Absolute power corrupts absolutely…

Well, I’m back folks and I’ll be honest, I had a winter love affair… with the series Supernatural. I’ve plowed through seven seasons of that show in little over a month. In between all that however, I did finally catch a few other things. I caught a film here or there, and of course, Marvel’s newest Netflix series: Jessica Jones. “Why not?” I figured, “It’s been on my list since it came out and it’s barely over a dozen episodes,” Now while I absolutely loved Daredevil, I was skeptical of this series, as not everything Marvel touches, turns to gold. Well, while it’s no Daredevil, Jessica Jones is a solid series (solid enough to get a second season as of writing this article).

The show is based off of the comic series Alias which only came out in the early 2000’s; it’s a bit odd to me to see such a new character get their own show, considering that most comic book characters have been in circulation for 30 or more years. This series ties in with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and therefore has a close relationship with Daredevil. Both take place in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City and some characters cross over from one series to the other.

The plot revolves around the traumatized ex-hero Jessica Jones, a slight woman (portrayed by Krysten Ritter) with superhuman strength… and a pretty serious drinking problem. Jessica runs a private investigation agency and is trying to move on with her life after escaping the villain Kilgrave (David Tennant) who for months had controlled Jessica through his near unstoppable mind control ability. Unfortunately, it comes to light that Kilgrave is very much alive and is now obsessed with Jessica to a psychotic level. He WILL have her, no matter who he has to hurt.

This leaves Jessica with the issue of how to confront Kilgrave, a man who controlled her every move for months. Through this, the series tackles heavy subject matter, such as rape, obsession and delusion. Other characters float around Jessica and Kilgrave’s battle as well, such as Jessica’s adopted sister Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) and her romantic interest Luke Cage (Mike Colter) who is gifted with his own super strength as well as unbreakable skin (Luke will be getting his own show on Netflix very soon).

The acting in the show is top notch. Ritter kills it as the snarky but tortured Jessica Jones, even if the character itself is a bit thin. Colter shows great promise as Luke Cage with his reserved manner and imposing physicality. Finally, Tennant gives a chilling, sad and complex performance as the obsessed Kilgrave, whom is probably the most interesting character in this whole series. The cast did an awesome job.  The action choreography wasn’t too bad, but anytime you include super powers you either have to use CG or slick editing. This show went with the latter and it worked, though I wasn’t crazy about it.

Tonally the show is pretty heavy. I won’t say dark, though dark themes are clearly explored as with most of Marvel’s Netflix series, but it doesn’t go Daredevil dark. The show just always has this weight to it that makes it hard to become unglued to. The downside is that this weight really doesn’t kick in until around episode six or seven of this thirteen-episode series. This show takes its sweet time getting interesting. Frankly, Jessica herself isn’t all that enthralling and for the most part is unlikable to begin with. This show may have pulled out a great finish and a stellar plot, but the beginning of the show just sort of drags itself out and feels like filler at its worst moments.

The Verdict:

Sure, watch the show. If you like mystery and suspense shows, you’ll probably get a good ride out of this. It’ll probably help to be a Marvel fan. I wouldn’t’ recommend trying this one unless you’re patient. If you don’t have the time to risk sitting through some kind of dragging plot points for the first couple of episodes, then maybe Jessica Jones isn’t for you. Those ready for a great villain and intriguing plot however, will enjoy Jessica Jones for the damn fine show that it is.