S01.E01: AKA Ladies Night

[VCRTracking]

I guess orange ink was thought to make the page more vivid, or to make characters stand out more. It doesn't really bother me if hair changes colour from page to screen. It's not like Jessica's hair is comic book accurate either. Krysten Ritter's hair is much darker than any artist's interpretation of Jessica previously.

 

It's also true in animation dating back to Warner Bros.

 

I agree that Jessica's introduction in the MCU works better than when Bendis tried to retroactively make her part of the Marvel Earth 616- Universe(still a hell of a lot better than Sentry). I only really had a problem with her going to the same high school as Peter Parker and having a crush on him. It made for a funny scene later in New Avengers when Peter found out and her husband Luke Cage got jealous but it still felt weird because Peter was supposed to be a total zero at that age.

[Bec]

Now that I’ve listened to the opening credits music a few more times, it reminds me of Mad Men. Not the opening credits of that show, but there was a lot of jazzy background music on Mad Men. Especially for funny scenes.

 

It also sort of reminds me of the theme of Pink Panther. But unlike Pink Panther’s theme, you can’t play it back in your head, it doesn’t stick in your head like that. It’s like the opposite of earworm. You forget how it went as soon as it finishes playing.

 

And the part where the music gets all "rock and roll!" reminds me of some cheesy detective show like CSI or Miami Vice.

 

So with those associations in mind, it feels a little too light-hearted for this show. I guess I was expecting something more haunting for the opening music after the excellent song selection for the trailer.

 

Still, l like the art.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Should You Keep Up With Jessica Jones?
Krysten Ritter plays a superhero with PTSD. Will you find it super or traumatic?

[David T. Cole]

About the credits (wow we are talking a lot about them, eh?): The organic feel they were going for seemed, to me, to be at odds with the too-fluid, too-computery output they ended up with. It created a credits version of The Uncanny Valley.

[Tarasme]

Liked it. A lot. It's hard to express thoughts related to just this episode; after binge watching every spare moment for the last 48 hrs (including finishing ep 13 at 2:30am this morning), it's all running together a bit.

 

I almost wish they hadn't made the parallel to Hope the pivotal part of this episode.So much plot was jammed into this but not much action. Weird.

 

Poor, poor Malcolm

Hogarth- the lying liar who lies (gah! We did see that at the end of this ep, right?!- feel free to pm me if this needs spoiler protection)- seems ridiculously out of place in this story. Particularly when there's another Hell's Kitchen lawyer that would probably be pretty interested in helping.

 

I do wish Jess had chosen to thump Hope about two minutes prior to when her head hit the door frame.

I was sufficiently spoiled to understand that this wouldn't be an action show. I still wish it was an action show. Or maybe more of an action show.

YMMV but I'm sad that due to the extraordinary violence, potty mouths, and bold sex, I can't watch with my 13 yr old.

[Sakura12]

Watching this one again, this episode is really the only one I get the Veronica Mars comparisons, more so because Krysten Ritter was on Veronica Mars. 

[eringogreen]

This episode left me terrified and with anxiety! I didn't quite know what I was signing up for on a quiet night, hoping to get into a new series. I don't normally scare easily, but the show really played well with the tension and the creepy factor, while the actress that played Hope completely nailed her part.

 

If a piece of entertainment/art (TV, movies, books) can work its way under my skin and stay there, I think there is something special about it. Props to this show (or episode, at least, I haven't even made it to ep 2 yet).

[SlackerInc]

Maybe they make you want to turn off the tv. I happen to respectfully disagree with that opinion. I think the opening credits are fantastic and evoke the original comic covers. It's very noir and moodsetting. 

 

I don't love the credits, but I like them fine (especially the way they end on the closeup of her eye).  I do find it mystifying that anyone would virulently hate them and feel they actually detract from the show.  I mean, I feel that way about the credits (both the visuals and music) for Orange is the New Black, the music used in the credits for Boardwalk Empire and The Wire, and the gross potty visuals (especially the toothbrush in the toilet) of the Shameless credits.  But both the music and visuals here seem so inoffensive (if anything, this keeps them from being great IMO).

 

The first episode started off really slow but it gathers steam and I am mist definetly in this for the long haul.

 

I notice a lot of people found it started slow.  +1 for me, and I probably would have given up on it (not because it was terrible, exactly, but because there is so much great TV out there) after ten or twenty minutes, except that the level of buzz has been so high for this show that I persevered.  Glad I did; by the end I was completely hooked, on the edge of my seat.

