Dream Stream: Jessica Jones, Altered Carbon and Miranda
Got a telly void to fill, ladies and gents? Fear not. Here are a few of yours truly's streaming gems to get you through the week. You're most welcome...
Jessica Jones
Seasons 1-3 – Disney+
Not all heroes have to be squeaky clean – in fact, the greatest usually never are.
Created by Melissa Rosenberg, Jessica Jones, is a detective yarn based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
Krysten Ritter stars as the titular Jones, a former superhero with incredible powers who is now an alcoholic private investigator.
Jones’ brief career as a superhero was cut short by an incident where the villainous Kilgrave (David Tennant) – a man with the power to control minds – caused her to kill someone.
Since then, Jones has disappeared from the public eye, running her own detective agency and descending further into alcoholic oblivion.
However, when Kilgrave resurfaces, so does a very old score for Jones to settle. She may be unorthodox, but it appears that her days as a hero are far from done...
One of six Marvel series originally developed for Netflix, Jessica Jones showcases one of the comic-book behemoth’s greatest underground characters.
Ritter excels in the title role, bringing to life a heroine who is definitely against the usual grain, and Tennant gives a superb turn as psychotic mental manipulator Kilgrave.
One that is definitely not just for the comic-book fans, Jessica Jones has a tone that will appeal to lovers of crime drama and like a bit of grit in their TV.
Well-imagined and with a fantastic cast, Jessica Jones can now be found among the other Marvel offerings available to stream courtesy of the House of Mouse.
Altered Carbon
Seasons 1-2 – Netflix
In a time when your consciousness can live forever, crime, conflict and scores to settle can run across centuries.
Created by Laeta Kalogridis, Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk drama series based on the 2002 novel of the same title by Richard K. Morgan.
The series takes place over 360 years in the future, with the premise that in this time, the technology exists for a person’s memories and consciousness to be written onto a disk-shaped device called a cortical stack. Physical bodies are known as ‘sleeves’, and stacks can be transferred to new bodies after death, meaning it is possible for a person’s consciousness to live forever.
Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman /Anthony Mackie), a political operative with mercenary skills, is a soldier that belonged to a rebel group defeated in an uprising 250 years in the series’ past.
His consciousness is pulled out of prison and given a new sleeve by Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy), one of the wealthiest men alive.
Bancroft offers Kovacs the chance to solve a murder to get a new shot at life. Though initially refusing, Kovacs eventually takes the case and re-enters a world of violence, deceit and danger.
With an incredible premise, Altered Carbon is an imaginative and engaging sci-fi treat that will keep you firmly glued to your screen.
With a great leading performance by Kinnaman in season 1, and followed with skill by Anthony Mackie in season 2, the series showcases strong acting talent more than capable of carrying off the complex concept at its core.
Miranda
Series 1-3 plus specials – BBC iPlayer
Life can be both funny and cringe-worthy, and it is certainly both for Miranda...
Written by and starring comedian Miranda Hart, Miranda revolves around the many difficulties its titular protagonist gets herself into.
Six feet and one inch tall and sometimes mistaken for a man, Miranda’s life is not easy.
She has never fit in with her old boarding school friends, Tilly (Sally Phillips) and Fanny (Katy Wix), finds social situations awkward – especially around men – and she is a constant disappointment to her mother, Penny (Patricia Hodge), who is desperate for her to get a proper job and a husband.
Although Miranda owns and lives above her own joke shop and boutique, she lacks any real capacity for business, so it is managed by her childhood friend Stevie Sutton (Sarah Hadland).
With romantic entanglements, trials in friendships and a constant butting of heads with her mum, Miranda does her best to make her way in the world, though often gets it wrong with hilarious consequences.
With an outstanding performance by Hart in every instalment, this is a comedy we can all love over and over again – and the great news is, it’s all available for a binge.
