Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were the peak. It's been all downhill ever since. Although I've been entertained by what came after, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (by and large) is not really all that good anymore (look...I liked the Hellraiser movie on Hulu, and it was not good...like seriously...so I have a low bar). The multiverse introduction, all the different Spidermen, and the fourth-wall breaking that we always get in every She-Hulk episode is (I think) not all that exciting. I also do understand that breaking the fourth wall is something that happens a lot in She-Hulk comics. I don't read She-Hulk, so maybe I'm lacking that experience on seeing how cool it is. But I actually do like suspension of disbelief, and it's kinda impossible to hit that amazing escapism you can get from a movie if your character goes into the writer's room, which is what happened in She-Hulk's finale.
Like, in the episode, Jen argues to Marvel that She-Hulk is at first a lawyer comedy and a Marvel series second. And then she gets to make changes to her own narrative. I mean...she used the Disney+ menu to enter another show. Like, really? She argues with the very writers of her show, who are actually writing this scene anyways, from the first scene of the show to the last scene. For what it's worth, I don't like the "it was all a dream" trope that writers sometimes use either. I think it's just a matter of taste, and my taste leans that way.
And to be clear, I'm all for watching something fun and goofy. Not everything has to fit neatly into the MCU puzzle. I'm also not clear on what Emil's whole purpose was in this show. Is he just doing self-help seminars now? I do get that he's part of the Thunderbolts, but the whole way of getting him there seems a bit sloppy with his character arc in She-Hulk.
It's got to be hard to follow up a huge story arc that ended with Thanos, a snap that removed half the life in the universe, and time travel that was necessary to reverse all of that wherein we still lost two great heroes. So, I appreciate that they are throwing so much at the wall to see what sticks. I really liked the show as a whole, but this ending fell flat for me. I guess maybe my expectations were out of wonk. Or something. I feel like I should be saying to Marvel, "It's not you, it's me." And leave it at that. Honestly...why do we need fourth wall breaks? Is this a fad that can please go away now?
I suppose that the next thing I need to watch is Werewolf by Night. I hope that ends up being more satisfying.
The fourth wall break is something that happens a lot (as I've heard since I never read the comics) in She-Hulk, so I get that's why they use it.
ReplyDeleteI've been entertained by the Marvel series and thought the last Spiderman was great. But some have been a letdown (Falcon and Winter Soldier) and you have to wonder if Marvel isn't stretching itself too thin.
And I was also mildly entertained by Hellraiser. Not a big fan of the series though so it was just 'eh' for me.
Wasn't sure about Andor but it's getting interesting now.
The comics I read didn't actually have that much fourth wall breaking. What you describe seems a bit excessive.
ReplyDeleteAnd Werewolf By Night was fun. It's only 55 minutes and in black-and-white without any cameos or big stars so don't expect too much from it.
ReplyDeleteThis one volume by Dan Slott is one of the ones I read on Prime Reading and I think they probably used it for the show. It really only breaks the 4th wall in one frame and that's when a comic book nerd asks her about it. Kind of funny looking at the Goodreads where Rusty Webb and I said it should be a TV series way back in 2014. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59854600-she-hulk-by-dan-slott-complete-collection-vol-1
ReplyDeleteThey had that whole thing planned up to the Avengers finales. I think whoever planned that was out of the loop when they had to figure out what to do after.
ReplyDeleteBreaking the Fourth Wall can hardly be called a fad. It's not something that happens... anywhere. However, it has been a part of the She-Hulk mythos since the late 80s or early 90s, whenever the John Byrne (I think?) series started. It is -part- of She-Hulk. And it's part of the story, because the 4th wall breaking is not really breaking our 4th wall, or she would have ended up in your living room. I think the series was great, and I say that as someone who has never really been a fan of the comic.
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