 

Didn't see much of Kilgrave, but I love the slow build-up and how we are already seeing how much damage he is doing.  This power he has is truly scary and is actually something I imagine most psychopaths would do, if they somehow acquired it.

 

I am fascinated by his power.  I expressed my thoughts at some length in his character thread, but I'm afraid to read any other comments there until I've finished the season.  In terms of the way you frame it, what I wonder is if it's really a case of the world being unlucky that a psychopath got those powers, or if they would make you a psychopath, especially if you had always had them since birth.  I mean, could anyone really remain ethical with powers like that?  I do think someone less evil would not do what he did to Hope and her parents.  But I'm hard pressed to imagine that very many people would totally refrain from using it to enrich themselves, or in their dating life.  Which makes it a kind of "absolute power corrupts absolutely" curse.

 

Can't find the article, but from what I remember, the other finalists were Alexandria Daddario, Teresa Palmer, and Jessica De Gouw (The Huntress from Arrow.)  I don't dislike any of them or anything, but I just remembering seeing that list, and automatically thinking Krysten was the much better choice.

 

I agree, and it might be considered a minor triumph in Hollywood terms that a thirtysomething actress got the role over three competitors who are all several years younger.

 

Oh one more thing Ritter reminds me a bit of Eva Green . They both have this sort  of ugly-pretty mix going on. One second  a fragile ivory beauty , then a slight turn of the head and there are all these lines and haggardness going on.  It works well for emotionally damaged characters.

 

I see a teensy bit of "jolie-laide" in Green, although it's still definitely tilted toward the "jolie".  But Ritter, I just find pretty gorgeous in general.

 

Now that I’ve listened to the opening credits music a few more times, it reminds me of Mad Men. Not the opening credits of that show, but there was a lot of jazzy background music on Mad Men.

 

Huh, I was nodding vigorously until you said "not the opening credits".  I found that it really did remind me of the Mad Men credits, as much visually as anything.  The way it is animated and sort of slowly pans across the images, I guess.

[LeGrandElephant]

Just watched this last night. I felt like it started off pretty slow - the first half really didn't grab my attention at all and I was distracted by how much it seemed like Veronica Mars. But the ending of this episode shocked me with how dark it went and it really grabbed me and made me want to see the rest of the show.

I'm trying to figure out the timeline of the backstory. Trish hasn't seen Jessica in six months, but it sounds like there was a long time period before that during which she heard all about what had happened to Jessica at Killgrave's hands, paid for a therapist, etc. So it must have been at least a year since Jessica escaped Killgrave, but probably more like a couple years?

They are going to have to put some explanations/limits on Killgrave's power, otherwise he's unbeatable. I was confused how he made Hope kill her parents when he wasn't there - had he told her what to do just in case Jessica rescued her and was that why she fought so hard to stay in the hotel? Or was he lurking around the corner? Also where did Hope get a gun - since she was dragged out of the hotel in lingerie she didn't have it then, so she must have gotten it from Jessica's office, but that didn't seem to come up in the police discussion.

Edited December 12, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[LeGrandElephant]

Serving papers pays enough to fly to Hong Kong on a last-minute ticket? I am in the wrong line of work.

 

 

No, it doesn't. She tried to buy the ticket with Hope's credit card (she had the number because the parents had given it to her to help track down Hope), but it was declined. So she definitely does not have that kind of money.

 

Who were the other three? Of the top of my head, I could see Eliza Dushku working for the role as well, but Krysten Ritter is really just perfect and one of the main reasons I was looking forward to the show.

After a few minutes of thinking of Gia from Veronica Mars, I kept thinking she reminded me of Eliza Duskhu as Faith.

[Princess Sparkle]

No, it doesn't. She tried to buy the ticket with Hope's credit card (she had the number because the parents had given it to her to help track down Hope), but it was declined. So she definitely does not have that kind of money.

Right, but after the card got declined she called Hogarth to get an advance on her check, and was going to use that to pay for the ticket, so I'm assuming that's what the poster was referring to.

I've always liked Krystin Ritter, so I finally got around to watching this and it was much better than I expected. I find a lot of the Marvel Universe pretty hit or miss, but so far, I've liked both this and Daredevil (the series). I can't wait to watch some more episodes, and I'm trying to pace myself so I don't fly through these like I did with Daredevil.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Princess Sparkle

[VCRTracking]

They are going to have to put some explanations/limits on Killgrave's power, otherwise he's unbeatable. I was confused how he made Hope kill her parents when he wasn't there - had he told her what to do just in case Jessica rescued her and was that why she fought so hard to stay in the hotel? Or was he lurking around the corner? Also where did Hope get a gun - since she was dragged out of the hotel in lingerie she didn't have it then, so she must have gotten it from Jessica's office, but that didn't seem to come up in the police discussion.

