TV Review: 'Jessica Jones' Not As Super As She Once Was

von Clayton Davis · 12.03.2018

It’s hard to repeat breakout success. Season one of “Jessica Jones” remains one of the pinnacles of Marvel’s content, film or TV. It offers us a complex, female superhero that is unapologetic about her faults. The show’s tone bucks the trend where most Marvel films must adhere to the same cookie-cutter visual and storytelling beats. However, the landscape has changed since the show dropped on Netflix in 2015. Jessica Jones also appears on “The Defenders,” which started last year. It used to just be “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Daredevil” on Netflix. Now, Marvel has over ten shows existing in the same universe. Keeping up with the content they churn out has become untenable. Season two of “Jessica Jones” feels stale and cumbersome in comparison.

We find our titular hero, played by Krysten Ritter, plagued with guilt about killing a man. The boozing and isolationism ramp up, especially as her local neighborhood sees her as a heroic vigilante. Her best friend, talk show host Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) tries to convince her to investigate her past, specifically IGH, the company that experimented on her and gave her powers. She balks at this suggestion until she finds more people like her struggling with the powers that were thrust upon then by IGH. As she learns more and more about this group, she confronts more demons from her past than she realized were out there.

Season two belongs to Janet McTeer. Her mid-season wig reveals snaps the series back into place. A heartbreaking bottle episode (episode seven) provides her with a wealth of Emmy ready clips. Even a small argument in a cab inspires cackling laughter and joyous snaps of approval. Her character experiences wild and violent mood swings that become major plot points. However, McTeer goes big without going broad. It reveals too much to go into detail the role she plays in the series. Suffice it to say, she embodies what’s most effective about the series. Some emotional wounds don’t heal, they require constant management. She elevates Krysten Ritter’s work in the lead role, especially as the first few episodes suggest she’s on autopilot with the character. By the final episodes, their scenes together make the entire season worth it.

While McTeer stands out as a great addition, every other element of the show feels like a subtraction. Gone Is David Tennant’s charismatic and frightening Kilgrave. In his place, we don’t get one clear, interesting villain. We get small subplots that never interact or coalesce in meaningful ways. Carrie-Anne Moss’ powerful attorney Jeri Hogarth returns, but with a life-threatening deal that’s dead on arrival (pun intended). Former love interest Luke Cage (Mike Colter) got his own show and is nowhere to be found here. Jessica’s new love interest is Oscar Arocho (J.R. Ramirez), her superintendent and single father. Their initial hatred for each other becomes tired and repetitive. When they finally get together, all Oscar does is suck time away from the storylines of interest. His custody woes exist outside of the purview of the rest of the characters and don’t push any interesting growth from Jessica.

The best part of season one was Jessica’s complex friendship and relationship to Trish, a child star turned radio host. This season delves further into the bumps in their friendship that tested them and strengthened their bond. As a young adult, Trish pursued a pop star career but struggled with addiction. Addiction factors into Trish’s present life. It’s powerful to watch Jessica and Trish work together on her addictive personality and what it means to always be in recovery. However, while that story arc works, we are treated to Trish as an extension of Jessica’s PI business helping solve cases. On top of that, Trish also goes on a Jerry Maguire style rant that then leads to new star opportunities. There’s a lot of different storylines for her that all add up to very little.

Season two of “Jessica Jones” exists in this fictional landscape that has been run into the ground. We’ve seen this world from so many different angles that it becomes a full-time job to keep up. At the end of the day, one asks if its worth it. Is it worth all the time and energy to stay up to date on this world that offers little variety in terms of the stories they tell? “Jessica Jones” was once this oasis. There was great opportunity to delve into the intricacies of Jessica’s traumas. However, it takes six episodes before we get a new development to Jessica’s story. There are so much superhero filler and bald exposition to cover plot holes that muddies the elements of the show that work. This universe defines itself on excess and delivering the expected. What’s unexpected was how far this show would drop in quality.

There’s a place in the superhero world for a show like “Jessica Jones.” It’s important to have these strong female-centric shows where women are complicated, vulnerable and tough. Every episode of season two was directed by a woman. These commitments to inclusion are important and elevate the work. The relationship between Jessica Jones and Janet McTeer’s characters is something that would not exist in the same way if it was a story told by men. It’s unfortunate the rest of the series doesn’t reach those highs.

“Jessica Jones” season two is currently streaming on Netflix.