Jessica Jones is not just my favourite new television series of the year, but my favourite thing Marvel have ever produced, either for television or the big screen. Its daring nature, powerful yet flawed lead woman and arguably the most despicable villain we've ever met all combine and fuse together to create something truly special.
Credit: Netflix
Krysten Ritter is Jones; a woman with an unbreakable wall only penetrated by those closest to her, but somebody who's more than willing to connect with her emotions, whether that be in her favour or not. She's incapable of seeing the good in herself from the moment we meet her and instead she focuses on the negativity which seems to surround and gravitate towards her. Her biggest weakness is herself and through all of that, the audience can relate despite not possessing the super strength and jumping abilities that Jones doesn't let define her.
Marvel haven't to this point invested so heavily in a female lead, but after seeing the outpouring of love for this character almost immediately after she was given the green light, they should be more confident in the future in allowing their female protagonists to shine. For years fans have demanded a Black Widow movie - perhaps now is her time.
We're also introduced for the first time to Luke Cage, played brilliantly by Mike Colter. Mysterious and charismatic, his relationship with Jessica is one that truly goes through the ringer, metaphorical perhaps of the experience the viewer will go through on their first watch. He's a man we're going to become more accustomed with in the New Year, as his own season comes to Netflix.
Then of course there's the incredible David Tennant. As The Purple Man, AKA Kilgrave, he's scarier than he's ever been before. Obsessed with power and bending the minds of those he comes into contact with, forcing them to do his bidding for him, he's one of the most dangerous Big Bads we've ever seen.
There's one particular scene where he's at a magazine vendor on a busy street, and the owner tells him he's not running a library. To deal with him, he tells him to throw hot coffee over his own face and of course, the guy does it without hesitation.
When we're first introduced to him, he's making a home for himself by forcing the owners of the house to allow him to stay, whilst the children who annoy him are told to climb into the wardrobe and not make a sound. We never do see those children again...
Basically, he's despicable, but that's something we have to praise the writers and creators for. He's supposed to be terrible, he's the bad guy.
Often legitimately unsettling and unnerving, Jessica Jones has the ability to leaves its viewers feeling incredibly deflated. Fortunately, the payoff is worth the sometimes challenging journey and when all is said and done and the path is set for any adventures we may see Jessica take up in the future, we're thankful for such a brilliantly presented rollercoaster ride.
Marvel's Jessica Jones season one is available now in its entirety exclusively on Netflix.
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