Netflix's DAREDEVIL And JESSICA JONES: A Convoluted Saga That Keeps You Curious
My weekend got pretty serious making my personal Netflix binge-watching debut with two Marvel series titles. Daredevil premiered back in April and just this weekend followed by this week’s opening of Jessica Jones, both inspired by Marvel and sharing the same universal space as the current theatrical branch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Both Daredevil and Jessica Jones, respectively portrayed in their title performances by Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter, share distinct qualities that keep them both tonally seperate while very much relevant to each other. They both share a unique blend of action with a dash of romance, crime and legal drama while the latter carries more of a sexy noir tone that pushes the envelope in way the former doesn’t.
Creator Drew Goddard’s take on Daredevil brilliantly fleshes out everything you could want in a cinematic venture for the character that failed to do so more than a decade ago; There’s more intertwining drama and depth to coincide with our hero’s evolution right down to the final battle with Wilson Fisk, played masterfully by Vincent D’onofrio, on top of the spectacular action sequences by Philip J. Silvera. Jessica Jones accomplishes the same thanks to EP and creator Melissa Rosenberg, and moreso with the added bonus of having Mike Colter on board as Luke Cage and actor David Tennant in the commanding role of the persuasively powerful villain, Kilgrave, in adding both to the spectacle and exciting danger within the series which also builds more toward Jones’s evolution as she struggles to find herself beyond her own personal demons.
Bearing these in mind, this also comes with the shortfall of having to endure scenes that otherwise tend to drag and feel slow-moving, or act more as filler between episodes while the shows continue trying to carry themselves through 13 episodes. This feels like a stretch more than anything and I can’t complain too much either, with Netflix series adhering to a formula that otherwise helps establish certain comic book heroes in a way that probably wouldn’t work right away on film or staving off from having too many superheroes on the big screen, which is also unfortunate.
Daredevil‘s action sequences are more slick and stylish while Jessica Jones goes straight for bar room brawling, no holds barred hand-to-hand via kitchen sink action that doesn’t hold back, and all of it very delightful to watch with Christopher Place, Simon Rhee and Airon Armstrong coordinating the stunts and action. Ritter does an amazing job of holding her own in this department next to her co-stars and especially Cox with respect to Daredevil of whom his stunt double, Christopher Brewster, had plenty of postive things to say in our interview earlier this year.
I can totally see why Netflix would make a great medium for shows like these and I sincerly hope these shows expand to other VoD platforms and even DVD and Blu-Ray. As for the shows themselves, I look forward to more of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Both shows plays in a lot of dark corners and areas that the films and other ABC TV shows don’t while the latter show, which leaves more of a bittersweet after taste than anything, continues to be so compelling.
Both programs are edgy in so many ways and it works for Netflix, so I sincerly hope no one ever misses out on these shows, especially with season two of Daredevil right around the corner.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!