The mystery and action-packed themes displayed in Marvel’s “Jessica Jones” give the Netflix original a unique and riveting tone, which I found to be fascinating and quite addictive.
The show follows Jessica Jones, a private investigator with super strength, who lives in New York City. Jones’ past is left very unclear, which creates suspense, as her past eventually catches up with her and the audience. The uncertainty draws in the viewers, making the show both intense and captivating.
The main character is based on Marvel comic book character Jessica Jones, and is skilfully played by Krysten Ritter. Ritter’s portrayal of Jones as a “dark” superhero adds depth to the show because she is not a typical do-gooder superhero. Her performance shows that the world isn’t all black and white, and that the superheroes many of us have idolized aren’t as noble as we might have thought.
This ambiguity about Jones keeps the audience interested, as we are dying to find out the details of her past. The mystery of her past also helps strengthen the dark tone of the story.
In the first episode, Jones is hired to help a family find its daughter, Hope, who was acting strangely before her disappearance. Upon investigation, Jones discovers that it is not a typical “missing persons” case, but that the person at fault was Kilgrave, who used mind control on Jones, but she believed was dead.
Jones’ heavy drinking habits are revealed in the first episode, adding to her complex personality and the show’s central theme of superheroes’ dark sides.
Overall, the constant plot twists and fast pace of the show were intriguing. I caught myself watching multiple 50-minute episodes in a row because I was so interested in the plotline.
The show contains many complex subplots, as characters are constantly introduced. This keeps the show engaging, but it can be confusing at times because there are very few recurring characters in the show. While the constant introduction of characters allows the audience to keep tabs on all characters, it is sometimes hard to know which characters are truly important.
The show’s discussion of weighty topics such as rape and PTSD adds emotion to the series as it reveals backstories of the characters.
The mysterious tone and action packed episodes of “Jessica Jones” allow for a mesmerizing television series that demands full attention when watching. Unlike the experience of fluffy comedy shows, one cannot multitask while watching “Jessica Jones;” to fully enjoy the experience, viewers must limit their distractions.
The entire first season is available to stream on Netflix.
