Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Jessica Jones (2015-Present)


Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so I'll give you two today.

Marvel’s latest Netflix offering is a darkly fascinating story of incredibly earthbound issues told through a superhero lens.  With complex, compelling characters, one of the best villains Marvel has ever had, and a feast of really interesting relationships, Jessica Jones is definitely another check in the “win” column for this franchise.  (Premise spoilers.)

Spiky, self-destructive Jessica Jones has taken herself out of the superhero game.  Oh, she has powers, no question about it – super strength, increased durability/healing, and flying abilities that tend to more closely resemble jumping and/or falling – but she’s not trying to do the hero thing anymore.  Her last encounter, with a mind-controller named Kilgrave, was traumatic and violating, all but destroying any idea Jessica ever had of herself as a hero.  As she endeavors to live a more unremarkable life as a PI, however, she’s pulled back in by the very nightmare that pushed her out.  Kilgrave is back, and there’s only one thing he wants:  her.

More than any other superhero story I’ve seen, this show really feels like one where the characters’ powers are practically incidental.  Yes, Jessica can stop a (slow-)moving car and punch through walls, and the many demonstrations of Kilgrave’s power are absolutely sick (sooooo creepy, holy crap!)  At its heart, however, this is a story about a survivor being again confronted by her abuser, working through her own trauma in order to protect others from being hurt by him.  This could have easily begun its life as a “real-world” story and then had the superpowers worked in for a more intriguing slant.  The way the show deals with Kilgrave’s power and Jessica’s PTSD from her abuse is so honest, so real.  One of my favorite scenes in the entire season is a conversation between them in which Kilgrave is legitimately confused by Jessica saying he raped her.  It’s a horrible conversation, obviously, and Kilgrave makes my skin crawl, but this is so vital because it’s what some people actually think.  “You loved it.”  “You wanted it.”  “You were begging for it.”  “You didn’t say no, so…” “I didn’t use force, so…” “It can’t be rape, because…”  I commend the show for addressing these issues so explicitly, and even more, I applaud it for exploring the psychological aftermath of sexual abuse without actually showing any sexual abuse.  We all know it happened, and we all know it was horrifying.  There’s no need to see it.

Krysten Ritter (Jane from Breaking Bad) knocks it out of the park as Jessica.  She’s a mess of misplaced guilt, she makes bad decisions, and she’s way too insistent about going it alone, but she’s also tough, determined, kind (in her own way) despite everything, and monumentally brave.  David Tennant’s Kilgrave is so freaky that I had to mix some Tenth Doctor episodes into my viewing to wash out the creep factor.  Carrie-Ann Moss has a featured role as a shark lawyer, and while I’m not very familiar with the rest of the cast, there are some fantastic supporting characters here being played by some excellent actors.  I’ll single out Rachael Taylor as Jessica’s best friend Trish – that sounds like a throwaway part, but trust me when I say that Trish is amazing – and Eka Darville as Jessica’s neighbor Malcolm.

Warnings

Incredibly dark themes (including discussions of abuse and rape,) disturbing images, violence, sexual content, language, drinking, and drug use.

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