Share

Jessica Jones - S2

accreditation

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR JESSICA JONES SEASON 2 

Show: Jessica Jones S2

Rating: 4/5

Available on: Netflix

What we thought:

Marvel’s reluctant hero, Jessica Jones is back on Netflix for season 2. After the events of season 1 which resulted in her killing Killgrave and everything that went down in The Defenders, Jessica (Krysten Ritter) just wants the quiet life: To keep to herself, drink herself numb and do her PI work.

But unlike Jessica, her adopted sister/best friend Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) is all about the superhero game even though all she is, is a radio talk show host. But season 1 got Trish hooked and like the addict she is, she can’t get enough. This season delves into the girls’ pasts, dealing with Trish’s addictions and Jessica’s trust and family issues. All of which catches up to the girls in various ways in the present day.

Now that Jessica’s powers are public knowledge, she seems to be getting a lot more business because of it. From the woman who wants her to kill her boyfriend for cheating on her to the guy who calls himself The Whizzer, a speedster but only when he is afraid. He thinks someone is trying to kill him (turns out he was right) but Jessica just dismisses him at first. Added to all this stress is a new building superintendent who is evicting her, Jessica is having a great time.

It’s complicated

Last season revolved around a Big Bad, but this season it turns out the bad guy/company is a lot more complicated. Reluctantly following Trish to make sure she doesn’t get killed, Jessica finds herself investigating a company called IGH who experimented on her after the car accident that killed her family.

Trish is very annoying this season and my word, girl, how stupid are you? Trish wants to be a real life journalist; she wants to be more than Patsy the fake radio talk show host. She’s dating a war correspondent and her best friend is a superhero, all the things Trish wants to be but she just can’t.

Early on in the season, Trish gets her hands on her ex-boyfriend, Simpson’s inhaler which gave him enhanced abilities. This triggers her addictive nature and starts a domino effect ending in an irreparable crack in her relationship with Jessica.

It’s a crazy ride, my mind boggles at Trish but I suppose it’s the nature of addiction. How far will she go to get powers? Risking death, that’s how far. Trish is not smart, y’all.

Like mother, like daughter

Jessica on the other hand is dealing with the fact that her mother, who also has powers, turns out to be the killer that they have been after and also that she is just a little bit insane. But like Detective Costa (John Ventimiglia) points out, “we only get one mother”. Jessica ends up getting kidnapped by her much stronger mother and while at first she is absolutely against her mother’s insane plan, she eventually comes around when they save a family from an explosion. They attempt to cross the Canadian border and be some sort of a superhero team.

Throughout the entire last part of the series, we know deep down in our souls that this can only end one way – with the death of Alisa. Trish echoes this, even Jessica knows this when she says to her “it didn’t have to be you”. Can they come back from this? Maybe. They’ve been through a lot, these two but this seems like an irreparable break.

Lawyers and PIs

Another great side story was that of Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss). We know Jeri as the powerful attorney from season 1 as well as Danny Rand’s attorney from Iron Fist. So to see her vulnerable and dealing with ALS almost humanises her. Jeri gets conned into getting a man who is supposedly a healer (allegedly made by the same people who experimented on Jessica) out of prison.

When she comes home and finds her entire house robbed clean, she breaks down and it’s hard to watch. Because she is not mourning the loss of her material wealth, but the fact that she still has ALS and this is probably one fight she cannot see a way to pay off or lawyer her way out of. Of course this is Jeri Hogarth so she does not take this lying down. Not only does she get most of her belongings back and get revenge on the people who broke her trust but with the help of Jessica’s associate, Malcolm (Eka Darville), she gets her law firm to give her a massive pay out.

Speaking of Malcolm, his character growth over these two seasons has been fantastic. It’s really weird to say that I am proud of a fictional character, but I am proud of Malcolm, guys! He’s looking after himself and being the best he can be.

Kilgrave’s back!

One of my favourite parts of this season was definitely seeing Kilgrave back, even though it was all in Jessica’s mind. David Tennant is absolutely fantastic in this role and it’s such a 180 turn from his most beloved role as the 10th Doctor. I smiled the whole time that psychopath was on my TV. I think he was even more enjoyable this time around because he wasn’t real and having much less control over Jessica than when he was alive.

Although, we have to wonder, is he really dead to have such control over Jessica or did his mind games and mischief just do that much damage to her that a traumatic event triggered his appearance.

Season 2 of Jessica Jones was great. It had some murder mystery, some case solving and a bit of super powers but nothing over the top. The themes of addiction, loneliness, discrimination, family and trust were weaved quite well through all the characters and storylines.

(Photos: David Giesbrecht/Netflix)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE