when they did release the prisoners, shouldn’t they be feeling the affects of the radiation like “Fury” was earlier?
This episode was too short and felt incredibly rushed.
Gravik’s death was just anticlimactic. The relationship with Fury and Gravik was wasted too as it should have been so much more. The scene with Samuel L. Jackson and Kingsley Ben-Adir was well acted, but since it was not actually Fury, it did not feel right.
No end credit scene
Olivia Colman is still the best part of this entire series. Every second she is on the screen is special and I want more of her in the MCU. I am not sure I want overpowered G’iah involved though.
The ending scene with Fury and Varra was decent. It was shot well, but it still did not make much sense. It felt as if the show thought this relationship was the key one for the show, but I felt as if the relationship was not as heavy as it could have been. They settled.
Secret Invasion’s strength was easily the acting. They had a bunch of scene work with some excellent actors, but it does not fit together well. This could have been so much better. I just am so disappointed with the overall series of Secret Invasion.
I figure I would toss out the current list of MCU Disney + shows.
The penultimate episode of Secret Invasion dropped on Disney + this morning. It did feel that this was an episode that was meant to set up the finale. Not that it is a bad episode, but it did feel that it did not have a ton of events happen.
Last week, I complained that there was no Olivia Colman in episode 4 so my favorite thing this week was the return of Sonia Falsworth.
She is simply my favorite part of this series and I would absolutely watch a series with her as the main protagonist. She is so charming and witty and yet as brutal and matter-of-fact as any character we have seen. She is completely believable as an MI6 agent and her moments with Samuel L. Jackson have been wonderful. I am pleased that she made her way into this episode more prominently than she had been up to this point.
I have also found Priscilla to be a great addition to this story. There is so much background that can be mined between Fury and Priscilla that it feels as the little bit that we have gotten here is gold. I want more of that as well.
Emilia Clarke feels underwritten and I have not had a ton of connection with this character. I wanted more form her with the death of Talos, but she seems very emotionally distant, even in situations where she should feel something. The scene with G’iah and Priscilla gunning down the Skrull house invaders was bad ass though. Emilia Clarks feels like she should be someone that is dominating every moment she is on screen and she just hasn’t. That is not her fault because it does feel as if she is doing what she can, but there just has not been enough with her to justify my emotional connection.
I liked the scene with Fury and ‘Rhodey’ at the hospital, even though there seemed to be a few holes in the logic. Sam Jackson and Don Cheadle are always welcome together on my screen.
There seems as if there is a lot of things happening and with next week’s finale coming, I hope they are able to wrap everything up effectively.
This week’s Secret Invasion week was outstanding, but just too short for me. I have to say that there are some awesome scenes in this series, but I feel the six episode format does not allow for them to really go into depth enough on what they have done. That’s a shame.
Of course, they only have six episodes so we have to take what we get.
This week, to no one’s surprise, Emilia Clarke turned out to be not dead. She had given herself the power of Extremis and she healed from the bullet hole from Gravik is episode three. We do not get much more with G’iah this week though, a short scene with her father was about all there was.
Her father, Talos, had a much more impactful episode and the shock ending where Gravik,
apparently, killed Talos as he and Nick Fury were rescuing the President of the United States from Skrull attack was shocking. Nick Fury leaving Talos’s body on the ground and taking off with the President in tow was also shocking.
The action of that ending scene with the Skrulls, led by Gravik, who showed off his Super Skrull-Groot powers, was some excellent action. Much of it felt practical which is a nice change of pace. The explosions sending the cars of the presidential motorcade flipping were well done. Talos’s apparent sacrifice to help save the President was well done too.
This episode revealed for certain that Rhodey was indeed a Skrull. We have no idea how long he has been a Skrull, but this Skrull was absolutely becoming cocky and filled with the power that he has. His hotel room conflict with Fury showed how overconfident this Skrull has become. Watching Fury play with Skrull-Rhodey was fun.
