EDITORIAL: Why JESSICA JONES Is Utterly Disappointing

EDITORIAL: Why JESSICA JONES Is Utterly Disappointing

With Jessica Jones receiving such world-wide praise, it's hard to imagine how fans could feel frustrated. Usually, Marvel delivers, but did they manage to do so this time around? Hit the jump for my take. SPOILERS follow.

Editorial Opinion
By GliderMan - Nov 22, 2015 03:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Jessica Jones

Marvel Studios has continuously raised the bar with everything they bring to the table. While occasionally they slip up a little (Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron), I think most of us can agree that Marvel knows what they're doing with their characters and are kings of entertainment. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is better than ever, Daredevil was a masterpiece, and now the half-hour MCU sitcom Damage Control is on the way. What a time to be alive.

While Jessica Jones may work as a television action-drama, all it does is piss me off as a Marvel fan. I have always been easily pleased by superhero movies. I love X-Men: The Last Stand and Spider-Man 3. I didn’t hate Green Lantern like everyone else in the world. And don’t even get me started on how much I adore the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From Iron Man and beyond, I have loved every production, and whilst I disagreed with a lot of their decisions, I still accepted it and enjoyed what was given. Almost always, the characters felt like they were ripped right off the page of a comic book. Even if they took many creative liberties, they still did it in a way that was respectful to the source material.

The same cannot be said for Jessica Jones.
 
There are two great big problems to this series, two things that really get under my skin. There are several little things that I take issue with, but didn't damage the series as much. Let's get started.

1). Misunderstanding Her Origin


This show is based off a specific run of Jessica Jones comics, called Alias. Alias was the grand introduction to the tough-as-nails private investigator, written by Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis had a very unique way to introducing this new character to the Marvel Universe in that we got to see how she reacted to other characters we already know and love. On top of this he gave her a mysterious and traumatic past that was revealed further and further as the story progressed; whilst now she was just a powered person, she used to be a superhero.

In a world where Captain America leads a team of superheroes, Daredevil defends Hell's Kitchen and Spider-Man is apparently already swinging around, why in the god damn [frick]ing [frick]ed-up hell would you be afraid to show her as Jewel? They seriously treat it as a joke!



For the uninformed, Jessica got her powers in a car accident after being covered in chemicals that 
resulted in her family's death. After that, she was in a coma for a long time, and was further bullied in school for being in a coma of all things. Life did not treat her very well. Think about how much it would have took for her, after all that trauma, to put on her costume and be a superhero? It's a very heroic, dramtic thing for her. And then, as this superhero, she is captured by the Purple Man. And then she goes through even further trauma, brought even lower. 

I think it's very important to show that she had trauma before Kilgrave, and she still kept pushing. This would show that it was Kilgrave who broke her when she emerged as a different person on the other side. Instead, the TV series shows us that Jessica is essentially the same person she was before Kilgrave got ahold of her. She already drank at inappropriate times, was a jackass to people, and all-in-all wasn't innocent. When she finally got away from Kilgrave, she just continued these habits, albeit in a worse capacity.  She has to deal with further trauma and PTSD, but there's not near as dramatic of a change. 
 

2). Negating The Purpose of the Cinematic Universe


Let me tell you something I like to do. I like to read the source material for which Marvel productions are based on, to prepare for the movies and television programs. For Avengers, this worked great. For Daredevil, it worked even better. Even reading Secret Warriors and some Inhuman runs has helped me better understand what's going on in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But for Jessica Jones, I might as well have stuck to her Wikipedia page.

One of the greatest parts of Alias how this rough new character interacted with the already established Marvel Universe. Her and J. Jonah Jameson drove each other crazy. She had great chemistry with Scott Lang, the current Ant-Man. Matt Murdock was her lawyer (she even had feelings for him), and she made jokes about Thor in the first issue. [frick]ing Galactus and the Silver Surfer was in her comic, people. But in the TV show, it was like it was illegal to mention anybody.


No one besides her and Luke CageNOT ONE OTHER HERO is mentioned by name. And honestly, in the world that Marvel has created through it's other productions, it doesn't feel right. It is not natural to refer to the Hulk as "the green dude" or to Captain America as "the flag-waver." These are not only the people that saved New York, they are celebrities. Then there's Daredevil (who made quite a bit of noise in his own show), and he isn't name-dropped once. Several times throughout the series a lawyer is needed, and Nelson & Murdock isn't even brought up. That just doesn't feel right in the universe Marvel has established.

