Review of Jessica Jones: Season Three

By Dave B.

The hard-drinking, irreverent, super-powered antiheroine is back for her third and final season on Netflix. In this 13-episode season, the eponymous Jones is estranged from her sister following Trish taking it upon herself to end the threat posed by Jessica’s mother, once and  for all. After undergoing a radical procedure, Trish has gained superpowers of her own and is determined to bring justice to New York City. The siblings are forced to work together to defeat a non-powered, but brilliant serial killer, named Salinger. 

In my opinion, it’s unlikely that any season of a Marvel television show will top the first season of Jessica Jones and this season certainly doesn’t. But it’s a marked improvement over Season Two as far as pacing, emotional impact, and storytelling. Salinger is an interesting villain who more than adequately advances this season’s primary theme of people ultimately being unable to hide their true nature from themselves. As far as themes go, that may be overly deterministic for some, but it feels fitting to have a character like Jessica Jones, who always insists that she isn’t a hero, have to face whether she truly is or is not, in the final installment of the series. 

Jessica Jones has always been more about psychology and emotion than about action, which is both a strength and a weakness this season. Season Three undoubtedly plumbs the depths of the human psyche in some compelling and occasionally mesmerizing ways, but it also has an unfortunate tendency to try to cram in as many psychological themes as possible, likely because the show will never again get to explore them. The effect of this is that the narrative doesn’t feel as tight as it could, at least when compared to Jessica’s all-consuming battle against Kilgrave (and herself). 

All good things must come to an end, and the final season of Jessica Jones could have ended on a much less satisfying note, despite its minor flaws. Overall, the third season is enjoyable, fascinating, and will hold your attention for its duration. It’s easy to binge watch and I highly recommend it. And call me crazy, but I’m still holding out hope that Disney can find some way to bring this show to Hulu. What can I say: my true nature is that of an optimist.

Rating: 8/10