Gritty shades of gray, moody aesthetic, and the sarcastic, cynical voiceover of Jessica Jones (in a role made for Krysten Ritter) open the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second chapter of its Netflix era. Part of the quartet that made the short-lived The Defenders mini-series crossover possible, Jessica Jones was the only female superhero with her name on the marquee, and the last one standing. The show’s three-season run, helmed by creator and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, was dark; darker than what we’d come to expect from the MCU’s big-screen offerings. Yet in that gloomy, neo-noir psycho-thriller world, we got to know one of television’s most human superheroes.
The noir world of 'Jessica Jones'
… Or rather the former superhero who runs her own detective agency out of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City in an attempt to atone (aka run from) her past. Like a three-act play that realizes a planned resolution, Jessica Jones’ three seasons center around Jessica’s PTSD and relationship with her sister, Trish.
The distinctly genre piece is based on the Alias comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis, whom Rosenberg invited into the writers room during the first season to help honor the source material. While it's shades darker than the other MCU shows currently playing on Disney+, ABC Studios did have a hand in Jessica Jones along with Marvel Television. The tone feels like the right way to deliver the storylines, as the series depicts dark subject matter: rape, assault, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While critics generally favored the way these depictions were handled, it should’ve aired with a trigger warning. It’s a heavy watch. The way Jessica’s past plays into every single thing she does, and especially into her relationship with her adoptive sister Trish (Rachael Taylor) — who eventually perpetuates the cycle of abuse enacted by their mother Dorothy (Rebecca De Mornay) — comes full circle by the finale. Trish always seemed to be Jessica’s antithesis. The steady morality that Jessica thought she was seeking. But by the end of the series, Trish is as far out on a limb as you can get and Jessica realizes she’s quite capable of being responsible for her own good decisions.
“In the world of Marvel Comics, a female antihero — a female anything — is a step forward. But a rape survivor, struggling with P.T.S.D., is a genuine leap,” wrote the critic Emily Nussbaum for The New Yorker. “In a genre format that is often reflexively juvenile about sexuality, Jessica Jones is distinctly adult, an allegory that is unafraid of ugliness.”
Jessica is, perhaps, more a reluctant hero than an antiheroine. Though her flaws are many and of the variety that would make her the quintessential antiheroine — she drinks (a lot), wields sarcasm and cynicism as a shield, and often makes questionable decisions — Jessica is far more layered than that. Her wounds drive her, but she’s also capable of change. She may be damaged, but she’s also incredibly powerful; that power stemming both from her superhuman strength, accelerated healing, and short-range flight abilities, as well as from her own determination. She’s not just a female superhero, she’s just a person grappling with extreme situations and learning to deal. To talk about the character of Jessica Jones is to discuss her wounds, but I prefer to think of her more in terms of the Erin Hanson quote, “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”
As much as Jessica went through a character arc, so did Krysten Ritter. Ritter directed season three's “A.K.A. You’re Welcome,” which featured Hellcat's origin story, and she is directing a solid chunk of the new The Girl in the Woods. It’s all very reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if you ask me. Women coming into their own, quietly but steadfastly ripping down societal constructs — maybe reluctantly, maybe defiantly but definitively, nonetheless. Jessica faced her demons onscreen (as did Trish), while behind the scenes, the entirety of Jessica Jones' second season was directed by women, ensuring representation behind the camera was felt as well. The writers room was led by Rosenberg, known for her work on Dexter, The O.C., and on the big screen for Twilight and Step Up.
Meanwhile, the characters lived in the MCU’s greater world, crossing paths with Luke Cage (Mike Colter) most prominently, as a main character in the first season and later as part of The Defenders mini-series along with Iron Fist and Daredevil. Time will tell if we see that side of Marvel again, but Jessica’s lasting impression alone was worth the Netflix “experiment.”
Jessica Jones helped set the streaming stage for bigger risks down the television yellow brick road. Her ending was apt; thanks to learning Netflix was about to pull the plug, the writers were able to resolve her character’s trajectory — and that of those around her — in ways that made sense for the characters. She stayed. She proved she was strongest… especially when her biggest demon, Kilgrave (the incomparable David Tennant), told her to go. It’s a strong message. It shows she’s still connected to her world, no matter what. It’s what makes her beautifully complex:
“My greatest weakness? Occasionally I give a damn.” - Jessica Jones