The best scene of the episode came between Fury and Priscilla. As they meet in a church, we see Rhodey instruct Priscilla to kill Fury and, when she arrived home, there Fury was, waiting for her. He had bugged her and he knew of the instructions coming form Rhodey so their tête-à-tête at the table became more intense.
This scene provided us with more of an insight into the relationship between Fury and Priscilla than we have gotten to this point and we can see the love between them even though both knew that something drastic was about to happen.
The scene where both of them fired their guns was extremely well done. I really thought Priscilla was doomed here so when it was revealed that they both had fired past their other, I was very pleased.
As I said earlier, this episode was just over 30 minutes long and it felt way too short. With just two episodes remaining, I hope they provide enough time for the show to sufficiently stick the landing. Plus, no Olivia Colman this week and that is unacceptable.
The second shocking death (or at least that is what it seems) occurred on the third episode of Secret Invasion. Our main antagonist, Gravik, discovered G’iah was the traitor in his ranks and he shot her, leaving her Skrull corpse in the woods outside of the camp in Russia. I did not expect that to happen, as Emilia Clarke is one of the stars of the show and a vital connection to Talos. I am not sure that what we saw happened though as some of the promo material for Secret Invasion included scenes that featured Clarke. It would not be the first time that Marvel used images in a trailer that was not in the final show, but there seemed to be quite a bit.
This episode also dove deeper into the Talos/Nick Fury relationship, with Talos laying out their past history and how much he and his Skrull brethren had done for Fury over the years. Once again, seeing Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn acting opposite each other is a treat. Their banter was excellent and continued to show their character. It also placed Nick Fury in context over the years. It does seem as if Talos has Fury’s back.
However, who else in Fury’s orbit is loyal? His wife, Priscilla, who were know is a Skrull, called a voice on the phone and asked about Gravik. That voice was clearly implied to be Don Cheadle’s Rhodey. Does that mean that Rhodey is a Skrull? Is he and Priscilla working against Nick Fury?
We do learn that Fury knew that Priscilla is a Skrull. There is a flashback to their initial meeting in a coffee shop, at least a meeting where Priscilla has taken on a new face. There was speculation that Fury did not know that Priscilla was a Skrull, but that is laid to rest. Fury and Priscilla had a great scene together to as she talked about the time he was blipped and then returned only to run off to space.
This episode has a severe lack of Olivia Colman. She had one scene and, while I loved it, it was just not enough for me. Sonya Falsworth is my favorite character in this series. She did rename her owl statue ‘Nicholas Fury’ when she put an eye patch over the owl statue to cover the bug Fury had planted in episode one.
Gravik looks to be already a Super Skrull, the term that was actually uttered by Gravik to the Skrull Council. Gravik healed from the knife to the hand by Talos.
There are only three episodes left and there are so many things in the fire. So much so far has been tension being built between great actors in dialogue and big things feel like are happening.
After the shocking end to last week’s Secret Invasion, you weren’t sure what was next for the six episode series.
With Maria Hill’s death, it was clear that the show was filled with strife and stakes. That continued this week.
The writing on this show has been tremendous so far. It is not afraid to allow its superstars to provide the drama through their words even as it is throwing in some excellent action.
Samuel L. Jackson is getting an opportunity to flex his acting chops as well as to dive into the character of Nick Fury, something that we have not had a chance to see before.
One of my favorite scenes in the episode was the sit down discussion between Samuel Jackson and Don Cheadle, Nick Fury and James Rhodes respectfully. The depth of character really shone through with two remarkable actors who have played these parts for years.
Olivia Colman. I absolutely love her. Her few scenes that we have gotten so far has been tremendous. She is such a joy, and watching her torture a Skrull was just strangely appealing. Colman is an amazing talent and she brought a freshness to the horrible moment, even when she was cutting off fingers. I want more of Oliva Colman in the MCU.
