Hulk-smash or pass? What works and doesn't in Marvel's She-Hulk

With a gamma-powered leap and a wink, She-Hulk, the latest superhero with a series, has landed.The new show streaming on Disney+ starsCanadianTatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, cousin to Bruce Banner (a.k.a. the Hulk), who, after an accident, finds herself with abilities similar to the green Avenger.

When the trailer first dropped many fans focusedon the special effects and computer animation of the much-loved Marvel character. Having seen the first four episodes,here's what does and doesn't work inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

Smash!Maslanyand the rest of the cast

Maslany earned a legion of fans for her portrayal of multiple, cloned characters on Orphan Black. And while that show demonstrated her versatility, She-Hulk letsMaslanyflex her comedic muscles, perfectly channellingthe attitude of a legal eagle exhausted by her mansplaining colleagues.This She-Hulk isn't just a female version of Hulk, but someone who is physically (and perhaps mentally) better at blending her Hulk and human sides.

While her cousin Mark Ruffalo, playinga more erudite "SmartHulk" cautions her against returning to her career too soon,Jennifer is eager to return to law.She wants to succeed in life on her own, everyday merits, but quickly learns it's her green-skinned alter-ego who gets the matches on dating apps.

Head writer andseries creator Jessica Gao, whoworked on Rick and Morty and Robot Chicken,rounds out the series with a nice stable of characters. Ruffalo is there as theObi-Wan of hersuperhero journey.Ginger Gonzaga adds some nice zing as Nikki, Jennifer'sparalegal pal, andBenedict Wongreturns asWong, continuinghis streak as the cameo king of Marvel universe.

And thoughhaving Jennifer workfor a law firm that specializes in metahumans opens the show to a multiverse of possibilities, give me fewer annoying lawyer bros and more Awesome Andy the Android.

Pass. The CGI

When Jennifer transformsinto She-Hulk it's not quite sensationalbut also notShrek-level bad.In the first episode alone there seemsto be a distracting mixture of hues for the jade giantess.Deciding to go fully digital for a character is always a risk, but someone as expressive as She-Hulk brings an added level of difficulty.

The first episodefeatures an impressive level of action with a Hulk vs. She-Hulk wrestling match, but there are times when the technology fails to capture thesubtleties of Maslany's performance. There aremoments it appearsShe-Hulk is in danger ofsliding into the uncanny valley, but Maslany's charisma sells the character in spite of the superficial faults.

Pass. Breaking the 4th wall

There are moments in the series when She-Hulk directly addresses the camera, similar to Ryan Reynolds' schtick asDeadpool. Gaoreferenced the show Fleabag as a source ofinspiration.Created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag used the technique to invite viewers into the head space of her character Lulu.

She-Hulk doesn't speak to the audience quite as often and it's usually in to poke fun at audience expectations, or the Marvel universe in general.

There is a comic book precedent for this. Writer and artist John Byrne's1989 Sensational She-Hulk series introduced a She-Hulk who smashed the fourth wall with abandon.Issue after issue she'd rant about the choice villain, complain about wardrobe andeven stepped around the comicbook panels to save time.While Bryne's book featuredmore than its share ofsexist cheesecake, it also helped establish She-Hulk's voice.As for the TV version, Maslany certainly has fun with the technique, but could use better material than the mostly meta Marvel moments.

Smash! Lawyer show!

"Lawyer show!"is one of Maslany'squips to the camera as she introduces us to her world. At it's best She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a gamma-radiated fusion of Boston Legal and L.A. Law. Building on the success of Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and Hawkeye, ithas a tone all its own.With more Marvel shows than there are versions of Iron Man's armour, there's certainly enough material for a street-level show about superheroic hiccups and lawsuits.

But if She-Hulk sufferers from anything it's the usual Marvel maladyof being unable to fully commit. Onone level it wants to be anAlly McBeal zany procedural with Walters trying to balance her love life andlegal career.But Marvel being what it is,instead of cross-examining witnesses, we get the requisite C-level supervillain battles.Here's hopethat, going forward, the office politics and legal casework doesn't take too much of abackseat tosmashing bad guys.