Why You Can Trust CNET 'She-Hulk' Episode 5 Recap: Jen Suits Up
Jameela Jamil is one of the guest stars bringing life to this week's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, streaming now on Disney Plus. (Spoilers!)
Jameela Jamil as Titania gets her day in court in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.
Titania returns and Jen seeks a new look in episode 5 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, streaming on Disney Plus now.
Here are our recaps of She-Hulk episode 1, episode 2, episode 3 and episode 4, and this is our dive into the fifth installment, titled "Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans". The next big cameo is teased, plus a few Easter eggs. Lots of spoilers to follow!
Episode 6 drops on Sept. 22, with more arriving every Thursday (here's the full schedule of episode release dates for She-Hulk).
Like it or not, I am forever She-Hulk
Alter egos have always been a part of the superhero myth since Kal-El of Krypton first put on a pair of spectacles and asked people to call him Clark. Marvel comics have often grappled with how dual identities pull you in different directions, notably in characters like Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, subverted the whole secret identity thing from that founding moment when Tony Stark unexpectedly declared, "The truth is... I am Iron Man" -- a line supposedly improvised by Robert Downey Jr. while filming.
Characters like Thor and Doctor Strange (as pointed out in this episode) use their real names, and Avengers like Steve Rogers are well-known celebrities under their real identities. But dual identities became more of a thing in recent MCU stories, particularly with Spider-Man joining the MCU. The recent movie No Way Home even hinged on Peter Parker's attempts to deal with his superhero life spilling into his home relationships. And identity was front and center in the previous TV series, Ms. Marvel, which (like the comic) used the superhero narrative to explore how a person struggles to reconcile multiple different identities and backgrounds, each with their own rules and priorities.
She-Hulk presents this dual identity not as a secret, but a very public conflict. "She-Hulk is just a thing that happened to me," Jen insists. "It's not who I am… I'm still Jen Walters." As the media and public mislabel her and build their own version of who they think she is, Jen learns what it's like to be a woman in the public eye. Famous women from Marilyn Monroe to Pamela Anderson to Sydney Sweeney have all found themselves unable to escape from a thing that happened to them, even if it's not who they are.
Perhaps most intriguingly, the series doesn't shy away from the seductiveness of this public persona. Despite her ambivalence about the moniker bestowed upon her, Jen enjoys certain aspects of being She-Hulk. That doesn't mean she deserves a chorus of disapproval from every man with an Internet connection.
Literal snake oil
Finally, the secondary characters show some personality as Pug and Nikki join forces on a fashion quest. The fabulously dressed Nikki, played by Ginger Gonzaga, is one of the highlights of the show, but this week she's matched by the sharp-tongued Mallory Book (whose quip about Jen looking like "a football player pleading no contest to a DUI" is possibly the show's best joke so far). Up until this week, Mallory has literally only walked in a door and then straight out again, so her antipathy towards Jen kinda comes out of nowhere. Jen's fourth-wall-breaking celebration when Mallory agrees to a drink suggests that she desperately wants to be friends, but this has literally never been mentioned before.
The episode perks up with the arrival of more new characters. First of all there's Luke, the fashion-forward super-couturier. It's like Project Runway for superheroes up in here. Played by Griffin Matthews, the character of Luke Jacobson originally appeared as a blond-haired fashion designer who hired private investigator Dakota in a couple of 1980s comics.
And who should finally show up properly but Titania, played by Jameela Jamil. After busting through a courtroom wall and prompting Jen to Hulk out publicly for the first time, this superpowered influencer challenges Jen in court over the She-Hulk trademark. Her line of beauty and wellness products (not FDA-approved), her narcissistic social media preening and ruthless business savvy suggest a combination of Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow. Jen seems bemused by Titania's disdain for her, which seems like an example of women in the public eye being pitted against each other.
Episode 5 post-credits scene
No post-credits scene this week. But the final scene offers a big tease of what's coming up: a yellow horned helmet. Yes, Daredevil is coming, everyone! And Matt Murdock clearly has a new tailor -- in the Netflix series, he got his red body armor suit from an inventor named Melvin Potter.
She-Hulk random thoughts and Marvel Easter eggs
- Sneakerheads, heads-up for the Iron Man Three shoe.
- The final song is the appropriately named Say My Name by Tove Stryke.
- Alonzo the drip broker could be named after former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, or Marvel executive producer and visual effects boss Victoria Alonso. Or he could just be a dude named Alonzo.
- Why does the show set up Todd the creep as a client of GLK&H? There's already a reason to bring him back as part of the parade of underwhelming dates. Presumably this will pay off in future episodes.
- Law360's Pro Say, which Jen listens to in her car, is a real podcast (the name is a pun on the legal term "pro se," which means representing yourself in court).
- Are you Team Avongers or Avingers?
