Here we are, at the end of ANOTHER era of Marvel/Netflix’s collaborative effort to bring ‘The Defenders’ ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Daredevil’, ‘Luke Cage’, and ‘Iron Fist’ (and sure, why not ‘The Punisher’) into the warm glowing light that is the MCU. Sure, these original series never overtly TRIED to connect to their silver screen siblings in ‘The Avengers’ but, in their own way, they carved out a fan base that has (for the most part) been fully engaged in their stories.
While the news of Netflix slowly killing off all of their Marvel original shows began to hit, ‘Jessica Jones’ Season 3 was still in production. Though it was a matter of time before Netflix announced Jessica Jones for the chopping block, there was still a glimmer of hope that we could see just as strong of a finish that we saw with season 3 of Netflix’s strongest Marvel character ‘Daredevil’. I can’t say it’s as strong of a finish as it’s fellow Defenders series, however, It still was able to keep me entertained with some compelling moments, but a bittersweet note of what could have been.
In this season, Jessica is facing a smaller, more philosophical villain, challenging her newfound title of ‘Hero’ that of course, Jones is completely against. Following the events with Jones and her sister Trish (played by Rachel Taylor) we see a whole new dynamic take place, where Trish has portrayed more a damsel in distress in the previous seasons, now, is seen as a valuable and powerful sidekick. But as the events transpire, Trish and Jones relationship will be put to the test, and allies may not be as keen on helping Jones catch a serial killer that is tearing her family apart.
We also get some b-stories involving Jessicas reformed junkie next-door neighbor Malcolm (played by Eka Darville), as well as a deeper look at the strong BAMF boss Jeri Hogarth (played by Carrie-Ann Moss) as all of these characters arcs meld into the main story with Jessica and Trish. All of the performances were top notch, Kristen Ritter proves again that she was born to play the character, Jessica Jones. It will be a sad day to see the character rebooted simply due to the iconic portrayal of Jones that to me puts Ritter up there with the likes of Hugh Jackman’s ‘Wolverine’ and Robert Downy Jr.’s Iron Man.
The action, fighting, while not ‘Daredevil’ levels of awesome, serve a good purpose to the story and the hits and punches all matter. The villain, while certainly not in the weight class of Jones main nemesis Killgrave (played in Season 1 by David Tennant) is able to set up the relationship drama between Jones and Trish very well. I liked unraveling the ‘mystery’ behind the characters’ motivations and once the 3rd half of the season kicks in, it becomes an easy binge for any fan of the show.
I was hoping that given the timing of Netflix canceling the other Marvel/Netflix shows, that Jessica Jones season 3 would be able to have enough time to possibly conclude her story rather than how it was left off, and with the massive, and I mean MASSIVE cliffhanger that shows leaves us at, I can’t help but wonder if either they just didn’t get the chance to do any rewrites or, if this is even possible, Netflix WANTED to leave on that note just as a slight to Disney/Marvel, who are now essentially Netflix’s competition in the streaming world with the announcement of their own streaming platform. It’s tough for me to applaud this as the final season because of how much is left on the table when I hoped for an epic conclusion to the show it left in a very stagnant position.
The bare bones of this review are: if you enjoyed the previous two Jessica Jones seasons or even the Defenders as a whole, then go check this out, with the caveat that it might end on a frustrating and unfinished note. Jessica Jones never ascends from the greatness that was her first season, in fact, it’s a toss-up on whether season 2 or 3 are the stronger ones. But watch, enjoy, and let me know what you thought!
Jessica Jones Season 3 gets a 6.5/10