Jessica Jones is another case study in long form
storytelling and why services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are changing how
creators tell stories. Done well it is the optimized way to tell a story.
Everyone involved gets the chance to expand and focus on the characters in the
series. With fewer episodes it allows the showrunners to focus on the main
story arc and cuts out the filler found in most series on standard
network/cable television. Jessica Jones is another example of when this form of
storytelling is done well it can be amazing to watch.
Forget about this being a superhero show. At its core the
show is more of a neo-detective noir than a one about a superhero. Yes Jessica
Jones has superpowers in the form of amazing strength, but that doesn’t make
her who she is. She is a human with deep
emotional issues because of events in her life. She is a throwback to the
typical private detectives tropes used in classic stories. She is down on her luck,
drinks too much, and doesn’t suffer fools lightly. Added to these character
traits is her super abilities. She uses them in her job as a private detective.
Having super strength comes in handy when opening locked doors. The ability to
tell the story on Netflix and release all the episodes at one time allowed the
showrunners to introduce the main villain in the very first episode. In the first
episode we see how terrifying the person Jessica has to face off against will
be.
Killgrave is the most terrifying Marvel villain portrayed in
live action to date. He exudes a quite charm, but at the same time is so
sinisterly villainous you love to hate him. There are many instances in
episodes were he terrified me. Anything done to children generally terrifies
me, because I instantly think of my own and how I would react to them being
harmed. The scene where Killgrave “breaks” into an apartment and orders the
children into the closet broke my heart. The fact the little girl had to go to
the bathroom, but wasn’t allowed to perfectly illustrated the complete lack of
empathy Killgrave has for anyone other than himself. As a parent not being able
to protect my child was extremely frightening. Killgrave only cared for himself
and for what he wanted. His driving force for the entire season was to get the
one thing he couldn’t control: Jessica Jones.
On the other hand as soon as Jessica herd Killgrave was back
she wanted to run away. She wants to get out of town and as far away from him
as she can. Jessica knows what he can do because he violated her in every sense
for a period in the past. It is one of the main reasons Jessica is damaged when
we are introduced to her. Her first instinct to run is completely understandable.
What makes her a hero is her decision to stand and fight. She knows he can
control her (or at this point she thinks he can) but in spite of this supposed knowledge
she turns to face the danger. She wants to try and protect others from going
through everything he put her through. The most damaging being when Killgrave forced
her to kill.
When she was forced to kill it snapped her out of Killgrave’s
control. She still feels guilty about her actions. She knows she had no control,
but it still torments her. It is such a torment that she laments and drowns in
her misery. She follows around the dead woman’s, Reva, husband Luke Cage. We
quickly learn Luke has powers too (and if you’re a comic book fan you knew that
already) in the form of unbreakable skin. The initial fight Jessica and Luke
have in his bar against the rugby team is fantastic. Most of the great action pieces
of the season involved Jessica and Luke. When Luke came under Killgrave’s
control the fight between Jessica and him was terrifying because you didn’t
know how Jessica could defeat him without killing him.
I can’t wait to see what Netflix does with Luke Cage’s own
series. It will be interesting to see how much Jessica is involved in his show
since he was so prominent in hers. All of the main actors in the series did a
fantastic job. Krysten Ritter is great in the title role and is completely believable
as the broken hero. David Tennent is equally terrifying as Killgrave. You
believed that he was able to control others, and that everyone else is
available for his benefit. Racheal Taylor is great as Jessica’s best friend
Trish and as mentioned before Mike Colter is amazing as Luke Cage. The only
drawback of the entire first season was some of the ancillary characters. While
the performances of the actors in their roles were fine, some of the story
decisions didn’t fit with the overall narrative.
The two characters which stick out the most to me are Sgt.
Simpson and the annoying neighbor Robyn. I didn’t get Simpsons storyline. He was
just a normal cop, who Killgrave used to try and hurt Trish and then was
remorseful and wanted to help fight back. Then all of a sudden he was a secret
super-solider with access to facilities and later drugs which make him superhuman.
It just seemed to come out of nowhere from the first couple of episodes he was
in. It is no surprise that episodes which focus on Simpson and Robyn were my
least favorite. I didn’t understand Robyn suddenly showing up and at the
Killgrave support group and rallying them to go and attack Jessica. It was the
weakest part of storytelling in the season. It seemed like the writers were struggling
for a way to have Killgrave escape from Jessica during this particular episode
and they needed a way to tie up the Ruben murder storyline, so they married the
two. It just seemed forced and out of place with the rest of the season.
Other than those two small flaws I loved almost every other
aspect of the show. I haven’t even mentioned Carrie-Anne Moss who plays a
fantastic slimy lawyer who hires Jessica. The series has not been green lit for
a second season, but we know we are getting more Jessica Jones in the Defenders
series and hopefully in Luke Cage. I want a second follow up season. I think it
is going to be tough to top the villain of Killgrave. It was extremely satisfying
to watch Jessica finally kill him, but also disappointing that he can’t be used
again. I’m hoping he stays dead and that they don’t find some weird way to resurrect
him. That would cheapen the entire season in my opinion. I don’t think that
will happen, but it seems no one truly stays dead in comics, so who knows.
I could write more about Jessica Jones and break down each
episode, but it truly is roughly 13 hour movie that should be digested in as
close to one viewing as possible. I would recommend this series to people who
aren’t superhero fans and I think they would be entertained. There is enough separation
from other properties for this to stand on its own. Jessica Jones can be
enjoyed without watching other movies or shows. This show has been praised highly
and I’m just heaping more on.
Let me know if what you thought and wear it ranks in regards
to other superhero shows. I think I enjoyed Daredevil just a tad more overall,
but it is extremely close. The Flash is my favorite network show. Let me know
your thoughts!
My Rating: Must Binge
Watch
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