She-Hulk 1.9 - Issue #9

She-Hulk : Issue #9
Genre : Superhero / Comedy / Legal
Showrunner: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Writer : Chad Taylor

Based on the Marvel Comics characters

Cast: Jenny Slate, F. Murray Abraham, Finn Wittrock, Himesh Patel, Eric Andre, Al Harrington and Ron Perlman

Plot:After the fight with Mary, Jen (Jenny Slate) goes to work the next day a bit bummed by life. She sees Stu (Himesh Patel), who asks her what is wrong. She tries to make up a story but fails to and starts crying. Obviously, she can’t tell him everything so she remains silent. He goes over to put his arm around her before quickly pulling away. He says that he doesn’t want to be sued for sexual harassment. She tugs on his arm tighter and says that she finds it comforting. After a brief moment of silence, he asks her out on a date later that night.

She is frozen still, unsure of what to say. This causes him to freak out, saying he knew he shouldn’t have pulled the trigger. He wonders aloud if THAT was sexual harassment. Finally, she speaks up and says that she would love to. He asks how does 9pm at a pizza joint near her apartment sound and she says wonderful. He lets out a big sigh of relief and they both laugh.

Upstairs, and in a better mood, she meets with Holden (F. Murray Abraham) who says she has a visitor. Together, they meet with Leio (Al Harrington), Krakoa’s caretaker. Leio apologizes for the incident and says that Krakoa can get that way sometimes. But not with this couple that are suing them. She apologizes, too, and says that when she accepted a job in “superhuman law”, she thought she would be defending good superhumans. Holden shakes his head no and says superhumans are superhumans, good or bad.

Leio argues that Krakoa is neither, he is just trying to exist. Over the years, overtourism and trespassing has taken a toll on him and he is starting to retaliate. There is nothing that Leio can do about it. Jen is starting to be receptive and thanks him for opening up about the island, the trespassing notion should prove to be crucial in their defense argument.

On her way home, Jen sees a building on fire outside the train and a lady trapped in one of the upper level apartments. She kicks into action and exits the train discreetly. She transforms into She-Hulk and goes up top to save the lady. However, they find it tricky finding a way down. She-Hulk ends up telling everyone to clear her landing area as she will jump down. She does so, protecting the lady in the process, and is hailed as a hero.

As she is walking way, she is encountered by Paparazzi Geoff (Eric Andre) who tells her Club 337, 7 pm on the dot. He’ll be waiting for her.

Jen gets back to her apartment and is freaking out. She doesn’t know whether to cancel with Stu or not. She doesn’t want to blow her one shot at going out with Dr. John Jameson. She convinces herself that there is enough time in between to make both work. She’ll go on a date with John as She-Hulk and with Stu as She-Hulk. She tells the camera that she never thought she’d be in a scenario like this.

She-Hulk goes to Club 337 and there is much hub-bub about her rendezvous with Dr. John Jameson (Finn Wittrock). Unlike her interactions with Stu or even Starfox, she finds him to be a bit more stilted and the conversation more awkward. After the initial rough patch, however, they start to bond over their shared experiences as celebrities. He admits that he is attracted her exotic nature and she says that she is attracted to everything about him, as is every other girl in the country. He asks if that means that she is the lucky one. She smiles and says that he’s the lucky one - he’s on a date with She-Hulk, after all.

After some more drinks, he says willing to adjust his schedule a bit and asks if she wants to go back to his place. She pauses, checks the time to see 8:30 and looks over to the camera:

“Fuck. fuck. fuck. fuck. Fuck!”

She shakes her head yes and they leave together.

At his luxurious apartment, they start to make out but he pulls away. He says this doesn’t feel right. Considering how well things were going, She-Hulk is confused. He says that he feels guilty. The only reason he said what he did about her originally was on the insistence of his father, who wanted pageviews for his website. He’s sick of his dad using his celebrity status to exploit him like that but it is too late. The photographers already got the pictures they needed of them at the club (and leaving it). He says he still likes her but he has to take it slow, to clear his conscience.

She-Hulk begins to cry, a first for her in this form. As such, this start initiating a process where she is transforming into Jen. She quickly turns away as she did with Starfox but John is respectful and looks away. He says that he understands her want for keeping her private life separate from her public. Still feeling hurt and used, she says that she is going to go. Still being respectful of Jen’s privacy, he tells her where she can find some spare clothes in his room and says that he really hopes to hear from her again - She-Hulk or whoever this is. Jen doesn’t say anything as she puts on the clothes and heads out.

On the elevator, Jen continues crying. When she leaves the building, she misses that Paparazzi Geoff has been following her. He looks over the pictures he took of this woman leaving John’s apartment.

Jen gets back to her neighborhood and goes to the local pizza joint, hoping that Stu might’ve waited behind. It’s only 9:30, after all. She slumps her shoulders upon the realization that he is not.

She wakes the next day feeling shitty about all that transpired the night before. However, she looks over to her phone to see hundreds of messages, which stuns her. She does a morning stretch before turning on the TV:

The local news is showing a replay of a press conference with media magnate, political pundit, Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (Ron Perlman). He is proud to announce news exclusively broken by his outlet. His inside sources have discovered that the She-Hulk’s real identity is Jennifer Walters, a local lawyer.

Jen turns ghost white and looks to the camera.

“Fuck. fuck. fuck. fuck. Fuck!”