Rebuilding Rob

As I may have made it clear before, I am a huge comic book fan. More to the point, I am a huge fan of Marvel Studios, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and all of their ancillary projects; at least, the ones I’ve seen thus far.

For some reason, the Marvel Netflix series: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher never really appealed to me. I’m not sure why. Don’t get me wrong. I always liked the idea that while they were set in the MCU (originally they were anyway) they didn’t have any interactions with characters from the Marvel movies. Sure, they lived in the same New York City that The Avengers saved in the first movie But their stories, like the “Marvel Knights” comics that the entire premise is based upon, is a microcosm of the MCU. The shows deal with “street level crime“ as many refer to it. The stories are a little bit more grounded in reality. There is not as much dependence on superpowers let alone, interplanetary conflict.

A while back, I made the decision to start watching these shows, as they were gradually making the transition from Netflix to Disney+. I enjoyed Daredevil well enough. It was bloody, violent, and was adapting all of the best Daredevil stories – particularly those that were written by Frank Miller. After finalizing season 1 of Daredevil, I had decided that I was going to watch the programs in their proper chronological order. After all, continuity is such a big thing in the MCU. Why not continue the trend with the Netflix shows?

After watching season 1 of Daredevil, I began season 1 of Jessica Jones – as the storyline continuity dictates. I’ve never really read a the Alias comics, but through some Internet searching, I was able to get some background on the Jessica Jones character, and her story. The first time I watched episode 1 of this show, I thought it was unendurable. I struggled to even finish that first episode. I gave up on the show for a long time. That’s when I decided to jump back into season 2 of Daredevil. That show, widely regarded as the best of the entire Netflix line, did not disappoint. Seeing a main cast member from Jessica Jones make a cameo appearance in the end of Daredevil’s second season, and being the life-long fanboy that I am promoted me to give “The Defenders Saga” it’s proper viewing.

I re-watched episode 1 of Jessica Jones a few weeks back. It wasn’t much better than the first time I watched it, but I decided to press on. Midway through season one, I am hooked . By episode 8, I finally feel like we have cracked the hard exterior on Jessica, and a really seeing a side of her humanity. She is a broken character. In the comics, she has a history as having previously been a costumed superhero. In her MCU incarnation, she is a private investigator who fell under the control of the mid-controlling character known as Kilgrave; expertly played by David Tennant, of Doctor Who fame.

David Tennant is brilliant as Kilgrave, manipulating not just the characters on-screen, but the viewer. At one moment, you think you have him figured out – simply as a cold blooded killer; only to find out in the next moment that he himself was victimized. Or so were led to think. There is a famous line that Rowdy Roddy Piper used to say, during his heyday as a top villain in the World Wrestling Federation: “Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions.” This line could easily be applied to Tennat’s portrayal of Kilgrave.

Likewise, I would be remiss if I didn’t give props to Krysten Ritter’s performance as the titular private investigator. She plays this character to perfection. I found myself hating Jessica as the series opens. She presents herself to the world as such a jaded person. But as the series progresses, we get her backstory. We get to see her humanity, and what made her the way she is. I think that’s the reason l episode 1 was so difficult for me to get through originally. Viewers are dropped right into the middle of Jessica‘s story. We don’t get a “episode one origin story“ to begin the show. Flashbacks are sprinkled throughout as the series progresses; eventually giving the viewers the complete picture.

My feelings so far watching both Daredevil, and Jessica Jones is that I’m not really sure why the decision was made for Marvel Televison to be absorbed by Marvel Studios proper . In my opinion, these Netflix shows are superior to most everything that Disney+ has presented as “a miniseries“. It is obvious that the writers on the Marvel TV side were actual television writers. The pacing is much better than any Disney+ mini series, save Loki. Each episode feels like a chapter of a story. The plot moves forward with each episode; yet the viewer is left on something of the cliffhanger compelling them to return for the next episode. This is something the current Disney+ shows don’t seem capable of achieving; again, the notable exception of being Loki.

I’m of the mind that the Disney+ shows are using movie writers to try and create a mini series. The Disney+ offerings now seem to plod along, lagging in some parts; only to build to an explosive series finale. The same can be said for the Star Wars shows. Essentially, these miniseries from both franchises, feel like the writers have attempted to drag out to our movies into a six hour television season.

I have no doubt, however that Jessica Jones will culminate in a big season finale in episode 13. Furthermore, I’m sure that there are more stories about this character to be told. Indeed, the show got two additional seasons on Netflix in addition to her appearance in The Defenders miniseries

FINAL TAKE: if you liked season 1 of Daredevil, Jessica Jones is definitely worth watching. It has been widely acknowledged by critics and fans that the level of quality diminished with each of the successive series in The Defenders Saga. But in my opinion, season 1 of Jessica Jones stands side-by-side, quality-wise, with the first 2 seasons of Daredevil.

Now it’s on to Luke Cage…

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, follow and comment below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts below…

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The article “Rob Reviews: Jessica Jones, season 1” originally appeared on Rebuilding Rob