Comic Vine News

122 Comments

'Jessica Jones' is a Terrifying and Smashing Success

How did the first season of this new show go?

Warning: There's a few spoilers for the first season of this show.

Marvel's second Netflix series follows the journey of Jessica Jones, a private detective who has a dark past and a connection to a super-powered man named Kilgrave. That's the short and sweet of the 13-episode season, which primarily deals with Jessica confronting her past in order to save those Kilgrave has harmed or controlled.

With the Marvel machine popping out film after film, which many seem to follow a similar formula and tone, it's refreshing to see the Netflix series be so different, so dark, so adult. After seeing what Marvel and Netflix had to offer with Daredevil, it was surprising to see that Jessica Jones be so different from Daredevil. Sure, they're both pretty dark and geared more towards an adult audience, but that's where the similarities end.

No Caption Provided

While Daredevil was about a man cleaning up the streets of his neighborhood and taking on a powerful crimelord, Jessica Jones isn't about fighting crime, and aside from a few small scenes here or there, this show isn't about a someone with super-powers.

Krysten Ritter does a fantastic job portraying the cinematic universe version of Jessia Jones. She fits into the private detective role perfectly as someone who is intelligent, with a broken past, and her own current demons to battle with. She doesn't want to open up to those around her but is forced to because of the events happening around her. I loved the fact that not only is she a great private detective but she's always two-steps ahead, even when Kilgrave thinks he has a one-up on her. However, sometimes her anger and sense of revenge block her reasoning and logic creating this wonderfully flawed character.

No Caption Provided

Without a doubt, Kilgrave is the most terrifying villain that has ever come to the Marvel cinematic universe. David Tennant's portrayal of the Purple Man is a total reinvention of the comic book character in all the best ways possible. Kilgrave has the ability to make anyone do whatever they want and in this case, when you're a person with that ability for the majority of your life, you get to a point where you have no problem forcing people to commit heinous acts against themselves.

That's not what makes Kilgrave such a scary villain. Kilgrave becomes Marvel's top bad guy here because of how delusional he is. He believes that Jessica Jones is meant to be with him and somehow, even though he's raped her and made her murder for him, she'll eventually come around to loving him. Kilgrave's limitations also make him frightening as his powers, early on in the season, only last for roughly 12 hours, so he needs to continuously be around to control people, or he can just get you addicted to heroin in order to take some photos for him.

The whole theme for this first season is "trust" and figuring out who to trust, especially when someone can control people's minds. There's even moments where the viewers start to want to trust Kilgrave because they feel bad for him, as he was a victim of childhood experimentation. Again, that's more of the delusion talking. But that's the whole season is whether or not Jessica can trust those around her when all of the people closest to her could become targets. Just take a look at Trish's apartment. She's on lockdown, trapping herself inside what's essentially a panic room home and that's before Kilgrave even shows up. That speaks mountains about Trish's character and the upbringing she had. Every character deals with these trust issues.

No Caption Provided

Throughout the season, there were so many fantastic, jaw-dropping moments, many of which involved people dying or blowing up. The show went to places that I didn't think it would go to. It really kept me on my toes, right up until the final episode. Viewers know where the show is headed, but there's tons of surprises on the way to keep people invested in the action and story.

When it all boils down to the final episode, Jones isn't looking to be a hero, but she has a good heart and eventually people look to her for help because she has saved so many lives, including those on the dock who Kilgrave ordered to fight each other to the death. It sets a great precedent for where this show could go with a second season, without leaving a giant cliffhanger at the end.

No Caption Provided

This all builds to developing a fuller Marvel cinematic universe. Luke Cage is introduced here, played by Michael Colter, and he nails the role. Yes, him saying "sweet Christmas" may have been one of the highlights of his time on screen, but overall, he adds a lot to the overall story of the season, as, in a way, he's tied to Kilgrave's actions. In addition, Claire Temple shows up as well, and while it feels a bit shoehorned into the season, it does create some nice connectivity between this show and Daredevil, which we don't really need, but it's nice to see regardless.

