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| Jessica Jones |
The time between Jessica Jones season one and two has been a bit rough for the Netflix division of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even with critical praise, the superhero detective series has had to compete with The Defenders and the critically inferior series like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher. To summarize, she is seen as the saving grace to a mediocre franchise, and there's good reason. It becomes clear almost immediately in season two that she isn't just a character who punches people. No, she has more of a deeper emotional core that this time explores a toxic family dynamic that causes her to mature in unassuming ways. This isn't just a show where the villain is being sought after. No, this is a journey against the demons in Jessica Jones' (Krysten Ritter) soul. In that regards, the show remains the smartest, most engaging of The Defenders series, and there's no close competition.
There's a certain difficulty to following up a season as prescient as the first season of Jessica Jones. It was a season whose villain embodied a form of toxic masculinity that most women still face. It was powerful because it felt like more than a vapid villain akin to Daredevil or Iron Fist, and in the process defined Jessica Jones as the premiere series of the bunch. It helped that Ritter had her own presence, finding snarky humor in between the neo-noir trappings of her setting. Considering that the writing and directing staff was made up predominantly of women this time around, it did seem easy to make it another dive into toxic masculinity, especially int he wake of the Me Too movement. However, it would be cheap to write off the series' second act as being just about those that hurt Jessica.
In reality, the show has shifted to something more personal. Jessica lives as a woman who hates the buzzwords like "hero." She wanders through life aimlessly, drunk and without purpose despite being a detective with the power for change. She can make a difference, if she wants. Instead, she lingers through an existential crisis that may make the early episodes a bit meandering, but help to make the catalyst more powerful. She discovers a drug that serves as endorphins for superpowers. It drives an addiction that is explored in great detail throughout the season. For some, it is a positive effect with natural healing capabilities. For others, it's something that could lead to manic fits of rage. Who's selling it? That's the mystery of the season, and one that isn't without a satisfying and heartbreaking conclusion.
The gist of the season isn't to establish another season of any spin-off series. Instead, it's a bigger journey into Jessica's head, notably her relationship to her mother and sister - the former of whom "died" in a car crash, leaving Jessica an uncontrollable mess. With the typical neo-noir voice-over, each episode serves as an exploration not only to how she deals with grief, but how she comes to understand her identity through an unconventional upbringing. In one of the series' best episodes, there's even a look into Jessica's head where she is haunted by ex-boyfriend Kilgrave (David Tennant) as he taunts her to fall into a despairing trap of destruction. It gives a better sense to how much of her life is in tatters over the conflicts she faces inside. It's a moral dilemma, and one that defines the season perfectly. Who is Jessica Jones? What does she do with her superpowers? Is she a hero?
By the end, the questions come to a satisfying if predictable conclusion. However, it's only through understanding the people in Jessica's life that it comes to any fruition. She is initially driven more out of obligation than desire, but finds that there's a certain sadness when there's nobody there to protect her. Even if there's small bouts of guilt, there's still a sense of evolution, that she's not going to be defined by her former drunken self. She will make a difference, and thus become the hero that she could be. To say the least, the season lacks great action scenes on par with any of the other series. Jessica Jones hasn't really ever been about that. However, it's more emotionally rich in return.
Jessica Jones is definitely the pinnacle of what The Defenders series wants to be. It's a deep dive into obscure characters by giving them more of a cultural relevance. As much as Jessica is defined by conflicts that face women, she is inherently more interesting as a character because the show runner understands that it's her personal struggle that audiences find compelling. While the show could do with a less formed season, it definitely works as a look into a woman's conflicted life, and how the grief of her past - no matter how unintentional - doesn't need to define her. It will be a part of her, but it will be minor compared to the bigger portrait. There's nobody in Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, or The Punisher with as much emotional background as Jessica. It's a shame, because it's the one advantage of a TV season. These shows have tried, but maybe it's just that Jessica Jones is a series that doesn't need to fight crime to be interesting. Maybe it just needs to fight itself.
In some ways, it is an inferior season of TV by virtue of lacking a villain as great as Kilgrave. Even then, the show establishes its relevance by proving that character is more interesting. Even as it hits a lot of the familiar modern subjects in its plot, specifically around reactionary journalism, it manages to convey it all with a personal touch that's prescient but not entirely obvious. It's a show that shows how women aren't victims solely because crisis has happened. They are capable of moving on and becoming stronger, emotionally and physically. The show works as a character study into her life and begs the question as to why the other series can't live up to these standards. They've tried, but Jessica Jones is unfairly better in every significant way. If only there was another show as good, then maybe The Defenders would seem like more than a gimmicky version of The Avengers.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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