 

He told her what to do beforehand which was shoot her parents until they're dead then when Jessica sees her to say to to her "Smile." The gun was in her coat pocket which Jessica took. I also think he told her to resist Jessica at first to make it look real.

[MisterGlass]

There was a reveal earlier in the episode that Hope's parents were directed to Jessica by a man with a British accent. 

[blueray]

I just watched the pilot since I heard it was similar to Daredevil. Which I loved!

 

And honestly I didn't really like it that much. This show might be just dark for me (especially ending damn). I think it was because Daredevil had more of a mafia feel to it, so most of the people that get beat up deserve it lol. And there is a good balance between that and non-dark scenes, even some comical scenes. Also Matt has and I assume will continue to have a life outside of being Daredevil. Jessica sort of just is herself no matter what she is doing.

 

This episode, I totally got a Veronica Mars feel. Which isn't a bad thing, since I liked that show. The writing was very good, as was the acting. And there was clearly a personal story, that was going to be in your face the whole time. I liked the stuff with Luke, who looked like Mack from Agents of Shield, but maybe that was just me.

 

I think some of what be influencing my opinion is the fact is that I hate mind control stories. I for some reason can't stand when a character isn't in control of themselves. And obviously that is going to be a recurring theme with this show. Also the whole thing with him controlling people, is almost two real. As a social worker, I have heard horrible stories about human trafficking, which they are betraying here. I do like that it deals with real issues, but sometimes it is good to have an escape from it. Daredevil provide both.

 

I'm not sure if I will continue watching the rest of the show. I know I can't judge it fairly after one episode. But I'm not sure if I'll enjoy watching it.

 

P. S I disliked the credits ;).

Edited December 31, 2015 by blueray

[Dobian]

I finally got to this one and it grabbed me right away, from the opening credits (I actually like them).  I like the detective noir feel, nighttime in the big city and all that.  Superhero where the superhero stuff is really understated.  No costume, no running around saving people, just doing a job and dealing with what comes - including busted doors.  A true New Yorker.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Although several of my friends recommended this show to me because they thought it seemed like something I would like, I resisted a little bit. Well, maybe resisted is the wrong word. I took it under consideration and put it on my Netflix list but for almost a year, it took a backseat to a lot of other things that I was more interested in watching.

My reluctance was due to two things: I am not into Marvel so I don't have the passion for all things Marvel that some other viewers do. The only Marvel stuff I've watched are Agent Carter (which is awesome) and Agents of SHIELD (and honestly, I only started watching it out of loyalty to Joss Whedon). The other issue for me is that I  don't think Krysten Ritter is that great of an actress so I wasn't convinced that she could carry a show as the dramatic lead.

To be honest, she was better than I thought she would be (which isn't saying much) but I'm still not 100% convinced that she was the best person for this role. But I liked the first episode (and wooooo, Lemond Bishop/Malcolm Ward being a cranky but smoldering mofo!) and I'm interested in the story so I'll keep watching. The first half of the episode made me feel like Gia Goodman moved to New York, got super emo, and decided to emulate Veronica Mars (tiny girl with a camera and an attitude investigating cheaters) but by the second half it had become different enough for me that I wasn't thinking about VM anymore.

[SarahPrtr]

It's August 2017, so I'm about two years late, but I've only just found out about this site (which is awesome!).  I watched the show because I'm a fan of Krysten Ritter and was happy to find that she was on a Netflix series.  I liked that the episodes were in winter.  Something about the cold weather makes this work better. 

 

Loved Hope's dad.  We only saw a bit of Hope's parents, but they were genuine, good people.  The way Mr Shlottman was fussing and worrying over Jessica's broken door was really sweet and wanting to fix it for her was so kind.  Which of course, makes his death at the end even more devastating.  I was invested in Hope's parents and was really upset over it.  Sounds silly to get sad about fictional characters, but Bob was such a nice person.  The sight of Hope repeatedly pulling the trigger after shooting her parents and saying "Smile" to Jessica was creepy.

[Taryn74]

2 hours ago, SarahPrtr said:

The way Mr Shlottman was fussing and worrying over Jessica's broken door was really sweet and wanting to fix it for her was so kind.  Which of course, makes his death at the end even more devastating.  I was invested in Hope's parents and was really upset over it.

I agree!  I could easily see my own dad or my husband acting exactly like Mr. S, just wanting to look out for someone and help them out.  Makes me hate Kilgrave and his callous disregard of human lives a thousand times more.