Jessica Jones: Handling the topic of Abuse
Perhaps I am a little late to the game, Netflix had released its first season of Jessica Jones November 20th. However this series has been one of the most influential and important shows I have seen in modern television. So its worth talking about.
The entirety of Jessica Jones is the focus on trauma and abuse at the hands of toxic people. This theme extends beyond even our main character Jessica, and our main villian Kilgrave. The theme of toxic and abusive relationships and encounters is the platform for the show, and there is no avoiding and ignoring it. Other shows have introduced the topics of rape, violence, and abuse before... so what makes this show so different?
EVERYTHING!
Rather than focusing on abuse for shock value and to simply allow for the audience to go "oh, poor thing" or "wow, thats harsh", this show actually addresses the very real aftermath and consequences of abusive behavior. Wow, people are actually suffering from their horrific experiences? Yes! And that is what makes this show completely critical and important to modern day television. There are no "grey areas". Rape is rape, and instead of writing awkwardly or around it, or trying to claim its not rape (thanks Game of Thrones) it is called what it is and confronted head on!
As I mentioned earlier, Jessica isn't the only character to suffer a toxic relationship. We have many cases of those who have been violated. But does the show make one form of abuse seem "worse" than another? NO! The show does a brilliant job at covering many ranges of suffering without making it seem that one type of suffering is worth paying attention to more so than another. A violation is a violation and all of it is damaging. Never before have I been exposed to a show that provides such raw detail of abuse without using it for shock value. Instead this show provides a multifaceted range of experiences, reactions, coping mechanisms, all related to the abuse that surfaces i this show. This show, quite simply put is very important and I hope it revolutionizes the way that abuse is handled in writing for entertainment.