jessica jones
ON SET WITH JESSICA JONES: SEASON 2…
On set of Season 2.
Krysten Ritter is wearing a t-shirt of her own face. No, not quite her face: a striking graphic of Jessica Jones, drawn by master comic-book artist Joe Quesada. Chalk-white skin, ink-black hair, intense eyes. The Marvel icon, captured in broad strokes. It’s a close enough likeness to count as a match, especially now that Ritter has made the role her own.
Netflix first brought the tough, tenacious but emotionally wounded PI to the screen in 2015. Orphaned as a kid, mysteriously gifted with powers, Jessica heads Alias Investigations while facing down her demons – none more demonic than the legacy of her relationship with the toxic Kilgrave (David Tennant), a man with the power to manipulate minds.
Season 1 climaxed with Jessica killing her tormentor. But as Ritter tells Small Screen, on set of Season 2 in Marvel’s studios in Queens, New York, there’s no chance of closure any time soon. There’s plenty more damage to mine. “We’ll dig deeper into who Jessica is,” Ritter reveals of the new 13-episode run. “It’s still very personal and I think
that’s what’s so awesome about our show, and awesome about the writing. It’s always deeply personal.
“With Jessica, we all know that she has a very traumatic backstory. She’s been through a lot. What we like in tracking her journey is her little personal victories. Everyone can relate to having a lot of fucked-up shit in their lives, and how it affects you. Not everybody is perfect and I think that’s why we all love Jessica so much.”
BEYOND THE KILGRAVE
“We’re all who we are regardless of how much therapy we do,” agrees Emmy-nominated screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, returning as showrunner. “That’s always a part of you. That’s part of being a survivor. You learn how to live with it. You never leave that behind completely but you overcome it in terms of the damage it’s done. You create your own life. So that will always be a part of Jessica Jones. She’s never going to turn around and be…” “Sunshine and rainbows,” interjects Ritter. “Yeah, that’s not who she is,” continues Rosenberg. “I wouldn’t trust her if it was!”
As Rosenberg reveals, the new season will take on the repercussions of Jessica’s slaying of Kilgrave. “That’s the question that she’s going to be asking herself – am I a hero or am I killer?” she says. “Our series lives and breathes inside character and specifically inside Jessica’s character. So it’s very much about finding new depths to take Jessica to, to peel back more layers and challenge the character to new emotional heights, stretching who she is.”
The malevolent, mind-whispering Kilgrave remains a presence in Jessica’s
world. No one’s saying exactly how – Clone? Flashback? Psychic vision? – but early promo images have teased Tennant sharing scenes with Ritter on the streets of New York. “There was no way that was going to be kept a secret!” Rosenberg laughs. “They’re both so iconic they’re hard to miss. I’m so excited to have him back and it gets the audience excited as well. He’s a cherished actor, for sure.”
Jessica’s relationship with BFF Trish Walker will also be key to this season, as star Rachael Taylor tells Small Screen. “Melissa came back with this really extraordinary story. The narrative is even more complex and intricate than it was in Season 1. When we find Trish at the start of the season she has developed more of an appetite to be involved with the investigation, so you can expect to see a more hands-on version of Trish Walker than you saw in Season 1.”
DIRECT ACTION
“One of the things I love about Trish and Jessica is that they’re like sisters, in a way,” Taylor adds. “There’s a lot of water under the bridge in their relationship and we’re going to touch on more about their history as friends, which is exciting to share with the fans. I think they’re going to get a kick out of it.”
The show’s resourceful, empowered title character feels a perfect fit for the new wave of feminism shaking up gender dynamics in Hollywood and beyond. Behind the scenes, the show is also making a statement: every episode of Season 2 is directed by a woman. “There’s just an incredible amount of talented women out there,” says Rosenberg. “First and foremost we’re looking for talent. I started off the year by saying it needs to be 50/50. And then you say ‘wait a minute, there are just too many incredibly talented women, so let’s just make a conscious choice to do this’. Everyone’s always saying, ‘Oh, we don’t know if there’s enough of them…’ Are you kidding me? There are so many out there.”
Is the show itself a political statement? “Without intending to be a political statement, it’s a political statement,” Rosenberg smiles, wearing a matching Quesada tee of Jessica Jones. “Just by nature of the fact it’s a strong female lead and a kickass female character.”
‘I’M SO EXCITED TO HAVE DAVID TENNANT BACK, HE’S CHERISHED’
MELISSA ROSENBERG