She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×08 Review: “Ribbit and Rip It”

Daredevil, as well as alter-ego Matt Murdock, makes his highly anticipated appearance, and sparks immediately fly with She-Hulk in “Ribbit and Rip It.”

After a successful detour in “The Retreat,” Jennifer (Tatiana Maslany) returns to the courtroom in “Ribbit and Rip It.” The episode has her taking on the son of the firm’s rich client, Eugene (Brandon Stanley), who masquerades as Leapfrog. Eugene wants to sue designer Luke (Griffin Matthews) for a faulty suit that explodes during combat.

Though Jennifer points out her conflict of interest due to also being Luke’s client, Holden (Steve Coulter) tells her she must take the case. Holden’s insistence that Jennifer represent Blonsky earlier in the season already felt inappropriate, but his continued insistence that Jennifer take clients that are conflicts of interest seems problematic.

Jennifer goes to court and faces off against Luke’s attorney, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). Many fans have been eagerly awaiting the teased appearance of Matt and his alter ego Daredevil, and his appearance is worth the wait. Though I initially thought that his appearance would be a brief cameo, I was pleasantly surprised that he played a larger role throughout the episode.

Matt easily wins the case, proving that the costume’s defect was based on Eugene using the wrong type of fuel. Though the case is merely a vehicle to get Matt involved, it’s surprising that a lawyer as capable as Jennifer would overlook such an obvious detail in preparation for the case.

At the case’s conclusion, Jennifer and Matt find themselves at the same bar. The chemistry between them is great and Matt’s attempt to convince Jennifer that she can do a lot of good as She-Hulk outside of the courtroom is an awesome moment. Though they part ways soon after, they soon cross paths again as their alter egos.

She-Hulk rushes to Eugene’s aid when he is being pursued by Daredevil. The sequence reveals both She-Hulk and Daredevil’s new costumes. Jennifer’s outfit looks awesome, while Matt’s outfit doesn’t look as good as his previous Netflix-era costumes. The two fight each other, and Jennifer soon unmasks him.

Matt tells her that Eugene has kidnapped Luke and the two team up to rescue him. The series provides another Daredevil hallway fight sequence and other references for fans of the Netflix series and Jennifer gets her own moments to shine in the fight. The great chemistry between the two continues as they banter over legal advice during combat, and Matt humorously covers up his secret identity to Eugene by saying that he is just a legal drama fan.

The triumphant duo sits on the rooftop after saving Luke and they ultimately end up back at Jennifer’s place. Whether their relationship moves beyond a one-night stand or not, the two work well together and it’s nice to see Jennifer meet a genuinely good guy after all her struggles. The sequence ends the morning after as Daredevil hilariously does the walk of shame in costume from Jennifer’s house. Though there has been some criticism of Daredevil’s more lighthearted portrayal in this episode, I thought that the series did a good job adapting the character to fit the series’ overall tone.

Though “Ribbit and Rip It” should end with this satisfying ending, as Jennifer remarks to the audience, the episode is not over. Of the fourth wall breaks in the episode, this one is the most effective. As Jennifer speculates about the series’ finale to the audience, Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) arrives to prepare her for a gala where she is nominated for female lawyer of the year.

At the gala, Jennifer (and every other female lawyer in attendance) accepts their awards in front of friends, family, and colleagues. Unfortunately, Intelligencia, the organization headed by the series’ mysterious main villain, decides to ruin Jennifer’s big moment. Though Josh was already reprehensible for violating Jennifer’s trust, his filming of them having sex makes the situation even worse.

Furious, Jennifer smashes the screen playing the non consensual sex tape to the crowd. She attempts to go after a group that is filming the moment but backs off as she sees that everyone now views her as a monster after the incident and that she has multiple weapons pointed at her. Though the crowd demonizing Jennifer for her reaction more than the actual violation of her trust is infuriating, it unfortunately feels realistic. With one episode left in the season after “Ribbit and Rip It”, hopefully Jennifer gets her revenge and triumphs over these misogynistic villains.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law airs Thursdays on Disney+. Don’t forget to check out our weekly reviews after watching!

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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