Jennifer Walters gets it right when she says Wong’s exciting return in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law episode 4 “gives everyone Twitter armor for the week.” Our favorite Sorcerer Supreme returns for the show’s most witty episode yet, and I’m excited to learn more about what Wong does on a daily basis. It’s mostly just lying on the couch and watching TV. “Is This Not Real Magic?” prioritizes the show’s silliness as a legal comedy over its superhero side. It’s a brief respite until next week’s episode, which will presumably include more of Jameela Jamil’s antagonistic Titania.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Season 1, Episode 4 Recap
With Jennifer breaking the fourth wall and a ton of meta moments, She-Hulk has a tendency to be ridiculous. Actually, the show itself is a break from the recent variety of Marvel projects. They’re all eagerly advancing to Phase Five with plenty of action, from Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Thor: Love and Thunder to the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Secret Invasion. She-Hulk still has five episodes (and an appearance on Daredevil) left in its first season, so it still has time to embrace its classic Marvel-ness and deliver a major climactic showdown.
Until then, it’s amusing enough to see Jennifer Walters figure out how to balance being a normie and a She-Hulk with such negligible risks. Although the show frequently likes to remind us that Tatiana Maslany’s time to shine despite all the cameos is finally here, “Is This Not Real Magic?” brings out an amusing side of Benedict Wong’s Sorcerer Supreme.
The ridiculous central case in this half-hour involves Wong attempting to shut down “cut-ratet magician” Donny Blaze, a name that sounds suspiciously similar to Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. the comics’ second Ghost Rider. Is this a hidden Easter egg? Or is it just a joke, like the previous blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sidebar mentions of Wolverine and the Eternals when Jennifer and Nikki are looking for jobs?
Anyway, Donny is a former Kamar-Taj student who only lasted a week before his frat bro personality compelled him to summon beer kegs and friends with the mystical rings. He now entertains uninterested audiences at LA’s fictitious Mystic Castle, temporarily transporting them to other dimensions using his newly acquired abilities. Wong hires Jennifer to stop Donny and make an example of him after he portals an unassuming partying woman to Kamar-Taj, interrupting Wong’s The Sopranos binge.
Madisynn, an instantly recognizable Marvel Cinematic Universe character, is introduced by She-Hulk at this point. She speaks in specific millennial jargon, is constantly tipsy, and, as a result, is oblivious to the supernatural dangers she finds herself in. Patty Guggenheim, fortunately for us all, is goddamn hilarious. She transforms Madisynn from a grating side character into a pivotal character in the episode. SheHulk’s comedic bits are primarily successful because of the dynamic between Madisynn and Wong.
I’d give “Is This Not Magic?” an A+ based solely on the appearance of legend and queen Madisynn. Unfortunately, the episode makes me care more about her than Nikki, who is a series regular. Don’t get me wrong: Ginger Gonzaga is fantastic. But until her personality develops and we learn more about Jennifer and Nikki’s bond, She-Hulk comes across as an undercooked series with a Token Woman of Color Best Friend trope.
Nikki’s advice to Jen about creating a Matcher profile as She-Hulk pays off in part. She meets a seemingly perfect gentleman who inquires about Jen’s day. When her date sees Jen in human form, the dream comes crashing down in the morning. Even if you’re a superhero, trying to find love in your 30s is a recipe for disaster.
The show plans its next episode because the #FreeTitania movement was successful, and the superpowered influencer is no longer imprisoned. Titania has trademarked the name She-Hulk and is suing Jennifer for using it, making her one of the most cunning villains in the MCU for knowing how to make easy money. Let’s see how the second half of She-Hulk sets up Titania’s endgame, which should include more Renée Elise Goldsberry.