The first season of Jessica Jones is a smashing success. It opens up the MCU a bit more and this second Netflix series gives us more than a person with powers trying to be a hero. It's a completely different show entirely, which is what makes it such a phenomenal addition. This show has a wide cast, much like DD, but it feels so much more personal and much more like a character study as we follow Jessica Jones on her journey. There's so much more to talk about when it comes to this show, and frankly, I could go on for days, but we're just trying to give an overview, but there's a brilliant secondary cast that really fleshes this world out so well. Both Netflix shows are the best pieces of live-action comics Marvel has put out, but I actually found myself liking Jessica Jones a bit more than Daredevil. Once again, Marvel has another hit on their hands. Now, bring on Luke Cage!

122 Comments

Avatar image for deactivated-5a04a566e9ae3
deactivated-5a04a566e9ae3

12864

Forum Posts

205

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

loved it

Avatar image for Feartheliving
FearTheLiving

8837

Forum Posts

125466

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By FearTheLiving

I absolutely loved it. I preferred Daredevil but this show is just so different in the tone and genre that it's kind of hard to even compare the two. I has some minor qualms but overall very good. Kilgrave was menacing, Jessica was on point and felt like a real person, Luke made me super excited for his show, Trish was a surprise hit, and the rest of the cast was just amazing. So yeah, overall very pleased with how it turned out and I'm hoping we see more aside from the Defenders sometime in the future.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the fact that they killed off Kilgrave, I mean he could always come back somehow but it was disappointing just because Tenant was just so good in the role and you want to see more of him.

Avatar image for overmonitor
Overmonitor

1515

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

How do we judge commercial success for Netflix series though? I was hoping you had insight into some actual comparative ratings.

Avatar image for omarthmainman
omarthmainman

91

Forum Posts

16

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By omarthmainman

It was an ok show. It was good but it wasn't daredevil.

Avatar image for spector_rand
Spector_Rand

3946

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Ok the show was amazinggggg.

So pumped for the next Netflix offering (DD S02 right?)

Avatar image for deactivated-59953d77c6a44
deactivated-59953d77c6a44

196

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I watched the first 4-6 episodes and I was very disappointed and bored. Daredevil was hardly perfect but leagues more interesting.

Avatar image for slickymike88
SlickyMike88

276

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I like this show ...however . They had so many chances to kill kilGrave and they didn't :P . Well until the end , but c'mon , this is the problem with superhero shows and movies .When it comes to a psycho killers, the hero always tries to fix the bad guy or put him in jail:P But in this case it's a REAL threat , you eleminate the threat like this , it drags on quite a bit :P

Avatar image for drellassassin
DrellAssassin

1028

Forum Posts

81

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

Loved the show, but as Mat mentions, her reasoning is often skewed, causing me in the end to not really like her as a character. I enjoy watching her, but I just don't like her. Daredevil still reigns supreme in the Marvel TV department but this was uniquely different.

Avatar image for daredevil21134
daredevil21134

15945

Forum Posts

22

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 15

*waits for people to whine about not seeing Avengers tower in the sky and that Jessica didn't mention certain Avengers by name*

Avatar image for Feartheliving
FearTheLiving

8837

Forum Posts

125466

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@spector_rand: Yeah I believe it's Daredevil Season 2 then Luke Cage.

Avatar image for dankhan6
dan12456

3006

Forum Posts

602

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Great review, great show, great cast. Kilgrave is the best MCU villain and it isn't even close. I still probably enjoyed Daredevil more, but as you said they are so different they are almost impossible to care. They also did a great job explaining why Jessica didn't just kill Purple Man early on through the Hope storyline, which could've been a flaw.

Avatar image for ultimatepower6
UltimatePower6

609

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 0

I must be in the minority in thinking that Jessica Jones was just okay. It was watchable, and it had it's moments (mostly surrounding Luke Cage and Kilgrave), but I thought the characters were the biggest weakness of this show. The side characters felt pointless to me, and nothing made me interested, or even invested in their plot threads. I actually kept forgetting the whole Hogarth plotline through the whole season. Did that happen to anyone else?

