Jessica Jones (TV Series 2015—) Season 2 Review

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

jessica-jones-season-2-poster-1081030Title: Jessica Jones
Universe: Marvel’s Netflix Universe
Rated: PG-13
Creator: Melissa Rosenberg
Release Date: March 8th 2018
Number of episodes: 13
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
Cast: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville, J.R. Ramirez, Carrie-Anne Moss, Janet McTeer and many more!

Jessica Jones returns to uncover the truth behind her past in ways that no one, even the great private investigator, could have ever imagined. After the dramatic ending of season 1, peace of mind is still far from her reach, and it doesn’t help when Trish Walker’s hunt for a good story to put herself in the spotlight drags out danger from the darkest alleys of New York. Things have however become much more personal in this season as Jessica Jone’s character development is pushed to new heights. Her actions aren’t going to be easy and her problems won’t go away anywhere soon unless she decides to confront them head on.

Within Marvel’s Netflix Universe, there’s no denying that Daredevil Season 1 has set the standard for all the superhero shows. It is a challenge in itself to even top its magnificent story-telling, but to also have unbelievable cinematography and quality performances from actors in there? It simply seemed impossible for any show to concoct anything as original and mind-blowing. But then came the first season of Jessica Jones. A character whose exploits are far less known by the general population compared to a character like Daredevil who has already gotten its movie treatment; even if the movie isn’t really known for anything good. What I loved most about season 1 was the introduction of Kilgrave and the exploration of sexual assault that came with all the manipulation that went on in that show. Season 1 was magnificent, even if its action scenes weren’t anything to brag about compared to Daredevil. It did waver in certain episodes, but it was definitely the second best series behind Daredevil (until The Punisher came in blazing).

The second season of Jessica Jones only just came out, after almost three years of wait, with a bunch of other shows being delivered in the meantime (like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher). Where things could possibly go for Jessica Jones was a complete mystery, even if we had the chance to see her cynical and sarcastic personality in The Defenders. Knowing that she probably was still fighting the ghosts of her last confrontation with Kilgrave, I imagined that season 2 would attempt to seek closure for the character and that is exactly where they kicked things off. However, was it all the season was going to be about? Not at all. And I think that is where the show sort of tripped and fumbled its way to the finish line.

While it was a far from a mediocre season, it definitely didn’t surpass its previous season. Season 2 sort of started things pretty slowly with only hints of story development at the end of each episode to keep us hooked. This made for a heavy-on-the-psyche viewing, but also gave me the perfect window of opportunity to pay attention to every detail. The show only really started to pick up its pace around episode 7 when it completely diverged from its storytelling strategy to offer us a flashback episode to the earlier days of Jessica Jones within Trish Walker’s family. I personally loved this self-contained episode for gluing a lot of pieces together and giving us a look at the happier days of Jessica Jones, but for also giving fans the origin story to a bunch of things we’ve taken for granted so far (i.e. the Alias name).

While the threat is being assessed during the first seven episodes and an attempt to coerce Jessica Jones into investigating the people at IGH who experimented on her was being developed, Jeri Hogarth, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, also got a fair share of screen time by giving fans a look into the life of a successful lawyer who discovers a health issue that strips her away from the one thing that she loves most: power. As if it this wasn’t enough, her career is also threatened, but her life being entangled with Jessica Jones opens her up to interesting opportunities that will put her on an extremely risky path filled with hope. Carrie-Anne Moss continues to shine in her role as a tough and independent woman, but seeing her so vulnerable and loose about who she trust was pretty crazy.

The show truly finds its footing once the character played by Janet McTeer gets introduced. Its her chemistry and relationship with Jessica Jones that will ultimately make the last half of the show a ride to remember. Literally. Thanks to Janet McTeer’s excellent performance and her role in this season, Jessica Jones is truly challenged and finally gets the therapy that she always needed. I loved how complex this relationship was and how things evolved till the end since it was truly an extraordinary situation that would not have been easy to deal with for anyone. Even a chick with superpowers. What I loved about it all too was how it explored the idea of being stuck in a box, both physically and mentally.

