In "Ribbit and Rip It", She-Hulk discovers that she is no better than the (Dare) Devil You Know (2023)

This discussion and review contains spoilers forElla HulkEpisódio 8, "Ribbit and Rip It".

"Ribbit and Rip It" is a pretty solid sequel toElla Hulk, though it largely abandons the sitcom aesthetic the show has refined in recent weeks in favor of more conventional superhero fodder.

Of course, this is the big Daredevil crossover that sees Charlie Cox appear in the penultimate episode of the season. Daredevil was an important part of the marketing and branding forElla Hulk. The character's appearance has been speculated sinceDecember 2020, with another round of speculationJuly 2021. It went to the advance at the very end of the rideElla HulkTrailer released at Comic-Con injuly 2022.

For all you fans obsessed with spoilers that "spoil" your fun,Ella HulkHe repeatedly signaled the arrival of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock. "Bad, green and just spilled over these jeans' ended with a scene teasing the character's return, revealing that Matt Murdock was a client of super tailor Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews). he was everywherethe mid-season trailer. This episode's fight scene was prematurely edited as "Blick.“

As the series reached its peak, there was something mildly amusing about the online audience's frustration.Ella HulkRetaining fan service of Daredevil's performance. "Where is Daredevil?Exigiu ScreenRant. "why are they doing this to us?Metro quotes fans.Ella Hulkleaned against her. "Just Jen" opened with a joke to the audience about "a standalone wedding episode" that occurred at "a bad time in the season".

On the other hand, this becomes one of the central areas of tensionElla Hulk. It seems half measure. Since the villains ofElla HulkThey seem to be rabid nerds posting about She-Hulk on the internet, it would be funny if the show trolled them so aggressively. funniest joke everElla Hulkcould attract the fans that would attractOnlyworrying about Matt Murdock's continuity cameo and never going through with it. She would be a very confident, confident, and provocative choice on the series.

However,Ella Hulkwould never risk possible fan outrage at this level, even for a very deliberate joke that would serve as a tongue-in-cheek meta-commentary on the nature of these shows and the audience's relationship to them. So the result is something of an odd compromise. Matt Murdock appears, but as late in the season as possible without taking Jen out of her own season finale. He seems very calculated and very cynical.

You can feel it tooElla HulkHe himself is decidedly ambivalent about all this. Again in "a normal anger' the show argued that what made Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) different from her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) was that she didn't share his identity crisis. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said.Ella HulkThe show seems to be constantly stuck between wanting to do its own thing and relying on a steady stream of guest appearances and in-jokes to keep its audience happy.

"Just remember who this show really is," Jen told the audience in "The people against Emil Blonsky' which included the second consecutive appearance by Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) and the first of two consecutive appearances by Wong (Benedict Wong). In "Isn't that real magic?Jen joked that Wong's appearances gave the show "Twitter armor for a week", but it didn't.In facta joke. Even the "previously activated" segment in "Ribbit and Rip It" has Jen claiming it.They areShow.

This isn't just some academic discussion about marketing superhero streaming shows under the banner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). that's something tooElla HulkIt is reallyone. In one of the show's best character moments, in "The Retreat," Jen opened up about her insecurities about her superhero persona. At the start of Is This Not Real Magic?, the show's best episode yet, Jen wondered if people loved her for herself or for her superhero alter ego.

Ella Hulkhe seems to be plagued by the same insecurities. The show feels uncertain whether its viewers love the show for its own distinct identity or simply as a delivery mechanism for fanservice cameos. Matt Murdock's cameo in the penultimate episode of the season is the season's biggest, most publicized cameo, which seems to be the most prominent, as the show is caught between the two extremes. You might joke about retaining that fan service, but you're too scared to reject it outright.

Indeed, "Ribbit and Rip It" appears to be explicitly structured as a rejectionElla HulkThe identity of the sitcom. The episode's trailer builds on a classic sitcom premise, as Jen finds herself in the middle of a legal battle between client Eugene Patilio (Brandon Stanley) and superhero costume designer Luke Jacobson, just as Jacobson is giving the finishing touches on Jen's dress for the big gala. . It's a charming, seemingly minor character clash that oozes comic potential.

