- "Kind of a bummer way to end this episode. I bet there's a fun tag!"
- ―Jennifer Walters
| "Is This Not Realm Magic?" | |
|---|---|
| Series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Season 1, Episode 4 | |
| |
| Air date | September 8th, 2022 |
| Writers | Melissa Hunter |
| Director | Kat Coiro |
| Producers | Kevin Feige; Louis D'Esposito; Victoria Alonso; Brad Winderbaum; Kat Coiro; Jessica Gao; Wendy Jacobson; Jennifer Booth; Jason Tamez; Barbara Curry; Zeb Wells; Melissa Hunter; Kara Brown |
| Starring | Tatiana Maslany; Jameela Jamil; Ginger Gonzaga; Jon Bass; Mark Linn-Baker; Rhys Coiro |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The People vs. Emily Blonsky" |
Next "Mean, Green, and Straight Poured Into These Jeans" |
"Is This Not Real Magic?" is the fourth episode of season one of the superhero comedy streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law by Marvel Studios. It was directed by Kat Coiro with a script written by Melissa Hunter. It premiered on the Disney+ streaming service on Thursday, September 8th, 2022. Jen's next big case is just magical. Literally! Wong hires her to issue a cease and desist against a stage magician named Donny Blaze, who has irresponsibly incorporated the mystic arts into his show.
Synopsis[]
Behold! The mystic mastery of... Donny Blaze!
At a club called the Mystic Castle, a stage magician named Donny Blaze performs generic acts of Prestidigitation to a small and seemingly unimpressed crowd of people. He invites an intoxicated young woman from the audience named Madisynn to assist him on-stage. Noting that the crowd is still unimpressed, he decides to add a little heat to his act. Brandishing a sling ring, he opens up a dimensional portal. Madisynn turns and sees it and mutters, "Eww".
"Wongers" is not happy.
In Kathmandu in Nepal, Wong is settling down to watch some television. A portal suddenly opens above him and out falls Madisynn, who is holding a heart in her hand. She had apparently been assaulted by some goblins. She tells Wong that a "cut-rate magician" sent her to a different dimension, and a talking goat helped her to escape a lava pit in exchange for six drops of her blood. Knowing that Donny Blaze is responsible for this, he swears to correct the situation.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Walters is at her home. Her father, Morris Walters, walks into the house bearing an array of security equipment. He is concerned about the recent attack against Jennifer despite the fact that as She-Hulk she easily defended herself against the four thugs. Morris is shocked to learn that Jen never even contacted the police.
Shulkie will take the case!
Jen goes to the office where, as She-Hulk, she creates a dating profile for herself on Matcher. Nikki Ramos enters the room and turns on the TV to show Jen's recent TV interview. Suddenly, a mystic portal opens within her office and out steps Wong. Wong is extremely frustrated and tells her about a former student of Kamar-Taj named Donny Blaze, who barely has a grasp of the basics of inter-dimensional portaling, but is using his knowledge for cheap stage theatrics. He wants to set a legal precedent that prohibits unlicensed persons from ever practicing the mystic arts again. Unfortunately for Wong, none of these rules he wishes to implement have been codified in writing, so from a legal standpoint, it presents quite a challenge. Jen offers to start drawing up documents for a cease and desist.
Jean meets Nikki Ramos at the Legal Ease Bar & Grill. Jen is pouring through her work stack, but Nikki wants her to work on her dating profile. Afterward, She-Hulk meets with Wong and goes to the Mystic Castle to deliver the Cease and Desist form to Donny Blaze. Donny and Mystic Castle owner Cornelius P. Willows scoff at their assertion, making it clear that they have no intention of curtailing Donny's magical exploits. Jen tells them they will see them in court.
The following night, Jen goes on a date with a man named Alan, whom she found on Matcher. They meet at a sports bar restaurant called Finley's. Alan is very self-absorbed, but when he pretends to show interest in Jen, he immediately begins ogling other women and flipping through his cell phone. The date comes to an awkward conclusion and Alan leaves Jen to pay for drinks.
