The Mary Sue: If you consider yourself a feminist and a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, chances are you’re pretty damn psyched to see Jessica Jones, which begins streaming November 20 on Netflix. Surely a part of that excitement comes from the fact that this is a Marvel series with a female lead (Krysten Ritter) and showrunner (Melissa Rosenberg). But how girl-powered is the series actually, both in terms of plot and crew members?
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I picked up watching Jessica Jones this morning after a recommendation from one of my friends, and I can't be happier to see another Netflix show altering the perspective of what television is and can be, both on screen and off it. Even seeing the credits of the show pointed towards a more progressive future: most of the main actresses are women, as are most of the visible creative team. The show is not without flaws, of course, but there's something to say about having a comic book television series with not only a female as lead, but also a supporting lesbian character in the mix. Netflix is doing something amazing by giving the soap box up to show runners like Rosenberg, who want to tell stories with complicated characters like Jessica Jones and knock the perception of what a women can direct off of its feet. I have high hopes for the rest of the series, and for the other television shows Netflix plans to produce, especially if they push the boundaries like they have been doing.
I am tentatively excited about this show. It is thrilling to see female helmed dramas and action movies, so seeing both at once, with a heavily female behind the scenes team is a thrilling one. It gets wearisome to see female characters shunted to the side as purely romantic prospects, or be oversimplified into the stereotypical 'strong woman' character who doesn't have any depth. Writing good female characters isn't as simple as letting her beat people up and calling it feminist. Interesting female characters have secrets and flaws. They sometimes have murky morals and dark paths. I am very excited to see what this show does, but I wish it wasn't so revolutionary to a female character who is written like an actual person. Its a shame that in this golden age of television, with antiheroes like in Breaking Bad, Mad Men or Dexter, that a show like this with a complicated female character should be such a surprise.
If it wasn't a guaranteed time-waster, I'd open a Netflix account to preview the first episodes of this show, out of sheer curiosity. As someone who grew up with out a television in my house, I can only vaguely pinpoint why this show may be game-changing, in terms of the content of its cast and plot. Because of my deep-rooted cynicism, I believe my rather uneducated guesses about the state of women and contemporary television shows (based off my prior knowledge of Broadway and the big screen industries) is pretty accurate. This is no victory for me, however, as my unfortunately accurate pre-concieved notions indicate only the progress that must be made in order for both female characters and workers in television, film, and live theater to get a fighting chance at a positive or empowering representation. That being said, I would like someone with better impulse control to watch the show, or t least a few episodes, and tell me whether or not I'll be dissappointed, should I ever choose to watch it.
I am always a fan of new female roles that are complex and challenge the actor as well as the audience. Everyday more and more characters are created and more roles are written and almost all of them are for men. So many creators are still tending to write for men over women, and I find it incredible how often females are just simply ignored. I’m very excited to see a developed female character in the world of television, but I’m even more excited to hear about all the production elements that are also coming from women. Equal representation goes way beyond just being seen and portrayed accurately on screen, we need creators and writers and directors and managers to be women too, the industry is so vast and there are so many areas that need to be balanced. I totally believe that so much support for women is coming from Netflix, they have pretty consistently hired and produced gender friendly work
As a Marvel fan, and an active feminist, I am excited to see what Jessica Jones has to offer. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, while progressive in a lot of ways, hasn’t really stepped up to the plate gender-wise. It has followed the typical conventions of a male-dominated movie industry, by not only employing largely men, but also by targeting men and boys in their advertising. It would really be a big leap for the movie and tv industries to have the MCU become more progressive in their gender ideas. While Jessica Jones looks promising, it is a small part in the empire the MCU has built. I haven’t had time to watch Jessica Jones yet (thanks, School of Drama workload), but I have high hopes. But simply because a lot of women are involved in the show does not mean it will come across as progressive, feminist show. I think it will all depend on how the female characters in the show are portrayed (I hope they took a page out of Agent Carter’s book). It will be interesting to see if/how the MCU addresses their lack of gender equality and if they continue to promote their franchise to women as well as men.
Apart from having one of my favorite (albeit male) actors in it, David Tennant, I am excited about seeing this show from both my nerdy, superhero-movie-loving side and my feminist side. I knew before reading this article that obviously the lead character was female, but I am so happy to learn that there is good female representation behind the camera as well. I think that it is almost a bigger issue when the stories of minorities are being told but the creative team is all just straight, white, cis men. For a long time obviously the action/comic book movie and TV show industry has been a very male driven AND male targeted enterprise. From the directors to the characters it’s almost always men, with the exception of the token Black Widow female character. Action movies have always been something that, while I enjoyed them a lot, I always had to “turn off” my feminist brain while watching. I am so looking forward to something my geek girl can enjoy without having to betray another part of myself.
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