JESSICA JONES S3

                                  Jessica Jones: A fitting Conclusion!?

 
Following the events of Season 2, Jessica Jones has come to terms with the loss of her mother, the betrayal of a friend and finally applying her investigative talents to good use on simple, harmless and routine cases... until an accidental stabbing opens up a can of worms, one that Jessica Jones may not be prepared for, one that could test the limits of friendship while throwing the entire fabric of the show into a seemingly unwinnable cat and mouse chase.

Netflix clearly needed a big win to close out Jessica Jones and it's final marvel collaboration and the 3rd season offered an opportunity for them to go out on a high.
For the first time in forever the story chosen was brilliantly told, the plot build up was slowly and carefully done and the creation of the conflict was splendid. Whether the story is the right one however is where the countenance tilts from that of admiration to disgust. In as much as the story was told in a very good way, we however feel that the story the writer chose to tell was the wrong one, most especially with the sudden change of pace and direction towards the end of the season. It was a very wrong move creating one of the most intriguing villains on tv, and suddenly relegating him to the background to give crescendo to supposed rising star of villainy.
Sallinger as villain gave the show runners the opportunity to explore the other side of Jessica Jones, the investigative, persistent and letter of the law side of a powered hero. We feel that the battle of wits between Jones and Sallinger was the defining moment of a show that had seen the hero cross lines, nearly ruined by emotional trauma and finally decided to tow the line of morality and legality.
One of the reasons why the season was such a relatable watch was due to the fact that it was the series finale, there were a lot of character arcs that were bound to be resolved one way or the other, hence the complexity and structural deconstruction and reassembly of the show to accommodate so many sub plots and sub character developments. Jeryn Hogarth for one had to have a fitting Finale to her role. She has championed the cause of the vigilantes, representing Murdock, Rand, Cage and Jones, she had carved a niche for herself not only as a top class Lawyer, but also as a go getter, one who would stop at nothing to get what she wants, no matter the consequences. The season then created the perfect context upon which the sinister inclinations of Hogarth could be explored, exploited and resolved and it paid extra dividends we must admit, especially with the mix of Ducasse, Kith Lyonne and Zaya Okonjo, incredible stuff.

On the other hand, Trish Walker's evolution came to a head in the 3rd season with her taking on the mantle of a hero and an agent of good, one task that she was not really prepared for. What we really loved about her initial story was how episode 1 and 2 really tied into a back story for Trish, how she evolved her own fighting style, how she formed her resolve to lift the weight of being a hero off the shoulders of Jessica and how ultimately her moral limiters are tested by grief and a misplaced, yet very strong sense of Justice. This perhaps is where we feel the show runners made a mess of things, for not only did the writer choose to tell a different story of a character, but there was absolutely no need for the fans to be treated to an emotionally draining story, one filled with irreplaceable loss, and a sad realisation of descent into villainy. A helpless conclusion to a hopeless tv show.

 
  Jessica Jones on her own part had come full circle, from a P.I with secrets to a haunted investigator and finally to an investigator with a clean closet. This was the perfect story to close out her chapter; by confronting her with a villain and a conflict that she could wrestle with, without needing to cross the boundaries of the law. Sallinger offered her the challenge she so desperately needed to give legitimacy to her profession of choice. Whether there was a need to test her emotional and psychological Balance with Trish Walker is a totally unwarranted choice we have to say. Through two gruelling seasons, Jones has had to grapple with being a hero while at the same time trying to keep her emotions in check. We feel she has been psychologically and emotionally tested enough over the course of two seasons for the 3rd season to tow the same line. It's totally unnecessary.
That brings us to the issue of Hellcat! Why did Netflix choose this particular story? Why choose to tell the unknown origin story of a relatively unknown character? Why did Netflix decide to deviate from the norm and create something we were not prepared for? All of these we feel is down to the desire to really close out the show by emphatically closing out the arc of each individual character. Were Hellcat not have been made out to be the way she was, the ending would have heralded perhaps the beginning of something new? Netflix didn't want to leave an open ended finale and thus they put an end to a character who ought reasonably to have just started a career on the scene.

 
In a nutshell, the 3rd season of Jessica Jones had every ingredient to best it's best ever season, but failed to capitalise. Season 3 started off brilliantly, had a very solid and intriguing mid season but suffered the indignation of a very very poor finish. This was all down to management and the script writers. I wouldn't really blame the show creators as this was purely the fault of creative and the development guys. Perhaps Netflix just wanted one last hurrah and they decided to roll the die with Jessica Jones. We really feel JJ did not deserve another season ultimately premised on emotional poker and the losses she has suffered just culminated with the 3rd season. It's a very sad way to end a series, most especially for one based on an initially unstable character like Jones. The show deserved a proper close which the runners failed to deliver and that in our opinion totally reduces the ratings and relatability quotient of the season.
For the fans who have seen the first two seasons, I still recommend the 3rd season for its take on storytelling and character as well as plot developments. What you will really get to enjoy with the season is content management and character management. The way the show runners limited the plot elements to a select few would make it quite obvious that the creators are trying to tie the show up and move on. We really liked that, and how each story (regardless of our personal takes) ties in with the overall objective.

Genre: Detective, Neo-noir, Psychological thriller Superhero, Crime drama
Created by: Melissa Rosenberg
Based on Jessica Jones by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Gaydos
Starring:
Krysten Ritter
Mike Colter
Rachael Taylor
Wil Traval
Erin Moriarty
Eka Darville
Carrie-Anne Moss
David Tennant
J. R. Ramirez
Terry Chen
Leah Gibson
Janet McTeer
Benjamin Walker
Sarita Choudhury
Jeremy Bobb
Tiffany Mack
Composer: Sean Callery
Country of origin: United States
Executive producer(s): S. J. Clarkson, Liz Friedman, Allie Goss, Kris Henigman, Cindy Holland, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley, Jim Chory, Jeph Loeb, Melissa Rosenberg, Karim Zreik, Brian Michael Bendis, Raelle Tucker
Producer: Tim Iacofano
Production location: New York City
Cinematography: Manuel Billeter, Petr Hlinomaz
Editor(s): Jonathan Chibnall, Michael N. Knue, Tirsa Hackshaw, Jennifer Barbot, Chris A. Peterson, Shoshanah Tanzer, Trey Ordoñez

FCA's AppR: 7.8/10