Tatiana Maslany on Daredevil, Bad Writing, She-Hulk Season 2

Television

I don’t mean to harp on this topic, but the more the people behind She-Hulk: Attorney at Law speak in the wake of the finale, the more they confirm how bad this was always going to be. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, start Tatiana Maslany talks about the way the season (series?) ended, with She-Hulk removing herself from the show to confront the incompetent writers and, finally, Kevin Feige – or his AI avatar, anyway.

“So it felt like we were making something really juicy and something that would very much hit people. And whether that’s a reaction like, ‘I don’t like this. This is betraying something,’ or, ‘I love this,’ it really is an exciting, complex moment.”

In other words, it was meant to provoke a reaction, good or bad. Not only is this the reasoning of a bratty toddler, but it also gels with what director Kat Coiro said to Variety a few days ago about engagement being key, whether it’s good or bad. It was never about quality, and certainly not what fit with the universe or the larger story. Case in point: the interviewer asks Maslany about the potential for conflict between Jen and Matt Murdock over superhero rights and inadvertently reveals how damaging She-Hulk has been to the MCU and fleshing out its own characters:

“Jen and Matt’s differing views on superhero privacy could be a future conflict for just the two of them, but it could also be a macro-level conflict for the MCU, picking up where Captain America: Civil War left off. So what are your thoughts on their privacy debate?”

Well, the thing is… they can’t have that debate because She-Hulk ended the entire ongoing Civil War storyline in one throwaway sentence. Matt said that the Sokovia Accords had been repealed; who cares how anyone feels about their rights and privacy? Even if there was this great divide between the two (which I don’t think there is; Jen was being a mercenary at that trial), it’s a moot point. This is what the awful writing on these shows causes: the potential for future arcs is squashed. Hulk returning to Sakaar is another example; Skaar is just here, with no need for the hard stuff like writing a compelling story that leads to this development. This has been a problem since Thor: Ragnarok, but the MCU writers now simply discard important plot points that are inconvenient for them. But it’s only gotten worse from there, and with the plethora of Disney+ shows that keep stretching the universe even thinner, a lot of cool, interesting stuff is getting thrown away so that the writers don’t have to deal with it. Unsurprisingly, Maslany doesn’t have much of an answer to this question, although she talks around it like a pro.

But it’s not all dour and gloomy; we can take pleasure in Maslany waiting by the phone like… well, Jen after a date to be invited to appear on Daredevil: Born Again.

“I keep texting [Charlie Cox] being like, ‘Am I required for set today?’ And he says, ‘We’ll let you know by lunch.’ But he just keeps putting it off. I’ve been waiting outside the set in my She-Hulk costume, so just put me in, coach.”

Now, I’m sure she’s kidding about nagging Cox to be on the show and Cox blowing her off, but the sentiment is likely true. She hasn’t heard anything about Daredevil because nobody likes She-Hulk, and, unlike her show, Daredevil doesn’t need a string of guest stars to get people to watch it. (He didn’t have to keep telling everyone it was his show when the Punisher showed up, either.) People already love Daredevil because of the first three incredible seasons and Charlie Cox’s fantastic performance. Whether they still love it after Disney+ is done turning it into a theme park ride remains to be seen, but as of now, it’s the surest thing Marvel has going for it, especially on TV. This would be him doing her a favor, not the other way around, and he already did that when he embarrassed himself on She-Hulk (minimally, thank God) to help the ratings.

Okay, one more laugh: the reporter asks Maslany about a second season of She-Hulk.

“No, Jen definitely has a stronger sense of herself than I do… the spirit of She-Hulk is never being what you expected it to be.”

Remember when Titania actress Jameela Jamil insisted to Jeremy that She-Hulk was a hit? Maslany’s answer isn’t what the star of a successful first season would say when asked about another one. So, after all the self-congratulatory sneering at the fans they insulted and turned into villains, it looks like the audience will have the last laugh after all. Increasingly, we learn that shaming people into consuming your art doesn’t work. No wonder she’s desperate to show up on Daredevil.