**If you’ve been following the first season of She-Hulk but haven’t seen the finale, fear not, this article is (mostly) spoiler free!**
Let’s get some spoilers out of the way – She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s season finale undoes a lot of the seemingly sloppy storytelling that left some fans worried about the direction the series is headed. And there is a major cameo, but not in the way you might think.
Phew, okay. There, the spoilers are gone and I’m doing it with a cascading alliteration that fits the vintage narrative reference. On to the real subject of this column – storytelling – and how it gives us a not-so-subtle nod to 1978’s Incredible Hulk.
You know, the one with Lou Ferrigno and all that green body paint.
Lack of Storytelling
Although voice-overs are used in almost every episode of the Marvel Studios series, for multiple characters, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law does not feature any narration. At least not until the last episode of the season. And even then, it’s not the main character who does it – but more on that later.
Given the fact that She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters is known for breaking the fourth wall, it seems a bit odd that she didn’t narrate the series even once. As someone who examines TV and film through the lens of sound art, fourth-wall-breaking tropes almost always include storytelling aimed directly at their audience. Think of how Ryan Reynolds narrates Deadpool.
However, She-Hulk doesn’t quite do it.
Instead, Jennifer likes to turn and face the camera; he makes an extra effort to stand in front of his audience and look them in the eye. Anytime he had an update, a question, a joke or a narrative insight, he faced the fourth wall and discussed it with us. It’s kind of a nice change of pace from the fourth wall breaking devices of the past few years.
But apparently that’s what this show is all about – breaking the fourth wall AND the status quo.
First Story of the Series
What sets the finale apart from the rest of the season, in addition to some meta on-screen rewrites mid-episode, is the fact that there’s storytelling finally thrown into the mix.
But not just any narration – a tribute to the original Ted Cassidy voiceover from nearly 45 years ago.
Although the narration is simple and funny, with only a few ideas thrown in, it is surprising the plot of the episode and reflects the overall theme of the series. At first glance, the narration and sarcastically dramatic flashback sequences seem like fun bonus filler, but there’s more to it. It’s a message sent down from the writers’ room to tell longtime fans of the original Hulk series, ‘Yes, we remember it. Hulk Smash! This is something to ensure you continue our efforts.’
It’s a meta-narrative involving fans and protagonists. Literally.
A Meta-Narrative
One of the most interesting parts of the narrative is that it serves as the culmination of a meta-narrative that has been woven into the story since the first episode.
Time and time again throughout the show, Jen Walters has always tried to tell fans that it’s not entirely a superhero show. It’s a comedy legal drama… starring a lawyer who happens to have superpowers. Nevertheless, fans flock to message boards and social media to speculate about superhero plots or secret villain-driven narratives. They reflect on the show’s unique approach and crossover cameos; criticize the premise and try to cancel the program.
…Wait… this sounds eerily like a subplot that has been going on throughout the entire series.
Okay, if you haven’t seen She-Hulk, you really should. It’s a nice take on the toxic fan culture that actively pokes fun at itself from start to finish. It makes the point that it’s okay to break away from old formulas that worked well for previous things.
And the narration we hear in this episode embodies that which violates tradition.
Breaking the Fourth Wall of Tradition
The next (and last) time we hear narration used in the episode, it comes at a low point for the main characters – and as narrators know, they narrate.
Only this time, it was shortened.
As the narrator begins his Ted Cassidy-Esque voice, suddenly echoing everything that’s wrong in Jennifer’s life, she decides she’d rather not hear it again. Refusing to take another insult, even in narrative form, he stops the narrator dead in his tracks and begins to figure out a life for himself.
Which, while funny to watch, is deceptively symbolic and implies he’s changing the narrative to something he thinks is better.
The most interesting use of this type of storytelling is that it acts like a figure of speech (or a Hulk-sized metaphor if you’re not an English Lit. major). It reflects more than the characters choosing not to be insulted, but the protagonists seizing their destinies on and off script.
Kim Handysides is an award-winning voice artist and trainer. Among his 20K+ narrations, you’ve heard him on Discovery, Netflix and the major networks, on iMax, the White House and the Smithsonian.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
