She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1×04 Review: “Is This Not Real Magic?”

Jennifer takes on Wong as her newest client in a magical dispute while attempting to enter the dating scene in ‘Is This Not Real Magic?’ (She-Hulk season 1 episode 4)

After winning her first case in ‘The People vs. Emil Blonsky,‘ Jennifer (Tatiana Maslany) gets a new client in ‘Is This Not Real Magic?’ Wong (Benedict Wong) is suing magician Donny (Rhys Coiro) for using sorcerer magic in his magic show act. In addition, Jennifer attempts to find a date and finds out the benefits and downsides of her She-Hulk identity.

Donny, kicked out of Kamar-Taj after one week, uses what he learned to perform magic shows for the public. Wong is alerted to Donny’s act when a drunk audience member named Madisynn (Patty Guggenheim) lands in his home via portal and spoils a TV episode for him. Madisynn is a funny character throughout the episode, and Wong and her play well off each other.

Wong is determined to sue Donny for his unauthorized magic use and enlists Jennifer’s help. He is unfamiliar with the American legal system, and Jennifer explains that the code of Kamar-Taj won’t be enough to win the case in court. During the trial, Jennifer has Wong portal Madisynn in to testify. Though it doesn’t seem like a judge would realistically let a clearly intoxicated individual testify, Madisynn’s testimony adds to a humorous courtroom scene.

The fourth episode’s other main plot involves Jennifer attempting to set up a dating profile. She gets little interest in her initial profile, other than one disaster date. Frustrated, she creates a new profile as She-Hulk and garners a ton of interest. Of the dates she goes on as She-Hulk, she finds one guy she connects with and brings him home. The subplot is an interesting complement to the legal storyline, and Jennifer’s struggles with finding a date add to her relatability.

Jennifer’s date is briefly interrupted hilariously as Wong portals into her apartment to ask why she’s not answering her phone. Due to the judge refusing to grant a temporary cease and desist, Donny has opened another portal and summoned several demonic creatures into his newest show. Jennifer must help Wong return the creatures back to where they came from in an exciting sequence. Thankfully, the experience convinces Donny to stop using magic without legal intervention.

Though Jennifer enjoys the rest of her date, she is disappointed to find the next morning that her date is not interested in the Jennifer side of her. To make things worse, Titania (Jameela Jamil), cleared of all charges for the courtroom attack, is suing Jennifer for copyright infringement of the She-Hulk name that she has trademarked. It’s hard not to feel for Jennifer by the episode’s end, but thankfully Jennifer has the support of Nikki (Ginger Gonzaga) and her father (Mark Linn-Baker). Nikki’s support of Jennifer as she starts her dating profile is fun, and the scene of her father’s concern after the last episode’s attack is also sweet.

‘Is This Not Real Magic?’ is another fun superhuman legal case and the dating subplot is also entertaining. Though the post-credit sequence is not as strong as the previous ones, it’s fun to see Wong and Madisynn continue to bond. And while the episode is light on Easter eggs, there are still some fun connections to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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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