Jessica Jones – Debuted on Netflix on Nov. 20, 2015, and in the Marvel Netflix universe it is the 2nd installment of the franchise, existing sometime after the events of Season one of DareDevil.
As a member of the Defenders, Jessica Jones inhabits the core city of New York; her region is regulated to the business and thrifty sectors of the city like Greenwich Village; though her office of Alias Investigation is located in Hell’s kitchen. The cameo appearance of District Attorney Reyes in the final episode confirms the placement of this season to precede Daredevil season 2; as assistant D.A. Blake Tower reveals late in season 2 of Daredevil that a file on vigilantes and super humans were on Reyes’ list with Jessica Jones leading the pile; as result from Jessica’s confrontation with Killgrave, and the devil of hell’s kitchen to be on a short list down to follow.
Season one is ground zero for the character; the logo has her name appearing like broken glass, to most likely represent her story and her journey. She is a meta-human by all accounts, but is suffering from PTSD from being under the mind control of a super villain. The result of which was her taking the life of an innocent woman, and the violation of her own body. A year has passed since escaping the ordeal, as Jessica uses a mantra to centre herself; an intimate memory of childhood streets of where she lived to help gain a footing of control of her life whenever she feels building anxiety. 6 months into her recovery, she stopped seeking therapy moved out of her adopted sister’s penthouse apartment and went on with her life as newly licensed private investigator. In the last 6 months Jessica has taken several assignments from defense lawyer Jeri Hogarth’s firm, capturing incriminating photos of infidelity by suspecting spouses in an attempt to gain the upper hand for a clients divorce settlement. The seventh client was a referral from the precinct, a couple from Omaha seeking the return of their missing daughter; the discovery leads the pilot episode to the revelation of Killgrave the super villain who victimized Jessica a year ago, and the revelation becomes Flight or Fight. In the end, she has to face her fears head on, every step of the way to save her client’s daughter. That daughter whose mind was controlled and manipulated into killing her very own clients, thats leads to life imprisonment without proof to the contrary..
The rapport with Lawyer Jeri Hogarth was civil and professional, until Killgrave forces Jessica’s hand to ask for favors aggressively. The mutual need between Jeri and Jessica hinders on uncontrolled circumstances to accommodate the other’s obstacle of problems, though progressively rocky, their relationship endures as the season progresses. Similar to Jessica’s relationship with her adopted Sister Trish Walker, keeping her at arm’s length, to prevent Killgrave of harming her or by making Jessica harming her. The combination of worry and living in fear with flashing nightmares is what makes Jones’ a tough as nails private investigator on the surface, but so deeply fractured internally.
Jessica Jones sole motivation is to free the daughter of her Omaha clients from a living hell she could not stop herself the first time. This journey takes on additional victims of baggage with police officer Will Simpson, Malcolm Ducasse, and upstairs neighbor Robyn. All of whom play a part in shaping Jessica Jones to being a flippant, hard edge private investigator, who has a high tolerance to liquor.
The series is compelling because it’s a drama disguised as superhero genre. The flashback sequences are sparing and does not slow down the experience, it’s a necessity to give further context of the story once certain communication or interaction between characters unfold. Early in the season one brief flashback appears insignificant as a standalone flashback, but serves the basis of the trilogy of Trish’s desire to be a superhero and Jessica not gripping that notion; a childhood substance abuse and addiction was the reason of Jessica’s adoption, to spin bad press for child star Trish Walker. The mother who we only see in small doses in the latter half of the season is played by Rebecca DeMornay who sheds her sultry Hollywood persona for a character who is controlling and manipulative.
The first season won a daytime Emmy, but its highest award winning accolade was winning a Peabody Award. It’s an award given for excellence in their field of television for their quality of storytelling over popularity or commercial success. The series is in fact a modern day noir, with themes of post-traumatic stress disorder, assault, rape and suicide. The show handles these themes with respect and dignity as it tackles a character coping with these themes and not dismissing them as a story of the week, but an ongoing struggle like mental illness, which cannot be cured or remedied in one miracle episode.
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