Jessica Jones, as the comic giant’s second foray into Netflix programming, has some big shoes to fill in the wake of Daredevil, which was damn near perfect in every way. How do you retain the same aesthetic while at the same time making your own unique product? Such is the pitfall of working in a shared universe. I’m happy to say that Jessica Jones succeeds on all fronts – it matches Daredevil‘s grimy view of New York, while managing to speak in its own voice. One episode in, it’s an intriguing, engaging show that has deftly started building its own mythology.
I think the reason I like Marvel’s TV universe more than its cinematic universe is because of its emphasis on the actual characters. (Seriously, I defy you to tell me anything about Thor: The Dark World, except for maybe the fun fact that it, like Jessica Jones, boasted a former Dr. Who as its villain.) Granted, Jessica Jones and Daredevil have more time to delve into their characters, but that doesn’t really excuse the fact that this early in, we know more about what makes Jessica Jones or Matt Murdock tic than we do about Maria Hill or Thor. This is a roundabout way of saying that these smaller, more intimate Marvel offerings live or die based on their lead performances, and I’m happy to say that Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23) does a fantastic job.
Jessica makes for almost the antithesis of a noir heroine. To be sure, she fulfills her noir duties by drinking heavily, has casual sex freely and unapologetically, and dispensing some hard-boiled dialogue (my favorite line: “It’s people like you who give people like you a bad name”), but the wisest choice that showrunner Melissa Rosenberg (who wrote Twilight, but I’ll focus on when she wrote for Dexter in its glory years) makes is allowing Jessica to be scared. There are times when Ritter’s dark eyes furrow into a look of fright or confusion, emotions not typically seen on noir protagonists; and tellingly, twice she tries to run away from her problems, once to Hong Kong.
There’s more, obviously, to Jessica than just being a conflicted private investigator. She has super powers of her own (watching her nonchalantly lift a car was an episode highlight), which make for a nice contrast when coupled with Ritter’s smartass deadpan. She’s never less than engaging, and casting her as the title character was a great move on Marvel and Netflix’s part.
Seeing a private eye who occasionally uses super powers is a pretty thin premise, though, and is basically a variation on what Hancock already feebly tried to do. Jessica Jones is smart enough to start building its mythology early on, but does so at its own methodical, Raymond Chandler-esque pace. The most promising introduction is that of David Tennant’s Kilgrave, alias the Purple Man, who we don’t see at all in “AKA Ladies Night.” He haunts Jessica throughout the episode, and Tennant makes for a very effective unseen boogeyman. Seeing the effects of his hypnotism, as a girl guns down both her parents right before the spell breaks in time for her to see her handiwork, is truly disturbing. Episode director SJ Clarkson (a fellow Dexter vet) does some fine visual work, and the color purple is used to appropriately menacing effect.
Overall, “AKA Ladies Night” is a damn good pilot episode. It establishes Jessica Jones‘ pace, tone, and themes, and only occasionally missteps with some jerky camera work and overused voiceover narration. But those are minor quibbles about an otherwise solid hour of television. Marvel and Netflix could have easily stuck to their Daredevil formula, and while Jessica Jones isn’t totally different, it is absolutely of its own mind. Consider me very excited for the rest of this season.
A Few Thoughts
- Sorry this review cycle is starting up late. I’ll try to stick to the one review a day method I’ve established with Bloodline and Daredevil.
- “I don’t have any goddamn friends” is another great, classic PI line
- The man Jessica went home with was Luke Cage, by the way. He’ll become important later. Especially once he gets his own show
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