This villain, Gravik, has been presented as a force. Kingsley Ben-Adir has been outstanding so far and brought his mission the right amount of menace. I loved how the show shot Gravik while he was in the passenger seat of the car being driven by Emilia Clarke’s G’iah. The angle of his head and the lighting made him look very Skrull-like even though he was in his human shape. This group of Skrulls led by Gravik feels very much like the way the Flagsmashers should have felt during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I enjoyed that show, but there was no doubt that the Flagsmashers part was the weakest of the series. This feels like it is working on every level.
Another awesome scene was between Nick Fury and Talos on a train. Once again, it is a talking scene, but it is as compelling as anything we’ve gotten before. Plus, Talos dropped some info in the “tell me something I don’t know” game that knocked Fury over. Over a million Skrulls were on earth. Whoa.
The episode also ended with a surprise. Hey, Nick, are you married to a Skrull?
Secret Invasion episode 2 was a wonderful balance and it continues to wonder exactly whom you can trust.
Marvel Studios is back on Disney + with the first episode of Secret Invasion dropping on the service this morning. As someone who has enjoyed all of the Disney + series to some extent, I was looking forward to the debuting show, especially since it puts Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury front and center.
Based loosely on the Marvel Comics event series from a few years ago, Secret Invasion deals with a group of Skrulls and their desires to find a new homeworld. Fury and Carol Danvers promised to help them find a place at the end of Captain Marvel, but apparently, that promise fell to the backburner. This has made some of the Skrulls angry and ready to take matters into their own hands.
Secret Invasion kicks off with an episode that gives us a taste of what the series will be about. Paranoia. Trust, or lack thereof.
Even though the series is about a group of shape shifting aliens, Secret Invasion feels very grounded. It is more of a thriller/political espionage story than a superhero one. The Skrulls make a perfect foil for this type of series as their ability to shape shift makes them very dangerous.
Everything is centered around the performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. Sam Jackson’s Fury feels damaged, shaken and unhinged by the blip. Taking this character who we have known since Iron Man and making him vulnerable by his own experience of being dusted is very smart. Add to that his body struggling against him because of age or because of wear increases the feeling that Nick Fury is different.
Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos is clearly still torn between the desire to help his people and to be loyal to Fury. His loss of his wife offscreen and the anger of his daughter G’iah (Emily Clarke) will give him a ton to play as well.
The opening credits have stirred up a ton of controversy online. The AI used to create the credits is a hot-button issue and caused some backlash against the series. I found the opening credits to be very ominous and fitting for the series, but I can say I do not know much about this subject.
Olivia Colman made her first appearance in the MCU as Sonya Falsworth as a member of British MI6. Sonya could be considered the Nick Fury of British Intelligence. Her few moments of screen in episode one whetted the appetite to see more from this powerhouse actor.
Okay, so that is far enough before we talk about the shock ending of the episode. During this Skrull terrorist attack on Moscow, leader of the Skrull revolution, Gravik, who is played very ominously by Kingsley Ben-Adir, in the shape of Nick Fury, shot and apparently killed Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders. Smulders, who has been around the MCU since near the beginning, is a beloved character and he apparent demise will cast a pall across the series. I do not want Maria Hill to die, but I can see how her death here would really be a powerful trigger.
This was a very good opening episode and I was captivated by what was happening. The feeling that you are never sure what is happening and that there is no one to trust was highlighted by the events of this series. I am looking forward to finding out where this heads next.
The second special presentation from Marvel Studios dropped on Disney + this morning, following in the paw prints of Werewolf By Night. This is a Christmas special featuring the cast of teh Guardians of the Galaxy, written and directed by James Gunn.
With Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) feeling down, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) came up with a plan to boost their friend’s spirit. She and Drax (Dave Bautista) went to earth in search of the legendary hero, Kevin Bacon (Kevin Bacon) to bring him as a Christmas gift for Peter.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is in the vein of the Hallmark Christmas specials, much like Werewolf by Night was an homage to the 1930/40s Universal monster movies. A lot of the cheesy humor from those types of specials were in play on Disney + and it was great.
