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Sep. 16th, 2018 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatJust finished binge-watching Jessica Jones. [Felt awful this morning, allergies were beating me up and low energy, so chose to stay in and nurse myself a bit before going back to work tomorrow. Tough and busy work week ahead. Also it's only 12-13 episodes. Started Saturday Night.]
It's good, but takes a while to get into. Also, some interesting choices in regards to villains. I decided to give it another try because I read about what the writers chose to do with Trish's arc and how she'd become the villain or Big Bad of the season.
Her arc is fascinating, and how it relates to Jessica's is as well. In fact the second season is worth watching for that alone. It's all about screwed up female relationships, and mother/daughter relationships and people manipulate each other.
And the story twists on itself. The people on the outs at the beginning of the season are together at the end, while the one's who had been together at the beginning are on the outs at the end.
My one quibble...it how deconstructs Trish/Jessica's relationship, and makes it unhealthy. What I'd previously liked about the series were the strong female friendships and relationships, which are not in evidence at the end of it.
The series explores in depth Trish's narcissism and how it wrecks Trish's life and everyone who comes in contact with her. In addition the series addresses addiction, and how the addicts are both at heart true narcissists.
Malcolm at one point tells Trish that they can't be together because both have a hole inside them that can never be filled. Malcom is Jessica's assistant, and Trish her best friend, but neither really help her. If anything they suck energy from her and make her feel worthless, constantly demanding attention or help. Both are users and addicts. Malcolm trades drugs for sexual conquests, Trish for fame and fortune, but mainly power. She's involved with Griffin because she wants to be Griffin, and wants his power. When she discovers she'll always be in his shadow, and never have it, she breaks up with him. And then gets hooked on a power-inhancer that provides the user with super-focus and super-strength. The same thing that her former lover and solider, Simpson, was hooked on.
When she runs out, she hunts down the Doctor who turned Jessica into a super, against Jessica's will, and convinces him to perform the same procedure on her.
Prior to that...the whole season starts with Trish pushing Jess into investigating what happened to her. When Jess refuses, Trish does it herself and her investigation results in a series of murders. Turns out it is Jess' mother murdering everyone involved in the experiments on Jess and Mom. Her mother, Melissa, is doing it to protect Jess, herself, and her lover Dr. Lagerford, who performed the experiments and in attempt to save these two women's lives, by alterring their DNA strands, turned them into supers. Super-strength, speed, and agility.
As the story progresses through a series of flashbacks and interactions with Trish's mother, Dorothy, the ultimate stage-mother, portrayed by Rebecca Du Mornay, we see how Trish was created. A child star who wanted to be extraordinary, and the center of attention, but whose star faded and became little more than a doped up has-been. Trish dreams of being a hero and saving people, but only for the awards. The accolades. To feel good about herself. To fill the hole. She's the worst kind of narcissist.
And when Jess's mother calls her on it, Trish goes out of her way to manipulate Jess into killing Jess' mother. Portraying Jess' mother as a murderous monster who needs to be put down. All the while her own mother is whispering poison in everyone's ears. It's no surprise, really, that it turns out to be Trish who kills Jess' mom, in front of Jess, forever severing the relationship she has forged with her adoptive sister. Jess tells Trish at the end that whenever she looks at her, all she sees is the person who killed her mother.
Malcolm meanwhile takes a job with Jess' competition, Price, who in turn takes a gig with Jerri Hogarth to do investigations that Jess wouldn't do or approve of...no longer caring what lines he crosses.
But, Jess...who has finally cut ties with both, goes downstairs to have dinner with the super of her building -- who she'd been at odds with at the beginning of the series, to the point that he was going to evict her. What changed? She saves his son's life. They sleep together. And he tries to help her and her mom. They form a bond of sorts. And he seems to be the only person in her life that doesn't want anything from her. While everyone else does...it becomes increasingly apparent through the series that if Jess doesn't give Malcolm, Trish, or Jerri what they want, they dump on her. Each manipulative in their own right. They help, but always at a great cost.
It's very noirish in that all the characters do nefarious things, and the hero is the only one who sort of rises above it, but is constantly being pulled back down in the muck. It's not a supernatural show -- Jess' powers are the product of DNA tampering, with nasty side-effects.
I preferred the first season in some respects, better paced, but this season had better character development and more female characters. Jeri Hogarth was really developed during this season, as was Trish and Malcolm. All three make horrible choices.