3). Other Shit


Okay, I can understand why he's not purple. That really didn't add anything to his character, it would have been a distracting, expensive and most likely meaningless subplot. What I have a problem with is how this series [frick]ing teased that appearance, but refused to deliver. Seriously?! Below is a screenshot from the last episode, AKA Smile, where Kilgrave receives an injection to increase his power and starts to go [frick]ing purple.
 

Listen, I ultimately had no problem with him not being purple. It made sense for the story. But why the hell would you tease something and then never deliever on it? While I didn't mind it, it would be cool to see. The next time we see Kilgrave, there's no purple. The closest we get is for literally two seconds when he yells at Jessica:

 
It's so unsatisfying and doesn't make a lot of sense. Why even tease him going purple to begin with? And while killing him off made sense for the story, I wish there had been another way to end his arc. Who wouldn't like to see him fighting Daredevil, or maybe even one of the film characters?


Kilgrave wasn't the only one with an inefficient conclusion. Will Simpson AKA Nuke, who I thought brilliantly mirrored The Dark Knight's Two-Face, was taken out of the picture with almost no explanation why. This guy murdered a cop and fought against his friends--that's how determined he was to put Kilgrave down. The show went out of it's way to make this clear, but then the government/military come and get him and he's never heard from again. I don't even think he's talked about again. It just leaves you scratching your head.

But I'd rather be scratching my head then yelling at the TV, which is what I couldn't help but do when the series ended with Jessica Jones sitting at her desk, as miserable as she was when the series began. Several people left her messages, needing her [frick]ing help, and all she does is hit delete. One woman has an abusive boyfriend, one man has a brother who owes money and he "doesn't know who else to turn to." Jessica Jones IS a superhero. This show should have showed her learning that, but she didn't learn squat. All she did was get revenge. It was just like when Peter Parker revealed to kids everywhere just how much of a douchebag he was:

Conclusion

However hard this show is for me to watch, I must admit there's a lot of great stuff in here, mostly the cast. Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, and David Tennent all kill it as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Patricia Walker and Kilgrave, respectively. They all fit their roles almost flawlessly, and left me wanting to see more. I even liked Wil Traval as Nuke, though his departure was premature and I want him to adopt his supervillain moniker. (Anybody else feel he'd make a great villain for the Punisher?) 
All in all, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by this show. Several times I felt like I was slapped in the face as a comic fan, and they simply changed too much. But, after all, that is just my opinion. Let me know what you think in the comment section below!


 
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DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 11/22/2015, 5:59 PM
I thumbed this, Good article man.

I have a lot of problems with the series too, and I love the Alias comic

I already talked about a lot of it on here, so I'm not sure I should bring it up again on this thread....

I didn't like the direction they took, and it has a lot to do with the characterization and the writing, for me, this includes how they handled Kilgrave too, because Kilgrave is so much more interesting in the comic

But, I'm going to try to watch it again sometime, with a more open mind, there are so many things that I was expecting to see, and ultimately, I'm just not happy with the end product
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 11/22/2015, 6:03 PM
I'm disappointed in it because they killed off Kilgrave. Yea Kilgrave has come back from the dead but considering we never established him coming back from the dead or not being able to die, it will feel like a recon and make Season 1 completely pointless.



The only thing that would be more disappointing is if the MCU doesn't show the Spider-Man/Daredevil bromance. I honestly see Marvel not showing it. Why show you're number one toy selling, comic selling, kid friendly superhero that everybody knows and loves in a TV-MA show? Or why put a character leading a TV-MA show in a movie focused on a more kid friendly superhero?



Marvel, with your future with Spidey and Daredevil, you better

EricBorder
EricBorder - 11/22/2015, 6:06 PM
Thumbed.

