She-Hulk – A Normal Amount Of Rage Episode 1 lays the backstory to Jennifer Walters’ Hulk transformation. If you’re a Marvel fan, this one’s for you. The series is just 3 episodes in (this is a first episode review), and like the recent Ms. Marvel, hits younger audiences with a bang.
It seems that the people at Marvel have done their research and see a younger age group taking on Marvel viewership. On the flip side however, this is a tad disappointing for older Marvel fans, and also might come at the cost of losing some fan base.
The jokes might not be very sharp, the storyline relatively simple and the action, emitting giggles from, you guessed it, the youngest in the household. But despite the shift in depiction, She-Hulk, staying true to the name has introduced a female hulk without losing the edge over the narrative.
Tatiana Maslany has slipped into the role like a glove. The changeover to Hulk did not seem forced, pushing the woman story to appease the masses kind of twist. Also, Jennifer championed the gender cause in genuine, matter-of-fact dialogues that again, didn’t seem like there was an agenda at large (even if there was), so well done there.
The Monologue Every Woman Can Relate To
The script, though comic, carries a monologue from Jennifer which is just so utterly woman relatable: “Well, here’s the thing, Bruce, I’m great at controlling my anger, I do it all the time,” Jen says. “When I’m catcalled in the street, when incompetent men explain my own area of expertise to me. I do it pretty much every day, because if I don’t, I’ll get called ’emotional’ or ‘difficult’, or might just literally get murdered. So I’m an expert at controlling my anger because I do it infinitely more than you!”
The woman-relatable phrases, and there’s more where that came from, roll off effortlessly & establish the dynamics of a female hulk in all its strengths & diversity from the male version. This stance will hopefully define its winning moments, and we look forward to more. It was great to see Mark Ruffalo aka Bruce Banner aka The Hulk & his relationship dynamics with She-Hulk. He certainly added to the comic element there. Kinda Shrek-like, or shades thereof! Not sure if we see too much more of him, as the credits did mention a guest appearance there. Mention of Tony (Iron Man) & Steve (Captain America) connected to earlier series, though not much was revealed. While the series, in the first episode, might come off as a bit lukewarm, it had enough to keep young Marvel fans engaged.
“Well, here’s the thing, Bruce, I’m great at controlling my anger, I do it all the time,” Jen says. “When I’m catcalled in the street, when incompetent men explain my own area of expertise to me. I do it pretty much every day, because if I don’t, I’ll get called ’emotional’ or ‘difficult’, or might just literally get murdered. So I’m an expert at controlling my anger because I do it infinitely more than you!”
How Much Would We Rate She-Hulk?
So if you’re watching this over the weekend, you could go for a family watch! Some viewer reviews on episodes 2 and 3 give you more bite into the narrative. While Rotten Tomatoes is going at 88%, Imdb rates lower at 5.1/10. We think it really depends on the fan base and who’s reviewing. Marvel audiences are now so diverse that it is hard to pick a side.
Our review rates it a 6/10 and is definitely worth a watch with the family.