If I had to choose a show that best reflects the tone of the times – one that seems right in line with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, even though it was written and produced before they became the powerful forces they are today – it would be the second season of Netflix’s Jessica Jones. It’s all about the emotional connections that women have with other women – their mothers, sisters and friends – and the formidable strengths of those relationships. And despite the fantasy and science-fiction and super-heroics of it all, it never hits a false note in its depiction of those bonds. The characters are as fully realized as those in some of the best dramas in this Golden Age of television drama, and the acting is uniformly award-worthy across the canvas. But I believe the success of this season of Jessica Jones – arguably the best season of any series in Netflix’s corner of the Marvel universe to date – is because all its episodes were directed by women, most of them were written by women, and the series has the very talented Melissa Rosenberg as its showrunner. Who better to explore the psychological nuances of the very complicated relationships between the fearless females in this franchise? (Note: This column gets a bit spoilery from here on out, so anyone who hasn’t yet binged JJ and intends to do so may wish to stop and return to it at another time.)
Powerful Women Pack a Punch in “Jessica Jones”
