JESSICA JONES SEASON 3 REVIEW

Well, here we are, at the end of the Marvel Netflix shows, all concluding with Jessica Jones season three, which seems like it was not supposed to even have been filmed, as the show was technically canceled before the new season aired, but nevertheless, here we are. Spoilers ahead for Jessia Jones season three, let’s recap.

Recap

Jessica Jones (Kristen Ritter) decides to ditch her old ways and starts to “give a shit.” When Jessica is pitted against a serial killer, Gregory Salinger (Jeremy Bobb), Jessica must stay on the path of legality to do what is right to put away Salenger. Especially before Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) who has now developed superpowers starts to go off the rails as the new vigilante, Hellcat.

Review

The tone of the season was well in line with the other two seasons. There was the dark gritty tone that the show is known for by being based in the greasy underbelly of New York City known as Hells Kitchens. Salinger also made this season feel darker and at times a little confronting and uncomfortable which was a great way to challenge the senses of not only us as the audience, however, Jessica as a character. Of course, the season was not all dark and gloomy, there was obviously the more ‘lighter’ tone with Jessicas sass critiquing everything that is going on.

The season had a quite a neat passing. I have always liked the pacing of the Jessica Jones seasons. The mystery that the season followed made it feel smooth (not Daredevil smooth), but this did feel like a breeze to watch. The only parts that I feel like slowed down the season was Jeri Hogarth’s plot, but I will get into that a little more.

Jessica Jones

This season of Jessica Jones was a neat direction to take the character in, in the idea that she is trying to do something that she has not done before. It is really neat to see the character evolve over her journey in the series, and become slightly more of the hero archetype. That was something that I did appreciate. I also did enjoy that although Jessica wanted to do more and be more ‘heroic’ she never lost everything that made her loveable, such as sass.

Jessica was pushed to the edge this season her morality. It was such an interesting twist towards the end of the season where Jessica had to essentially end up protecting Slanger from Trish, who in a way was pitted as the enemy. I know that Jessica was, in reality, protecting Trish from herself and going down a path that she couldn’t walk back from. But Jessica having to fight her best friend, essentially her sister, was something really emotional for Jessica, and her having to knock some sense into Trish was a really neat way to help evolve the character. But pitting Trish as the main villain of the season really drove home the point that Jessica needs to give a shit, or else she may lose the ones that she loves.

Hellcat

One of the main highlights in the season was the introduction of Trish as Hellcat. Hellcat has been a well-known hero in the comics since the 70s, and it was really awesome to see her on screen. In the comics, I believe that she has mainly been a hero, even joining the Avengers for a while. In this season of the show, they really did put a neat twist on that, showing the realistic side to vigilantism, and how someone can be corrupted by a sense of revenge and justice. It was interesting going into the psychosis of Trish this season. I did like how she intended to be a hero, and start to be a vigilante less reluctantly than Jessica (in season one). But when her mother, Dorothy Walker (Rebecca De Mornay), was killed, Trish went off the rails, and that was awesome. Trish got a false sense of revenge as she killed three criminals in total in the season. I did love the realization that Trish came to at the end of the season in police custody where she said: “I’m the bad guy.” It was a really impactful moment where she comes to her senses and realizes the damage she has caused.

Another really awesome scene in the season was the costume trial. There was a small Captain Marvel reference at one point, and then Trish did where her Hellcat costume straight from the comics.

Other Characters

One of the new characters introduced this season was Erik Gelden (Benjamin Walker). I really enjoyed his character and thought that he was a brilliant addition to the cast. The charisma he bought into the show was something that worked well. The concept of the character was something that I did find interesting, and I really did like that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe there would be bound to be someone who had “shitty superpowers.”

Malcolm (Eka Darville) this season had a really neat character arch. Id did like his shifting allegiances in the season, it placed a really neat spin on things and helped develop the idea that he is ultimately a decent person who does want to do good.

A storyline that I was not personally a huge fan of was that of Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss). The story followed her a master manipulator primarily, and although it was interesting, it felt like it dragged on for way too long at points. I feel like her slow descent in madness and her coming to grips with her inevitable death would have been more interesting to see unfold, instead of her tearing apart a man’s life to seduce his wife.

Foolkiller

The villain of the season, Gregory Salinger, A.K.A the Foolkiller from the comics was an interesting antagonist in the season. Although he felt a little flat in terms of how he was developed, he was still menacing in a way which this season of Jessica Jones needed. The concept I liked about the character throughout the season was that he was no physical threat to Jessica, however, he did place a threat on Jessica legality of operating as a vigilante. The way that Jessica had to end up protecting the character from Trish was a neat twist, and a great way to service the Hellcat vs Jessica plotline.

The Ending
In the last episode of the season we did get a cameo from Mike Colter as Luke Cage, who was still the owner of the Paradise nightclub in Harlem, so who knows what would happen with that storyline. But nevertheless, it was still great to see Luke Cage back for one last time on Netflix.

The season ended on a really interesting note. I did like the idea that Jessica was going to just move onto another life, and live passively and not deal with all of her problems. However, I did like how she came back around with the Purple Man (David Tennant) voice of doubt in her head questioning her move. I am glad that the show ended in a place where you could imagine Jessica becoming more of a hero in Hells Kitchen, and possibly being someone who steps up and helps others, especially when the time of the snap comes around.

In conclusion, this season of Jessica Jones was a really awesome season, and a fun watch. This is arguably one of my favorite seasons of all the Netflix seasons, and it is a shame to say goodbye to these characters for the meanwhile. Krysten Ritter did an amazing job as playing Jessica Jones this season, and for the previous two (in addition to the Defenders), and I really hope that she and the other Marvel Netflix actors come back and reprise their roles in the MCU in the future.
Rating: 8.8/10

What did you think about this season of Jessica Jones? Comment below your favorite episodes, characters, or storylines, and where do you want to see the Marvel Netflix characters come back. You can click on the left for more Marvel, or on the right for Avengers Endgame, and subscribe if you have not already. As always, thanks for reading, take care.