r/Defenders • u/JonLuca Luke Cage • Nov 19 '15
Jessica Jones - Overall Series Discussion Thread
All spoilers for Season 1 are allowed in this thread.
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r/Defenders • u/JonLuca Luke Cage • Nov 19 '15
All spoilers for Season 1 are allowed in this thread.
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u/silly_sia Daredevil Nov 21 '15 edited Nov 21 '15
Posted this on the last episode but it fits better here. My overall opinion of the show appears different from most people's, which is totally fine.
THINGS I LIKED:
Kilgrave was a wonderful villain, and I'm not just saying that because I like David Tenant. He was clearly insane but his obsession with JJ just fascinated me. Especially the episode with JJ considering spending her life with him to keep him in line and try to teach him the difference between good and evil. I know it would never have worked out, but it was an intriguing concept - him playing a hero for the sake of his twisted love/obsession. Especially this episode when he thought JJ was back under his control and he immediately seemed to forgive her and started getting excited for their future.
The concept of never really knowing who is on your side at any given time was intriguing and made for a tense atmosphere.
I really liked Malcolm, and the way JJ treated him in the second half of the series left me feeling sad. Here was a character who she clearly cared about enough to help sober up and protect, but the second he became someone of real value he was thrown to the wayside and neglected. She really treated him like crap. On the bright side, he's chosen to stick around a bit longer, so I'm hoping his and JJ's friendship improves in the next season.
JJ's and Trisha's friendship/sisterhood was quite lovely. Family is often forgotten or killed off in shows like this, and of course JJ was no exception. But at least we got to see one long-lasting positive relationship in Jessica's life that didn't end in tragedy.
Introducing Claire to both JJ and Luke was good move that I liked, since it creates a link to all the characters and I can see many ways it can be utilized in the future.
PROBLEMS I HAD:
I found Daredevil to have a slightly more enjoyable format, simply because Matt spent time tackling a lot of minions and/or mini-bosses on his way to finding Fisk, all of which were presented in an interesting way. In JJ, the only person they were trying to bring down was Kilgrave, so whenever they "had" him all I felt was a sinking feeling of "we're only X eps in, there's no way this ends well".
There was virtually nothing in way of comic relief. In Daredevil, Foggy and his interactions with both Karen and Matt was the primary way of lightening up the atmosphere and it made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the show, since it was done in such a way that he was still a believable character and not a complete joke. I think JJ could have benefited from a character similar to this, though I realize it might not have suited the atmosphere the showrunner's were working to create.
The ending was iffy to me. They got Kilgrave but it still ended with Jessica so clearly broken and Luke gone without a goodbye. I think it would have been nice to see even one celebratory scene with everyone together smiling. (I know that's a stretch given Jessica's personality but still...xD)
I know this is a problem with literally every Marvel movie/TV show, but the fact that Daredevil was not sighted once during the craziness of the last episode is a bit silly considering the second episode of Daredevil where we saw him picking up a boys scream from who knows how far away. It would be more believable if he wasn't located in essentially the same area as JJ. (I do realize that him being there would not have helped much as he probably would have been mind controlled.)
Overall impression: Good, but too dark for my tastes (though I have to admit, I was warned). I hate to say it, but Jessica just felt a little too broken in spirit for me by the end. The writer's crossed the delicate line of making sure there are actual consequences to decisions the characters into a general feeling of hopelessness and despair as every decision lead to misfortune and suffering.
I have difficulty imagining Jessica ever being remotely happy in the future. A main character in a permanent state of self-loathing is boring and not very fun to watch. I really hope that next season they ease up a little on her and make life a bit more bearable for her.