Personally, I found that a whole theme about cures was explored with great depth throughout the season and gave us something more to reflect upon besides all hunt for truth and happiness. From Jeri Hogarth cure to her health problems to Trish Walker’s cure to happiness, everyone was looking to find something that would give their life meaning again, even if it meant manipulating others and going down a path that would have severe consequences both to themselves but also to those they love. While every secondary character was going downhill, Jessica Jones was the only one that was trying to find her own cure to anger and booze by looking upwards. It was quite heartwarming to see it all developed in this season and also shows that there’s always a better way to look at things if only you let yourself see it.

Unexpectedly, Trish Walker was the character that I hated the most in this show. Every single decision she made was selfish and nothing about her warranted pity or tolerance. She sometimes also gave some pretty bad acting moments that made me cringe a little too hard, but her big moment at the end sort of catapulted my darker feelings towards her into a zone of no return. I do wonder how her transformation into Spoiler, highlight to read: “Hellcat“ will be like and where season 3 will go with her character.  However, I did love Malcolm in this season a lot. His character was honestly the realest and most authentic, even if he ended up looking like a doofus most of the time who was way too naive. But for a recovering addict who is trying to understand the learning curve to becoming a private investigator himself, he was pretty cool. His glowing moment at the end puts him back in tracks to forging his own path in life, but if he’s going to embrace vice or virtue remains a mystery.

In the end, season 2 wasn’t such a bad season at all, but it definitely could’ve been much more cohesive and better structured. Maybe being a bit more focused instead of having a lot of sub-plots explored could’ve helped, but at least it still turned out to be a great season of Jessica Jones that will only keep fans craving for more Netflix shows. Anyways, Kilgrave, played by David Tennant, is definitely a hard thing to top as well. I’d easily put the guy as one of the best live-action Marvel villains to have surfaced today. And since season 2 sort of went in a direction that didn’t have a clear-cut villain, you have to applaud it for remaining engaging and progressive in its story.

If you loved season 1, just go into season 2 with lower expectations and you’ll enjoy it. There’s a lot of closure that goes on, and a lot of themes being explored as usual, but ultimately Krysten Ritter continues to shine in her moody superhero jeans and leather jacket. This is where you’ll find out if Jessica Jones is a killer or a hero, and if she can embrace whichever entity truly represents her.

The show isn’t exactly based on any particular comic book story arc but Jessica Jones is known for her Alias series written by Brian Michael Bendis. While her original series was launched in 2011, a new series called Jessica Jones, still written by Brian Michael Bendis, was also recently (2017) launched to coincide with her new fame thanks to the Netflix show.

MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10)

Have you read any of her comics?

Have you seen her show?

What do you think about Jessica Jones (2015—) Season 2?

Share your thoughts with me!

Till next time,

lashaansignature

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

59 thoughts on “Jessica Jones (TV Series 2015—) Season 2 Review”

      1. Haha I figured.. but sometimes some dies, etc and it is hard to discuss the next season or any conclusions without giveaways 😉 I definitely plan to sink into it as soon as I catch up on currents and nonhubs is home more. It sounds like he will appreciate this one!

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      2. True that. It was a challenge not to spoil season 1 while reviewing season 2, but I do love challenges though. 😀 Hopefully you’ll enjoy this when you get the chance to check it out. David Tennant definitely makes it 200% worth it in season 1 too. Did you start and finish any of the Netflix Marvel superhero shows though? 😮

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Daredevil S1 > Jessica Jones S1 > Daredevil S2 > Punisher S1 > Jessica Jones S2. Between Daredevil S2 and Punisher S1 there’s all the other ones that you don’t really need to watch to enjoy Punisher S1 (that means skipping Luke Cage S1, Iron Fist S1 and The Defenders S1). For you, I’d recommend the shortcut because those are the best ones of all the superheroes hahahah

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    1. Thank you Nicki! I highly recommend checking out Daredevil Season 1 and then Jessica Jones Season 1 then! David Tennant was amazing in his role and I really liked what he brought to the show. 😀

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    1. 😐😐😐 Super strength. And some form of increased leaping ability that she under-uses. It’s her investigative journalism skills and particular background that truly makes her character though hahahah And I also think the show dimmed down some of her other powers (I think flying is one of them, not sure…)

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      2. Yep, perfectly fits in with them neighbourhood-level superheroes. 😀 The show also continues to make references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially a couple of references to Captain America: Civil War. Sort of odd that they have yet to merge together and have them cross, but it’s probably more complicated on a technical level if anything.

