TV Binge: Jessica Jones [Season 1/2015]

We are finally back with another TV Binge! I really wanted it to be Jessica Jones especially since it was requested after my TV binge of Daredevil. Seeing as Daredevil just launched Season 2 on Netflix, I thought it would be a good time to talk Jessica Jones.

Lets start by saying that I really did not have any faith in Jessica Jones. And it took me longer than I had wanted because I couldn’t get Krysten Ritter as Gia Goodman in Veronica Mars out of my head. She has probably done other roles after this one but I just finished binging Veronica Mars so it was fresh on my mind. Plus, it seemed that she would be doing something completely opposite, being dark and sarcastic and surviving from her own past. I know nothing about superheroes and their source materials. Thats really all I have in my defense.

Lets check this out!

Jessica Jones [Season 1]

Creator: Melissa Rosenberg

Cast: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Ann Moss, David Tennant, Eka Darville, Wil Traval, Mike Colter, Erin Moriarty

A former superhero decides to reboot her life by becoming a private investigator.-IMDB

Jessica Jones surprised me a lot..in a very good way.  If anything, I liked it much more.  It had to do with the character of Jessica Jones being much more intriguing to watch and the inner struggles she had and the strong character she portrayed.  The good part also had to do with the pacing of the show.  I say more because I can’t help to compare it to Daredevil, seeing as they are building towards the same mini-series in the future. With that said, superheroes are definitely not in shortage around the universe in and surrounding Hell’s Kitchen, right? They are extremely secretive about who they are.

How do we describe Jessica Jones? She has a good heart deep under the layers of pain. She tries to isolate herself so that her dangers won’t affect the few people she cares about. She is a superhero with super strength but now only a private investigator living in a rundown office. And she had one goal to run away from Kilgrave but now she plans on ending him for all the harm he has caused. Jessica Jones grows a lot and the series digs deep into her past and the turmultuous life she lives in now. No one needs a thousand enemies, we just need that one person that is inexplicably hard to defeat.

There is only a few people in Jessica Jones life that is worth a mention and the series does a good job at building on these people, whether its her famous talk show host best friend Trish or whether its her neighbor Malcolm, they all have a specific importance to her life. Their relationships with each other and the motives and characteristics of these two characters specifically become abundantly clear by the end. We know where they stand and where they will be when things take a turn for the bad.

David Tennant plays Kilgrave. The enemy of Jessica Jones that destroyed her life and who has the powers of mind control. Kilgrave is ruthless and volatile. He doesnt care about anyone but he does love Jessica and wants her back even if his measures are extreme. If there was a weak link in this, it was that I never actually felt like Jessica was in danger. Kilgrave didn’t feel like he would harm her a lot despite his nature and what he did to others. It was more what would happen and the way he chose for others to go that made him more dangerous. Does that mean he is a bad character? No. We also learn a lot about him and he gets the care needed for us to better understand our villain.

However, what stands out for Jessica Jones other than their main characters are the supporting ones.  Carrie-Anne Moss plays the powerful and almost emotionless lawyer that uses Jessica Jones’ service.  The character is selfish and really not that likable but at the same time, the character itself is worth a mention.  At the same time, my favorite part of Jessica Jones is Luke Cage. The connection him and Jessica Jones is amazing.  The sex scenes are intense and awesome and the character makes me look forward to his own series (which should be coming up soon).  Aside from that, there was also Dan Simpson (played by Wil Traval) who really has a big surprise by the end (at least to me because I know nothing about this universe).  I wonder if he’ll be making an appearance in the next one.

Jessica Jones is a fun series with a lot of dark moments, some sarcastic humor and a lot of great characters.  The story is paced well and it kept me engaged for quite a while.  The best part was definitely leaving the series with a greater anticipation for season 2 but also for Luke Cage’s own series. Netflix is cranking up some good stuff and I sure hope they keep it up.  It’ll be fun to see how it all connects together. And well, maybe finding out the secret behind Jessica Jones and her powers, if there is any.

Have you seen Jessica Jones? What are your thoughts?