Just when you thought there was no way that a Marvel/Netflix series could match this year’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones enters the fray and makes a strong claim to meet if not exceed Marvel’s first streaming superhero show.
There’s a lot to like about Jessica Jones. If you’re wondering whether it shares more than the Hell’s Kitchen location with Daredevil, well then the answer is an emphatic yes!
Dark Tones
Like Daredevil, Jessica Jones is exceedingly dark-thematically as well as visually.
Both shows’ titular characters have extremely formidable villains. This fact is a huge differentiator from the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where most of the foes (outside of the resourceful Loki) are either easily vanquished (Ultron in the Age of Ultron, Whiplash in Iron Man 2) or far too mortal (Obadiah Stane in Iron Man, Yellow Jacket in Ant-Man).
In Jessica Jones, her adversary Killgrave, played by the magnificently maniacal David Tennant, not only packs an over-the-top, overly literal name. He is buoyed by considerable mind power skills, which he’s used to manipulate Jessica in the past. This past continues to haunt her in the present, and makes her wary of any future interactions with her dastardly foe. Now, that is a villain like none that we’ve seen in the MCU.
The casting director needs to be lauded. As they did with Daredevil, the casting team nailed it with Breaking Bad’s Krysten Ritter in the titular role. Before Jessica Jones, I knew little about her, but I damn sure do now! She mixes femininity, sensuality, strength and vulnerability simultaneously, in a way I’ve yet to see in the superhero movie genre.
Her “lover/partner-in-crime fighting,” Luke Cage-played by Mike Coulter, is also a great cast addition. Although his exterior, emotionally and physically, has largely been unbreakable in season 1, he shows enough charisma,”bad-ass-ness,” and vulnerability that I can’t wait to see his stand-alone show in 2016.
And last but not least, Carrie-Anne Moss, who is largely known by many moviegoers as Trinity in The Matrix, plays a cold, calculating lawyer. But she seems to have some “soul” or deeper purpose at times. Is she good or bad? Or maybe she’s just opportunism personified, which yields good and bad results. For my money, she’s one of the shows scene stealers.
I also love the intertext at play in this series-where Marvel’s Avengers, The Incredible Hulk and the infamous alien attack on New York City are alluded to throughout. And despite the show’s often bleak atmosphere and passionate love scenes, it still injects the right amount of humor and sarcasm so viewers don’t leave clinically depressed.
Yes, Jessica Jones got it right. And I am thankful for that.
You were spot on with your recommendation. I’ve definitely enjoyed this more than DareDevil and I thought DareDevil was actually very good. Marvel is really stepping up their game with these TV shows.
@eddysalomon I absolutely love the show dawg. Marvel’s Netflix stuff is actually starting to surpass the movies. I still like the MCU but this dark, gritty and more grounded medium has made the stuff pragmatic and mad deep.
That’s a big statement to say they’re surpassing the movies. But it’s hard to argue against it. Their shows have been incredible. I’ve also become a big fan of agents of shield. Definitely not as dark but still very good.
@eddysalomon Let me amend that. It’s not better than the MCU (yet). That lineup is long and deep (DPT :)…but I do believe that it’s latest two shows (Daredevil and Jessica Jones) have been better than Age of Ultron (there last big “event” movie). Ant-Man was surprisingly good though. I eagerly await the Luke Cage series, which is next up after season #2 of Daredevil. I am not a current watcher of AOS but everyone tells me that it’s leaps and bounds better than it was when it debuted. Marvel-ous times right now for sure.