Bold, complex storytelling blends with incredible performances to produce what is arguably the best single season of Marvel TV to date. (I'd even put it on the level of some seasons of The Wire or Game of Thrones.) Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg uses Jessica Jones to tackle issues of post-sexual assault trauma, emotional abuse, abortion, and more. The film noir style, and light touch when it comes to superpowers, gives the show a grittiness and reality that makes all of the emotional punches land as hard as an enhanced roundhouse from Luke Cage. Krysten Ritter's turn as the alcoholic, self-destructive Jessica is so pitch-perfect that it's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. When she's suffering under the weight of guilt, shame, and victimhood you can see it in her eyes. Around her the supporting cast also shines, with Carrie-Anne Moss standing out in a deliciously dark role that sucks you in. All the while, David Tennant's legendary take on Killgrave creates what is arguably the best villain in Marvel Studios history- TV or film. (It's at least in the conversation.) His malevolence is tinged with just enough humanity to make him seem all-too real, which only amps up the scare factor. The season's fatal flaw, as with even the best Netflix series of this era, is its length. The story starts to drag about halfway through episode 10, though the final episode is solid. If they had trimmed it down to 12 episodes and added in one more exciting set piece, it would have been a perfectly-paced story; but even with this minor drawback, Jessica Jones' first season improves on the amazing season 1 of Daredevil, giving the Defenders Saga a pretty incredible 1-2 punch to launch their little corner of the MCU.
Review by Mike ShawVIP EP 2BlockedParent2023-01-22T15:27:38Z— updated 2023-01-24T02:26:49Z
Bold, complex storytelling blends with incredible performances to produce what is arguably the best single season of Marvel TV to date. (I'd even put it on the level of some seasons of The Wire or Game of Thrones.) Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg uses Jessica Jones to tackle issues of post-sexual assault trauma, emotional abuse, abortion, and more. The film noir style, and light touch when it comes to superpowers, gives the show a grittiness and reality that makes all of the emotional punches land as hard as an enhanced roundhouse from Luke Cage. Krysten Ritter's turn as the alcoholic, self-destructive Jessica is so pitch-perfect that it's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. When she's suffering under the weight of guilt, shame, and victimhood you can see it in her eyes. Around her the supporting cast also shines, with Carrie-Anne Moss standing out in a deliciously dark role that sucks you in. All the while, David Tennant's legendary take on Killgrave creates what is arguably the best villain in Marvel Studios history- TV or film. (It's at least in the conversation.) His malevolence is tinged with just enough humanity to make him seem all-too real, which only amps up the scare factor. The season's fatal flaw, as with even the best Netflix series of this era, is its length. The story starts to drag about halfway through episode 10, though the final episode is solid. If they had trimmed it down to 12 episodes and added in one more exciting set piece, it would have been a perfectly-paced story; but even with this minor drawback, Jessica Jones' first season improves on the amazing season 1 of Daredevil, giving the Defenders Saga a pretty incredible 1-2 punch to launch their little corner of the MCU.