Luke Owen on the first seven episodes of Jessica Jones…
With all 13 episodes airing on November 20th, we were lucky enough to be given early access to the first seven episodes of Marvel’s Jessica Jones, the second series in the Netflix side of the MCU.
So, what did we learn?
1. Adult content
Let’s make this nice and sparkly clear: Jessica Jones is not a show for children, nor is it a show to watch with your parents. While Daredevil was the more ‘grown up’ version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to its violent content and adult-orientated themes, Jessica Jones takes it up a notch. There are several graphic sex scenes that may seem tame in a world where Game of Thrones and Spartacus have set a fairly high bar, but fairly shocking when you take into account this takes place in the same universe as Iron Man. Let’s put it this way, you won’t see Cap and Widow get jiggy the same way some of the characters in Jessica Jones do. So…yeah… really not a show for kiddies who like Captain America and want to see him throw around his colourful shield.
2. Less violent
Based on the seven episodes we were allowed access to, Jessica Jones is less violent than Daredevil. There are fights with punches, kicks and plenty of throws, but it’s not as bloody as The Man Without Fear’s show. From what we’ve seen (which is over half the season), there is nothing that reaches the visceral nature of Matt’s dock fight with Nobu and Fisk, and there certainly isn’t anything as violent as *that* incident with the car door. Now we’re not saying the entire show will be less violent than Daredevil as, frankly, we don’t know, but based on what we were allowed to see, it’s less bloody in comparison.
3. A different tone to Daredevil
Much like its big screen counterparts, it looks like each Netflix series will have its own distinct flavour. Jessica Jones is much more a noir tale compared to Daredevil, and it suits the show. There’s a lot of narration from Jones and her P.I. work is very reminiscent of 40s and 50s detective movies, particularly the way her office is laid out. Jones herself is less focused on ‘saving her city’ or even doing the right thing, and because of that the show feels totally different in comparison. They look alike (they’re set in the same city after all), but even then there is something slightly different about Jessica Jones, which we can then assume will mean Luke Cage and Iron Fist (or perhaps Punisher) will also have different tones.
4. Your new favourite villain (possibly)
We all loved Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, but David Tennant could give him a run for his money in being the new best baddie in the MCU. Personally, I think Fisk is a better character (based on the seven episodes we’ve seen), but there is a lot to Tennant’s character that the show builds and expands upon. What seems to be quite cut and dry in the early goings is totally flipped around by the time episode eight comes into play. Tennant is genuinely creepy as Kilgrave (never once called Purple Man, fyi) and his look and style is perfect for the character. He has several ‘holy shit’ moments, and Tennant never once fails at it. As I said, I personally prefer Fisk, but Tennant is certainly better than every other Marvel baddie outside of Loki. Fans of his run on Doctor Who should get a kick from this very different performance.
5. A lot of Luke Cage
More than you would think, in fact. Not resigned to just cameo appearances, Cage has a season long story arc in Jessica Jones that fully impacts her character. He is given a lot of backstory and depth, and while he’s not in every episode (there are several which he’s not in at all), he’s always present. One would assume that Jones will have an equal presence in his series, which is currently filming.
6. Build towards Civil War
When compared to Daredevil, there are less mentions of the larger aspects of the MCU. There aren’t newspapers talking about the Chitari attacking New York or constant references to The Avengers, but there are mentions here and there: kids dressed as Captain America, comparisons to “the big green guy” and “no one expected an alien invasion either” are about the extent of it. But one thing that is present in a couple of episodes is a build towards Captain America: Civil War. And not in the sense of mentioning the characters or their struggles, but getting a street-level view of how superheroes are viewed post-Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In one scene, Jones overhears a radio with a right-wing host talking about how superheroes need to be monitored and Jones herself is very keen to not play ‘the hero’ in this world. Without going into spoilers, there’s a big point in one episode about the effects The Avengers had on New York when it came to the lives they didn’t save. It’s really, really great. As a very obscure comparison, it’s like the character of Ayana Hirasaka in Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris.
7. An emphasis on female characters
Jessica Jones isn’t sporting a feminist t-shirt or starting Tumblr threads on the subject, but it’s a show that is putting female characters into the forefront. Our main character is a female, her employer is a female (who is involved in her own story that has two other female characters), her best friends is female (who has her own storyline), her first case is a female as is her following case, and the majority of Kilgrave’s victims are females. Not counting Luke Cage, there are only three main male characters – including Kilgrave – in the whole show by the time the eighth episode comes into play. And when Marvel are getting flak for how they treat their female characters (or just leave them off DVD covers), Jessica Jones is a good step in the right direction.
From the seven episodes we’ve seen so far, Jessica Jones is shaping up to be a great, great show. It builds its story very methodically and it’s so different from Daredevil that it doesn’t feel like you’re watching the same series again. Little nuggets about Jessica’s life are brought to the forefront in increments and each of the characters has their own defined role, purpose and story arc. Personally, I think Daredevil is the better show, but Jessica Jones has a chance to really turn it around in the second half based on the final moments of episode seven.
But if your wondering whether or not certain rumours (like this and this) are true about the series… we can’t tell you. Sorry. Netflix have told us not to say anything!
Jessica Jones hits Netflix on November 20th and features a cast that includes Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter (The Following) as Luke Cage, David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Kilgrave / Purple Man, Rachael Taylor (Transformers) as Trish Walker / Hellcat, Eka Darville (The Originals) as Malcolm, Erin Moriarty (The Kings of Summer) as Hope, Wil Traval (Red Widow) as Simpson and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) as Hogarth.
Originally published November 9, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
