TV Review: Jessica Jones
“Jessica Jones,” a Netflix original show based on the Marvel Studios character, recently released its second season. Jones, one of the more mysterious characters to come out of the Marvel Universe, ends her short-lived career as a superhero after disaster strikes. She hides in a dilapidated apartment in New York City and starts a detective agency called Alias Investigations. With her super-strength and shrewd detective skills, Jones exposes the world’s liars and cheaters.
Despite her successful career, the sadness in her everyday life takes a toll on Jones. She falls into an endless spiral of destructive behavior, bad choices and whiskey. However, when individuals from her past resurface to cause more wreckage, Jones is forced to put a stop to these people before they hurt others.
Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, is a cunning woman with extraordinary abilities. After her family dies when she is only a teenager, she is adopted by a woman. Not long after this, her superpowers emerge. At first, she uses them to help her boyfriend steal money and other objects.
After his murder, however, she moves in with Trish Walker, her adoptive sister, who helps Jones use her powers for good. After she saves one man from being mugged and murdered, Jones captures the attention of a man named Kilgrave. Kilgrave uses his power of mind control and makes Jones his personal slave. One day, he orders Jones to kill an innocent woman. The trauma of the murder finally frees Jessica from his spell and she escapes.
Trish Walker also has a difficult backstory. Her mother abused her and forced her to become a television star. Throughout the course of the show, Walker finally frees herself from her mother’s control with Jessica’s help. She later becomes the star of a hit radio show. Walker tries to always help others and often encourages Jones to be a hero.
Malcolm Ducasse becomes Jones’s neighbor, and the mind-controlling Kilgrave forces him to spy on her. After Jones realizes he is a spy, Ducasse is freed from Kilgrave’s hold, and he helps Jones defeat the manipulator. In the end, Ducasse works with Jones under Alias Investigations and always has her back.
The show takes on dark themes, tackling subjects including drug addiction, sexual assault and mental illness. The show’s handling of difficult subject matter is unusual for action shows and contrasts with the Marvel Studios version of “Jessica Jones.” However, the series currently stands as one of Netflix’s top originals.
Although some scenes are difficult to watch, “Jessica Jones” mirrors the real world much more closely than other superhero franchises. Jones lives in a world of pain where she struggles to pay bills and find her place. With these issues, she is nowhere near perfect, still relying on family and those close to her to stay on her feet. Despite this, she is a strong female lead.
“Jessica Jones” does not adhere to stereotypes about women, and provides a rare view of the real troubles women experience. Some have dubbed Jones a feminist, especially when she protects other women from the main villain, Kilgrave, and men who might try to hurt those around her. With her strong personality, Jessica Jones is not a damsel in distress, but rather a knight who defies expectations in a leather jacket and ripped jeans.