She-Hulk Episode 7 review: She-Hulk gets vulnerable

She-Hulk Episode 7 shines this week, as it manages to reinstate what the show had been missing: character development.

The seventh episode of Marvel‘s newest series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, has now premiered on Disney+. The show follows Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany), a lawyer who also happens to be a Hulk, as she attempts to survive the courtroom, her dating life, and those who keep trying to attack her.

Episode 7 – titled “The Retreat” – features She-Hulk staying at a meditation retreat with her old client the Abomination (Tim Roth) along with some other ex-super baddies.

And this episode surprisingly manages to shine amongst the rest, so let’s get into it. But first, warning: spoilers for Episode 7 of She-Hulk…

She-Hulk finally makes She-Hulk the focus

While it was always a shame that She-Hulk was never going to truly dive into the dangerous conflict that being a Hulk involves, it was easy to accept that the show was doing its own thing. However, this episode brings in what the series has been lacking as a whole: character development.

This episode focuses on how Jenn actually feels regarding She-Hulk, which is interestingly the opposite of Bruce Banner: people like her more as She-Hulk, which leaves her feeling uncomfortable as just herself. While the drama isn’t major, you may realize that up until this point, Jenn hasn’t had much in terms of character development. While curveballs get thrown her way, she usually responds with a humorous quip rather than actual introspection.

So seeing the character be fully vulnerable is a welcome change of pace. It’s just a shame that it took so long to get here, though Jenn’s stubborn personality can explain that plot weakness away.

The episode has some neat side characters as well

The setting in which She-Hulk explores her inner turmoil is that of a mediation wellness retreat, run by the Abomination. It’s great to see him again, since he was a highlight of the early episodes.

The rest of the episode’s new side characters are also charming, though they aren’t the most complex of people. We get a number of ex-villains who are attempting to reform themselves, and by doing so they help Jenn reach her own internal conclusions.

There’s even the appearance of one member of the Wrecking Crew from Episode 3. His return makes it seem like the WC disappointingly won’t have any actual stance in the overall plot of the series, but he does help add some classic – depending on how much you like this style of – MCU humor to the episode.

She-Hulk Episode 7 builds to an ominous conclusion

The episode’s emotions are also drawn from the overarching narrative of the show, which is always a nice touch. Jen’s worry stems from being ghosted by a potential partner, and it turns out that said partner is working for an organisation that is set out to seemingly destroy her. The clip of him copying her phone’s data and taking a photo of her sleeping naked is certainly enough to shake the viewer, while leaving them wanting to find out more.

While the ending teases some ominous happenings, the episode doesn’t have much in terms of action – which thankfully means less of the bad CGI – but it manages to be one of the most riveting episodes thus far. Like Moon Knight‘s 5th episode, Marvel shows that it can create genuinely good TV when they slow down and actually focus on the character. If only they could make a show that was all that.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 8 will be available to stream on Disney+ October 6.