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      3. Yeah, crossing tv shows, movies and whatnot would take a LOT of background muscle, plus a clear “one guy in charge” who everybody could run to to whine, or blame when things go bad 😀

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      2. Iron Fist is the weakest season of all the Netflix Marvel shows for sure. You won’t miss anything of it ONLY IF you don’t plan on watching The Defenders (they’re greatly connected). The best ones you can watch without being majorly spoiled by anything at all is Daredevil S1 > Jessica Jones S1 > Daredevil S2 > Punisher S1 > Jessica Jones S2. But if you want to watch them, you’d be missing Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders! Hope that helps! 🙂

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  7. I haven’t started season two yet I wanted to finish up shamless first. Man I was totally hooked on the first season, and I might just binge season two.

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  8. I am so behind on the Marvel TV shows that it feels like I’m never going to catch up (I’m going to try and catch up don’t get me wrong, but it’s going to take some amount of time).
    I’m glad you enjoyed this series Lashaan, but oh sorry it didn’t quite live up to the first season. I will definitely be going into season with lowered expectations, and it really sucks you didn’t like Trish in this one because I loved her in season one and now I’m kind of apprehensive about her character in season two. :/
    Great review though. 😀

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    1. There are a lot of them too, and they won’t stop from coming out! At least you’ll always have something to look forward to. 😉

      Oh man, I liked Trish too, but I’m telling you. This is the season where it will all change hahahah I’d be curious to see what you’ll think of her when you complete the season! 😛

      Thank you so much for reading, I truly appreciate it! ❤

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      1. Well there’s that, plus I seem to enjoy series more when I binge watch them which I can definitely do with Marvels series at the moment.
        Ohh, even more apprehensive now, but I’ll let you know when I have seen it.
        That’s all right. 🙂 ❤

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    1. Yep. There’s a lot of superhero stuff out there nowadays and anyone who hasn’t seen any yet will 200% feel overwhelmed by mumber of shows/seasons hahah waaah you watch Shameless too? 2nd person to mention that show to me hahah I’ve never looked it up, but it seems interesting. How good is it? 😮 Thanks for reading! 😉

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      1. So many! I gave up on Luke Cage and didn’t even try Iron Fist or The Defenders. I seen too many bad reviews.
        Shameless is not what I was expecting when I first started watching it. If you watch the first few episodes and don’t like it, you definitely won’t like the rest. It’s crass and in your face, but also portrays their lifestyle and issues in a genuine way while still being ridiculous.

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  13. I finished season 2 last night and I am TRAUMATISED. Who would have thought the villain would end up being Trish?! Ugh, I hate how that went. I was so invested in the Jess/Trish relationship (when has there ever been a superhero story about female friendship?!), that for a lot of the show I tried to rationalise Trish’s actions – her lack of self worth/sense of self etc – but by the end I was just done with her. I thought that final scene between her and Jess was perfect though – yes, it was always going to end that way with her mum, but Trish didn’t have to be the one who pulled the trigger.

    I’m so glad that the shows are back on form. After Iron Fist and The Defenders I was worried they’d lost it, but, like you said, with The Punisher (OMG loved it so much. I could honestly watch John Bernthal all day. His acting is just captivating to me and the scenes between him and Micro were magic), they are finally back on form! Roll on Luke Cage #2 and Daredevil #3!

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    1. For real!!!! Important female friendships like that one is such a rarity, and then this second season happens… I despised Trish on screen. Her erratic business and desire to be a “super” hero was killing me in the inside. Just.. Why….! I totally agree. And I’m a bit surprised that Jessica only gave her a shove for what Trish did. You’d think that event would have been enough to push Jessica off a cliff into despair and villainy or something!