I'm not a fan of the show, or how they chose to adapt the series, and I agree with what @DrKinsolving has said in the other threads

Daredevil is my favorite comic book show, so I was really expecting JJ to be a lot better, but everything from the writing to the performances to the story was underwhelming for me, and I felt that they could have and should have done a much better job

@GliderMan

I feel the same way, I love the "Alias" comic run, and if I never read it, I may have enjoyed this more
Scorpo
Scorpo - 11/22/2015, 6:08 PM
Daredevil
Jessica Jones
The Flash
Arrow
AOS
Gotham/Supergirl
Agent Carter
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My opinion!!!!!!

Anyways, I thought this series almost topped DD in so many ways. DD was indeed a masterpiece, but Jessica Jones felt better in some aspects (including the darkness) I felt that DD was more gritty, while Jessica Jones was more dark (which is obvious) but it makes them 2 separate types of shows.
DerekLake
DerekLake - 11/22/2015, 6:09 PM
I think you have a point about the way in which these two Netflix shows have gone out of their way to have the weakest of ties to the broader MCU. I can only guess as to why that is the case:

1) There's some sort of legal issue with name-dropping that makes the show more expensive

2) The vast differences in tone and approach suggest a slight incompatibility (i.e., how the shows and the movies treat the Chitauri invasion) were the two to meet.

3) The shows want to stand on their own two feet as much as possible, and thereby appeal to people who may not care about the movies.

I don't have much of an issue with the looseness of the ties, given the currently centralized focus on Hell's Kitchen. The lack of Daredevil and Kingpin references was particularly astounding, given the significance of the events of that series.

I think the major test of whether or not the Netflix shows are connected in practice will come with the new Spider-Man movies.
dragonator29
dragonator29 - 11/22/2015, 6:09 PM
Came just to see a big flamewar within us Marvel fans. Looks like its about to go down.

I haven't seen a single episode of JJ, no Netflix in my country. Had to be a pirate and started torrenting now.
TucksFrom2015
TucksFrom2015 - 11/22/2015, 6:11 PM
Kyos
Kyos - 11/22/2015, 6:11 PM
I mean, yeah, it's kind of weird that we didn't get more direct name drops, but is that really one of the two big things that sinks the entire show for you?

To me this show did feel like probably the least connected part in the entire MCU. There should've been at least some crossover with Daredevil characters beyond the (welcome) Claire Temple appearance (and, as much as people love to hate it, probably even SHIELD).

Huge parts of the story revolved around lawyers and legal problems when dealing with certain powers (and not just in secret, Hope's case got quite a bit publicity), and all that happened in the direct neighbourhood of Matt Murdock. Really, nothing?

Scorpo
Scorpo - 11/22/2015, 6:12 PM
Does @LEVITIKUZ still think he is relevant, and that his opinions are important? Getting worse than @Jollem man. Not as bad as Dexter but still dude. Find your chill before I find your Address :D
Kyos
Kyos - 11/22/2015, 6:31 PM
I think it's actually no exaggeration if I call Will Simpson my least favourite MCU character. Yes, in all the movies and all the TV stuff I can't think of a single character right now that irritated me as much as this guy did on this show. Maybe if he'd at least had somewhat of a satisfying conclusion before the end of the season I'd be more positive, but damn, [frick] that guy!
Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 6:39 PM
I wouldn't exactly call this utterly disappointing, but there was a lot in the show that I would've left on the cutting room floor so to speak. The subplots, nearly all of them, were more or less pointless and added no depth or story to the overall arc. They were simply there to fill a void that the main story couldn't, or at least the writers wouldn't allow. Also the more "intimate" scenes were kind of awkward to watch as it felt as if a horny teenager added them into the show. Daredevil did a good job of juggling this type of stuff. It didn't feel like a XXX-rated superhero show, it was just simply a superhero show. And I personally would've added more of the Luke Cage/Jessica Jones dynamic. I'm partially satisfied with what we got, but I really would've liked more. I'd have loved a few scenes where it was just the two characters chilling and talking about their lives, which we kind of got a taste for when they both bonded over their abilities. I would've taken much more of that than what we finally got. But like I said, the show was far from "utterly disappointing." I thought it was a fine attempt at a Jessica Jones show, but if this show does get a second season, I'd hope they add more and remove the waste, that'd be a better show.
Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 6:42 PM
I thumbed your article tho, you pasty fish-eyed fool
Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 6:44 PM
@Kyos
Lmao I was thinking the same thing. Like, she literally spends half of the season looking for a good lawyer to handle all of this evidence against Killgrave, and she lives in Hell's Kitchen, where a certain red clad vigilante has already made a name for himself, not to mention he practices law for his day job...

