“She-Hulk” Episode 6 R&R: Nice Day for a Green Wedding
“Go ahead and tell me hot pink taffeta doesn’t go with my color style. I dare you.”
by Rob LoAlbo
All photos courtesy Marvel Studios and Disney Plus
Weddings suck. Seriously. As if Jen’s life wasn’t complicated enough: just when she thought she’d be hanging out with some old friends, along comes her vapid former bestie, asking her to her wedding at the most inconvenient of times. And for us? We thought we were getting Matt Murdock in a killer matchup but instead we got a midseason wedding episode. Are these hors d'oeuvre as tasteless as the humor? Or did this show go down just right like a cocktail hour martini? An exploding confetti-glitter invitation will tell.
Like the STD of the artworld, glitter gets everywhere and in all the wrong places, but these spoilers are in all the right ones. I promise.
This week’s case: Destination Wedding v. Walters
“I totally want to kill the sexiest person alive, but like, suicide is a crime.”
FACTS OF THE CASE
Nikki, Pug, Madisynn. Where other shows would have made the supporting character comedy actors two-dimensional throwaways, this show is killing it with the hilarious side characters who make every second of their brief moments count. They’re the ones doing all the heavy lifting, and they don’t need to be a hulk to do it, either. And our latest heavy bencher? High school gal pal Lulu, that friend of yours who never let you have any of the attention. And what’s worse than a wedding? A Lulu wedding.
Jen’s got Luke outfitting her from here on out apparently, so he’s knitted Jen a killer-bod silky number for Shulky that she’s just aching to strut in, but like rain on your wedding day, Lulu wants Just Jen because that greenness seriously cuts into bridezilla’s spotlight. As Jen, silky turns swimmy, hangovers are a thing, and the luscious hair and muscles are not the dating selling point for this forced nuptial, bottoming out Jen’s self-esteem.
“Alright, who sent me a message that says: ‘If laughter is the best medicine, your face must be curing the world’?”
And while one storyline blends two lives, another is separating eight weddings from a funeral. Back at the office, Mallory is taking Jen’s caseload with Nikki as side piece. Their job? Put an end to Mr. Immortal, which is harder than it seems. (It’s in the name.) He’s the marrying man whose all runaway bride when there’s no love, actually. When he gets tired of the situation, he “kills” himself, heals, and walks rather than break up. When the exes catch on to his scam, they want the payback they’re owed, if he can stick around for the alimony. Thankfully. Nikki is there to wheel and deal and make him pay!
Back at tacky wedding central, Jen meets cute with Josh and starts up with the eyes only to have Titania come and crash. She’s out to ruin Jen’s life any way she can, even if that means punishing herself with (as I mentioned previously, the worst possible thing…) GOING TO A WEDDING. (Is there no depth that she will sink to?!?) How does our girl deal? $12 extra pours at the cash bar! She’s gulping liquor like it’s going out of style and bringing it back up even faster. So what better time for a Titania sucker punch?
“Jen? Stupidity is not a crime, so you are free to go.”
In a brawl that is way too much fun and ends much too quickly (highlight: Ched yelling “Wedding fight!” while blasting air horns and playing “The Electric Slide.” Okay, he’s growing on me a little.), Titania gets her ass and teeth handed to her this round, but I’m guessing she’ll be back. And who else is returning? The Wrecking Crew, as they seem to have some master plan up their Day-Glo sleeves. What it entails may come next week, but who knows with this show. Every time I call something, it gets pushed back, which is half the fun here.
EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONIES
The show’s meta-verse fourth wall breaks and knowing nods to itself continuously prove to be its greatest strength, as Jen admits to us just how awful and inconvenient weddings are. (Right? I’ve been to five in the past year alone, and I can confirm that no one wants to “Macarena,” even if Paul thinks it “infuses cultural traditions into the festivities.”) And showing off to friends who haven’t seen you in years, trying to prove that you’re a success only for them to hone in on that one sore spot in your life? Classic. Enemies stab you in the back, but friends stab you in the hulked out front. Yes, it’s all through a Marvel lens, but the struggle is real and relatable.
“Never mind my butt: does this dress make my hands look big?”
Also, too real? Intelligencia. Scrolling through the horror show of internet trolls on the show is like reading the user reviews for this show on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. The hate is real, but most likely because many Marvel fan baby boys can’t handle some feminine issues and are about as brave as Mr. Immortal when it comes to dealing with them. Just because a show isn’t made for YOU doesn’t make it bad. As a man, I can’t relate to Jen’s struggles, but I recognize the show as quality. A little Marvel maturity can go a long way, fellas.
VERDICT
What makes the show strong is its tonal consistency, something that severely lacked with Ms. Marvel. Had they just stuck with teen identity culture vibe, it would have succeeded, but they lost the fun halfway through the season. This show is as loopy and clever as it first pitched itself, minus a little of episode 1.
“If goofy charm is contagious, consider me Typhoid Mary!”
With most of Jen being Just Jen this episode, Maslany gets all of the jokes and pratfalls, with She-Hulk CGI regulated to a well-choreographed fight. Also killing it? Patti Harrison as Lulu. First go around, I found her grating, but a second look helped me see just how mannered and insane her portrayal is. No one sells comedic crazy like Harrison. Listening to what she says coupled with her dopey line-delivery is manna from heaven.
WIN, LOSS, or SETTLEMENT
It’s a class action settlement in favor of Jen: not a lot of money coming our way, but we’ll take the $15 coupon on our next purchase. I’m still not sold on Jamil’s Titania, as she still hasn’t gotten a chance to go full funny, but there is strength to the episode. Most likely parodying the filler episodes we too often get in other sitcoms, it gets the job done even if it seems too out of continuity. It’s more character centered than usual, but at least our character is so darn loveable, vulnerable, and more importantly, funny.
Line of the Week: From drunk Jen: “Just this one time I turn She-Hulk…Oh no, I forgot how to do it.”
Star City Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Next Week: Hell’s Kitchen is coming to LA. Probably.