Amanda Leslie
When I closed my eyes at night, I saw scenes from Jessica Jones playing out. Binge watching one of Netflix’s newest series has left imprints of the characters burned into my eyelids, and their voices echoing in my ears.
Originally a Marvel comic, the books have been developed into a Netflix series that follows its darkly captivating antihero around New York City.
Krysten Ritter plays Jessica Jones, a superhero turned private investigator with PTSD attempting to make a living and survive in the aftermath of a tragedy.
This calamity from her past came in the form of a mysterious man called Kilgrave, portrayed by David Tennant, who is revealed to have used his inhuman abilities of mind control to capture Jones and shatter her life.
When Jones realizes that Kilgrave is back in NYC, her goals turn from evading him to doing whatever it takes to exact her revenge and force him to pay for his actions. He proves to be a formidable opponent, and his skill at eluding her leads to drawn out, exasperating plots.
I took a break after episode nine because I couldn’t stand the extended mind games and plots between Jones and Kilgrave when all I wanted was for him to finally be punished for his sociopathic actions.
With the death, violence, and coverage of serious topics like rape, assault, and addiction, this cheerless show can take a toll on your psyche. (There’s a particular reference to giraffes that left me slightly and unexplainably shaken.) There are also enough plot twists to continuously keep you guessing as to what could possibly happen next, and (at least in my case) that can be a bit stressful.
However, there is the bonus of three whole lesbians, which is at least two and a half more than the average television show.
It bears mentioning that the series is a little disturbing, and viewers have to deal with witnessing the heartbreaking carnage of innocent bystanders.
That being said, this show is well written and engrossing enough for me to potentially be interested in watching season two.
I would recommend Jessica Jones for anyone interested in Marvel, super powers, unnervingly dark storylines, or badass women who make bad decisions. As long as you don’t mind seeing a woman stab herself just because someone told her to.