I mean really?
Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 6:47 PM
"Kilgrave wasn't the only one with an inefficient conclusion. Will Simpson AKA Nuke, who I thought brilliantly mirrored The Dark Knight's Two-Face, was taken out of the picture with almost no explanation why. This guy murdered a cop and fought against his friends--that's how determined he was to put Kilgrave down. The show went out of it's way to make this clear, but then the government/military come and get him and he's never heard from again. I don't even think he's talked about again. It just leaves you scratching your head.

But I'd rather be scratching my head then yelling at the TV, which is what I couldn't help but do when the series ended with Jessica Jones sitting at her desk, as miserable as she was when the series began. Several people left her messages, needing her [frick]ing help, and all she does is hit delete. One woman has an abusive boyfriend, one man has a brother who owes money and he "doesn't know who else to turn to." Jessica Jones IS a superhero. This show should have showed her learning that, but she didn't learn squat. All she did was get revenge."


Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 6:49 PM
It's weird. Usually this stuff would bother me, and does. But maybe it's because these changes were exactly the ones I was expecting them to make. I would have liked a genuine Jewel outing to be sure, but all of that was in service of cementing the relationship between her and Trish, which is new and special and awesome.

As far as the connectedness stuff, I was disappointed that we didn't see Matt, but New York is a big place. Hell's Kitchen is even a big place and New York has a lot of lawyers. The bombings may have warranted a mention, but the Daredevil, probably not. We already got the coincidence of meeting Claire in the last few episodes. That could have resulted in a full on team-up, but that would potentially undercut Jessica as her own hero with her own journey and make that coincidence seem contrived. I hope for more connectedness in the future, but not if it's overly forced.

Back to Jessica for a second.

"Jessica Jones IS a superhero. This show should have showed her learning that, but she didn't learn squat. All she did was get revenge."

With respect, she isn't a superhero and she did learn plenty (primarily about allowing others into her life). But the end of the season was establishing a new status quo for Alias Investigations, with Malcolm as her own personal Jiminy Cricket. It's a "next season preview" kind of contrivance, but I don't think it's the sort of betrayal that you seem to.

There's no doubting that this season was different than Alias and the version of Jessica is different than the comics, but it seems to me the kind of difference between the comics and RDJ's Tony Stark. Mostly tone and nuance, but nothing fundamental. The struggles are still the same, even if the details are different. In many ways, the show ironed out the wrinkles of the comics (Malcolm actually being a character instead of a random goofball groupie, Luke Cage being a human being instead of just a smooth cape-chaser, Trish being a real insight into Jessica's past instead of a constant voice nagging for her to just be normal.)

I loved Alias, but I loved it for many reasons that wouldn't work in the MCU. Maybe you could get away with the Rick Jones arc, but everything else was very much about being "in a super world, but not of a super world". The MCU isn't there yet. It probably will never really be there. In 616, if someone says "Remember when Galactus attacked?" and the response is "Which time?". The MCU is still so scarred from one alien attack that a midnight bombing of tenement buildings apparently don't register a mention a few months later. This isn't a world where Thor randomly swoops in, cracks a joke, and swoops out.

I'd like it to be, but we're not there. Maybe Damage Control can get us there.

(Dammit, I said I was done, but I was genuinely interested to see why GliderMan was so disappointed and then my fingers just started moving on their own... Bad fingers.) Even though I don't agree with basically anything, thumbs up for explaining it clearly and earnestly. All anyone can ever ask from people who disagree with them is that.
Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 6:55 PM
Lets think about it, Daredevil literally had a large part of the season involve Wilson Fisk and his cohorts blow up a bunch of buildings in Hell's Kitchen. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage live in Hell's Kitchen, and the show takes place after Daredevil's first season... yet there is no mention of those buildings that just so happened to go "boom" not to long ago?

That doesn't make a lick of sense. You'd think after an event like that that takes place in your own neighborhood, you'd at least mention it once or twice.

The more I think about it, the less I start to give Jessica Jones credit. I need to just focus on the show's positives.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 6:56 PM
Oh, and on Simpson / Nuke...



