TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1.08 ‘Ribbit and Rip It’

The long-awaited arrival of a beloved Marvel superhero is finally here.

Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) officially returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the eighth episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Marvel wasted no time inserting Murdock into the world of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany).

There’s a lot to unpack from the penultimate episode of the season including what it means for Daredevil’s status quo moving forward. 

Warning: This review may contain light spoilers. Be sure to check out our past reviews of the first two episodes as well as the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh installments.

Synopsis

Walters finds herself representing Leapfrog/Eugene Patilio (Brandon Stanley) in a case against Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews). Patilio alleges Jacobson provided him with a shoddy costume that caught fire during a recent outing.

Walters and Jacobson have a falling out before appearing in court. Jacobson reveals his attorney is none other than Murdock, who makes quick work of Walters and Patilio in court.

After the case, Walters and Murdock meet up in a bar and start flirting before both head their separate ways for work.

Walters receives a call from Patilio asking for help from She-Hulk as he finds himself fleeing from an unknown assailant. As Walters arrives to help, she encounters a yellow-clad Daredevil and proceeds to fight him.

After some fighting and Walters unmasking Murdock, the two discuss the situation and Walters realizes Patilio kidnapped Jacobson.

Daredevil and She-Hulk team up and rescue Jacobson, who promptly forgives Walters for taking him to court. Murdock and Walters meet up afterward before both go back to Walters place and hook up.

Walters goes to the gala the next day and wins the female attorney of the year award, alongside many other recipients including Mallory Book (Renée Elise Goldsberry). 

While Walters is making her acceptance speech, the underlining villain makes a move aimed at crippling Walters. The episode ends with Walters in a new situation she’s yet to face.

Breakdown

The last few paragraphs were purposefully vague because this episode ends on a great twist that sets up what seems to be an eventful finale.

This episode flowed like your standard superhero movie. That’s not a bad thing, but for me, it was a bit of a letdown as I’ve enjoyed the mostly detached sitcom feel. The jump from goofy sitcom to quippy superhero show was a bit jarring for me.

That said, what we got was still a riveting episode done very well, advancing the plot nicely.

The biggest talking point in this episode will be Daredevil/Murdock’s return. I’ve been stoked for this return ever since it was teased long ago as Daredevil is my favorite hero in both cinema and comic books. 

First, this is not the Netflix Daredevil. The actor is the same and the portrayal of Matt Murdock is largely the same but Daredevil is vastly different from his dark and brooding Netflix appearance.

This version of Daredevil is quippy and goofy at times, but retains his fierce combat skills. Fans may be upset this isn’t closer to the Netflix version, but that seems to be the point.

This Daredevil, suit and all, mirrors his comic book self from the early days when Stan Lee was writing him in the 1960s. Also, this show is a sitcom so naturally, there’s going to be some silliness.

Understandably, this will split the fandom as Cox did a fantastic job at portraying Daredevil’s dark side. I prefer the darker version, but this one was still entertaining. 

An unanswered question is if the Netflix show is part of the MCU or another branch of the multiverse. This episode provided no answers. It never contradicted the Netflix show but it never confirmed it either. 

One last Daredevil thought, Murdock’s performance had two significant callbacks to the Netflix appearance, which were a lot of fun to see and hear. All in all, it was great to see Charlie Cox back and I’m excited to see where we go from here in the larger universe.

Although the episode leaned more into the superhero tropes, it still retained some of its signature comedy. The stupidity of Leapfrog was hilarious and Jacobson as always.

Verdict (4 out of 5 stars)

Many are heralding this episode as the best of the series and it was a really good episode. I wouldn’t go so far to say it’s my favorite, but it continues a solid trend this show has carried throughout its run.

The ending was shot so well and it left me so excited for the finale. Daredevil’s introduction was fun and it set up a great future in the MCU.

The return to superhero tropes worked well in this case, but I still missed the traditional sitcom format. Still, the finale is next and the show needed a way to land a plane with lofty expectations.

This episode gave it the means to do so.

Featured Image: Marvel (via Pursue News)