She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×03 Review: “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”

Jennifer successfully wins her first case as She-Hulk, but a pair of cameos end up stealing the show in “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”(She-Hulk season 1 episode 3).

After Emil Blonsky’s (Tim Roth) prison escape in “Superhuman Law,” Jennifer (Tatiana Maslany) has her work cut out for her in “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”. Like the previous episode, this one remains a fun look at the legal side of superheroes. Though Jennifer wins her first case as She-Hulk, this episode will be better remembered for its pair of cameos that have gone viral.

Jennifer quickly realizes that Wong (Benedict Wong) was the one who forced Blonsky to escape prison and Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) attempts to reach out to him. Jennifer, aware that the audience wants to see Wong, addresses the show’s number of cameos though reminds them that she is the star of the show. While the breaking of the fourth wall has been an effective technique in the previous episodes, this was the best use of it to date. 

The show also once again uses meta brilliantly as Jennifer sees the public reaction to her emergence as She-Hulk. The awful tweets complaining about the addition of another female superhero are very pointed to the toxic part of the comic book fandom. The show addresses the misogyny without being too heavy-handed, even though it will still likely go over some people’s heads.

Wong appears in Jennifer’s office via portal and insists that he forced Blonsky to break out of prison. The incident connects to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and a reference to Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to connect the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though Wong says that the fight club prison break was a training exercise, there are a lot of questions as to why he chose to specifically break Abomination out of prison for this.

With the testimony of Blonsky and several prison inmates, Jennifer tries to argue that Blonsky is a changed man and should be granted parole. Though the council is skeptical, Wong eventually appears to testify on Blonsky’s behalf. Wong hilariously escapes through a portal when the council suggests charging him for the prison break. With the additional agreement that Blonsky will wear a power inhibitor, Jennifer wins the case for him.

Elsewhere, Jennifer’s current coworker Pug (Josh Segarra) represents her old coworker Dennis (Drew Matthews) against an Asgardian shapeshifter who convinced Dennis that she was rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The absurd storyline has the shapeshifter try to use Thor’s speech about Asgard in her defense and shapeshifts into the judge at one point. Jennifer helps Dennis win his case by testifying that Dennis is delusional enough to believe that Megan Thee Stallion would be interested in him as the real Megan Thee Stallion looks on.

Megan Thee Stallion’s fun cameo continues into the post-credit scene where Jennifer signs her as a client. The two celebrate by twerking around the office, much to the horror of Holliway (Steve Coulter). The moment is dumb, but it’s still a fun little moment for the post-credits sequence.

On a more serious note, the ending of “The People vs. Emil Blonsky” contains two important story threads going forward. Jennifer, at Nikki’s urging, attempts to take control of the She-Hulk narrative by giving her first TV interview. It’s an important step for her as she becomes more and more comfortable with being She-Hulk.

In addition, Jennifer is attacked by a group on her way home. She is easily able to take care of them in She-Hulk form, but it seems that their mysterious boss wants a blood sample from She-Hulk for sinister purposes. It will be interesting to see how these storylines progress and how Jennifer’s superhuman law practice changes after her first big win.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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