There were two songs included in the special, one co-written by James Gunn himself and they were wonderful. The first song from the beginning of the special was really funny and Peter’s reactions were perfect.
Drax and Mantis in Hollywood brought some funny moments, showing such a great chemistry between the pair of Guardians. When they arrived at Kevin Bacon’s home, things picked up even more.
There were actually a couple important pieces of information that was revealed in the special that will most likely play into the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in May, which proved that this was not just a throwaway piece of content. This is important moving forward and, to be honest, it makes me worry even more about Vol. 3 and its potential for emotional pain.
The special was a sweet and charming episode that started and ended with a bit of animation in a flashback. All the Guardians get a moment though clearly Mantis and Drax (along with Kevin Bacon) are the standouts and carry the story. It even ends with a heart warming moment.
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is much better than the Star Wars Holiday Special. This is a fun and enjoyable interlude with our favorite Guardians (and a furry new one) that worked beautifully during this time of the year.
The finale for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was one of the most original and, frankly, gutsy finales I have ever seen. It stepped up and claimed the show that they wanted this to be in the most satisfying way imaginable.
Kicking off the show with a parody of the 70s TV program The Incredible Hulk’s opening was brilliant. Having Jen step in for Bill Bixby and seeing her transform into the “Savage She-Hulk” just like Lou Ferrigno used to do was such a stroke of genius that it started this episode off which such a wonderful burst of energy and nostalgia. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry”- the iconic line from that show is used so well, including Mark Ruffalo’s subtle head turn (which was really funny).
We then discover that Jen has been arrested by Damage Control after she flipped out after the Intelligencia played the sex tape of her and Josh. A deal is struck for her to wear and inhibitor and not to be allowed to be She-Hulk again. In an unbelievably unfair series of events, Jen loses her job, her apartment and has to move back in with her parents.
Can we pause a moment to mention how awesome Mark Lynn Baker was as Jenn’s father? He was so supportive of his daughter (so much more so than her mother… what a horrible woman she was). With every comment like “People go to jail every day” or that “I have water pressure for days,” Baker showed to be a rare thing, a supportive father in the MCU… which is a joke dropped later in the episode.
Another pair of side characters that we really could have used more of this season was Nikki and Pug. They returned in episode 9 to infiltrate the secret meeting of the Intelligencia. Watching Pug trying to be a douchebag is one of the most charming parts of the episode. Nikki’s constant banter in Pug’s earpiece was very funny.
This was also where we found out that, in the worst kept secret of the season, Todd Phelps was behind the Intelligencia and that he was Hulk King. This revelation was not that earth shaking for anyone who has been following the MCU over the last 14 years. Even Nikki knew this made sense. When Pug realized that Todd was Hulk King, Nikki reacted at first with shock and then said, “Oh that tracks.” LOL. Still, just because it was not the biggest surprise in the world does not mean that it is not the right move.
This was when the show started to begin the big “Marvel finale episode smash fest” that has been a criticism of so many other Marvel Disney + shows. People have complained about the finales of plenty of other Marvel shows, from WandaVision to Moon Knight, that the finale just devolved into a gigantic fight. So Abomination is there. Titania is there. Bruce’s Hulk is there and everyone is fighting.
By the way, I loved that Emil (Abomination) was not evil here. He was just speaking to the crowd like he does all the time. He was spouting his platitudes to the assembled Intelligencia without any real knowledge of what they stood for and he was being very broad in his words. It was nothing more than a paycheck and, actually, when the fighting started, Abomination helped Jen.
During this whole fight scene, Jen was breaking the fourth wall, complaining that none of these storylines made any sense and wondering why this was happening. She said that this can’t be where the season was heading.
It was then that the biggest risk ever from the MCU happened. For a second, I thought that something had gone wrong with Disney + because suddenly, there was the Disney + Marvel page… and She-Hulk was smashing through… obliterating the fourth wall.