      Totally agree with you that too. Iron Fist was a huge anchor to The Defenders too. Those two shows could have been so much more if it went in a different different (although it was still fun to see all four together in The Defenders). And maaaaaaan, John Bernthal is everything. His aura whenever he’s on screen is awesome! A killer with a heart. I need season 2 for that.. like.. yesterday!!! I’m not too hyped about Luke Cage S2 and Iron Fist S2 right now, but hopefully they’ll have made the right changes and go in the right direction. But Daredevil S3?!?!!?? That’s going to be epic. So many villains they could introduce and so many ways things can go after what happened in The Defenders!

      P.S. I’M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU’VE WATCHED EVERYTHING AND ACTUALLY RATE THESE SIMILARLY!! CAN WE JUST BE BFF ALREADY? 😀

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  14. Fantastic review! I like that this seasons explores more character development. Same it didn’t surpass the first season- though yeah that is pretty hard to do, considering how high the bar was set. I’m curious about Janet McTeer’s character. Pity it wasn’t as well structured and I do agree Kilgrave is hard to top. It’s good to know to lower expectations for this.

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    1. Thanks gurl! Yep. At least the new “big” character was a pretty decent one that was fun to have around. Janet McTeer’s character is definitely a nice addition that has so many repercussions to so many character’s lives in this season. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as Season 1 though. 😉

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  15. Hi Lashaan.

    I am a huge fan of these series. In my opinion, Jessica Season 2 is just as good as Season 1. Better, because it is less gory. 🙂

    I like that JJ Season 2 is messy, because that gives Season 3 the opportunity to bring everything together. I love the 3-part story-telling technique of these shows!

    Always forward,
    ~Icky. 🙂

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    1. Quality is quality! 😀 Season 2 was far from being bad, that’s for sure. I am curious IF Season 3 will even do the cleaning up. It might try and tie-in with another shows season too. Who knows. 😮

      Thanks for reading, Icky! 🙂

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  16. Awesome, awesome review as always Lashaan and I appreicate the lack/hiding away of spoilers as I’ve literally only just got around to watching episode 1! I’d heard mixed things about S2 of JJ upon release and since I had other stuff to finish I decided I wouldn’t dive in straight away.

    S1 was excellent but it seems that the Killgrave storyline couldn’t be surpassed (nor did I really expect that to be the case), but based on the first episode I’m glad to see that Krysten Ritter is still giving it her all. There does seem to be an emerging issue with pacing on these shows (and to be fair, other streaming series)…maybe Netflix should look at tighter runs of 8-10 episodes?

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    1. Thanks man, and no problem. I’ll always be careful with spoilers since it ain’t something I’d want to read about from other people too anyways. Yep, the first half of the season is pretty slow and sometimes makes you wonder where exactly everything is headed.

      I agree. The introduction of Killgrave and that whole season was truly remarkable and outstanding on all fronts. I did enjoy Krysten Ritter’s acting in Breaking Bad a lot too, so seeing her take on a role like this was awesome. Even better cause she nails it. I do wonder if less episodes could fix it, but I think it has more something to do with the way the story is told in each episode, you know? I feel like they try too hard to finish each episode on a cliffhanger that forces you to bingewatch the whole season rather than having self-contained continuous episodes. For example, watch how episode 7 is done compared to everything before and after that. Episode 7 was by-far the best episode for me because of how the story was told and it all felt contained within the episode. Hope you get around to watching and finishing season 2, my friend. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on it; even if it’s not through a review on your blog! Thanks as always for reading man, I appreciate it.

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      1. Yeah I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about cliffhangers, a lot of these streaming shows do that to as you say, make it binge-watch worthy. Standalone episodes but with the main thread running through the season would be a much better approach.

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  17. Pingback: Monthly Wrap-Up | March 2018 – BOOKIDOTE

  18. Thanks for including the trailer! While I was intrigued by what you were saying I just couldn’t envision it until I had visuals to work with. It looks very good! It sounds like the writer was sure if this would be a second season or a final season so kind of road the rails until the end. Still I’m super intrigued by the show and wonder if I can get my mates to watch it too. 😉 great review Lashaan!

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    1. Definitely. Always have pictures and a trailer for these. Yep. It was always a mystery for myself regarding the second season in where it might actually go, but it turned out pretty good. Well worth checking out. 😉 Thanks for reading, Dani!

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