These shows and movies have a bad habit of leaving stuff on the table. The whole drug/supersoldier angle was all build up for a season 2 if they get one. You can say that's unsatisfying, (and I won't disagree with you), but compared to the final episodes of some shows' first season:





Well, it's not like Jessica Jones is unique in leaving unfinished business.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 6:59 PM
Yeah, I now realize that no one will recognize that Farscape image, so here's one more likely to make the point.

Pasto
Pasto - 11/22/2015, 7:00 PM
No one seems to mention that this guy shows up in the show twice, which I thought was pretty cool.

Owlman88
Owlman88 - 11/22/2015, 7:07 PM
"it was like it was illegal to mention anybody"


Haven't you read about how Kevin Feige and Jeph Loeb (with Ike Perlmutter) hate each other?

Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 7:07 PM
@Pasto
It didn't feel like a XXX-rated superhero show


And here it is again. I had no idea the people who frequent a site that regularly features content like: "Look at a cosplayer's boobs" and "which actress is the hottest" and Whatever the hell McGee decides is the perversion de jure in the comments would have such delicate sensibilities. People clamor for mature content and then shrink away when they see sexually active adults being sexually active adults...

I'll be honest. This is just weird to me.
LordDaredevil
LordDaredevil - 11/22/2015, 7:07 PM
As a huge Daredevil (comic and tv fan), I wish I could be upset that he didn't appear in the show, but...think about it. Why the hell would Jessica go to any other firm but the one in the show, especially Nelson and Murdock, when Matt's firm had literally just opened in Daredevil and only took on two cases. What a ridiculous coincidence that would've been.
Kyos
Kyos - 11/22/2015, 7:09 PM
It's like you care more about the fictional novelty of the shared universe over an actual story, or quality product

Or maybe we care about both?!
LordDaredevil
LordDaredevil - 11/22/2015, 7:09 PM
Also, Jessica's sexual reclamation is an extreme point considering the fact that she was raped. It was important to show her having sex because the show wants us to see Jessica in control of her own sexuality after her ordeal. The sex was purposeful, and realistic.
Pucky
Pucky - 11/22/2015, 7:10 PM
@Spock0Clock
You a Farscape fan?! You old sailor you! Farscape is/was awesome.
Kyos
Kyos - 11/22/2015, 7:11 PM
People clamor for mature content and then shrink away when they see sexually active adults being sexually active adults...

I'll be honest. This is just weird to me.


I agree. Seems that's just how it is though.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 7:13 PM
@WakandasSoul
It's like you care more about the fictional novelty of the shared universe over an actual story.


Even though it wasn't aimed at me, as someone who greatly overvalues novelty, I resent that comment somewhat. There's no shame in novelty and it's by far the greatest consistent strength the MCU has.

I also really enjoyed the prospect of uniting the original and First Class casts in Days of Future Past, and the potential for a Crisis on Infinite Earths style crossover with all of DC's media properties. Those novelties can raise my estimation of a thing several notches. Jones didn't have that and I think it stands on its own without it, but I don't knock the desire.
Utopian8418
Utopian8418 - 11/22/2015, 7:19 PM
Are you seriously comparing AOU (my fav cbm) with TDW? And the saying shield is good? This makes me so sad man haha
Kozmik
Kozmik - 11/22/2015, 7:20 PM
@WakandasSoul

I actually enjoy a bit of name dropping (I honestly thought my head would explode when Clare Temple showed up) but if done in too heavy-handed a fashion it comes off as cheap.

Jessica Jones did it just about perfectly (though I'd be lying if I said that I would have gone ape-shite over a Matt Murdock cameo. He could just be passing my Jessica Jones, with no real contact to speak of. Just to reinforce that they existed in the same universe would have been awesome) and for my money was some of the best television I have seen in quite awhile.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 11/22/2015, 7:20 PM
@PatW

It is still an absolutely formative experience for me. Which is great, because I seem creative to the 99% of people who didn't watch it.

Invictor
Invictor - 11/22/2015, 7:25 PM
My only problem with this show was the ending and the timing of the Nuke subplot. They really had my hopes up that Kilgrave would turn full-on purple in the last episode.
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