This is a SPOILER-FREE review of the Jessica Jones Season 2, Episode 1.
The Story So Far
At the end of Season 1 of Jessica Jones, the titular anti-hero had defeated her abuser Kilgrave by snapping his neck. Though the character was still clearly suffering post-traumatic stress from her ordeal. Her efforts also thrust Alias Investigations into the public eye, with Jessica’s phone ringing off the hook with cases to be solved. Which is how the new series beings…
Where is Jessica’s Head At?
Jessica Jones isn’t very happy at the start of Season 2. The events of Season 1 have brought the character the kind of fame and notoriety that she’s been trying to avoid, with those in need looking to Alias Investigations for help. Resulting in Jessica working for a bunch of “a–hole clients” and drinking a lot more than she should. Yes, even more than last time around.
But Jessica’s past is slowly catching up with her. Jones has no idea where her powers came from, waking up with super-strength following the car crash that killed the rest of her family. And best friend Trish wants to know why. At the end of Season 1 she was sorting through files about Jessica’s past. And in Season 2 she’s doing more of the same, desperate to ease her friend’s agony.
Seems the season will, therefore, revolve around answering those questions, delving into Jessica’s past, and bringing her “buried memories” to the surface. It looks to be a journey into the heart of darkness, with Trish ominously warning, “Kilgrave isn’t the only ghost in your head.”
What Else is New?
Price Chang is introduced early in proceedings, and proves to be an amusing adversary for Jessica. Smart, sophisticated and arrogant, he runs a rival to Alias Investigations in the shape of Chang Consulting Management, and he wants to absorb Jessica’s agency. Or at least hire her, believing a “powered person” will attract new clients.
Their spiky back-and-forth is source of some of the episode’s funniest moments, while also re-establishing Jones as the toughest of all the Defenders. And most definitely the one with the sharpest tongue. “I never take no for an answer,” says Chang. “How rapey of you,” comes the response.
Elsewhere there’s a handsome new super in Jessica’s building who seems suspicious. Plus a new client who believes he has super-speed. He doesn’t make a very good case for that claim, but as the episode progresses, so his story takes an interesting turn.
Elsewhere, Hogarth returns, though hers is perhaps the most serious strain of this first episode. And while Trish follows up on leads pertaining to Jessica’s past, it seems like someone, in turn, is following her. Meaning there’s all sorts being set up.
Dark Times Ahead
It’s hard to talk about this one without going into spoilers, but what we will say — without hesitation — is that this is a cracking start to Season 2. Which very much feels like a natural extension of the Season 1 narrative.
Jessica is still the most multi-faceted of the Marvel-Netflix characters, and the episode soon starts digging beneath that steely exterior. The trauma she suffered at the hands of Kilgrave clearly hasn’t dissipated, and while he doesn’t appear here, it’s clear the monstrous character will play some part in proceedings.
But on this evidence, Season 2 will be dedicated to Jessica’s more distant past, focussing on the people who made her, the reasons why, and the other super-powered entities that were created in the process. And we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.