There are a number of interesting ways the story could unfold from this setup, with Holden Holliway (Steve Coulter) even providing a pretty obvious path to the kind of social awkwardness that sitcom plots thrive on. "I suggest that you try to reach an agreement with Mr. Jacobson so that an introduction is not necessary," he explains. It's an uncomplicated story with a cast of characters who have conflicting and conflicting agendas combined with hilarious results.

However, Ribbit and Rip It are quick to dismiss what could have been a ridiculously funny montage for something like the comic book wizards' litigation in Is This Not Real Magic?. The process is then handled cleanly and efficiently and terminated within minutes of the show's opening title card. The lawsuit was just a justification for the conspiracy to bring Matt Murdock from New York to Los Angeles to defend Jacobson.

Of course, since the focal point of this episode is the appearance of Daredevil, Daredevil is worth talking about. Charlie Cox is as charming as ever. He shares good chemistry with Tatiana Maslany, to the point where it's a shame the show has to spend so much time with Cox wearing a mask covering her face and Maslany giving a motion-capture performance as the not-so-cheerful Green. Giant. The two would work perfectly together in a crazy romantic comedy.

Even more, it's something strange, likeElla Hulkchoose to feature Matt Murdock. This is the character's first major appearance in the shared universe, after a brief appearance.Spider-Man: No Way Home, so this is important in determining who Matt is as a character. "Ribbit and Rip It" makes a point of approaching MattfreiHe works in Hell's Kitchen as a defense attorney, representing those in need of help, but he only does so superficially.

Jen briefly mentions the irony of working at a giant law firm that works for rich assholes like Eugene Patilio or Todd Phelps (Jon Bass) and helps powerful entities like Kamar-Taj maintain their cultural dominance. However, Matt is also part of this world. Inirresponsible, a show explicitly aboutThe evils of gentrification, Matt had his costume made by a working-class tailor in Hell's Kitchen. InElla Hulk, you dress a famous designer on the other side of the country.

"Ribbit and Rip It" makes it clear that Matt is now operating in the MCU world. There is a passing reference to how the Sokovia Accords "were terminated" and the episode assumes that superheroes are a protected social class rather than urban vigilantes who "you were always a criminal." When Jen points out that superheroes "act in public", Matt responds, "The difference here is we're not talking about celebrities." They only use famous tailors.

Again, there's a sense that there could be a more interesting or compelling episode based on the legal arguments Matt and Jen make. In recent comics by authors such as Charles Soule and Chip Zdarsky, Matt Murdock has promoted the cool concept of the secret identity that heroes allow.testify in courtjsame service timein their costumed characters. This can be fun forElla Hulkto explore, but "Ribbit and Rip It" misses him.

Ribbit and Rip It make several cute nods to the Netflix aesthetic.irresponsible. The first confrontation between Daredevil and She-Hulk takes place in a parking lot, visual shorthand for "sandy and groundedsuperhero action byThe dark Knight. The episode seems to be taking overOthersambitiousirresponsiblefight in the hallway, only to abruptly cripple him by "shattering She-Hulk". It's an interesting choice for Matt's big debut, where he teases the aesthetic of his previous show.

There's something frustratingly cynical about all of this. At one point, Jen responds to Matt's heartfelt "I'm Daredevil" with the tongue-in-cheek quip, "Well, it's pretty daring to use ketchup and mustard as a color combination."the monopoly manWitz anAce Ventura, which weakens the point a bit, is that the programto changeMatt's costume so he can make a joke about how goofy he looks.

It's also tiring to seeElla HulkMaking jokes about impressive practical stuntsirresponsibleonly to replace it with horrible CGI. The visual effects inElla Hulkthey went downdeserved criticism, which reflects a systemic problemModern film and television production. It is pointed out, for exampleElla HulkAvoid showing Jen's transformation whenever possible. Lead writer Jessica Gao spoke about being told she had "White card” with effects early in production, only to ask them to scale back later.

So it's frustrating to see so many of Matt Murdock's stunts in Ribbit and Rip It in slow animation, especially when he's jumping into the parking lot and confronting Jen. That's exactly what had some fans worried when it was announced that Marvel was pulling out.the distinctive aesthetic of Netflix showsEmthe shared universe. everything tends tothe style of the house, also in a strange way. It's the worst of both worlds and it destroys both Matt and Jen.