Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones
Comic books and their adaptations have rightfully been criticized for their portrayal of women for years. All too often, female characters are shallowly depicted as sexualized damsels in distress with unrealistic bodies intended for the male gaze. Jessica Jones, the protagonist of the new Netflix series based on the Marvel comic of the same name, manages to not only avoid these overused tropes, but presents a complex, nuanced character who offers representation for a frequently marginalized group: survivors of trauma.
Jessica is a fiercely independent woman who rejects objectification and belittlement. Her strength catalyzes the series’ very plot: The villain, Kilgrave, witnesses Jessica stop a mugging and is immediately enamored by her strength and stamina. Kilgrave, whose superpower is his ability to make others obey his every word, is used to getting what he wants. He frequently uses people then throws them away with impunity and Jessica soon becomes no exception.
While Jessica eventually manages to escape this abuse, and it initially seems Kilgrave has disappeared, it becomes clear a year later that he has returned with a vengeance. When he begins to threaten and harm many people entangled in Jessica’s life, she knows she must confront and stop him. But her quest to do so is hardly composed of acts of stereotypical, one-dimensional, superhero strength. In fact, this show’s most important accomplishment may be its thoughtful and empathetic depiction of her journey overcoming traumatic experiences like abuse and addiction to achieve justice.
The central conflict of the show — Kilgrave’s return to regain control of Jessica — represents the variety of oppressive influences that many survivors of trauma must overcome to move forward. Specifically, Kilgrave’s actions represent the obstacles survivors face when trying to gain control of their lives, and the sacrifices they’re often required to make in order to achieve recovery. At one point Jessica must sacrifice her autonomy from Kilgrave in order to protect a friend, for example, and she also internally struggles with frequent flashbacks that painfully remind her how Kilgrave humiliated her and left her “distressed, humiliated, and afraid.” It also seems the stronger Jessica resists, the more intense Kilgrave’s attempts to rein her in become.
Jessica isn’t the only one whose struggle to overcome this toxic influence is accurately depicted. Each of the survivors of Kilgrave’s crimes in the series are also depicted in believable, authentically complex ways. For example, one survivor describes how drug abuse and an eating disorder served as coping mechanisms for growing up with a physically abusive mother. Their specific experiences may vary, but each has suffered a loss, felt a particular brand of pain, and has resolved to prevent it from happening to anyone else. They also share another common experience of survivors: victim blaming. Most of Kilgrave’s victims are “reluctant to pursue charges against their abuser for fear of retaliation” and face the very real possibility of no one believing their story.
Jessica is allowed a surprising level of humanity in the context of a genre that often fails to depict its heroes as fallible and flawed. She is ultimately just trying to live her life despite past trauma and on-going guilt and visibly struggles with decisions and complicated moral dilemmas. She is never preachy, and her sense of justice is generally based upon common human decency. Her independent nature co-exists with and never diminishes her fierce loyalty to her friends.
Some critics argue that the show’s focus on abuse glorifies it. But as someone who has also suffered abuse, I believe that glossing over it and referring to it only in hushed whispers does a disservice to viewers who are also survivors. The show neither depicts the appalling way Jessica is treated for shock value or titillation nor does it try to distance it as something that only happens to strangers. It tackles it head on, and in doing so offers the power to connect survivors, make our experiences visible and hopefully contribute to breaking the cycle.
