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Jessica Jones Season 2 Review: Did It Live Up to the Hype?

This is a spoiler-free review. Season 1 of Jessica Jones first exploded onto our screens in 2015. The first season was seen as a massive hit by most, and with that, its second season became very much anticipated. Season 2 […]

This is a spoiler-free review.

Season 1 of Jessica Jones first exploded onto our screens in 2015. The first season was seen as a massive hit by most, and with that, its second season became very much anticipated.

Season 2 of Jessica Jones is very similar to its first season. The season takes the same character driven angle that progress at a slow pace and bathes in the darker tones. The story is a very personal one to Jessica and,  like the first season, this season focuses more on how events impact Jessica as a character rather than how Jessica impacts events.

Jessica being a superhero vigilante. Source.

The villains of this Marvel Netflix series have been seen as some of the best villains in the MCU. Season 1 gave us Killgrave, who many argue is the best MCU villain we have had. With that, the villain of this season is faced with a tough task of stacking up to what David Tennant brought to Killgrave. For the first act of this season, we don’t have much knowledge on who this villain is, and because of that, the villain is quite underwhelming in the first half of the season. However, once a connection between Jessica and the villain is made, things take a turn for the better, (your viewership included).

Krysten Ritter was again fantastic as Jessica this season. As a character, she shows a limited range of emotions, yet there were many scenes in this season where Ritter was able to show a greater acting range as Jessica reacted visibly to different moments. Supporting Ritter in season one and again season one is Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker, Eka Darville as Malcolm and Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri. Each of them have their roles in Jessica’s life, and each of their performances were strong, especially Carrie-Anne Moss, whose performance is perhaps one of the best given as someone who does not fall into the villain category.

Source.

This season introduced us to some new characters that added an extra dimension to the series. J.R. Ramierz as Oscar, Kevin Chachon as Vido and John Ventimiglia as Detective Costa were all great additions to the cast, and the third season of the show would really benefit if all three of them return. They each have a role that is important in the character progression for Jessica and all their scenes stood out as some of the best of the season.

Overall, while season 2 in many ways felt like a step down from the first season in some departments in regards to pacing and the villain being a touch less than Killgrave, it still did enough to stand as a solid follow up season. Jessica Jones continues to be the Marvel Netflix show that has a noir detective vibe which will have the biggest influence over a viewer’s enjoyment of the season. If you were someone who really enjoyed the slow paced nature and character detail that the first season brought, then this season will hold up for you. However if you prefer the fast paces, action packed natures of series such as Daredevil or The Punisher, then this season may not fill that void.