I haven't had enough chances to praise Tatiana Maslany here on the blog. I wrote about the series finale of her breakout show, Orphan Black (but not about other episodes along the way). I sampled season one of HBO's Perry Mason, in which she appeared -- but I found the show too dull and dour for even her appeal to keep me engaged (so I never wrote about that)
So let me shout now into the microphone: Tatiana Maslany is an amazing actress. She has an incredible range, encompassing drama and comedy. She seems to have no vanity, taking on anything with aplomb. She so likeable and effervescent. If I were a director, she'd be in every single one of my projects (probably in multiple roles).
With She-Hulk putting Tatiana Maslany front and center (unlike Perry Mason, where she was on the margins), I was probably destined to love the series no matter what. But I'd like to think I would have enjoyed what it turned out to be even on its own merits. She-Hulk was a fun concoction of lightness and irreverence. It met some expectations while thwarting others. It blessedly kept the stakes low, unlike most recent MCU fare -- but by tying those stakes directly to such a likeable character (again, see: Tatiana Maslany), events still felt important.
The show's supporting cast was great fun too. Jameela Jamil brought a fun variant of the "spoiled rich kid" persona she mastered on The Good Place to her role here as Titania. Josh Segerra turned down the "dumb" he displays on The Other Two, while retaining much of the goofiness, in his role here as "Pug." Nikki Ramos, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jon Bass -- all fun spices in the dish. And, of course, I can't overlook the arrival of the MCU's biggest breakout character in years: Madisynn, played indelibly by Patty Guggenheim. (They've gotta be slating in her own Phase 5 movie now, right?)
Even more fun were the many cameo appearances throughout She-Hulk, most simply too good to spoil. (Though many of which you would assume, given the story.) The fourth-wall breaking antics of She-Hulk allowed for lots of fun commentary on these cameos, and on the MCU at large, which I also really enjoyed.
I did love the show, though I can't quite put it in the top spot among MCU shows. (Hawkeye in particular is a tough act to follow.) The overall story of She-Hulk's season did come in fits and starts. And the ending wasn't exactly satisfying. (Not the fourth wall breaking elements of it, which were delightful. I mean the abruptness with which everything "just sort of ended" right after that.) Still, I respect the way the show often zigged where formula said to zag. And, at the risk of repeating myself, Tatiana Maslany made that unusual journey fun at every step of the way.
I give She-Hulk: Attorney at Law a B+. I'd love to see another season some day.
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