Bit of a rant incoming. There will be some unmarked spoilers, so heads up!
So I just finished the last episode of Jessica Jones a couple of hours ago and have been trying to collect my thoughts on the matter. Most specifically on why everyone kept telling me how good this show was and that apparently it was better than the first season of Daredevil (I have yet to start season two). Am I missing something? The show starts off well enough with a solid premiere episode that sets the stage and lays the foundation for what's to come, but then almost immediately shits the bed and isn't able to recover before the season finale.
Everyone is dumb: the TV show. If written with any semblance of logic, the show would have been resolved within a few episodes, but the characters are constantly falling victim to insane lapses of common sense in order to stretch the show out to what feels like waaay longer than only thirteen episodes. The pacing is all over the place, too, culminating in the fuckery of having the main villain just kind of disappear for a few episodes so we can catch up on how all the side characters are feeling. Kilgrave is still loose and on a murder spree? Who cares! Let's see how Trish's relationship with her mom is doing! Or maybe devote a few episodes to a couple of awful people fighting over signing divorce papers. Oh, you caught Kilgrave and put him in a fucking cage? Better kidnap a cop and force him to watch us make Kilgrave murder his parents! That's totally legal right?
That's another issue, really. Being dumb is one thing, but then you have to add in the fact that they're almost all unlikable, awful, shitty people. And yeah, it's taking inspiration from noir and the self-loathing, miserable protagonist isn't out of place in that setting, but good writing and a decent actor are key ingredients to making that formula work. Ritter as Jones isn't interesting or entertaining to watch in the slightest, constantly getting other people killed so she can continue her quest to prove one person as innocent (guess none of those other people matter), and then follow it all up with an edgy remark because she's so fucking cool. Bless Tennant, bringing a level of camp and outrageousness to Kilgrave that at least makes his exploits entertaining. He single handedly carries the entire show and it slows to a crawl when he's not on screen.
Outside of the writing, acting, and pacing, the other major issue plaguing this show is low-budget cable choreography that makes every single fight scene and action set piece look like a joke. I get it, you're not a blockbuster movie and don't have $200 million dollars in your budget, but christ, use some of that money you spent on Kilgrave's suits and get a fight choreographer who knows more than awkwardly throwing people from side to side and low kicks that send people flying in from off screen. In turn, the complaint about the fights and action can be segued into the ridiculous inconsistency of Jessica (and to an extent, Kilgrave and Luke's) powers. She has super strength and can lift 150lb marble over her head with ease, lift a car, and drop 20 stories unscathed, but get knocked out by a 2x4 or dropped by a couple of tasers? Not to mention the deus ex machina-esque bullshit that is Kilgrave's powers no longer working on her because... I guess we need a way for her to win? It all just felt so unearned. As if it concluded the way it did because the writers couldn't think of a compelling or interesting way to use Kilgrave, and they needed to get rid of him so they couldn't write themselves into a corner for the next season. They blew their load way too early on his character and the show suffered for it.
These are just the frustrations coming to mind right now, but I know there's plenty more that doesn't make sense or is simply poorly executed in this show. Maybe i should start DD season two as a potential palate cleanser.
tl;dr - Kilgrave deserved better and David Tennant did too.
So I just finished the last episode of Jessica Jones a couple of hours ago and have been trying to collect my thoughts on the matter. Most specifically on why everyone kept telling me how good this show was and that apparently it was better than the first season of Daredevil (I have yet to start season two). Am I missing something? The show starts off well enough with a solid premiere episode that sets the stage and lays the foundation for what's to come, but then almost immediately shits the bed and isn't able to recover before the season finale.
Everyone is dumb: the TV show. If written with any semblance of logic, the show would have been resolved within a few episodes, but the characters are constantly falling victim to insane lapses of common sense in order to stretch the show out to what feels like waaay longer than only thirteen episodes. The pacing is all over the place, too, culminating in the fuckery of having the main villain just kind of disappear for a few episodes so we can catch up on how all the side characters are feeling. Kilgrave is still loose and on a murder spree? Who cares! Let's see how Trish's relationship with her mom is doing! Or maybe devote a few episodes to a couple of awful people fighting over signing divorce papers. Oh, you caught Kilgrave and put him in a fucking cage? Better kidnap a cop and force him to watch us make Kilgrave murder his parents! That's totally legal right?
That's another issue, really. Being dumb is one thing, but then you have to add in the fact that they're almost all unlikable, awful, shitty people. And yeah, it's taking inspiration from noir and the self-loathing, miserable protagonist isn't out of place in that setting, but good writing and a decent actor are key ingredients to making that formula work. Ritter as Jones isn't interesting or entertaining to watch in the slightest, constantly getting other people killed so she can continue her quest to prove one person as innocent (guess none of those other people matter), and then follow it all up with an edgy remark because she's so fucking cool. Bless Tennant, bringing a level of camp and outrageousness to Kilgrave that at least makes his exploits entertaining. He single handedly carries the entire show and it slows to a crawl when he's not on screen.
Outside of the writing, acting, and pacing, the other major issue plaguing this show is low-budget cable choreography that makes every single fight scene and action set piece look like a joke. I get it, you're not a blockbuster movie and don't have $200 million dollars in your budget, but christ, use some of that money you spent on Kilgrave's suits and get a fight choreographer who knows more than awkwardly throwing people from side to side and low kicks that send people flying in from off screen. In turn, the complaint about the fights and action can be segued into the ridiculous inconsistency of Jessica (and to an extent, Kilgrave and Luke's) powers. She has super strength and can lift 150lb marble over her head with ease, lift a car, and drop 20 stories unscathed, but get knocked out by a 2x4 or dropped by a couple of tasers? Not to mention the deus ex machina-esque bullshit that is Kilgrave's powers no longer working on her because... I guess we need a way for her to win? It all just felt so unearned. As if it concluded the way it did because the writers couldn't think of a compelling or interesting way to use Kilgrave, and they needed to get rid of him so they couldn't write themselves into a corner for the next season. They blew their load way too early on his character and the show suffered for it.
These are just the frustrations coming to mind right now, but I know there's plenty more that doesn't make sense or is simply poorly executed in this show. Maybe i should start DD season two as a potential palate cleanser.
tl;dr - Kilgrave deserved better and David Tennant did too.
