REVIEWBRUARY SEASON 2 [DAY 8]: MARVEL’S JESSICA JONES SEASON 2 – 7/10 [B-]. [SPOILER-FREE]

SYNOPSIS

Marvel’s Jessica Jones season 2 is available now on NETFLIX. Based on the Marvel character; Jessica Jones is back, this time she has to face her inner demons even if she doesn’t want to, she needs to settle the past so she can move into the future. Before I start, I need to explain that Jessica Jones season 2 is extremely character-driven and so I had to view in that way to appreciate it, that being said I give Jessica Jones a 7/10 or a B-, and I am probably going to look back at that and go what the hell was I thinking because it is way to harsh, but the way I feel about this season, can only be described as disappointing. I really do try to not compare seasons, sequels or other shows when I review, but it is so hard when with season 2 of Jessica Jones. Don’t get me wrong, Kristen Ritter still shines as Jessica Jones, but what the second season misses is what the first season got perfect. Now, I cannot promise that something someone will classify as a spoiler will come out, so here is your…

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

This might turn into a little rant but I am going to try to stay calm. Now, although I loved the first season, it was not that great – the only thing that made it so great was David Tennant, every scene he and Jessica Jones shared was gold, with Kristen Ritter genuinely giving such a great performance. And what season two misses is a Killgrave hole, a hole Jessica Jones tries to fill – and whilst she does do amazing, she can’t save a sinking ship alone. Trish, Malcolm and Jeri are all given increased roles, and whilst they do work and their plots are all intertwined and great, the show is calling out for a villain of Killgrave’s level and it never gets it. To sum up how the season feels, it’s like waiting for a bus that never comes so you decide to walk to the next stop in the hope of the bus catching up with you until you suddenly realise you’ve walked it all the way. I just kept thinking “what the hell was this”, waiting for it to really start, it just always felt like a build up – like it was setting the scene and never got out of first gear. I am waiting for the villain, and we never get one – and as I will explain this could’ve worked but there wasn’t enough focus on it for my liking. Instead, Jessica Jones season 2 is incredibly character-driven focusing on the character herself, Jessica has a great arc and the focus is on her and her relationships and how she treats people. If you like character-driven shows this is great, but I would’ve liked a bigger threat for Jessica, and it is totally capable because it is a thirteen episode series and multiple times during the series it feels stretched out.

DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD.

OK, so let me start just by saying I do not care about her Micheal Douglas looking mother. Why is she in it? She wasn’t bad (but at times I did not like her) but I never thought “wow, this is what I’ve been missing” – this is what this show needs. It just felt like the show was taking a step backwards; with the inclusion of her mother that being said I really liked the idea of Jessica being just like her mother and her having to confront her past, but I wasn’t given enough to hate her or like her mother and the story sort of just dragged. I really did like the idea that she is a mirror for Jessica, but I think the show needed a villain, it needed something else, something that was hunting them – maybe have a more substantial plot for the FBI where it actually felt like Jessica was in trouble with the police and there were stakes. Then it would’ve allowed us to see the mother in full glory and the similarities between Jess and the mother leading to Jessica choosing to live a better life. And by all means, let the season finale be what it was, with the episode being the mother running away and it ending the way it did with a fantastic thought of Jessica losing all her family – both her mother and her sister and opening up to accept a new one, but the whole of the rest of the season never had much weight to it and there wasn’t a big enough focus on Jessica overcoming her demons throughout the season until the actually finale, and in that sense I just felt like it was dragged out – I would’ve liked to have seen Jessica start to overcome some during episode 9 or 10 and felt progression throughout the season.

That being said I liked the idea of there not being a villain, and it all being down to Jessica, at times she is her worst enemy as she has to confront her past and her present – it just wasn’t executed good enough – by that – I mean there isn’t enough story to make a thirteen episode count. I don’t think there should have been a huge villain but I think by adding another party it would have made a more substantial series to fill the order – especially during those first few episodes where the story is really struggling. Or, they should have had more private investigation work from Jessica, because a villain would do doubt have taken away from the character development but we could have had Jessica Jones doing more P.I work with an overall story. But, as I have said Jessica Jones season 2 is very much a character-driven show, and so if you think of it in terms of that the show is great but it is just not what I wanted, so that is why I am slightly disappointed. But, when I think of Jessica’s arc – I really did like it, it was about her, about her family, her relationships, her past and not necessarily the ol’ “I’m the good guy and you’re the bad guy” dynamic but rather it crossed these over to ask who is the villain. Is it the mother, is it Jessica or is it Trish, because she killed Jess’ mother and thus Jess lost everything but she starts a new family with the man downstairs. And whilst, I really liked it – it just felt like it was missing something; I am not sure whether I wanted something else or it just wasn’t done properly because as soon as Killgrave comes back he steals the show and shows what the series is missing.

As I have said season 2 is a character driven different season – not the same as the first, it in the lack of a villain gives increased roles to those around Jessica and the supporting cast really did benefit, Malcolm was given a good arc, Jeri was given a great arc and Trish was given a role, and all of these gave Jessica more developement and gave the limelight to Jessica and her commitments and highlights how she treats people, I really liked the idea of Jessica confronting her demons and how she eventually dropped all her family and started a new one something she never would’ve done before. But, my God, I hated Trish the entire season, the entire season. But I liked her shooting the mother and the damage it caused. But, I knew it in the first season and he never let me down, Malcolm absolutely holds his own, he is fantastic so to is Jeril they are both actually given arcs this time around so it makes it seem like a breath of fresh air with new characters but it is acutally just a better role. My only problem is we need to get the Flash in this show and bring back some versoin of Killgrave, there wasn’t enough of him. Even though there are expanded roles for Jeri and Malcolm, it feels like new blood is needed, and Costa was promising. All in all, the characters were great except from Trish (god I hated Trish – damn you for making Malcolm take that drug-asthma pump), and Chang; I hated Chang

We must also talk about where this leaves the MCU TV; I think for the first time, NETFLIX MARVEL shows are in trouble, there won’t be a second season of defenders, Daredevil season two was hardly the best, neither this season of Jessica Jones, *spoiler alert for Day 11*, Luke Cage season 2 isn’t that great either, leaving the fate of “Phase 2” of MCU TV down to *laughs* Iron Fist. Anyway, because I wanted this to be a really good in-depth review, I made notes after each episodes, eventually giving up after episode eight – and each one ended the same – where is this show going, until the final few episodes the pacing was slow and it need not be a thirteen episode show. As I have said with the characters section, all of the subplots, bar anything relating to Trish (including useless Simpson) was fantastic!

Essentially a character-driven show, with great character development but it is a real slow burn. Ultimately, the greatest thing about this show is Jessica and her development and the entwined characters and how their actions affect each other. I liked it in that sense – in the sense of it being a character show, but I just expected more and that is why I give it a 7 out of 10 or a B-.

AZ