"Madisynn King. Madisynn is with two N's, one Y, but it's not where you think."
In court, the judge asks for witnesses. Despite Wong's pleading, he ultimately relents. He opens a portal to get Madisynn King into the room. Still in "party mode", she stumbles through the room, greets "Wongers" and hands her cocktail to the bailiff. Madisynn claims that she was sent to a fire world by Blaze and met a talking goat named Jake, who sent her through a portal to Wong. Walters claims it was a mistake. Willow claims she cannot copyright magic. Walters counters citing that he practices fake magic, whereas the Mystic Arts represents "real magic". Blaze's team then show their "real" magic with easy tricks. Wong stands up and argues that the world would be in danger. Blaze then uses a smoke bomb, much to the judge's disgust before she tells Blaze he could still practice magic. Wong claims he could send Blaze to the Mirror Dimension before leaving.
At home, Walters finishes her brief, thinking it is Friday, not Saturday. She checks her phone, only to find no matches. She then decides to make an account for She-Hulk, claiming she isn't proud. She instantly gets matches, although Walters finds it demoralizing. She goes on a date with a man named Derek who asks how much she could deadlift. He then claims to deadlift 600 pounds. Another man named Noah claims to have been a fan before they matched. He asks more about her powers, calling her a "specimen", which Walters takes offense to. She then meets another man, Arthur, a pediatric oncologist. Unlike the previous dates, Arthur appears honest and kind, grabbing Walters' interest.
Not a bad start to a first date. Let's hope it doesn't go sideways, eh?
At another magic show, Blaze opens a portal for a woman, but she refuses to go through. He then decides to conjure a bird through his magic. The bird hatches an egg that releases a demon. He opens a portal to send it back to where it came from, but even more spring through the portal. He sends a portal to Wong and then asks for help. Wong helps, but tells him to call his lawyer. Meanwhile, She-Hulk talks about her life being She-Hulk and Arthur is very interested in her. She-Hulk's phone keeps ringing, but she ignores it. Arthur spills wine and goes to clean it up. He takes his shirt off because wine spilled on it, so she throws the shirt. When he comes back, she goes to kiss him, but Wong arrives through a portal needing her help. She reluctantly goes and fights the demons while complaining. The demons grow as she fights them. She makes sure Blaze agrees to the cease and desist before finishing off the demons. She-Hulk jumps back through the portal into Arthur's lap. She then carries him off into her room.
You got served!
The next morning, Walters is very happy, but turns on the television to find that Titania has been released. Arthur then wakes up asking who she is. She replies she is She-Hulk in human form. Completely losing interest, Arthur tells her he is going to go. As he leaves, Walters remarks that a hot doctor is a cliché anyways. She gets a knock on the door from a delivery man, but Jen isn't fooled. She knows a process server when she sees one. The man gives her files on Titania. He states that Titania is suing her for misuse of her name. Walters is confused and the man says Titania trademarked the name She-Hulk. Walters remarks to the audience that it is a bummer way to end an episode.
