Netflix’s second Marvel super hero series has big shoes to fill in following the tremendously successful and widely praised Daredevil, which proved how good superheroes can look on the small screen. How does Jessica Jones fare? Geekster had the opportunity to watch the first seven (out of thirteen) episodes.

For good reason, Daredevil can be called one of the best television shows of the past year. It was Netflix’s first step in introducing characters who will later be a part of a new show called The Defenders (similar to the concept of The Avengers on the big screen). The new eponymous team of super heroes can also be found in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will consist of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and, of course, Jessica Jones.

Jessica Jones is not as famous as the blind vigilante, but still loved by many. She appeared for the first time in 2001 with her own comic series Alias, written by Brian Michael Bendis, who has by now become a true heavyweight at Marvel. The comic explains how Jones tried to leave the super hero life behind her and attempted to start a new chapter in her life. Later, Jones would join the New Avengers and often appeared in other series, such as Young Avengers. Finally, she is the first female super hero with her own series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The adaptation to the small screen roughly starts with the same concept as the comic: Jessica Jones is a former super hero who has decided to start her own private detective agency, called Alias Investigations. She struggles with dark demons from her past which she tries to conquer with alcohol and sex. A lot of sex. The supernaturally strong Jones tries to focus on the present and on everything she can occupy herself with as a private eye. This job is complicated when Kilgrave reappears, a mysterious villain from her past with troublesome powers.

At first glance light and cheerful, hard as stone afterwards

The introduction immediately sets the tone of this show: at first glance light and cheerful, but heavy and hard as stone afterwards. This difference in tone, engaging and challenging moments interchanged with humour, ensures that the show never becomes depressing despite its mature themes. Some people were afraid that Jessica Jones would be a procedural, a show where we get a disappearance, a murder mystery or a monster/villain of the week and where everything is solved in the same episode, like in almost all detective shows.

After seeing the first episode, however, we could rest assured: the case which lands on Jessica’s desk in the pilot is the direct lead-in to the encompassing story of this show. Afterwards, she only sporadically receives new assignments, comparable to the Matt Murdock’s small lawyer’s office in Daredevil. These small deviations from the larger stories show that the big bad is not the only villain. The larger story starts slowly throughout long episodes, but the whole never bores due to the convincing characters and strong acting. We were aghast when after so many rumours not Alexandra Daddario but Krysten Ritter was cast as the titular heroine. The former seemed to be perfect for the role. After the casting announcement, there were weeks of internet wailing whenever Jessica Jones was briefly mentioned. However, in the end, Ritter was the best choice. She may not resemble her comic counterpart perfectly, but while she has proven herself as an actress capable of handling more serious parts such as in Breaking Bad, she has also shown that she has a deft hand at comedy in Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.

Not a damsel in distress, but convincing and compelling

Ritter expertly plays the proactive Jones with the necessary sarcasm and cutting wit, but most of all as a faulty character with a clearly tortured past. In doing so, this show introduces a female superhero with problems without turning her into a damsel in distress. Jones will do the rescuing herself, thank you very much. She is a convincing and compelling character, something that cannot be said for every female super hero who got adapted to the big or small screen. This is extra important seeing as Jessica Jones is also the first female super hero in a titular role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

There is no lack of other strong female characters in this show. Jones’ best friend Trish Walker, former child star and currently a radio host, is brought to life by Rachael Taylor, an actress of whom we have definitely not seen the last yet. The Matrix’ Carrie-Anne Moss plays a dark-haired version of Claire Underwood from House of Cards. Fun detail: in the comics, the lawyer she plays is a man. Moving on, we have the perfectly cast Mike Colter, who assumes the role of Luke Cage, a man who is unwittingly entangled with Jessica’s past. Comic book fans already know how the relation between Jones and Cage will turn out, of course.

Finally, we may not forget the compelling David Tennant as the bad guy Kilgrave. We know him as the brilliant tenth Doctor from Doctor Who and he gets the opportunity to shine in this show as well, this time in a malicious way. The mad villain Kilgrave, also known as the Purple Man, is only sporadically shown at first in order to build up tension, in the same way we gradually saw more and more of Fisk in Daredevil. This way, Kilgrave stays mysterious but omnipresent. Jessica Jones is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like Daredevil, the show takes place in Hell’s Kitchen, a neighbourhood in New York which had it extremely rough during the events of The Avengers. The destruction left behind by the famous super heroes has many consequences and ensures the darker, more mature and realistic approach of the Netflix shows.

A dark and gritty drama with a perfect atmosphere

Jessica Jones doesn’t serve up airy and forgettable action, but a dark and dreary drama full of sarcastic humour in order not to pull the atmosphere down into a depressing tone. Jessica’s powers are used in a subtle and effective way, although occasionally something explodes. Remarkably, the show also involves something very human that has been largely unmentioned in other Marvel adaptations: sex. Superheroes seem to be rough in the sack.

The pilot episode convinced us entirely, and after watching just more than half of the season, we may say with a clear conscience that Jessica Jones is once again a show which hits the bull’s eye and which has the potential to become one of the best shows of 2015. Everything depends on how the second half of the season plays out, but if it is comparable to Netflix’s other super hero show, we shouldn’t be worried. Daredevil set the bar and for now, Jessica Jones raises it by leaps and bounds.

Watch the entire season of Jessica Jones on Netflix on November 20.