Marvel's Jessica Jones Review by Henry Tran

Marvel's Jessica Jones 1.01: AKA Ladies Night

Marvel's Jessica Jones 1.01: AKA Ladies Night

Written By:
Melissa Rosenberg
Directed By:
SJ Clarkson



The first thing I noticed about Jessica Jones is how comfortable the show is in its own skin. It's a Marvel property, yet because of the character's obscure story and origins (I have absolutely no idea what or who Jessica Jones really is), it moves forward with a confidence that doesn't exist in any other superhero story. There's no need to connect it to any other Marvel properties and so it's free to concentrate on developing a compelling story as well as great characters. 






It is because Jessica Jones is so unknown to many viewers that character development is so key to the series being a success. It may exist in the same universe as Daredevil and The Avengers, but there is no need to explicitly say so. One scene obliquely references to Jessica being "one of them" and that's really the only one in this first episode that would explain such a connection to the MCU.


The point here is that the show immediately sets a tone and sticks with it. Being that Jessica Jones is a private investigator, the natural expected tone would be of a noir-ish feel. She says in a surprisingly not-so-annoying voiceover narration that she has the job to pay the bills, and while that may be somewhat true, the episode demonstrates as it is running that isn't the whole truth. It's part to give her access to places and situations where normal people wouldn't go, and to also mask a trauma that she's been dealing with for over a year now. But there's also a darkness that she's covering up behind the quick barbs and cynical wit.






It's slowly revealed that she is in the middle of dealing with obvious PTSD symptoms. Those symptoms are a result of an encounter with Kilgrave, a mysterious villain who only shows up in flashes or dreams (or possibly hallucinations) from Jessica's mind. On the outside, Jessica is fearless and spunky, begging District Attorney Hogarth for jobs that other people won't take. On the inside, she is coping with all of the damage that Kilgrave has brought into her life. The episode goes a great job of how Kilgrave, or rather the non-corporeal specter of Kilgrave, breaks down her defenses. 


She named off four streets in the beginning. By the end, she neglects all but one of the streets, for example. She explains late in the episode that his "influence" wears off with time and distance. His behavioral patterns are the same from the past. Since it becomes increasingly clear as she investigates the case of Hope Shlottman that Kilgrave is the man behind the abduction, his return to Jessica's life is something that she wants to stay clear of. It's only a matter of time before they come face-to-face.






While I could venture a couple of guesses as to what Kilgrave made Jessica do while under his control, it would undoubtedly be, for the most part, wrong. He's probably not the physical intimidator like Professor Zoom in The Flash, but the psychological scars he leaves are indicative of a more insidious nature. His methods are particularly loathsome because they appear to prey on young women, and such violations could be construed as rape. 


The show doesn't acknowledge as such but it's hard not to see the implications and similarities. Hope is completely under his spell at the end of this episode. The influence seems to make it so any actions his victims take absolve him of any responsibility. His captives are convinced that his word is absolute and must be followed or bad consequences will follow. It speaks then to Jessica's mental fortitude in surviving her time with Kilgrave, setting aside her physical abilities.






Another aspect that I love about this series so far is how underplayed Jessica's superpowers are. So far, we've seen super strength and incredible leaping ability. What else can she do? How did she get those powers? She doesn't look like an alien, though that's not always a good predictor of the superpowered in the Marvel Universe. But the intrigue factor is there. 


I wonder if the series will continue the same structure, with Jessica taking on a case and trying to find out how it connects to Kilgrave. That doesn't seem all that sustainable since the end of this episode has Jessica all but confirming that Kilgrave is back in her life. She could use some help from the mysterious handsome bartender. But fact that Kilgrave is always there now feels very terrifying, and the episode builds on that feeling steadily. Let's hope the series can do the same.

Our Grade:
A
The Good:
  • The relative disconnect from the rest of the MCU allows the series to be its own animal
  • The exploration of PTSD and traumatic, abusive relationships is already potent
The Bad:
  • Will this season be all about Kilgrave?

Henry Tran is a regular contributor of review for Critical Myth; The Critical Myth Show is heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @HenYay

Marvel's Jessica Jones by - 11/23/2015 6:01 AM185 views

Your Responses

Flaco_Jones
Flaco_Jones
CONCURRING OPINION

Grade: A
I have read the entire Alias book series so I'm coming from the point of view of seeing how faithful they are and if the changes they make improve on the source material or not. The series is definitely more focused than the books so far which probably makes more sense since a TV show need that but I am going to miss a lot of the references to other Marvel characters in the books. Great start overall though!

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