The Nerd Reviews: Jessica Jones (spoiler free)

 

Netflix's seconding outing with Marvel comes in the form of Jessica Jones and naturally it will be compared to Daredevil, it being the first show, but this show is nothing like Daredevil and I mean that in the best possible way. 

This is her costume basically

Jessica Jones, the character not the title, is a super powered private investigator and raging alcoholic who is just trying make a living in the city until one case brings it all crashing down. As far as the story goes its pretty faithful to the comic (Alias) but don't expect her to be seen in her Jewel costume or have flight; Marvel has pretty much nerfed her abilities so that the audience wouldn't go "well if she can do all that, why isn't she an Avenger"....ok I'm assuming that's why they did it because Marvel has yet to realize who I am and invite me in on these meetings. Like I was saying earlier though, the plot is more or less the same between the book and show but the show makes a lot of creative changes that helps the story flow in a much more organic and grounded way (I'm also saying this so people who read the book don't throw a fit when not everything from it is in the show). I liked the changes that came with the adaptation, like having Pasty Walker being the "sister" of Jessica and having Pasty actually be very useful and important. Luke Cage makes an appearance too and I was really excited to see him and Jess interact and evolve their relationship (well as much as two characters like them can evolve) even though I know what happens to them in the end. It was just well done all around, the acting performances and casting for this show is definitely on par with Daredevil.

Speaking of Daredevil (told you it would be compared to it a lot), do not expect the same level of action or violence as Daredevil is basically a violent ninja whereas Jess is more of a bar brawler; the fight scenes like the refinery of the predecessor but that is clearly by intent since Jess relies more on her powers (super strength) than technique to win a fight so expect lots of right hooks and less "that one move Daredevil does where he like does a front flip kick, you remember which one, he did it when he rescued the crooked cop from the other crooked cops". Instead of tons of violence we get tons of tension, tension brought on due to the fact that the main antagonist has such a terrifying power that no one is save; of course I am talking about The Purple Man. The name may sound lame ass hell but trust me when I say that David Tenant's performance as Kilgrave is anything but lame, he manages to be totally disarming and sympathetic while simultaneously threatening and irredeemable.

Sorry nerds, his skin will not turn purple

It's the nuance of his character that make him such a compelling villain on his own but his relationship with Jessica put him over Kingpin to me. Yes I said it and its true, Kingpin and Daredevil are very much not on each other's Christmas card list but their beef comes from the execution of ideals; they both want to save the city but their methods lead to their conflict. Jessica and Kilgrave have a much more intimate relationship that is more reminiscent of Batman and Joker's; they understand each other in a way that others do not and the mind games that Kilgrave plays are very much in Joker's wheelhouse. I don't want to give too much away about Kilgrave and the history he has with Jones, or his abilities for that matter, but after you watch the show I think you will agree with my earlier comparison.

I can't praise this show enough, its one of the best shows out there and definitely one of the better Marvel superhero shows (which raises the question as to why Marvel doesn't just solely do Netflix shows) but what kind of nerd would I be if I didn't have a few complaints? My "nerdiest" of complaints is that they really scaled back the abilities of Luke and Jess. I know I mentioned earlier why they did it but still...Luke is super strong but like stuff happens in the series and I couldn't help but go "This guy can tank a hit from the Hulk but this puts him out?" I also wanted to see him showoff more but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say they are waiting for his own series to show him go all out. My other complaint is that this feels very removed from the MCU. Daredevil had the same feel to it but with the addition of Jessica Jones I'm starting to question what the point of having a shared tv and movie universe is when they seem to work extremely well on their own. The tonal shift between a show like Agents of Shield, where they have Inhumans running around and powers are everywhere, to that of Jessica Jones is jarring due to the fact that its so hush hush there that reactions to those with powers seems a bit perplexing. These complaints are minor and don't really have to do with the show but I'm a nerd and if something is tangentially related to the show then dammit I'm gonna gripe about it.

Overall this is an amazing show from the casting to the color scheme. This could have very easily been a rinse and repeat of Daredevil but instead its a completely different take on the idea of a hero in the MCU (Jess is most def an antihero to the fullest). Instead of having a powerless man try to save the city we have a powerful woman trying to save herself. The narrative is very tightly constructed so that you never lose focus, the acting is superb, the way they handle the relationship between Kilgrave and Jones, just everything about this show is freaking great and you should be watching it right now. Go watch it, seriously stop reading this and go watch it, I'm just gonna keep telling you to watch it in a myriad of different ways until you watch it. You know what show you should be viewing? Jessica Jones. I hear that Jessica Jones show is worth looking at, maybe you should give your eyeballs a 13 hour vacation and watch Jessica Jones. Ok I'm done, go watch it so that I can do a more spoilerly review...see unlike those other people I am willing to give you time before I ruin something for you.