Overall, not bad. I'd give it a B+
Next up? Luke Cage. I've heard that Iron Fist, surprisingly enough, is excellent this season. The best of the bunch. But, mileage varies...so will wait and see, if I agree.
It's good, but takes a while to get into. Also, some interesting choices in regards to villains. I decided to give it another try because I read about what the writers chose to do with Trish's arc and how she'd become the villain or Big Bad of the season.
Her arc is fascinating, and how it relates to Jessica's is as well. In fact the second season is worth watching for that alone. It's all about screwed up female relationships, and mother/daughter relationships and people manipulate each other.
And the story twists on itself. The people on the outs at the beginning of the season are together at the end, while the one's who had been together at the beginning are on the outs at the end.
My one quibble...it how deconstructs Trish/Jessica's relationship, and makes it unhealthy. What I'd previously liked about the series were the strong female friendships and relationships, which are not in evidence at the end of it.
The series explores in depth Trish's narcissism and how it wrecks Trish's life and everyone who comes in contact with her. In addition the series addresses addiction, and how the addicts are both at heart true narcissists.
Malcolm at one point tells Trish that they can't be together because both have a hole inside them that can never be filled. Malcom is Jessica's assistant, and Trish her best friend, but neither really help her. If anything they suck energy from her and make her feel worthless, constantly demanding attention or help. Both are users and addicts. Malcolm trades drugs for sexual conquests, Trish for fame and fortune, but mainly power. She's involved with Griffin because she wants to be Griffin, and wants his power. When she discovers she'll always be in his shadow, and never have it, she breaks up with him. And then gets hooked on a power-inhancer that provides the user with super-focus and super-strength. The same thing that her former lover and solider, Simpson, was hooked on.
When she runs out, she hunts down the Doctor who turned Jessica into a super, against Jessica's will, and convinces him to perform the same procedure on her.
Prior to that...the whole season starts with Trish pushing Jess into investigating what happened to her. When Jess refuses, Trish does it herself and her investigation results in a series of murders. Turns out it is Jess' mother murdering everyone involved in the experiments on Jess and Mom. Her mother, Melissa, is doing it to protect Jess, herself, and her lover Dr. Lagerford, who performed the experiments and in attempt to save these two women's lives, by alterring their DNA strands, turned them into supers. Super-strength, speed, and agility.
As the story progresses through a series of flashbacks and interactions with Trish's mother, Dorothy, the ultimate stage-mother, portrayed by Rebecca Du Mornay, we see how Trish was created. A child star who wanted to be extraordinary, and the center of attention, but whose star faded and became little more than a doped up has-been. Trish dreams of being a hero and saving people, but only for the awards. The accolades. To feel good about herself. To fill the hole. She's the worst kind of narcissist.
And when Jess's mother calls her on it, Trish goes out of her way to manipulate Jess into killing Jess' mother. Portraying Jess' mother as a murderous monster who needs to be put down. All the while her own mother is whispering poison in everyone's ears. It's no surprise, really, that it turns out to be Trish who kills Jess' mom, in front of Jess, forever severing the relationship she has forged with her adoptive sister. Jess tells Trish at the end that whenever she looks at her, all she sees is the person who killed her mother.
Malcolm meanwhile takes a job with Jess' competition, Price, who in turn takes a gig with Jerri Hogarth to do investigations that Jess wouldn't do or approve of...no longer caring what lines he crosses.
But, Jess...who has finally cut ties with both, goes downstairs to have dinner with the super of her building -- who she'd been at odds with at the beginning of the series, to the point that he was going to evict her. What changed? She saves his son's life. They sleep together. And he tries to help her and her mom. They form a bond of sorts. And he seems to be the only person in her life that doesn't want anything from her. While everyone else does...it becomes increasingly apparent through the series that if Jess doesn't give Malcolm, Trish, or Jerri what they want, they dump on her. Each manipulative in their own right. They help, but always at a great cost.
It's very noirish in that all the characters do nefarious things, and the hero is the only one who sort of rises above it, but is constantly being pulled back down in the muck. It's not a supernatural show -- Jess' powers are the product of DNA tampering, with nasty side-effects.
I preferred the first season in some respects, better paced, but this season had better character development and more female characters. Jeri Hogarth was really developed during this season, as was Trish and Malcolm. All three make horrible choices.
Overall, not bad. I'd give it a B+
Next up? Luke Cage. I've heard that Iron Fist, surprisingly enough, is excellent this season. The best of the bunch. But, mileage varies...so will wait and see, if I agree.