Women to Admire: Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones is prickly, sarcastic and angry. She also drinks too much and suffers from PTSD. In short, she’s exactly the superhero we need right now.
Tons of superheroes are motivated by unhappy past experiences. As a child Black Widow was indoctrinated as a spy and assassin. Batman watched his parents get murdered. Peter Parker feels responsible for his uncle’s death. And yet, when it comes to comic book screen adaptations, I don’t think any damaged superhero is as affecting as Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter).
The superstrong protagonist of Jessica Jones got her powers from the car crash that killed her entire family. She’s also a rape survivor. Her entire sense of safety and privacy was compromised when she crossed paths with Kilgrave (David Tennant), who is able to control minds. Jessica was forced to become Kilgrave’s girlfriend and sidekick — and he didn’t order her to use her powers for good.
When the Netflix series premiered more than two years ago, Jessica had managed to escape from Kilgrave but was still reeling from the trauma. She drank to numb the pain, had cut herself off from her foster-sister and friend, Trish (Rachael Taylor), and was using a technique suggested by a psychiatrist to calm herself when the memories of her time with Kilgrave became too overwhelming.
Basically, Jessica was having a hard time coping, and she wasn’t hiding it.
When we look to heroes — any type of hero — we often expect them to be infallible, to be like us but without those little quirks and weakness, doubt or vulnerability. Jessica Jones is revelatory because it allows its heroine to feel her pain. Not feel it, defeat some bad guys, and move on forever: feel it and accept that she probably always will to some extent.
As #MeToo and #TimesUp gain momentum in and out of Hollywood, we’re hearing more and more stories about women declaring their autonomy. We’re also hearing about survivors who are struggling to get back to the way things were before the trauma. That’s a problem without a one-size-fits-all solution, as well as an area Jessica Jones embraces. The titular character is getting on with her life, but it’s vastly different from her time with Kilgrave.
This representation of PTSD and the aftermath of sexual violence is extremely important. It’s vital to show that there’s nothing wrong with needing help. Jessica Jones is a hero, even though she often feels powerless. One doesn’t necessarily cancel out the other.
Jessica’s character is also a reminder that it’s okay to be angry, especially about things that are deserving of anger. One of the biggest delights from the first season is the heroine’s willingness to call a spade a spade. She’s not afraid to call out misogyny when she sees it, nor is she hesitant to use the word rape when describing what Kilgrave did to her.
Most of all, Jessica never tries to present her rage as anything but what it is. Again, this is important. Women (on shows and in real life) may feel the need to make others comfortable, even if it means denying their own needs and emotions. Jessica Jones blows up that expectation. Not only does Jessica feel her feelings, she expresses them however she sees fit. Even better, she refuses to apologize for it.
At this point Jessica Jones is the only Marvel heroine with her own TV show (RIP Agent Carter). That’s a bummer, but if we can only have one, I’m glad it’s Jessica. With its exploration of power, misogyny, and PTSD, her series is incredibly timely. More than that, Jessica herself is admirable because she’s a symbol for #MeToo. She’s tough, she’s a survivor, but she’s not impervious to pain. She’s a victim, but that doesn’t make her a saint.
Next. Women To Admire: Tarana Burke. dark
I doubt very much Jessica will be a changed woman in the series’ sophomore season. In fact, I hope she isn’t. In these times, we need a complex superheroine who owns her actions and speaks her truth. We need Jessica Jones.