She-Hulk moved through the Disney + menu and found herself in the “real” world. She-Hulk went to the writer’s room and went to see Kevin. It was not Kevin Feige as we expected, but instead K.E.V.I.N, an AI running the MCU, appeared in a little black hat.
The the show went ahead and satirized itself unmercifully with shots at the MCU movies all ending the same way, with Marvel Studios use of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA), the lack of sex in the MCU, the persona of Kevin Feige and how he is looked upon in a worshipping fashion, Marvel daddy issues, the cost of the special effects… along with plenty of other jokes. Marvel was not afraid to poke fun at itself, using all of the criticisms from the internet and its audience from over the years. It was META beyond all meta. And the reference Jen made to KEVIN about “When are we getting X-Men” with a cheeky smile and a thumbs up to the camera was just everything!
One of the best facts about She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is that there is not really a “Big Bad” like most series. The villain of the show was the Internet trolls that complain about everything to give a voice to their misogamy. Todd was the face of the organization, but the Intelligencia could be the real internet. It is like Marvel knew how this series would be seen by a section of the populace and they poked fun at it all along. It is also epic that the “Todd uses blood to turn into a Hulk” plot point was discarded so easily because the show was not about that. t was about Jennifer Walters accepting who she is… coming to grip with both the Jen side of her personality, but also the She-Hulk side, and that when she finally started to bring those together, he entire world gets yanked away. The show is saying that they did not need a gamma-irradiated Todd. Jen said it best. The Hulk powers were not the villain, Todd was.
Oh, and Daredevil showed up again, per Jen’s request. Then, Matt Murdock joined Jen at a “Fast and the Furious” style cook out at the end where Matt is grilled by Jen’s parents and the Hulk returned from Sakar and casually introduced his son Skaar! Such a major moment in MCU history and it was dropped so nonchalantly by Bruce that it really wotked within the concept of the show. One wonders where Skaar is heading next.
I know there are people out there who do not like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law for reasonable, fair reasons, but there is also a section of the internet who hate this because of the female led property that was parodied in this show. For me, this was a lot of fun from the first episode and that it took risks that no other Disney + show (with the exception of WandaVision) would dare to try. Tatiana Maslany was exceptional as Jennifer Walters all season long and the side characters, though underused, were characters that I would love spending time with. Tim Roth reemerged as Emil Blonsky, who went back to prison for parole violation, and is now hanging out with Wong at Kamar-Taj after escaping form his prison cell thanks a portal. I saw that post credit scene coming when I spotted Benedict Wong’s name in the credits along with Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth and I knew we had not seen the Sorcerer Supreme in episode 9 yet.
She-Hulk is unapologetic for what it is and it bravely carved out a place inside (and outside) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was funny, full of comedic characters and still managed to move the MCU forward into the future. I enjoyed the series quite a bit.
The one-hour special presentation of Werewolf by Night on Disney + was a surprise to many. There had been rumors about a Halloween special coming from Marvel Studios and that it would be featuring Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night. It was a long time before it was confirmed that it was coming, with a fantastic trailer at D23.
Making his directorial debut with this short was composer Michael Giacchino, a real risky choice. Giacchino does an incredible job with some outstanding shots and a perfect tone, based on the Universal Monster movies from the 1930s and 1940s. Shot in black and white, Werewolf by Night is remarkably stylish and beautiful.
Longtime monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone had died and this triggered a ceremonial hunt by some of the greatest and most mysterious monster hunters in the world to learn who would gain control of the Bloodstone, the powerful artifact that Ulysses used to help kill the monsters he fought.
Organized by his widow Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris), the monster hunters congregated at Bloodstone’s home for the opportunity to gain control of the Bloodstone. Ulysses’s daughter Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), who had been estranged from her father for years, was among them, intending on claiming the Bloodstone as her birth right.
Another one of the hunters arriving was Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal), who arrived with a dark secret that he kept hidden from the other hunters.
Verussa announced that there was a monster on the premises, and the first monster hunter to find and kill the monster would earn the right to carry the Bloodstone.
