Marvel's Jessica Jones: First Impressions
The wait’s finally over. Marvel’s Jessica Jones premiered last Friday, and it is possibly the best Marvel series to date. I get a feeling I’m going to keep saying that for every new show until The Defenders premieres, but that has nothing to do with how good this show is, at least from the pilot. The series is almost thirteen hours long, so there’s nothing more important than nailing it in the first episode. Now let’s find out…or let’s face it, discuss, how Jessica Jones measures up in the pilot.
Let’s start with some of the basics. The show clearly channels a bit of Daredevil with the darker lighting and tone, but the similarities really end there. I will say honestly, I prefer the Daredevil opening sequence, but this series gets points for trying to be different in that way. Besides all the Hell’s Kitchen aesthetic, Jessica Jones works on different levels beyond Daredevil such as superheroes and supervillains and the effects of PTSD. All of it is developed subtly and quickly to ensure people keep watching to find out exactly what’s going on. That’s not to say Jessica Jones is confusing, but, like its predecessor, you’ll have to give it a good bit of time and attention to really experience the whole thing.
Fortunately, Jessica Jones already surpasses its predecessor in being a faster, higher-risk show off the bat. Part of this obviously comes from the different standards of the show, especially since one of the first scenes is Jessica shoving a guy through a glass pane (which is later taped over with a cardboard box, nice touch by the way). However, another thing is probably the pure intrigue of the story. We’re given the bare minimum of exposition to follow as actions keep happening. All we know about Jessica is that she’s a PI with super strength (but, unfortunately, no laser eyes) and a bad past with a sadistic man. Every other character has only the briefest moments whether it’s Jeri Hogarth with her affair, Luke Cage with his bar, or Malcolm with his…issues. Of course, we learn more about these things as the episode goes on, but, in the moment, they’re exciting.
We already have enough to start a series anyway. Jessica, who spends her days photographing secret affairs for booze money, comes across a case of parents searching for their missing daughter Hope. When the case starts having too many connections to her own experience with Kilgrave, she must gain the courage to face her past and rescue the girl before something terrible happens. Despite her initial desire to run away, Jessica, with the help of her friend Patsy Walker, eventually locates Hope and returns her to her parents. All of that would have been fine and dandy…except for the last sixty seconds.
The last moment with Hope shooting her parents is probably the turning point that made me realize how good this show could possibly be. Kilgrave’s influence is already terrifying even without him really being in the episode, especially since he already influenced Hope’s parents to find Jessica in the first place. It gives a really chilling implication for the rest of the series since no one is safe, but it also gives one of the more empowering messages of the show. Having Jessica Jones be the person who initially tries to leave but then boldly strides back to help Hope makes her the perfect person to follow through hell and back. It may not be an origin story, but it could be a re-origin story.
It also helps that the show also looks fantastic. Yeah, it gets props for going all out in a sex scene and using a wider range of language, but the rest of the show just looks good with its city world and the use of the color purple. Not only does that help it stick out from Dardevil, it makes the show all around interesting to watch, except for its heavy handle of the noir genre. If there’s one fault in the episode, it is its use of those clichés down to the voiceover. It’s a little odd that they aren’t used for exposition, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like things that use them.
However, probably a major factor in the episode is its humor. It’s probably the darkest thing in the MCU even without a car-door-induced death, but that doesn’t stop them from using some fun things occasionally. The episode ends with Hope shooting her parents, but we also get a moment of Jessica getting her intel by lifting a guy’s car and threatening him with her non-existing laser eyes. As long as they keep that nice balance between humor and the really dark, the series can truly stay the best in the Marvel roster.
As I mentioned earlier, the supporting characters also give a lot to the show. While we don’t know that much beyond the surface, there are enough intriguing premises to get people excited for the next episode. Jeri Hogarth being an attorney who occasionally sends Jessica work while also having an affair of her own. Trish Walker, an old friend of Jessica’s who currently runs a talk radio show and has been behind her originally becoming a superhero. Luke Cage having one-night stands with women while clearly being hung-up on someone else. Poor Hope who shot her parents. Malcolm who stole a television. All of these things have major consequences that will have to come to light eventually, and that doesn’t even touch the fact that we haven’t gotten a clear view of Kilgrave yet.
Bottom line is all of these things set up what could be the best Marvel series yet so long as these factors are still kept. Overall, it will still have the best pilot of the Marvel series until we can compare it to Luke Cage or Iron Fist or The Defenders. For now, that’s enough to keep watching.
