Marvel has come along way with their small screen properties. When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived on the heels of The Avengers, it started with a bang and began to fizzle shortly thereafter. Thanks to a shift in the storyline, S.H.I.E.L.D. has become a good to a very good extension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then Marvel’s Daredevil arrived on Netflix and the landscape for adult oriented storytelling within this universe has expanded into something wonderful. And now we have Marvel’s Jessica Jones who has taken that new landscape and carved out a piece for themselves in a very big way. Warning, spoilers ahead…
So who is she and why should we care? Even for the most affluent comic book fan, the name Jessica Jones (created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos) may still be something of an enigma. Yes, she is part of the famed Defenders along with Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist but, for the most part, she has been looked at as just another c-list character in the Marvel Universe. Well, that’s about to change. The newest Netflix original series, starring Krysten Ritter in the title role she was born to play is in a word, outstanding. In October, I had the privilege during NYCC to screen the first episode. It was intense, sexy and full of surprises and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
If you thought Daredevil was a hard-boiled and raw departure from what we’ve seen on the big screen, Jessica Jones turns up the heat. Season 1 introduces Jessica as a hard drinking, former superhero turned private investigator. To say Jessica is rough around the edges would be a terrible understatement. She has no filter and friends are hard to come by. We learn she is who she is because of her time spent with Kilgrave (David Tennant), a mind controlling psychopath. Kilgrave has the power to persuade anyone to do his bidding and more times than not, it means a slow and certain death for that person.
Just as Jessica has ridden herself of Kilgrave, she takes on a case of a missing girl named Holly and all roads lead to him. Jessica is forced to face her own past and the demons plague her. Jessica tries to use the resources that are around her which include high-powered attorney, Jeri Hogarth (Carrie Anne-Moss), best friend Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) and a bartender named Luke Cage (Mike Colter). We’ll soon learn that part of Jessica’s past has a direct consequence to Luke’s. As for Luke, he has his own superhuman secrets as well. Jessica’s quest for vengeance leaves a lot of carnage along the way as innocent pawns are used in this game of chess between Jessica and Kilgrave.
If I’ve learned anything while watching this series unfold over 13-episodes, are that there are many degrees of good and several layers of bad. Jessica doesn’t consider herself good, but deep down she is. The same can be said for Luke and Trish. Hogarth, on the other hand, considers herself, as good but isn’t a genuine person. She’s someone who thinks of her own needs and her reputation above anything else. It’s one of the reasons why she loses so much by season’s end. And then we have Kilgrave. He sees himself as good and as a victim. It might have started out that way for him but the more powerful he got, the more evil and corrupt he became. He turned into the very definition of evil.
The cast is incredibly strong led by Ritter. The chemistry between her and Colter is very evident. They feed off each other and they’re better together than they are apart. Taylor and Moss compliment Ritter as strong-willed and strong-minded female characters that Marvel has showcased continuingly well through their television properties in particular. And then there’s David Tennant. Arguably Tennant is the best if not the most beloved of all the sonic screwdriver wielding Doctor’s from the Dr. Who series, but here, you will get to see a very different and very dark character that is basically the complete opposite of his Dr. Who portrayal. Yet the one thing that remains the same for this gifted actor, he is always mesmerizing and captivating. What a wonderful piece of casting. I can’t wait for season two and neither will you.
Starring:
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
Mike Colter as Luke Cage
Rachel Taylor as Trish
Carrie Anne-Moss as Jeri Hogarth
Wil Traval as Will Simpson
Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse
Erin Moriarty as Hope Shlottman
David Tennett as Kilgrave
Marvel’s Jessica Jones – Season 1 ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
