"Ribbit and Rip It" is the eighth episode of the American television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character She-Hulk. It follows Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk joining Matt Murdock / Daredevil in looking for a fashion designer who was kidnapped by one of Walters' clients. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Cody Ziglar and directed by Kat Coiro.
Tatiana Maslany stars as Walters, alongside Josh Segarra, Ginger Gonzaga, Jon Bass, Griffin Matthews, Steve Coulter, Mark Linn-Baker, Tess Malis Kincaid, Charlie Cox (Murdock), Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Brandon Stanley. Coiro joined the series by September 2020 to direct the majority of the series' episodes.
"Ribbit and Rip It" was released on Disney+ on October 6, 2022. The episode received positive reviews, with critics highlighting Daredevil's appearance, as well as Cox's performance of the character and the chemistry between Maslany and Cox.
Plot
Jennifer Walters takes on a new case representing Eugene Patilio / Leap-Frog, the son of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway client Vincent Patilio, who wishes to sue Luke Jacobson for having provided him with a faulty super-suit. Jacobson is represented by Matt Murdock in court, who manages to win the case due to Patilio inadvertently revealing that he disregarded Jacobson's instructions by using jet fuel for his rocket boots. Murdock and Walters meet later at a bar; he advises her that she is in a unique position to help others, as an attorney and as She-Hulk.
Later that night, Patilio contacts Walters asking for help against an unknown assailant. Walters arrives and battles the assailant, who she discovers to be Murdock in his vigilante persona Daredevil. Murdock reveals to Walters that Patilio kidnapped Jacobson in order to improve his suit and make suits for his followers, the Tadpoles. Walters and Murdock work together to rescue Jacobson. Leap-Frog tries to escape by jumping out the window, only to injure himself. The Tadpoles are arrested while Leap-Frog is taken away on a stretcher. Walters later has sex with Murdock at her home.
The next evening, Walters attends the Southern California Law Awards gala where she accepts the Female Lawyer of the Year award (alongside five other female attorneys), but the gala is interrupted by an Intelligencia broadcast, which smears Walters' reputation by displaying footage of her in bed with Josh Miller. Walters goes into a rage and destroys the gala stage. She attempts to capture an Intelligencia member nearby, but she is stopped by Department of Damage Control agents, enabling the Intelligencia member to get away.
Production
Development
In August 2019, Marvel Studios announced that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was being developed for the streaming service Disney+. In September 2020, Kat Coiro was hired to direct six episodes, including the eighth, and to executive produce the series. When the series was entering production, the plot revolving around Jennifer Walters' origin was intended for the eighth episode, before ultimately moving to the first episode of the series in post-production. Executive producers include Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum, in addition to Coiro and head writer Jessica Gao. The eighth episode, titled "Ribbit and Rip It", was written by Cody Ziglar, and was released on Disney+ on October 6, 2022.
Writing
Including Matt Murdock / Daredevil in the series made logical sense to Gao since both he and Walters were lawyers who also happened to be superheroes, and Murdock could show Walters that a balance between the two was possible. The arrival of Murdock is an annoyance to Walters because he "came out of nowhere and showed her up" in court and also "takes the high road" afterwards at the bar by buying her a drink. After they continue talking, Walters eventually becomes impressed with Murdock and begins to feel the two have a connection, though initially misinterprets him needing to leave suddenly for him not being interested. Gao noted the writing room was hoping the two would have "amazing chemistry" and explained that the writers crafted their dynamic to "have this kind of Howard Hawks, very quick back and forth where they're attracted to each other" but are not letting each other know. Eventually Murdock and Walters hook up, which was always the hope from the writers because they believed Murdock "seemed like the right dude for her".