Jessica Jones Season 3 Review Round-Up

This month marks the end of an era for comic book fans, as the partnership between Netflix and Marvel Television is coming to a close. After mostly positive reviews over the years, and plenty of fan participation, Netflix proceeded to cancel each and every Marvel TV series produced on the streaming service. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher were all unceremoniously axed over the course of the last year. With Disney trying to move all of its properties to its own independent streaming service, as well as the now-controlled Hulu, there was no way Netflix could keep up with the costs. So the entire Defendersverse is coming to an end.

The final installment of the gritty franchise arrives this month, with the release of the third season of Jessica Jones. Unlike the other shows, which were cancelled after their seasons aired, the team behind Jessica Jones knew about their fate months before the launch of the new season. So they were given a chance to bring their show to a close, an opportunity that the other projects didn’t get.

So the question now becomes: Does Jessica Jones Season 3 make the most of its opportunity and provide the Netflix/Marvel franchise with a satisfying conclusion? Well, it depends on who you ask.

The first critic reviews for the new installment have started arriving online. Some are saying that this is a great season, giving the franchise a fitting end. Others, including ComicBook.com’s own Adam Barnhardt, are much more disappointed by the season as a whole.

The reactions here are mostly a mixed bag, and you can find a few of them below.

ComicBook.com – Adam Barnhardt

“Unfortunately for fans of the Defendersverse, this show — and this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for that matter — fails to go out with a bang, rather limping into the night with a whisper. When it comes to Jessica Jones Season Three, an overwhelming chunk of the season is entirely forgettable, lost in the ether while it tries to find footing and decide what it wants to be.”

Read our full review here.

Forbes – Merrill Barr

“The character’s stint in The Defenders was as forgettable as everyone else’s, and the second season of the series simply paled in comparison to the first. Now, with the final, third season upon us, it can be said that Jessica Jones, as with the entire Netflix corner of the Marvel universe, is going out with a whimper… not a bang.”

You can read the full review here.

GameSpot – Michael Rougeau

“As always, Jessica Jones follows the titular super-powered detective as she chases down leads, fights bad guys, and wrestles with her own soul-crushing nihilism. Krysten Ritter remains an inspired casting choice, and her version of this character retains all the complexity she’s always had. You want Jessica to get it together, but at the same time, it’s hard to argue with her worldview. Almost everything about Jessica Jones‘ last season is great, but the show really works because of Ritter.”

You can read the full review here.

Inverse – Eric Francisco

“While the end is nigh for the Netflix MCU, in true Jessica Jones fashion, the show shrugs it off with a passive-aggressive ‘Whatever.’ In its final hurrah, the Peabody-winning Jessica Jones confidently does its own thing with total disregard that the sky has officially fallen.”

You can read the full review here.

Collider – Vinnie Mancuso

“This season—which was set to be showrunner Melissa Rosenberg’s final season anyway—is a dark story, probably the least comic book-y of Netflix’s already grounded and gritty pocket of the MCU. It doesn’t always work and does suffer from the same pacing issues that have plagued, well, pretty much all of these shows. But when it hits, it hits just like its main heroine; violent, flawed, and willing to go where her more moral superhuman peers wouldn’t dare.”

You can read the full review here.

The Daily Dot – Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

“After casting Jessica as a self-destructive loner in the first two seasons, season 3 wisely gives her more screen time with her adoptive sister Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor). Determined to follow in Jessica’s footsteps, Trish gained superpowers last season. Since then, she’s become another one of New York’s street-level vigilantes, obsessed with “doing the right thing” even when she’s clearly doing more harm than good, with little thought for the consequences. Meanwhile, Jessica—who actually does understand the complicated reality of superheroism—is now on a more even keel, hiring a businesslike new assistant (Aneesh Sheth) to organize Alias Investigations.”

You can read the full review here.