Avatar image for asgaard
Asgaard

4880

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

The first season of Jessica Jones is a smashing success. It opens up the MCU a bit more and this second Netflix series gives us more than a person with powers trying to be a hero. It's a completely different show entirely, which is what makes it such a phenomenal addition. This show has a wide cast, much like DD, but it feels so much more personal and much more like a character study as we follow Jessica Jones on her journey.

Agreed!

Avatar image for asgaard
Asgaard

4880

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Avatar image for thespoiler
TheSpoiler

3608

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 6

Yeah, it is pretty terrifying how a show can start off so great but become so bad before the season's over.

Avatar image for the_stegman
the_stegman

41911

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

the_stegman  Moderator

It was a good show, not great. Slow as hell though.

Avatar image for Elbarto17
PunyParker

15726

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 45

User Lists: 15

Excellent show.

Avatar image for d9000
d9000

1637

Forum Posts

300

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 1

I'll read this article and forum in a few days when I finish the season (watching out for spoilers). But I gotta say I was excited about everything except Ritter as Jessica but half way through the series I'm totally loving her in the role. Her attitude makes sense, her look makes sense, and she's doing great in the role. Loving the show so far.

Avatar image for currentthor2015
CurrentThor2015

687

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Absolutely loved this show.

Avatar image for darthdeadpool
darthdeadpool

1278

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I'd give it a 5/10

Avatar image for quinnofthestoneage
QuinnoftheStoneAge

3663

Forum Posts

304

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Loved this series, the only thing I wasn't a fan of was them killing off Kilgrave, such a great villain, and David Tennant was perfect

Avatar image for buttersdaman000
buttersdaman000

23713

Forum Posts

60

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Brilliant secondary cast?? C'mob, I know it's typical for anything MCU to be overrated in the first month or so, but that so obviously BS lol

Jessica Jones secondary cast was forgettable at best and horrendous at worst. The social worker/drug addict friend was serviceable but he din't make any impact, the detective was barely around, Trinity and her girl toy really amounted to nothing but plot points, and Ruby was the one of the worst parts of the show.

Jessica Jones was good but some of the weakest parts of the show stemmed from secondary plot points, save the Trinity vs Ex-Wife scene.

I'd give this series a 7.75/10

It was good, but it just missed being great.

Avatar image for herx
Herx

532

Forum Posts

624

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 86

User Lists: 1

I really enjoyed it :) A completely different beast from Daredevil defiantly, so i had no idea where it was going.
but concerning what you've said @slickymike88, the majority of the season's plot (as was continuously repeated whenever Simpson came on screen) is not that none of the characters want Killgrave dead, but that they needed to prove that he existed, that he had telepathic powers and that he could compel anyone into committing any haneous acts against their will with unquestionable evidence. When the motivation for that justification (which was a rightful justification for keeping him alive) was gone it was a case of all-out "lets kill him". The comics trope that is put in question here is not "do we kill the psycho or not", but rather "in a world with super-powered individuals how to you prove that someone has psychic powers and how can you prove that someone was the victim of psychic manipulation or not?"... i mean lets face it, how may silver-age comics have we seen police and juries just nod their heads, no questions asked, and agree "yup. he has psychic powers alright <insert superhero name here> said so and thats good enough for me. TO JAIL WITH YOU. GUILTY". I mean it was just very interesting to see how that idea is explored more than anything else and that even with the introduction of super-powers into the grounded netflix-marvelverse that certain aspects of these powers aren't going to be plaid down or not explored.

:)

Avatar image for roughneck201
Roughneck201

8

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I love this show they gave a great reason for the main character not to kill the bad guy and the cast was excellent also i loved kilgrave he was a main villain who i enjoyed watching on screen unlike kingpin who every scene he was in was dragged down by him overall great job netflix

Avatar image for dman1366
Dman1366

1328

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

It was good, but that cheesy Bendis dialogue was abrasive at times.

Avatar image for panther21
panther21

1277

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

i thought it was great, i like the Jessica jones character, kill grave Luke and pasty.

