(no subject)

[jadesfire]

Day 8

In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I actually ended up going to my AO3 works list to try and figure out what to talk about. That didn't help much, as apparently 'Multifannish' should be somewhere in my bio.

Instead, I'm going with Jessica Jones. Honestly, I was disappointed that this qualified for Yuletide last year, because it means there isn't the amount of fic out there for it that there should be. Given the juggernaut that is Daredevil fandom, it's sad that the other Defenders don't get the same amount of love. On the other hand, look at me complaining when I've written the sum total of 1 JJ fic, and am kind of nervous of going out there to look for more (although that's partly because Jessica/Trish is a NOTP for me, but not for the rest of the fandom, it feels like).

My lack of output is down to sheer intimidation, because this series is Just. That. Good. It felt like it had a huge "follow that!" banner over it for me. I didn't feel the need to fix it, or fill gaps, or expand on the characters. It's not perfect, but it hit me so hard that I couldn't really think what I would write to respond to it.

In case you missed it, Jessica Jones is a New York PI with PTSD, a drinking habit and superpowers. One thing the show does wonderfully is roll out the reveal of those powers slowly and carefully, so that it actually takes a while to notice. Similarly, the source of her trauma, another superpowered individual called Kilgrave, is revealed slowly, and with such menace that it can make the show hard to watch, it's so damn raw. The supporting cast is brilliant, both in terms of acting, and in the way they have their own lives. I love that the show makes their supporting Jessica a choice that they make, and that she's part of them, not the whole.

But what really, really makes the series is the performances. David Tennant is one of the few actors who really lives up to the hype around him, and he is blistering in this. Kilgrave is menacing and evil, and also petulant and understandable. You can see how he ended up like he is, even if that's no excuse for what he does (and the show doesn't excuse it). Kristen Ritter is a superb actress, playing Jessica with more layers than an onion. The common comment to come out of The Defenders was how much they loved Matt and Jessica's scenes together, and I think it's something about the styles of the two actors. Both play characters with secrets, who have to be guarded, and both are able to get those layers across in their performances.

Jessica Jones isn't a perfect series. It's difficult, traumatic, and on a couple of occasions, too gory for me. But it's an amazing portrayal of people facing up to their trauma - not just Jessica, but her friends as well - and learning to live with it. There's no 'overcoming' here. People struggle with recovery, or don't want to get better, or have just plain run away. The journey of the series for all of them helps them face up to it, and learn to cope. I am both incredibly nervous and bouncing with anticipation to see what will happen in S2.

ETA: So, in a piece of Reading Comprehension Fail, I didn't actually manage to pick an episode. I think AKA The Sandwich Saved Me is my favourite, for being the turning point of the series. Without spoilers, things swivel on this episode, intertwining with some of Jessica's backstory. I love flashback episodes, and few shows do them better than this.