[This article contains spoilers and sensitive subject matter]
As a pop culture audience, we are often surrounded by images of rape in film, on television, in literature, and in music. We are often conflicted by television shows that sexualize rape and reaffirm victim-blaming and shaming attitudes. This is why Marvel’s newest Netflix original, Jessica Jones, is so socially relevant that, honestly, everyone needs to watch it.
Although rape is subtly implied in the first few episodes of the season, it eventually becomes clear that Kilgrave is not only a villain with mind-control, but also a serial rapist. He invades and violates his victims in the most personal and private way possible: through their minds. He simultaneously rapes a person’s mind and body—through mind-control, he often forces his victims to have sex with him. In fact, Kilgrave’s victims are not limited to women—similar to how, in reality, both men and women are victims of rape and sexual assault. Though Kilgrave doesn’t physically rape men in the show, he still invades their minds, leaving them with a similar aftermath effect to that of the show’s female survivors.
Though the concept of rape seems to be almost taboo in the first episode, its presence becomes more obvious in episode two, “AKA Crush Syndrome,” when Jessica discovers Hope’s body in the hotel room, sprawled out on messy sheets, wearing lingerie. Later in the episode, one of the most socially relevant scenes of the series happens when Jessica tells Hope to say out loud that none of it is her fault—actively taking the show’s stance on victim-blaming. The series then makes the presence of rape more obvious, when Jessica blatantly calls Kilgrave a rapist to his face.
In episode four, “AKA 99 Friends,” mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) become main themes. We learn that Jessica suffers from PTSD—a disorder that was induced first by the fatal car crash that killed her family, and secondly by her experience as Kilgrave’s victim. The viewer also learns that when Jessica experiences symptoms of PTSD, she recites street names—a trick that she learned from a past therapist. She continues to use this strategy throughout the rest of the series, reminding us that she is not only human, but she also deals with mental illness on a daily basis. In episode four, Jessica decides to seek out other victims of Kilgrave. Her hope is that gathering them all in a room and letting them share experiences will not only prove to Hogarth that Kilgrave’s powers exist, but will also lead Jessica to Kilgrave. At this point, similar to the way Veronica Mars searches for her rapist, Jessica has decided to find Kilgrave and seek justice, not only for herself, but also for others. Little did Jessica know that by bringing Kilgrave’s victims together, she was inadvertently forming a therapy group. In a conversation that Jessica has with Will Simpson in the lobby of a building, the two approach both the usefulness of therapy groups and the stigma attached to them (the fact that people often don’t want to admit that they are part of one).
Will Simpson: I don’t know how to turn it off, the paranoia, the panic.
Jessica Jones: Listen, there’s this…group of people. They’ve all been through the same thing, so, if you want to talk or something, they meet tomorrow night.
[Awkward pause] Yeah, I’m not into it either.
Throughout the series, Jessica Jones reasserts over and over that there is nothing more powerful than shared experience. We see this all the time in the media—when one victim of rape and sexual abuse comes out, more often follow. Although Jessica believes that she is alone, she is surrounded by people who have experienced trauma—Trish was abused by her mother, Luke Cage lost his wife, Malcolm is a recovering addict. Ultimately, all were victims of Kilgrave. One of the most important aspects of Jessica Jones is that the audience never actually witnesses a rape scene. Many TV shows, including Criminal Minds and Game of Thrones, often sexualize rape by using rape scenes as a shock factor. Jessica Jones doesn’t need to do this—the show is exceptionally well-written, and doesn’t need rape scenes to grab its audience’s attention. Also, the audience doesn’t need to see rape to understand how devastating it is for Jessica—the impact it has is obvious through Jessica’s telling of her own story.
To put things simply: we’ve been waiting for Marvel to stop screwing up their female superheroes, and thanks to Melissa Rosenberg, Jessica Jones has finally given us the Marvel superheroine we need.