Marvel fans are buzzing over the confirmation that Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will have the return of Krysten Ritter as super-strong private eye Jessica Jones. This marks the character's official introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after her full-time stint playing the hero in Jessica's self-titled Netflix series (which has been retroactively made canon to the MCU). The second of the Netflix Marvel shows following Daredevil, the series worked thanks to the pitch-perfect casting of Ritter as Jessica, who was given super-strength by a mysterious project.
Jessica tried her hand at being a hero, only to fall under the control of Killgrave (David Tennant), a sociopath capable of controlling people’s minds. She was used as his slave before breaking free, with the entire experience shattering her and setting her on the path to becoming a sardonic, bitter private eye.
The show was a good entry for the Netflix Marvel library, with Jessica also taking part in the big Defenders team-up series. Sadly, it was axed with the rest of the Netflix shows when the streamer's deal with Marvel came to an end. But thankfully, Ritter is coming back.
So with her return upon us, here’s a quick look at how each of Jessica Jones’ seasons rank and why we’re happy to see her coming back!
Honorable mention: The Defenders
The big payoff to the Marvel Netflix shows, The Defenders united Jessica Jones, Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to face the evil Hand organization, who had become an overarching threat in multiple of the character-focused shows.
Krysten Ritter is stellar in the series. delivering plenty of memorable one-liners as Jessica enjoys running down her would-be teammates. She has great chemistry with the group, especially in the now classic hallway fight scene, where the heroes go up against an army of Hand agents. Another standout is the epic moment where Jessica sends a van through the window of that restaurant, taking out Elektra temporarily as she stands side-by-side with her new team.
Jessica’s role isn’t as prominent as The Defenders develops, yet Ritter steals every moment, and is a good reason that this long-awaited team-up show lived up to fan hopes of seeing the heroes all interact.
3: Season 2
The second season of Jessica Jones was perhaps the greatest showcase of how the old Netflix Marvel formula of 13-episode seasons was becoming a detriment to the shows. Cutting it down to eight or ten episodes would have been better as there were storylines that just dragged on a bit too long. The lack of a compelling overall villain was also a blow against it.
We did get some good stuff like Janet McTeer as Jessica’s mother, which brought up her scores of childhood issues shaping her into the woman we know. Ritter continued to delve into Jessica’s hard edge, and Carrie-Ann Moss got good material as Hogarth facing her mortality.
But the season continues to drag with talk on a drug that gives super-powers, Jessica’s origins, and a convoluted mystery. It lacks the drive and sharp writing of the first season, with poor pacing. The finale tries to make it exciting with Trish (Rachael Taylor) making a truly dark move, but once more, less would have been more in the episode count to help the show.
2. Season 3
After the rough second season, Jessica Jones tried to get back on track for season 3. The show was halfway through production when word came that this would be the final season, so they had to shift things for a conclusion. That does affect the storytelling midway through, although there are some promising tales of Jessica meeting another empowered individual and hunting a killer in there.
In this season, the show is almost evenly split between Jessica and Trish, whose path to becoming a crimefighter leads her to some dark places. That split is tricky to handle at times, as Ritter doesn’t get as much fine material. That’s offset by Hogarth’s health issues, which involve some unexpected twists and some decent character work.
Like the previous season, cutting down the amount of episodes might have been better here as it would have allowed the storylines to be just that little bit more tight and concise. The pacing is somewhat off and it’s made that much worse by the fact that it also feels rushed due to how the last episodes had to be worked to conclude the story on a definitive note with the season 3 finale now also serving as a series finale. It ended up being a weak conclusion to Jessica’s story, which we now know will thankfully continue.
1. Season 1
The first season of Jessica Jones isn’t just the best of the season but one of the best MCU TV seasons ever. We’re thrust into this seedy and dark world easily, with Krysten Ritter nailing the role from her first scene. The introduction of Luke Cage and his relationship with Jessica is very well done, benefitting from the fantastic chemistry between Colter and Ritter. The touches of Jessica's past are also excellent.
The real reason the season shines is David Tennant as Killgrave, who is one of the best MCU villains ever. Tennant is chilling as this twisted monster who relishes controlling others while painting himself as a victim, and the paranoia over who could be working for him adds even more thrills. Seeing Jessica battling him throughout the season is quite the experience - complete with an acting masterclass from Ritter - that builds to the wicked climax.
Unlike other seasons of he show, this one doesn’t feel as padded out; it's well-paced and extremely well-written and it still shines as one of the best Marvel TV shows ever. It also gave us a real heroine to root for in Jessica, who remains one of the best characters from the whole Marvel Netflix era.
All three seasons of Jessica Jones are streaming on Disney Plus.