Netflix Jessica Jones Mini Review Season 1

Image by Netflix and Marvel

This series is a bit hit and miss, but I felt it hit more often than missed...

Pros:

• Acting: I think the acting in this show is excellent, especially from Krysten Ritter, who plays Jessica--she's incredible!
• Character development: Strong writing and character work overall; only the last few episodes fall short in this regard.
• Concept: There are plenty of super hero shows out there, so two things that make Jessica Jones stand out are it's more realistic tone, and the conflict at the heart of the story. The personalities and powers of Jessica and Kilgrave are so opposite each other, creating great drama, and the stakes feel high and real.

Cons:

• Ending: The ending is satisfying in that it wraps up loose ends and doesn't leave the viewer hanging, but I was disappointed that most of the character development ends before the final few episodes begin. The finale had the potential to be much more powerful.
• Adult content: While being reflective of its source material, I still wish the sexual content could have been toned down. I feel the show sometimes suffers from bedroom TMI and occasionally gets gratuitous in its portrayal of sex. I feel the same story beats and information could have been shared in a more discrete manner without hurting the show or removing its real life, gritty feeling.

I enjoyed Jessica Jones overall, but I wouldn't recommend it without offering a strong warning about the adult content: be prepared. As good as it was, if you're looking for a gritty, realistic super hero show, I would first recommend Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil. It has a similar tone, excellent acting, less adult content, and more action. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Jessica Jones a lot, but for me it didn't quite edge out the excellent Daredevil.

Luckily for me, the next Netflix Marvel show to hit in the coming months is Daredevil, season 2! I'm sure I'll blather on about that one too--watch out!

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