Jessica Jones Review: AKA Ladies Night (Season 1 Episode 1)
Jessica Jones is not a show like the others.
And when I say the others, I mean all the others, not just those on Netflix. Jessica Jones is its own thing, a new kind of thing. We might have to invent a new category for it. You can love it or hate it, but you have to admit it’s different. It’s groundbreaking.
It’s also pretty good.
Expectations sometimes play a number on you. If you expect the world from something, you can be easily disappointed. If, however, you basically go: Okay, we’ll see what this is and then judge it, you can often be pleasantly surprised.
That’s what happened to me with Jessica Jones.
I wasn’t expecting anything. I liked Krysten Ritter but didn’t love her, hadn’t seen Carrie-Anne Moss since Matrix and didn’t know any of the other actors except David Tennant by name (Yes, I know, I need to go catch up on Dr. Who). I also didn’t know the story, so, as I said, zero expectations. A blank slate. In that regard, I was probably the perfect test subject for a show like this. And if my experience is to be believed, then yes, Netflix, you not only hit a home run – you hit a grand slam.
(That’s a bases loaded home-run, for you non-sports fanatics)
Yes, this is a female superhero. Yes, the world needs more of those, and I’d probably be supporting Jessica Jones even if it was bad, for that very reason. Thankfully, the show has saved me from that fate by being not good, but outstanding, and dark and edgy. This is not Supergirl, not even close, and though I appreciate Supergirl as well, there’s something to the maturity of Jessica Jones as a product that’s much more appealing to my grown-up sensibilities.
Kids? Stay with Melissa Benoist. Your parents will be watching Jessica Jones when you go to bed.
In the interest of fairness, I’ve only watched the first episode, and I’ll be watching as I review, so I can only give you my opinion of the first hour, and my opinion is this: I like it. Krysten Ritter was an unexpected choice for a super-hero, and yet she pulls off damaged and yet strong Jessica in a way I’m not sure anyone else could. The mark of a good actor is when you stop seeing them and start seeing the character, and for me, that happened in like five minutes. The rest of the cast also does a really good job of inhabiting this world that feels much more grounded and real in Jessica Jones than it ever did on Daredevil, and even if the story wasn’t as compelling as it is, for just this reason, I’d give it a shot.
But the story is good.
And, about David Tennant, I have to say this: We haven’t really seen him on the show so far, and I’m already scared of him in a way I haven’t been scared of a Marvel villain in a long, long time. Avengers type bad guys don’t work in the real world. They might shock us in the movie theater, but they don’t make it harder to sleep at night. Killgrave does. And I haven’t even seen much of him yet. By the time I’m done he might be the new embodiment of my nightmares.
What did you think of the first episode of Jessica Jones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Reviewer rating:
User rating:
Jessica Jones Season 1 is available on Netflix right now.
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat