Reviews

The best decision the writers for this final season was to finally stop holding Jessica back and let her heroic qualities, which are definitely there, come to the forefront more. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the conflicting motivations between Jess and Trish this season. Krysten Ritter and Rachael Taylor put in very powerful performances and while the manner in which the relationship ended may disappoint some fans, I found it made sense with the way their characters had been heading in the last couple of seasons.

This series was never going to appeal to all superhero fans given how every character is broken in one way or another and have a lot of negative qualities. Because of this, this is far from a traditional superhero series that resolves with a 'good vs bad fistfight' , but I enjoyed this series as a whole and it will always have a special place in the comic book genre

The concept of justice and vigilantism has been explored a lot throughout comic book media especially in these Marvel Netflix shows. Yet there is something so fresh and engaging about how it has been handled this season. Seeing the tough choices all the characters have made, the consequences of those choices and the regrets that follow, the writers have managed to craft a raw and gripping sequence of events that have all led to a series finale where every decision has come to the forefront and no character is in a good place.

I can't say I'm not a bit disappointed that we've seen very little of Sallinger lately. His character was really starting to grow on me but it seems the writers only had a limited amount of material for him to work with and so struggled to weave him into the story for the entire season. While the storyline has branched off a bit, as we focus more on Trish and her recent trauma , the writing and acting is still as engaging that I'm still enjoying the season as a whole.

The fact that this late into the season, this show is able to take a pause and reflect on the events of previous episodes without it feeling in any way unnecessary or disjointed, to me at least, deserves praise all round. Every emotion, every accusation and every moment of silence felt raw and genuine. An excellently written episode which had without a doubt Krysten Ritter's best performance of the entire series. Her commitment to this role has always impressed me and she deserves more material like this once this series ends as she has consistently proved she is more than capable.

A relatively slow episode which is understandable given the recent events with Sallinger and Trish both recovering physically and mentally. However this series decides to wrap up, I can at least say I'm satisfied with Jessica's growth and I'm glad she is learning to think with her head and not always her fists. Watching her increasing sense of morality has been the highlight of the season for me.

This ongoing chess match between Jessica and Sallinger has surprised me as the season has progressed. The writers have done a great job at making Sallinger seem confident and assured in his methods while always remaining vulnerable to Jessica. Meanwhile Jessica knows how serious a threat he poses and is desperate to stop him. This has been a satisfying battle to watch unfold and I can't predict the next move.

Definitely one of the stronger episodes of this season as we get to see Jessica investigate one of Salinger's victims in a way that only she could. It's always a pleasure to simply watch Jessica combine her detective skills with her powers to solve cases and this episode handled this very well. It is even more clear now that Salinger is not going to be a problem which Jessica can solve with purely brute force.

After seeing Salinger's motives come to the surface a little more, he is starting to become more fleshed out. My only gripe is that they could have done this a bit earlier as it has taken almost half a season for him to evolve past being simply a psychopathic serial killer. I can't fault Jeremy Bobb though who I think has done a great job with the material he's had thus far.

Benjamin Walker has also been a pleasant addition to the cast; his chemistry with Krysten Ritter adding some much needed levity at times.

While I am glad we are getting to see a more heroic and moral side to Jessica this season, I am yet to be convinced by Salinger who looks set to this series' final main antagonist. Maybe it's just because David Tennant set such an insurmountable standard in season 1 that nobody could match that level of insanity and intimidation for me. I won't make a final judgement this early into this season so I hope he does develop into a worthy adversary as the season progresses.

I am so glad they are finally letting Jessica develop more this season beyond her broken and traumatic past so we can see a new and welcome side to her character. Very few superhero series have this privilege of being able to separate the 'super' from the 'hero', that it gives this series a unique flavour and is a reason it will always stand out for me even once it's over. Despite this being another slow and light-on-action episode, it continues to build on Jessica's relationships in a natural and organic way that I'm intrigued to see what's next for her.

One thing I'm definitely enjoying more this season than in previous ones is how the writers are handling this new Jessica- Trish dynamic. Up until now Trish has mostly been victim of the collateral damage from Jessica's actions, acting as sort of a plot device to bring out Jessica's vulnerable and emotional side.

Now we see her as more of an equal to Jessica but with alternate motives and methods. (Daredevil did this really well with the Matt- Frank conflict that carried season two of daredevil for me). Hopefully Jessica does learn to accept help at times when she needs it and grows this season as a character.

This episode was a pleasant surprise as we mainly focused on Trish and her aspirations of being a hero. Pushing Jessica aside this early into the season was a risk but the direction from Krysten Ritter made this episode feel very natural and refreshing. Rachael Taylor also deserves credit for taking a character who I was growing tired of in season 2 and making her more dynamic and engaging this season. This season definitely has my attention.

As the final season in what has been on the whole an enjoyable Marvel Netflix universe, I hope these 13 episodes provide us with a satisfying conclusion to Jessica Jones. As of yet, her character has been mostly dealing with the trauma of her past and reluctance to embrace her heroic qualities. Hopefully this season lets her move forward more but the early signs don't give much away.

If I'm being perfectly honest, this finale just confirmed for me that as much as I adore all the Marvel Netflix shows very few of the individual seasons have managed to put out a solid 13 episode arc without meandering to significantly less engaging plot-lines to act as filler. This can be summarised in two questions:

• Would I re-watch the entire season at a later date? Probably not.
• Would I pick out individual scenes and watch those again? Definitely.

It's because of this why I would actually welcome a change up in the structure once these shows leave Netflix. Nevertheless, this was a solid season with consistently high performances from Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes and Josh Stewart in particular, even if I would have preferred if the latter had had more screen time. Overall, a satisfying conclusion to this Frank Castle.

I love this show so it pains me to say that this was the most disappointing episode of the entire series. When I look back at the episode 'Home' (s1e12), I can remember how exhilarating and intense it was, it was good enough to be the finale. Whereas this time around, I'm left very underwhelmed.

With the exception of the opening and the scenes with Pilgrim, everything felt bland and more of the same stuff we have got all season. I found myself in disbelief in the final 10 minutes simply because I could not believe this was the direction they wanted to go to set up the finale. This was summarised in one shot near the end (and you will know if you've watched it) where I felt embarrassed to even be watching this.

Oh how I hope the writers still have something big up their sleeve as this show is in danger of justifying its inevitable cancellation.

While this episode was not as intense as I would have hoped given there are only two episodes left, it still delivered some good character moments by exploring the psychological effects of the previous episode. Frank,Billy,Curtis and Pilgrim were all left to question themselves and the choices they made.

I have faith in the writers of this show that they will make good use of Pilgrim's character as everything thus far with him has felt like set-up. Overall, a good episode which also found a way to bring Karen back into the fold organically.

Say what you want about the realism in some of the action, but this episode was the first of this season that felt perfectly crafted from start to finish. The opening left me intrigued and by the end I was left with a bittersweet taste as Frank's character has started down a new path. This is a great example of the type of excellent writing and direction that elevates this series to Daredevil's for me. Best episode of the season so far but I suspect the best is yet to come.

Josh Stewart also got to stretch his legs a bit too which is always a bonus.

Once again, this episode is held back from the inclusion of unnecessary scenes where characters simply talk and the plot is not progressed, simply consolidated to make sure the audience knows exactly where everyone stands. This is most noticeable in scenes with Madani or Krista which are by far the least engaging for me.

Also I know Frank is supposed to seem unstoppable but there needs to be some more variety sometimes as we got one of the most underwhelming standoffs because of this. Hopefully the return of Josh Stewart will see the quality increase

Earlier in this season, one of my biggest concerns was whether I would be able to look past Russo's underwhelming scars. While his appearance has remained unchanged, the performance from Ben Barnes has become more and more expressive and impactful with each episode. Barnes is able to display a wide range of layered emotions very effectively as Russo's character feels betrayed but confused; enraged but also terrified.

Another excellent episode which is able to explore the Castle-Russo dynamic and their similarities even with minimal shared screen time.

Seven episodes into this season and I think it has become clear what this season has been lacking for me. Sometimes programmes like this just need periods of pure intensity to keep the audience enthralled.

This episode had three sequences in particular that I enjoyed a lot, but so much time is wasted on side plots which are significantly less engaging and could be used more effectively. Jon Bernthal's and Ben Barnes' respective performances were the strongest points of this episode for me.

The problem with a lot of the Marvel Netflix seasons of late, with maybe Daredevil being the exception, is the unnecessarily drawn out storylines with the inclusion of several smaller threads weaved in to fill a 13 episode season. It baffles me at times why they insist on meandering when we all know one way or another that Russo/Pilgrim will end up as the inevitable problem for Frank to deal with by the end of the season. There is enough to explore from these 3 characters without sending Frank to deal with endless gangs and thugs. Josh Stewart has been criminally underused up to this point because of this poor writing and I hope the second half rectifies this as this season has a lot of potential to have The Punisher go out with a bang.

For me, this has to be the most well balanced episode of season 2 yet. The writers seem to have gradually won me over with Amy's character as I felt she started off too judgemental, but they have developed her in a way that allows for a more enjoyable chemistry between her and Frank.

Shows like this need some lighter scenes like these to stop the episodes from becoming too monotonous and grim. As a result, the stunning action scene seems more earned by the end of the episode and was executed very well.

This episode feels like the end of part one, as the main characters are beginning to shift around and it will be interesting to see where this season takes them. I'm still yet to be convinced however on this Pilgrim character as the writers just seem to be trying to emulate Fisk too much with the whole calm persona and reciting quotes type character. Being as action-packed as always, this is still a solid chapter.

This episode demonstrates why, in my opinion, this series will never reach the heights of Daredevil. While the action and choreography can be just as good at times, the story tends to linger and each episode doesn't progress the plot enough to stand by itself. Episodes 1-10 in season 1 had a similar issue before exploding into action in the final 3 episodes.

Also the supporting cast here, often leaves a lot to be desired as it is always very noticeable when Bernthal is off screen. However, it is far too early for me to judge the new characters so I'll have to wait and see.