REVIEW: Netflix’s Second Season of JESSICA JONES

Marvel Netflix’s follow-up season to the smartass detective’s own story arc is a long, arduous crawl from start to finish—introducing new characters, new dilemmas, and a deeper look into Jessica’s backstory. Jessica Jones’ second season is a lackluster attempt to outdo the previous one and I will stand by with this statement. Fair warning though, this review is dark and full of spoilers:

THE GOOD

Jessica may have superhuman strength, but her battle had always been one not fought with action-packed combat scenes. S2 showcases Jessica dealing with inner turmoil, after being victim to circumstances that made her feel powerless: a car accident that killed her whole family, being subjected to experiments without her consent, getting abducted, raped, and forced to kill by Kilgrave, and finally putting an end to her abuser even though it was against her own moral code. S2 was Jessica’s process of taking back control in her life, it was her ascent to reclaiming the power she felt had been stolen from her. At best, it can be seen as a necessary journey to further develop the character and bring her closer to the audience: someone out there could be going through the same thing, and may see themselves in the same shoes as Jessica. It also makes the viewers reflect on what defines a person: is it our experiences, our actions, or our beliefs?

Malcolm is probably the least annoying character this season.

Marvel Netflix prides itself on the level of realism it brings to its titular characters, and the second season of Jessica Jones fits the bill perfectly. It uses a fictional universe to raise awareness on real-life problems. The plot is thick with unresolved psychological issues brought on by her traumatic experiences such as her suppressed grief for her family, and unprocessed anger towards herself and the people around her. In the end, it leaves audiences with a sense of closure and reassurance that the big bad monster—Jessica’s inner demons—has been defeated, at least for now.

THE BAD

S2 completely trashes all the other characters, though. The overall presentation of the story leaves you no other characters to root for and no clear villain to look forward to: Pryce seems like a misogynistic thorn on Jessica’s side that you keep wishing would die already, Trish went from supportive best friend to annoying sidekick wannabe relapsing back into being a junkie, Malcolm from relatable side character to a traitor, Jeryn Hogarth slowly deteriorating from invincible lawyer lady to a middle-aged lesbian who can’t keep her panties on around other women, and now it turns out Jessica’s mom had been alive this whole time and she’s got superpowers too? To say that the plot is too ambitious would be an understatement, it tried so hard to cram in as much moral dilemmas as possible, to a story that could’ve been told in half the number of episodes. The subplot of Jessica tracking down the culprits behind the illegal experiments that gave her powers was simply lost in the emotional blackhole the other characters are sucking Jessica into.

What’s more annoying on top of all of this is the relenting resistance to the label of “superhero”. We get it, people like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage don’t like playing hero and yet, here we are, watching them save lives like it’s their sworn duty. It feels overdue at this point, that after the righteous murder of Kilgrave and her contributions in The Defenders, prolonging her avoidance to being a “hero” is stale and does not add anything to her character development.

Kilgrave makes a cameo through Jessica’s hallucinations

Additionally, as the icing on a crappily-baked cake, the idea of teasing Kilgrave’s return feels like a whiplash being forced unto the viewers. As if saying, “we can’t write a better villain than this guy, so here’s his ghost to let you all know that we at least tried.”

TLDR, Season 2 is emotionally exhausting with no satisfying reward waiting at the end. Every episode concludes with a faux climactic build-up leading nowhere. I wouldn’t recommend binging it to anyone, except to a small niche that enjoys watching sub-standard stuff for fun.

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