W.A.F. REVIEWS: Jessica Jones

Welcome to the first edition of World’s Almost Finest Reviews! Jake here, and I thought that it would be fun to sit down and actually write out a review of some of the television shows I am currently watching or movies that I have enjoyed,  and cover some of the things that we don’t get to on episodes of the WAF Podcast. With that being said, for today’s inaugural review, I would like to give my impression of Marvel’s latest Netflix offering, “Jessica Jones!” And just to make it clear, there will be spoilers listed here, so if you haven’t binge-watched the series yet, you should probably do so before reading this.

Now just who is Jessica Jones? Well, she’s a no-nonsense, hard-drinking private investigator with powers who has an incredibly troubled and traumatic background. First, she was involved in a car accident which killed her mother, father, and brother, leaving her as the only survivor. Then, she gets adopted by an incredibly arrogant Hollywood Step”monster” who only wanted to bring her into the family so that it would look good for the career  of her real daughter, the star of the hit TV show “It’s Patsy”. Then, after she’s all grown up, she gets involved with a creepy man by the name of Kilgrave, who has the ability to make people do anything they want just by telling them to do so. He makes her do awful things, and also does awful things TO her. I can totally understand her position on life.

Krysten Ritter does a remarkable job of bringing the character of Jessica Jones from the pages of the “Alias” comics into live-action format. To tell you the truth, back when they first announced that she was going to play the character, I had already made up my mind that she was going to rock this. I’ve always been a fan of hers. Whether it be her work in the projects such as “She’s Outta My League”, “Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23”, or “Breaking Bad”, Ritter is one of those actresses who brings a certain presence to whatever it is she does. The way she handles the lifestyle that Jessica has chosen to live, which includes fights with unhappy clients or getting tossed out of a bar and landing in a pile of garbage bags while also being incredibly drunk, is exceptional. She captures exactly what it means to not only be rough around the edges, but also as a survivor of rape. I know that word carries a lot of weight to it, but she is a recovering victim. The stuff that she was made to do while under Kilgrave’s control, and the violation that she endured would drive anyone insane.

While on the subject of Kilgrave, let’s talk about the always amazing David Tennant. I have been a GIGANTIC David Tennant fan ever since I first saw his run on “Doctor Who”. I always thought that Tennant would be an excellent choice for either of the big 2 comic book companies to grab for future films.  He always brings a certain air about him to every role he takes, which is what makes him stand out further than everyone else. This time, with Kilgrave, he showcases a creepiness that was absolutely a necessity. Kilgrave is a man who violates you in an extreme way. He doesn’t just make you do things that you don’t want to do, he gets inside your head. And he doesn’t let go until he is completely finished with you, and that usually means he is ready to move on to his next target. But with everything he has, he truly hates it because it means he can never tell who is being truly genuine with him, or if they’re just doing what he says.  One of my favorite lines from the show is when Kilgrave tells Jessica “I once told a man to go screw himself. Can you even imagine?”

Continuing on, Mike Colter as Luke Cage was a brilliant choice. It’s funny, before Colter was chosen, I remember when everyone kept thinking that Cage had  already been introduced on Marvel’s first TV series, “Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and was using the name Mack, currently played by Henry Simmons. But, as we now know, Mack is just…Mack. Anyway, I loved how when we first see Luke Cage, as Jessica is taking pictures of him, he’s almost wearing the costume sported by his comic book counterpart. Yellow shirt and jeans. Just needed the chain to finish the ensemble. As the show progresses, Cage goes through a substantial amount of character development. He and Jessica form quite the pairing, showcasing how to break a bed with ease! And the episode where he finds out that it was Jessica that killed his wife at the behest of Kilgrave, Colter owned his time on the camera. And that fight scene between Jessica and Luke, under the control of Kilgrave, was awesome! Simply brutal.  Cage is set to star in his own Netflix series next year, and I honestly can’t wait to see what they do with it.

The series really does go into new territory that Marvel Studios hasn’t really examined yet in the MCU. Sure, they showed a new type of attitude with the “Daredevil” series which preceded this one, but “Jessica Jones” takes what “Daredevil” started and almost remasters it to fit their story. The scenes of Jessica and Luke in the bedroom are certainly not something we’ve witnessed happen in any of the films. But for all the differences, you can still feel the effects of the MCU all around them. Of course, this also brings me to a gripe that I kept bringing up to myself while watching all 13 episodes. Two, in particular.

First, it really bugged me that they keep saying that this show is set in the same MCU as the films are, yet we barely get any references to everything that has happened, and how the world is completely changed when The Avengers saved the world. Sure, they bring up the fact that aliens invaded New York during one quick scene, but that’s about it. I did see one kid in an episode who was running around in a Captain America costume. And I did enjoy the episode featuring the couple who wanted revenge on Jessica based on what The Avengers did while battling the Chituari, even though she wasn’t a part of it. But when you got scenes where they were clearly talking about Cap or the Hulk, they never used the names. They always went by “the flag waver” or “big green guy”. And while we’re on the subject of references, this story takes place in a different part of Hells Kitchen. And besides the cameo from Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, I didn’t see one newspaper article or hear one story on the radio in any of the episodes that is talking about the arrest of the Kingpin of Crime Wilson Fisk, OR how there’s a guy in a red devil costume running around Hells Kitchen saving people. You would think that would be a big story.

The second problem I have is with the ending. And for you spoiler-phobes out there who haven’t watched the series yet, refer back to the beginning of this article. I warned you. Now, we reach the last episode, and the final battle between Jessica and Kilgrave. And while it is pretty awesome the way she makes him believe that his stronger power has once again taken effect on her, she just snaps his neck. Talk about a tad bit anticlimactic. But more importantly, THEY KILLED DAVID TENNANT! I couldn’t believe this was the rout they chose to go down. When you have an actor the caliber of David Tennant, you lock him down to a contract and you keep him for as long as you can! Sure, the argument can be made that they could bring him back down the road. But a snapped neck is pretty conclusive, and with the steps Marvel takes to try and ground their stuff as much into reality as possible, I don’t think they would do anything too drastic like a magical potion or journeying to the other side to find his soul. I also wasn’t a fan of the way the character development for Jessica was basically done once she was back in her office at the end of the final episode, and she kept ignoring calls from people who were in desperate need of her help.

All in all, I think “Jessica Jones” is a great addition to the MCU. As it stands now, the next time we’re supposed to be seeing the character is when Marvel brings together all of the Netflix heroes, Daredevil, Jones, Luke Cage & Iron Fist, in “The Defenders”.  Of course, that’s not saying that she won’t possibly show up as a cameo in the Luke Cage series, which would make total sense.  I would love to see this show get a second season because there are a few loose ends that need to be explored.  Like what’s the deal with that mysterious doctor and the different color pills? Or will Patsy continue her fight training and eventually take up the role of her comic book counterpart Hellcat? Hopefully, all will be revealed in the future. Until next time…