Jessica Jones
Marvel and Netflix’s second collaboration together is finally here. Jessica Jones, based on the comic book Alias, but not named as such to avoid branding confusion, and originally titled AKA Jessica Jones is a noir detective story with some attitude. It takes place in New York City, some familiar ground known as Hell’s Kitchen, but isn’t a sequel to Daredevil. In fact, let’s avoid all comparisons to Daredevil. The two shows were born out of the same agreement and will crossover down the line but they are unique standalone shows, both excellent in their own regard.
To avoid spoilers so we can all enjoy the show at our own pace this write up will stick to the first few episodes of the series and won’t go venture into spoiler territory.
Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is not your average hero. No tights, no cape; not even a good attitude. She is sarcastic and angry. Her temper is short as The Incredible Hulk’s and she isn’t too concerned with the secret identity side of things. The show starts with alluding to her giving the hero thing a try, and it not ending well. As the series progresses more of Jones’s past is revealed. She carries some mental and emotional scars but tries her hand at a new life as a freelance private investigator. Jeryn Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) is introduced early as a high power lawyer who tried to give Jones steady employment, Jessica only flies solo (no, she can’t actually fly). The one friend Jones does have s in Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), big time actress, turned big time radio personality and a little more than an Marvel easter egg into her aliases Patsy Walker and Hellcat.
Supposedly there is a Daredevil, or at least Matt Murdock, crossover planned for this show. Time will tell. Where the showrunners waste no time is introducing Luke Cage (Mike Colter), aka Power Man. Cage is a bar owner that Jones befriends in the limited way she has friends but a trauma from her past is more than she can bare and Cage is cut loose. Inevitably the two will have to hash things out if they want to form The Defenders.
The big bad of the show is a unique villain. He isn’t simply the opposite of the hero, a trope Marvel is big on, but he is very connected to Jones’s past. Kilgrave (David Tennant) is treated very much like a cinematic monster, and that is amazing. He is alluded to, talked about in scared tones, and not fully shown for the first several hours. Tennant is well known for his time as the insanely famous and fan favorite Dr. Who, I have a strong suspicion that Kilgrave won’t be anything like that at all. Kilgrave’s ability is the power of suggestion. It’s literal mind control. He tells someone what to do, they do it. He can control multiple people, for varying amounts of time and knows how powerful he is. He doesn’t think twice about any of it and that’s what makes him scary. Personally to Jones, their intertwined past gives him insight on her but the insight working in the other direction could be his undoing. More excellent cast members are introduced as the show goes on but that’s verging on spoiler territory so you’ll just have to watch and see.
The tone and direction of Jones is outstanding. The city itself is alive through the characters. Dark settings, dingy apartments, and back alleys are set perfectly as a believable New York City but also mask the intense darkness that surrounds the main character and her past. Great editing and camera tricks are used with consistency throughout all episodes that have the audience’s head exactly where it needs to be for what comes next. The score stands out, even over the impeccable visuals, in setting the tone of the show. When the show is at it’s creepiest the score will literally run chills down your back.
The creepy factor is something I didn’t expect at all coming from a Marvel property set in the “real” world. The entire first episode Jones is investigating a missing person. The missing person had been hoodwinked by Kilgrave and wasn’t in control of her actions at all. the vacant stares, simple answers, and willingness to do literally anything with no hesitation was eerie to watch, punctuated with dark lighting and subdued colors as well as the aforementioned excellent score Jones is as thrilling as any thriller story by genre can hope to be. Being a noir type detective story the creepiness and tone are key. They follow the scripts as the story unfolds perfectly. Nothing is given up too fast or too slow.
The action scenes in Jones are also excellent. The show doesn’t rely on them, and doesn’t need to, but they fit the mood and character perfectly. Jones isn’t a trained martial artist, she doesn’t have to be. She has super strength. The strength is more often used to show the characters pent up emotions in a form of poetry comic book properties embody so well. Early on there is a scuffle that involves both Jones and Cage. The two dispatch the thugs with an ease that verges on boredom. Jones has years of rage pent up so the action is an outlet where Cage seems bored by everything and only does it to go through the motions, his facial expression is more of someone clerking at a grocery store than a brawler. Brawling is exactly what it’s about in Jessica Jones too. Since there isn’t formal fight training the fight choreography isn’t elaborate and showy. It’s much more real, even though it involved superpowers.
