Warning! Spoilers ahead for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 8.
Daredevil is back! Three weeks after his new golden mask was glimpsed, Matt Murdock has finally made his long-awaited appearance alongside Jen Walters in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and it doesn’t disappoint. Jen and her new superhero lawyer ally shine in the most action-packed episode of the show so far. The first two-thirds of the episode offer up a wildly entertaining She-Hulk/Daredevil team-up consisting of equal parts bickering and ass-kicking, while the final third sets the stage for a thrilling finale by pulling all the season’s ongoing story threads together in a shocking twist.
The penultimate episode of She-Hulk’s first season, “Ribbit and Rip It,” begins with Jen taking on the case of Eugene Patilio, better known as the frog-themed vigilante Leap-Frog, who wants to sue Luke Jacobson for designing a malfunctioning super-suit. Jacobson is represented by none other than Matt Murdock, who promptly wins the case – because he’s “a really good lawyer” – and teams up with She-Hulk to take on Leap-Frog when he kidnaps Jacobson and forces him to design a new suit. What follows is one of the most fun superhero team-ups in the entire MCU.
Tatiana Maslany continues to anchor the series with the dichotomy of relatable everywoman Jen and empowered superhuman She-Hulk, but she also plays the part from a completely different angle this week. Maslany brings a whole new dimension to the character in the closing scenes of the episode with Jen’s climactic fit of rage, erring more on the side of supervillain than superhero before giving a remorseful look to the camera in the jaw-dropping final shot. Jon Bass is as hilariously hateable as ever in the role of Todd Phelps and Griffin Matthews returns as superhero fashion designer Luke Jacobson, the MCU’s Edna Mode, with much more of a spotlight to shine in.
But the star of the episode is, of course, Charlie Cox, reprising his role as Matt Murdock. Cox still has the blend of easy charisma and authentic pathos that made his Daredevil performance so endearing in the first place, and he shares excellent on-screen chemistry with Maslany. This is much more than a mere cameo appearance; Daredevil briefly becomes the co-lead of the series. Matt takes on Jen in court, then buys her a drink at the Legal Ease, then they briefly fight when Jen gets the wrong end of the stick about Leap-Frog before, finally, they team up to take him down.
Writer Cody Ziglar does a great job of walking the line between portraying Daredevil faithfully and making him fit into the goofy tone of the She-Hulk series. Cox’s Daredevil is every bit the badass vigilante he was in his original incarnation, but he also gets to bask in the comedic moments as Matt develops a sort of “buddy cop” dynamic with Jen. Ziglar taps into what’s so fun about two lawyers teaming up for a superhero adventure: they both argue for a living. Matt and Jen argue over which is the best way to take down a warehouse full of goons, with Matt constantly pointing out that he’s done it a million times whereas Jen has barely even used her powers to fight crime, and Jen constantly pointing out that she’s the only one who has real superpowers.
There’s a fun moment when Jen and Matt are discussing possible legal strategies for Leap-Frog while effortlessly beating up his army of henchmen (or “tadpoles,” as he calls them). Marvel fans were concerned that She-Hulk’s sillier take on the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen would tarnish his reputation as a dark, brooding antihero, but Cox doesn’t play Daredevil as a total goofball here; it’s more of a knowing wink to the audience.
Kat Coiro is back in the director’s chair after relinquishing the last few episodes to Anu Valia. When Murdock makes his debut, Coiro sets him up with a swooping crane shot across the courtroom. There’s also a great visual detail at Leap-Frog’s not-so-secret lair, the Lilypad, where the neon green lights illuminate Jen’s face to look like She-Hulk when she’s not in She-Hulk form. There’s a hysterical shot of Matt doing the walk of shame in full Daredevil regalia, carrying his boots after a night of passion with She-Hulk.
While Coiro’s abilities as a sitcom director were already well-established in the first few installments of the series, she proves herself to be a formidable action director this week. This episode has a classic Daredevil hallway fight in which the Man Without Fear takes on a dozen goons singlehandedly. The hallway fight could’ve been more effective if it was pulled off in a single take like the iconic brawl from the Netflix series, but Coiro gives this hallway fight its own She-Hulk identity when it’s cut short by a comedic twist. Just as the second wave of henchmen fills the hallway and Daredevil prepares to fight them, She-Hulk smashes through the ceiling and crushes them all in one fell swoop.
Some Marvel fans have been getting antsy as She-Hulk’s adventure-of-the-week storytelling and incessant cliffhangers have left looming payoffs lingering week after week. But, with an awesome appearance by Daredevil and the culmination of Intelligencia’s diabolical plan, the payoffs in “Ribbit and Rip It” are well worth the wait. With Jen losing her temper and Damage Control ready to take her down, the stage is set for a riveting season finale next week.