Laura Donnelly and Gael Garcia Bernal were spectacular in this show. They brought so much humanity to these characters. Both of these actors do wonderful work and fit these Marvel characters brilliantly.
As we saw in the trailers, we get our MCU debut of Man-Thing in Werewolf by Night. Man-Thing, which is named Ted, is performed by Carey Jones. The design on the character of Ted is awesome. There are specific details to Man-Thing that make this monster extra special. I do not want to go into any more specific about this character outside of the fact that Man-Thing is one of the most outstanding aspects of this special.
Of course, Giacchino not only directed the movie, but he also scored it and the music of Werewolf by Night was so great. It started off right at the beginning with the Marvel banner, the score of which Giacchino originally made and has been playing over the banner since Dr. Strange.
Werewolf by Night is one of the most original and creative entries into the MCU in years. It was unlike most anything that Marvel has ever done. It was tremendously violent and gory, with the black and white helping cover up the blood, of which there was plenty. The horror parts of the show really worked well and the film truly felt like one of those old Universal Monster movies. Giacchino knocked this out of the park and I hope he gets a chance to direct again. Werewolf by Night felt like a stand alone film that truly did not have much of a connection to the MCU, but yet opened another realm of possibilities for the franchise.
Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock walked into the courtroom to defend Luke Jacobson against Jen Walters and her client, Leap Frog who was suing him because Leap Frog claimed his suit, that Luke made for him, was defective. Matt Murdock was awesome in the courtroom as he quickly got the case dismissed.
Big News too in the court: The Sokovia Accords were appealed. It was a line dropped by Matt Murdock, but it carried a ton of weight for the future of the MCU.
Matt and Jen then met up in a bar and they sparkled with chemistry. In just a few minutes, these two were just perfect for each other.
Daredevil and She-Hulk wound up in the typical super hero fight and She-Hulk was pretty impressive, though also very destructive.
Seeing Daredevil back fighting henchmen in a hallway was so awesome. The show used the Netflix Daredevil music in this scene and watching Daredevil dominating once again was such a great feeling.
Daredevil and She-Hulk team up to rescue Jacobson from Leap Frog’s secret headquarters, the Lilly Pad. Then, they hung out on the roof of the Lilly Pad and flirted like crazy.
And then they hooked up.
Unbelievable. Daredevil did the “walk of shame” afterwards.
The first part of this episode was so amazing that when the tone shifted, it became very unsettling. Jen, back in her apartment, started breaking the 4th wall and wondering why the episode wasn’t over yet. They also made a fun reference to the Red Hulk and to being “fridged.” It was unsettling how she reacted and then they went off to the gala for female lawyer of the year.
The Intelligencia came out fully as they played a video showing Jen and Josh having sex. Jen reacted in a violent manner and nearly lost control of her hulk.
This was such a great episode this week and I am excited to see the finale.
This week was another fun episode of She-Hulk. Jen headed out to check with Emil Blonsky, whose inhibitor seemed to be malfunctioning. She winds up being stranded at Blonsky’s retreat, Summer Twilight where she worked through a therapy session with Blonsky and some D-list villains.
I loved seeing this group of characters. Man-Bull, El Aguila, Porcupine, The Wrecker and Saracen, all real villains from the Marvel Comics. I loved how they worked Jen through her issues about Josh, the guy she met at her friend’s wedding and who has ghosted her after they slept together. As El Aguila said, “Josh has made an enemy of everyone in this group!”
By the way, in the comics El Aguila is a mutant. Just sayin’
Of course, we learn that Josh was a dirtbag from the start as the last scene showed us that he did take Jen’s blood and copied her phone while she slept. Josh has become the most hated character on the show because of what a slimeball he was manipulating Jen for Hulk King. It is ironic that the villains were the men Jen could count on, but all the other men in her life are bad.
When Josh did not respond to Jen’s text, she proved that the Muppets were canon in the MCU as she was watching The Great Muppet Caper.