Cast[]
Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tatiana Maslany | She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters |
| Jameela Jamil | Titania, Mary MacPherran |
| Ginger Gonzaga | Nikki Ramos |
| Jon Bass | Todd Phelps |
| Mark Linn-Baker | Morris Walters |
| Rhys Coiro | Donny Blaze |
Guest Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Benedict Wong | Wong/Wongers |
Co-Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Patty Guggenheim | Madisynn King |
| Britt George | Married guy |
| Leon Lamar | Cornelius P. Willows |
| Ryan Powers | Alan |
| Mike Benitez | Hank Sanderson |
| David Otunga | Derek |
| Eddy Rioseco | Noah |
| Michel Curiel | Arthur |
| Caroline Henry | Amberleigh |
| Amanda Salas | Entertainment News anchor |
| Suzanne Salhaney | Judge Hanna |
| Bob DeCastro | News interview anchor |
| Adam Murray | Delivery person |
| Malia Arrayah | On-set She-Hulk reference |
Full Cast[]
- Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters
- Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos
- Jameela Jamil as Titania, Mary MacPherran
- Mark Linn-Baker as Morris Walters
- Jon Bass as Todd Phelps
- Benedict Wong as Wong
- Rhys Coiro as Donny Blaze
- Patty Guggenheim as Madisynn King [1]
- Britt George as Married guy
- Leon Lamar as Cornelius P. Willows
- Ryan Powers as Alan
- Mike Benitez as Hank Sanderson
- David Otunga as Derek
- Eddy Rioseco as Noah
- Michel Curiel as Arthur
- Caroline Hendry as Amberleigh
- Amanda Salas as Entertainment News anchor
- Suzanne Salhaney as Judge Hanna
- Bob DeCastro as News interview anchor
- Adam Murray as Delivery person
- Malia Arrayah as On-set She-Hulk reference
Appearances[]
Main characters
Supporting characters
- Madisynn King (1st appearance)
- Morris Walters
- Nikki Ramos
- Wong
Antagonists
- Cornelius P. Willows
- Donny Blaze
- Hank Sanderson
- Jake the Goat (Behind the scenes only)
- Titania, Mary MacPherran (On a news broadcast only)
Minor characters
- Alan
- Arthur
- Derek
- Judge Hanna
Organizations
- Blonsky's soulmates (Referenced only)
- Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway
- Los Angeles Police Department (Referenced only)
- Wrecking Crew (Referenced only)
Races & Animals
- Altered humans
- Birds
- Demons
- Dogs (Cameo appearance only)
- Goats (Referenced only)
- Homo Magi
- Humans
- Rabbits
Locations
-
-
- Finley's
- Legal Ease Bar & Grill
- Los Angeles Metropolitan Courthouse
- Mystic Castle
-
Items
- Book of the Vishanti (Referenced only)
- Demon goo
- Pepper spray
- Shovel
- Sling ring
- Smoke pellets
Vehicles
Powers
- Flight
- Prestidigitation
- Superhuman durability
- Superhuman strength
- Space portals
- Teleportation
- Winged flight
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Jennifer Walters, aka the She-Hulk was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema. She first appeared in the first issue of her own Savage She-Hulk ongoing series in February, 1980 titled "The She-Hulk Lives". Following a twenty-five issue stint on this series, she later became part of an ensemble cast in books like The Avengers, Volume 1 and Fantastic Four, Volume 1. This led into her second series, The Sensational She-Hulk by writer & artist John Byrne in 1989. A third title, simply called She-Hulk ran for 12 issues from 2004-2005. A fourth series began in December, 2005 and ran for thirty-eight issues. She-Hulk, Volume 3 - her fifth book, ran for twelve issues from 2014-2015. Another She-Hulk book began publication in 2022.
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was developed for television by Jessica Gao.
- Actor Benedict Wong receives a "Special Guest Star" credit in this episode.
- This episode opens with a recap of events from the first three episodes including appearances made by Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, and Jameela Jamil.
- This is the first episode of the series that has a question mark in the title.
- Actor Rhys Coiro, who plays Donny Blaze is the husband of director and executive producer Kat Coiro. He is also known for playing a character named Jed on episodes of The Walking Dead on AMC in 2018.
- Donny Blaze is the first character to appear in this episode.
- Madisynn King asserts that she was transported to a dimension where she had to enter into a pact with a demonic goat, whose name is Jake. A goat with purple hair and red eyes wearing a name tag that reads "Hello, My Name is Jake", can be seen holding a Devil's contract before Madisynn in the illustrated closing credit sequence.
- Although currently living in Los Angeles, Madisynn King originally hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
- Actress Patty Guggenheim, who plays Madisynn King, is close friends with executive producer Kat Coiro, who brought her in to audition for the show.
