Non-Spoiler Review: Is Season 2 of Netflix's 'Jessica Jones' worth your time?
*Warning - Season 1 spoilers ahead.
The first season of Jessica Jones stands as one of my favorite Netflix Originals, both inside the Marvel Universe and beyond. This is due, in large part, to the tremendous work by David Tennant, who plays Kilgrave in the series.
The death of Kilgrave at the end of season one left a huge void in the villain department, effectively causing Season 2 to begin on uneasy footing. Turns out, the concerns were warranted, as Season 2 largely failed to fill those shoes.
Attempts were made, but ultimately fell short of recreating the emotional attachment between Jessica and her first nemesis, Kilgrave. This hurt my opinion of the sophomore outing. Nevertheless, it was still a fun watch.
Krysten Ritter continues to thrive in the lead role. She’s got a believable edge with well-disguised emotional undertones. Vulnerability is a hard thing to achieve in a powerful super-human, yet Ritter seems to walk the line perfectly.
Rachel Taylor and Carrie-Ann Moss continue to be among the stronger Marvel side characters, playing Trish Walker and Jeri Hogarth, respectively. Janet McTeer was a good addition, at least from a performance standpoint, and Leah Gibson delivered an impressively layered performance in a limited role.
The writing was not without its flaws, as is to be expected from a transitional season, but the potential for greatness remains. A strong cast and a compelling universe go a long way in keeping my attention, but an audience can only be strung along for so long.
We aren’t quite there, yet, but Marvel and Netflix should tread lightly.
While there are probably a few shows you should knock out before investing in Jessica Jones, you won’t regret throwing this in the queue. It ultimately reads as a disjointed version of its superior predecessor, but it still outshines most of the Marvel-Net.
(image via Netflix)