A self=contained wedding episode just as everyone was jonesing for Daredevil? Excellent.
We spend some more time with Jen Walters at a wedding where she is being treated like crap by this old friend who asked her to be a bridesmaid. This old friend would be a former friend if they tried to treat me the way they treated Jen.
Still, that was the minor issue as the major one was that Titania had manipulated her way into an invite and showed up with the intention of making trouble for Jen. Titania’s jealousy over She-Hulk was on full display when she confronted a very drunk Jen and wanted her to hulk-up so they could fight.
Did not turn out very well for Titania… once again.
We also discovered that Marvel’s super villain group known as The Intelligencia is in the MCU. It was first introduced with a hate web site that posted plenty of angry posts about She-Hulk and other topics. However, it looked as if the Intelligencia was behind the attempt of the Wrecking Crew to get some of Jen’s blood. With another new needle, it looks like that effort is going to turn up the volume.
Who is behind the Intelligencia? There are several options but, in my mind, the choice is simple. It is a character who has been confirmed to return in Captain America: New World Order. He is a character who was obsessed with the Hulk’s blood back in The incredible Hulk. I believe it is Samuel Sterns, the Leader, as played by Tim Blake Nelson. I could be wrong about that and it would turn out to be Todd, the slimy guy She-Hulk went on a date with (I do believe he is involved as well), but The Leader makes a lot of sense and was involved in the Intelligencia in the comics.
Another character making a debut this week was Mr. immortal. Mr. Immortal was a member of the Great Lakes Avengers in the Marvel comics and this week, he arrived at GLK & H with a legal problem. Apparently, Mr. Immortal had been married a few times over the years (9 or more) and, he was so afraid of confrontation, when he decided that it was time to tend the marriage, he would “kill” himself, which would not stick since he was immortal.
This B plot was extremely funny and was a great highlight for Nikki. I love the Great Lakes Avengers and Mr. Immortal is a perfect fit for this series.
I have really enjoyed the fact that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been a series that has a bunch of mostly self-contained episodes and does not feel the need to be one overarching story. Even though we are getting the Intelligencia, this feels like a sitcom in structure. That is great.
And we know that we are getting Daredevil, Frog Man, a returning Abomination for sure and who knows what else they have in mind.
“Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans”
She-Hulk episode five built off the ending of the fourth episode as Jen Walters has to deal with Titania, who has trademarked the name She-Hulk and has placed it on squarely on a series of beauty products. In order to do this, Jen gets her co-worker, Mallory Book (Renee Elise Goldsberry), to take the case.
The story continued to focus on the dichotomy between She-Hulk and Jen Walters as they brought back the four dates from last week that wanted to date She-Hulk and put them on the stand to testify that they wanted to go out with She-Hulk, but not Jen Walters. This was a rough moment for Jen to hear.
There was also a side story featuring Nikki and Pug out to try and find a designer who could create clothing to fit She-Hulk. They had to take several steps along the way, including purchasing some off brand Avongers merchandise.
Nikki and Pug were fabulous together and I really hope that we get more with them as the season progresses. They were able to find someone who could create a wardrobe of clothes. They found Luke Jacobson, the MCU’s version of Edna Mode (from the Incredibles) and challenged him to design clothes for She-Hulk that would adjust to which body, either She-Hulk or Jen Walters, was in use. Jacobson took the challenge and apparently came through. However, there was another reason for bringing Jacobson into the MCU, which was the final tag of the show.
Does this mean that next week’s episode will feature the MCU debut of Daredevil? I think so…
Another cool bit on the show was during the closing credits where we see a drawing of Pug and his Iron Man 3s shoes, that he bought with the help of Nikki. Behind him is a bunch of shoes that are designed after other Marvel characters such as Captain America, Thor, Falcon, Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, Green Goblin, Deadpool, Frog Man, Cyclops, Black Panther, among many others. It was an awesome Easter egg that the art department gave us all.
The courtroom style drawings in the credits have been so cool all season long and this one is a highlight of the art.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 