- Wong tells Donny Blaze that the Sorcerer Supreme does not engage in competition. And yet... is that not EXACTLY what he was doing when he was breaking The Abomination out of prison and bringing him to Macau for illegal cage-fighting matches in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Hmmm. Bit of a hypocrite our Master of the Mystic Arts, isn't he?
- This is the second time that actor Ryan Powers has played a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He previously played a S.H.I.E.L.D. tech agent in the "S.O.S. (Part 1)" episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2015.
A Fun Tag[]
- This episode includes a mid-credit bonus scene of Wong and Madisynn King sitting on a couch at Wong's place. They are eating popcorn and watching The Sopranos. Madisynn keeps asking him about the different types of alcoholic beverages he has tried. Wong mentions that he tried vodka mixed with yak milk. He still has some left over from a wedding he recently attended.
- Wong's favorite alcoholic beverage is gin and tonic.
- Wong mentions attending a wedding recently. It is possible that he means the wedding of Christine Palmer and Charlie, which took place in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness feature film. It seems difficult to believe however, that Christine would have vodka and yak milk as a beverage option, but who knows?
Allusions[]
- Donny Blaze paraphrases the line "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" as he presents fake roses to Madisynn (who reveals that they don't really smell like anything). The line is taken from Act II, Scene II of the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. Donny refers to Shakespeare as "Willy Shakes" in this episode.
- Wong is watching The Sopranos on his TV set in Nepal. The Sopranos was a television series about an organized crime family based out of New Jersey. It ran for six seasons on HBO from January 10th, 1999 to June 10th, 2007. The series starred James Gandolfini as the main character, Tony Soprano. The episode that Wong is watching at the beginning of the episode is 5x12, "Long Term Parking". The episode features the death of a character named Adriana, which Madisynn spoils for Wong.
- Reference is made to the Wrecking Crew in this episode. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the Wrecking Crew staged an unsuccessful attack against Jennifer in "The People vs. Emily Blonsky".
- Jennifer's day calendar includes a note follow up with Blonsky's soulmates. These are a harem of prospective wives that Emily Blonsky fell in love with during his incarceration as revealed in "The People vs. Emily Blonsky".
- Several entries in Jen's day calendar reference Cheetos and chopsticks. Cheetos is a real-world corn puff snack produced by the Frito-Lay company. This is a call-back to episode one, "A Normal Amount of Rage" when she is seen with a bag of Cheetos in her car. She eats Cheetos with chopsticks so as to not get Cheeto dust on her fingers.
- In Jen's apartment, Derek is seen reading a copy of Bad Feminist. This is a collection of essays written by Roxane Gay and published in 2014.
- In the mid-credit tag, Wong and Madisynn are watching This Is Us. This is a family drama series that aired on NBC from 2016 to 2022.
Quotes[]
- Wong: Donny Blaze is going to pay for this!
....
- Jennifer Walters: God, everybody loves Wong! It's like giving the show Twitter armor for a week.
....
- Morris Walters: My daughter gets attacked by four men and I'm supposed to do nothing?
- Jennifer Walters: Your daughter's a Hulk. I'll be fine.
....
- Wong: Ms. Walters, I have a legal situation of the greatest importance.
....
- Wong: Ms. Walters, we answer to a higher power that abides by the metaphysical laws of the time-space continuum.
...
- Nikki Ramos: There are plenty of non-gross people out there for you to date.
See also[]
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Agent Carter
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Jessica Jones
The Inhumans
External Links[]
- "Is This Not Real Magic?" at IMDB
- "Is This Not Real Magic?" at the TV IV
- "Is This Not Real Magic?" at the Disney Wiki
- "Is This Not Real Magic?" at Comicbook.com
- "Is This Not Real Magic?" at the Marvel Cinematic Wiki
References[]
- ↑ Spelled with two "N"s and a "Y", but not where you think!
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