“Just Jen”

I remarked recently that She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, seemed to get better the less it had to do with the rest of the MCU. This sixth episode, “Just Jen”, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is definitely the case. There are no cameos from previously established Marvel characters, just a clever and funny premise: Jen (Tatiana Maslany) is invited to a friend’s wedding, and promises her she will not turn into She-Hulk while she is there.

Weddings are perfect fodder for comedy. They provide a means for a large array of friends and family to congregate together, and for conflicts to quickly rise between them. They are also stressful situations, prone to being taken with an overt seriousness that everything must be perfectly done. Basically it is the perfect setting for an uninvited superhero fight, as She-Hulk’s self-appointed nemesis Titania (Jameela Jamil) turns up to mercilessly make Jen’s life difficult.

The episode allows Maslany to really extend her comedic muscles, and shows off the She-Hulk set-up in the most enjoyable way since the series began. It also allows Jamil – already a popular comedy actor – to really emphasise her talents in the best circumstances so far. More episodes like this will pretty much cement She-Hulk as one of Marvel’s best series efforts so far.

It is not all self-contained comedy hijinks, either. Following her romantic failures in episode 4, Jen actually meets a nice man for a change. Back at the law firm, Mallory (Renee Elise Goldberry) and Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) work their way through a lawsuit involving the so-called Mr Immortal, who keeps escaping marriages by dying and popping back to life. It’s cute stuff, and critically both doesn’t outstay its welcome and adds to the overall marriage vibe of the episode. A short revelation that a group on the Internet are conspiring against She-Hulk almost seems like throwaway fluff – but I bet it’s setting up something further down the line.

“Just Jen” rewards the audience’s patience with the funniest and most entertaining episode of She-Hulk to date. With Maslany confirmed in the cast of a fourth Captain America movie, it seems very likely we will be getting a second season of her adventures as well.