Avatar image for daredevil21134
daredevil21134

15945

Forum Posts

22

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 15

Avatar image for mfundroid
Mfundroid

2917

Forum Posts

58

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I liked the show. I also liked how Jessica wasn't over powered as well. I just wish that the show was faster paced.

Avatar image for loki2u
Loki2u

325

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I'm only 6 episodes in but I gotta be honest........ if this was a weekly tv show like Flash or Gotham....I wouldn't still be watching. It hasn't captured my attention enough. It's been too slow, and slow enough where I haven't had the need to binge watch it. With Daredevil....i couldn't stop watching and finished the season in 3 days.

That being said, I really like the show so far, it's different and the article quote "character study" seems to be ringing true so far. The nice thing about Netflix and releasing the whole season at once makes it play out like one long movie and they don't need to cram you full of information in the first episode. Characters can develop and side plots take place which I enjoy.

I hope it picks up a bit in the last half of the series, but so far i would say its a very good show, but not great. Yet!

Avatar image for captain13
Captain13

4814

Forum Posts

1020

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 3

Edited By Captain13

This show made her one of my favorite Marvel characters, probably even my favorite female Marvel character.

Definitely my favorite superhero show ever.

Avatar image for captain13
Captain13

4814

Forum Posts

1020

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 3

Edited By Captain13

@roughneck201 said:

I love this show they gave a great reason for the main character not to kill the bad guy and the cast was excellent also i loved kilgrave he was a main villain who i enjoyed watching on screen unlike kingpin who every scene he was in was dragged down by him overall great job netflix

Don't even get me started on D'Onofrio's Kingpin, haha. That voice... Ugh. And his characterization...

Avatar image for redmanta
redmanta

606

Forum Posts

73760

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 6

i didnt like the ending

Avatar image for Feartheliving
FearTheLiving

8837

Forum Posts

125466

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@herx said:

I really enjoyed it :) A completely different beast from Daredevil defiantly, so i had no idea where it was going.

but concerning what you've said @slickymike88, the majority of the season's plot (as was continuously repeated whenever Simpson came on screen) is not that none of the characters want Killgrave dead, but that they needed to prove that he existed, that he had telepathic powers and that he could compel anyone into committing any haneous acts against their will with unquestionable evidence. When the motivation for that justification (which was a rightful justification for keeping him alive) was gone it was a case of all-out "lets kill him". The comics trope that is put in question here is not "do we kill the psycho or not", but rather "in a world with super-powered individuals how to you prove that someone has psychic powers and how can you prove that someone was the victim of psychic manipulation or not?"... i mean lets face it, how may silver-age comics have we seen police and juries just nod their heads, no questions asked, and agree "yup. he has psychic powers alright <insert superhero name here> said so and thats good enough for me. TO JAIL WITH YOU. GUILTY". I mean it was just very interesting to see how that idea is explored more than anything else and that even with the introduction of super-powers into the grounded netflix-marvelverse that certain aspects of these powers aren't going to be plaid down or not explored.

:)

Well said, sometimes I wonder if these people were watching the same show.

Avatar image for jonny_anonymous
Jonny_Anonymous

45773

Forum Posts

11109

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 3

User Lists: 32

Marvel Netflix >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Marvel Movies

Avatar image for captain13
Captain13

4814

Forum Posts

1020

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 3

Loading Video...
Loading Video...

--

Happy to see Mat nail this review! I can't wait to see Luke's show--I love exploring different sides of this street universe.

Avatar image for the_impersonator
The Impersonator

10209

Forum Posts

23956

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 31

User Lists: 50

Edited By The Impersonator

The show was "Sweet Christmas!"

There's a chance we could see Kilgrave return at some point. He could leave his legacy, The Purple Children behind. There's no telling how many women he had raped in the past.The athlete, who killed her parents had a child, then later aborted it.

Avatar image for lurkero
Lurkero

507

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Jessica Jones was a good thriller to watch, but there were several moments where I felt the writers needed a stronger motivation for Jone's actions. Kilgrave was mostly one dimensional in character and despite a couple times the writers tried to give him some humanity, his actions should not have been excused.

