Marvel’s Jessica Jones is a 2015 superhero detective psychological thriller web television series created by Melissa Rosenberg, starring Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, Wil Traval, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Tennant, Erin Moriarty, and Eka Darville.  The series follows Jessica Jones who is a former superhero who decides to start over utilizing her abilities as a private investigator in her detective agency.

Positives:

• Great characters
• Great performances
• Great cast
• Compelling storyline
• Great score
• Great dialogue
• Great use of special effects

Negatives:

• n/a

Plot: Jessica Jones is a former superhero who decides to start over utilizing her abilities as a private investigator in her detective agency.  There is the relationship between Jessica and Luke Cage that develops over the course of the season but there is this secret that binds the two.  Also, there is the cat and mouse game being played between Jessica and Kilgrave. The plot is pretty good and is actually pretty damn deep. Despite the various subplots with Jessica’s clients it does feel very much a part of the overall story. (4 out of 5)

Characters:  Jessica (Ritter) is just an awesome character.  She is deep with a great sense character despite the traumatic events surrounding her past. Kilgrave (Tennant) is just a badass and even though he is chaotic he does have personality and he does have motivation.  Jessica and Kilgrave have this strange bond and it is because of the tragedies dealing with him that there is this bond. Luke (Colter) is awesome and I like how down-to-earth he is. Jessica and Luke are just great together and watching them get along was great, especially as they relate to one another about their abilities as well as the secret between them. Also, Trish (Taylor) is also awesome and it’s nice to see a character that helps her feel normal. Will Simpson (Traval) is probably the weakest and most unlikable character.  Didn’t like his character nor did I like his relationship to Trish. There are a lot of other great characters including Hope Shlottman (Moriarty), Malcolm Ducasse (Darville), and Jeri Hogarth (Moss). (5 out of 5)

Cast: Great performances by the great cast. The cast includes Krysten Ritter (Jessica), Mike Colter (Luke), Rachael Taylor (Trish), Wil Traval (Will), Erin Moriarty (Shlottman), Eka Darville (Ducasse), Carrie-Anne Moss (Hogarth), and David Tennant (Kilgrave). Krysten Ritter was perfectly cast as Jessica.  She definitely has that tomboyish, tough girl look about her. Great chemistry between Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter, great as Luke Cage.  David Tennant gives a brilliant performance as Kilgrave.  He does manage to make the character comical at times but completely serious.  Rachael Taylor is pretty awesome and does a good job onscreen with Ritter. (5 out of 5)

Visuals:  There is a lot of great cinematography when it comes to shots of the various locations of the cityscape which help to give the show its neo noir tone.  Great use of practical effects when it comes to the use of Jessica, Luke, and Kilgrave’s abilities.  Jessica either lifts a man or a car, or even jumps looks authentic. (3 out of 5)

Score: Sean Callery does a great job with the musical composition.  The themes are steady and the mellow tone does help with the night setting. The intro is really cool also.  (3 out of 5)

Writing:  What makes this show so good is how well constructed it is.  Everything is so well written; from the characters, to the story, to the dialogue, and even the themes.  And the dialogue is pretty good; it’s humorous, it’s witty. Great writing when it comes to Kilgrave who is dangerous but has some well timed comedic moments.  The story introduces how Jessica gained her abilities but does leave it open ended.  The focus on some pretty dark themes (such as how Jessica deals with her rape, drinking, and PTSD) is handled really well.  (4 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Jessica Jones is a not only a really good television show but also a good superhero show. It’s nice to see something a little more relatable, more grounded. The series does feature some great performances, great characters, an awesome cast, good use of special effects, great direction, a deep story, and good writing. Jessica Jones gets 4 out of 5.