Episode 5 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law follows Jen battling Titania in court for copyright infringement after Titania steals the “She-Hulk” brand to open a skincare line.
She-Hulk Season 1 Episode 5 Recap: Mean, Green, and Straight Poured Into These Jeans
After receiving a copyright infringement lawsuit from the superpowered influencer Titania, Jennifer Walter gets annoyed at seeing the glamorous business owner start a new line of luxurious beauty and wellness products – She-Hulk by Titania.
Titania gains immense popularity with her new luxury line. Jen indignantly confronts a smug Titania at her release event on stealing her name and demands she take the brand down. Jen grudgingly admits how she has grown to love her newfound public-bestowed identity despite initially finding it ridiculous.
Meanwhile, Pug approaches Nikki with a favor. Being an avid shoe collector, Pug wants Nikki to stand in line for the new “Iron Man Threes” sneaker drop to collect an extra pair. Nikki conditionally agrees, asking him to return the favor by hooking Jen up with his “drip broker” Luke Alonzo (Griffin Matthews) to revamp Jen’s wardrobe with stylish custom clothing.
Agreeing to the deal, Pug takes Nikki to the unassuming “Café Beau-ba”, which he claims is a front for Alonzo’s superhero clothing business. They face resistance from the bootleg Avengers merch-selling barista, and Alonzo refuses to admit them without a legitimate referral. However, Nikki fibs about her client being an Avenger, thus convincing Alonzo to agree to a 15-minute-long consultation.
Holliway is displeased with Titania’s use of the She-Hulk name and worries about the frivolous lawsuit reflecting poorly on GLK&H and the Jen-led Superhuman Law Division.
Assigning Mallory Book (Renée Elise Goldsberry) to represent Jen, they decide to countersue to establish that Jen was using the name “She-Hulk” professionally before the trademark date, and Titania is profiting off Jen’s brand value as She-Hulk in the marketplace.
As their lawsuit begins, Titania’s team moves to dismiss Jen’s countersuit. Book rebuts their motion, claiming that the public has unanimously identified Jen with the name, showing proof that “She-Hulk” was never in public discourse until Jen’s superhero debut.
Accusing Titania of exploiting goodwill towards her client and her better-known cousin to sell her non-FDA-approved sham products, Book asks the court to grant their motion for summary judgment and order their requested remedies.
Offended with accusations about her product, Titania vociferously backs her brand. Her lawyer claims Jen was never interested in the pseudonym until Titania’s successful line of products, presenting as evidence the footage of Jen publicly refusing to be addressed by the “lazy, straight up reductive and garbage” name.
Book retaliates with a clip of Jen’s TV interview where she admits how, despite her initial wariness with the internet-assigned name, “She-Hulk” has stuck and embraces the new identity. However, the judge demands that Book prove a pattern of Walter’s personal use of the name and recesses until Thursday.
Jen goes to Alonzo’s consultation with Nikki, who manages to convince a highly skeptical Alonzo to make Jen a suit that would adapt to her human body and She-Hulk.
At GLK&H, Jen is shocked to learn that one of her embarrassing dates – “foot-fetish Todd” – is one of Book’s largest clients. Jen realizes that her She-Hulk dating profile can prove a clear pattern of using the name. Every date thus becomes a corroborating witness, and Jen and Book decide to parade her string of questionable dates as a strategy.
Proving her embracing of the She-Hulk identity with her dating profile tagline “Mean, green and straight-poured into these jeans”, Book presents her dates as witnesses, all of whom attest to her embracing of the name and identity of She-Hulk.
This new testimony wins Jen her case as Judge Earley grants their motion for summary judgment. The court orders Titania to cease using the She-Hulk name and immediately recall products on the market. Titania vindictively threatens Jen before indignantly storming out of court.
Jen and Book bond over their court win in the bar, and Book is impressed with Jen’s unique strategy of humiliating herself to win the case. She admits nobody else could have endured such embarrassment and believes Jen deserves much better than the slew of degrading dates she faced.
Alonzo finally finishes Jen’s custom suits and offers her a “little something extra” in addition to her work clothes. Alonzo berates his assistant for leaving an order out in the open and flouting client confidentiality, momentarily revealing the trademark yellow and red Daredevil helmet.
She-Hulk Episode 5 Review
Episode 5 tracks the development of several relationships in GLK&H. This episode features a hilarious interaction between Nikki and Pug in their pursuit of Pug’s “drip broker”, and Jen breaks through with the rather intimidating Mallory in fighting their suit against Titania.
Titania’s copyright case forces Jen to take greater ownership and accept her newfound identity as She-Hulk, learning to embrace her public perception. Jen’s strategy to use her bad dates as legal evidence to win the case is fun to watch, generating comedy and satisfactory wins at Jen’s expense.
However, the highlight of episode 5 is in the tiny allusion to Daredevil at the end of the episode. It marks the return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil to the MCU after its recent takeover by Disney+. The tantalizing glimpse of the trademark yellow and red helmet teases an appearance by Matt Murdock in the show as Alonzo is revealed to be his costume supplier, seemingly replacing Melvin Potter.
Episode 5 establishes commendable character development for most series regulars, involving a humorous exchange between Nikki and Pug amid Jen and Mallory’s court case. Daredevil’s teasing cameo links the show to yet another universe after connections with the Dr. Strange universe via Wong, the subtle nod to Wolverine in a headline, and the Sakaaran spaceship as last seen in Thor: Ragnarok.
Rating: 4/5
Episode 5 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+.
Read More: She-Hulk Episode 3 and 4 Recap & Review: Jen battles high-profile superhuman cases