Avatar image for pelykan
Pelykan

228

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I liked it but it got a little dragged out by the end.

They set Jess up with a bunch of opportunities to get to Kilgrave but she kept mucking it up. To me it would've been better if the chase would've been harder for Jess.

It probably could've been a 12 or even 10 episode show.

Avatar image for thomaselliot
ThomasElliot

439

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Kilgrave is the best villain in the MCU, and the show is a great adaptation of Marvel MAX line. It's not for everyone, especially those who just want more capes and tights.

The entire theme of the show is about control. Every single character has some issue about control, or lack thereof.

Yeah it's slower, but not in a dragging sort of way. It's a crime thriller first, with characters that just happen to have powers. Even if you don't like this, the genre of comic adaptations needs shows like this to offset the cartoony sci-fi comic shows... Which I also enjoy tremendously. I do wish they make more connections to the MCU though... Maybe even a cameo from SHIELD or something.

Avatar image for goonage
goonage

2085

Forum Posts

931

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 1

This show was excellent. Personally I think it topped Daredevil, at least for me. Fingers crossed that Luke Cage will be of similar quality!

Avatar image for thomaselliot
ThomasElliot

439

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Oh, and the Kilgrave as a kid video... Horrifying. The child Kilgrave crying out... That kid nailed it. ItS cringe enducing.

Avatar image for pinecone1510
pinecone1510

1063

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I loved that they brought heavy themes like rape and abortion in this show. Tv watchers are used to these themes in hard dramas but to have the balls and determination to follow through like they did must be commended as it's gonna be seen by the geek masses of all ages and viewpoints.

Like the abortion scene... It was already messed up when you thought she just got beat in jail but the twist that she payed the girl to essentially punch her fetus to death is fascinating from a storytelling perspective and they don't shy away from it either.


Rape is also no joke showing why Killgrave is truly the best villain in the MCU so far... He never thinks he's wrong. He always has an excuse even for his most heinous acts. His powers are nothing compared to the excuses just like in real life it's all about consent... End of discussion. There is No Excuse!

Surprisingly the thing that scared me the most in when when Hope recollects that Killgrave made her run and jump but she was never as good as Jessica. As an out of shape man this is my worst fear.

Avatar image for the_amazing_spider-fan
The_Amazing_Spider-Fan

13

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

I loved the show, it had a few things which held it back from perfection for me, but it is my favourite comicbook tv so far.

One thing which endeared to it me a lot - it makes infrequent but noticeable acknowledgements of the presence of the movies, but virtually ignores entirely the existence of AoS.

Avatar image for asgaard
Asgaard

4880

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Anyone else thinks that Matt and Nelson will be Pam new lawyers and that will be the first bridge between both shows that will be explored in Daredevil season 2?

Avatar image for deactivated-5d2b83d5a0d79
deactivated-5d2b83d5a0d79

12104

Forum Posts

19

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

I liked Killgrave. That's about it.

Avatar image for vox bosh
vox bosh

46

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Avatar image for deactivated-57dd84d2af8d3
deactivated-57dd84d2af8d3

615

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Jessica Jones was great, it didn't exactly warrant the 13 episodes, but was great nonetheless. Like D'Onofrio, Tennant stole the show.

Aside from DD and Iron Man, JJ is the best thing to come out of the MCU.

Avatar image for theincrediblesuperhulk8642
TheIncredibleSuperHulk8642

5433

Forum Posts

50

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 2

@feartheliving said:

I absolutely loved it. I preferred Daredevil but this show is just so different in the tone and genre that it's kind of hard to even compare the two. I has some minor qualms but overall very good. Kilgrave was menacing, Jessica was on point and felt like a real person, Luke made me super excited for his show, Trish was a surprise hit, and the rest of the cast was just amazing. So yeah, overall very pleased with how it turned out and I'm hoping we see more aside from the Defenders sometime in the future.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the fact that they killed off Kilgrave, I mean he could always come back somehow but it was disappointing just because Tenant was just so good in the role and you want to see more of him.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Also Simpson was an exquisite suprise and I loved the way he was portrayed in the show. His fight with Jessica was stellar.