REVIEW: ‘She-Hulk: Attorney At Law,’ Episode 8 – “Ribbit and Rip It”

The moment fans have waited for is finally here, as this week’s episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law finally sees the first full appearance of Charlie Cox‘s Daredevil. The Man Without Fear enters the orbit of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) in “Ribbit and Rip It” when she takes a case against supersuit designer Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews). The reason? Jacobson apparently designed a faulty super suit for wannabe vigilante Leap-Frog (Brandon Stanley), who injured himself in battle. This is a tough case for Jen – not only does she face a lawyer who can match her point for point, but Luke is the only person who can design clothes for her She-Hulk persona. And then there’s the fact that sparks seem to be flying between her and Murdock…

One of the biggest surprises of Spider-Man: No Way Home – other than the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to their web-slinging personas – was Cox as Murdock. Though his appearance was brief, he had the same sense of wry humor and dedication to justice that fueled his appearance in the Netflix series. That continues to be a major factor in “Ribbit and Rip It”, as he gives Jen a stirring speech about helping people outside the courtroom as well as in it. And fans of the Netflix series will more than likely have a big grin on their faces during a certain pair of scenes. You’ll know the ones.

Even though Cox’s performance is a highlight of the episode, this is still Jen’s show – and Maslany doesn’t let the “very special guest star” steal her spotlight. She gets plenty of standout moments, including a moment where she almost flips out on Leap-Frog when she learns his case may not stand on the most solid of ground. And her chemistry with Cox is off the charts, to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if fanart floods the internet by the end of the day.

A large part of what makes She-Hulk Episode 8 work is the script by Cody Ziglar, which marks another comic book writer penning an episode for the show. Ziglar not only peppers the episode with some clever Easter eggs, but he also has a great sense of comedic timing. From Leap-Frog having a less-than-spectacular crime-fighting debut to Jen pointing out that a guy named “Daredevil” could easily be construed as a villain, Ziglar depicts the razor-sharp wit that served him well while writing Spider-Punk and Amazing Spider-Man. But he also drops an emotional bomb near the end, perfectly setting up the series finale. Watching this episode only made me even more excited for Ziglar’s upcoming run on Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Returning director Kat Coiro also manages to pack a LOT into She-Hulk Episode 8. Not only is there the Walters/Murdock court case but there’s also plenty of fight scenes. And she knows how to capture the difference between She-Hulk and Daredevil’s fights. She-Hulk is basically indestructible and super strong, so she’s used to stopping things with a well-placed thunder clap or a thrown car. Daredevil on the other hand combines his superhuman senses with his martial arts skills and becomes a fearsome fighting machine in the process. It’s so much fun to watch, especially when the two have the required “superhero misunderstanding fight”.

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Episode 8 not only folds Daredevil seamlessly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also sets the stage for an intense finale. There’s admittedly a fair bit of ground to cover, but if it’s as good as this episode we’ll be in for a treat. And who knows? Maybe a second season is in the works.

The finale of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law will stream next Thursday on Disney+.