Moving into the third episode of Jessica Jones we see Luke and Jessica finding comfort in the fact that there are people in the world like them. Lots, and lots of ‘comfort’ in fact. This wouldn’t be too much of an issue if it weren’t for the fact that Jessica was the reason Luke’s wife was dead, but more on that later.
Jessica and Luke’s banter was a strong moment in this episode. Short, witty, adding a touch of levity for what has been a relatively grim show thus far. Along with this banter we get a quick reference to the Avengers. One of the many benefits of having a connected universe is all the nods you get to give to your other properties. For fans like me, it’s always a highlight whenever it does occur. Aside from ‘the green dude and his crew’ we had this tidbit:
‘Nope, accident. You? Experiment.’
It’s been a frustration in the series, not knowing anything about Jessica Jones as a character prior to watching. There’s been a startling amount of exposition without any real information until the first episode was almost concluded, so a moment like Jessica and Luke sitting together giving us tidbits and hints was welcome.
In addition to the hints on their origin stories, Luke also gave us one of the most compelling lines of the season so far. While they’re discussing darkness, he mentions this; ‘Way I see it, most people got both going on. Just depends on which wins that day’. Cultural relevance in a show goes a long way, and though Jessica Jones’ story hasn’t caught me just yet, its stellar portrayal of mental illness, along with representation of the stigmas that come along with it have kept me watching. This line from Luke doesn’t have much to do with mental illness, but what it does touch on is a real life issue that many struggle with. Good folk aren’t always all good, and bad folk aren’t always all bad.
Moving from hardly a mention, to a focus in episode three, Trish has been a complete delight. Every superhero show needs its protagonists without powers, and Trish acts as not only that, but a strong light to Jessica’s dark. Coming from an abusive situation, we see her taking her future and protection in her own hands by learning a powerful martial art. Plus, she’s afraid of clowns, like any rational human being. It’s worth mentioning that Trish’s last name is Walker, so for you comic book readers out there, you have an idea where this is headed.
Trish interviews Hope on her radio show in an attempt to bring sympathy to her case, but all that she manages is to upset Kilgrave and give Hogarth an opportunity to turn the case into one of mental illness instead of the supernatural. We find out that this was Hogarth’s plan all along, which is both intelligent and infuriating.
While the ladies leave the studio, a fan attempts to engage with Trish, which results in her self-defense kicking in, and said fan having a relatively bad morning. This gives Kilgrave the opening to send a cop to her house to kill her, which would be fine if it weren’t the so predictable. She holds her own through the beginning of the fight, but ends up being saved by Jessica just in the knick of time. Due to Daredevil’s non-issue with killing of their most interesting characters, I was thankful the see Trish make it out of this one alive.
It was nice to see an illustration of Jessica’s cleverness, but I do wish it hadn’t taken three episodes to get to. Her overarching purpose in ‘AKA It’s Called Whiskey’ was acquiring anesthesia to knock out Kilgrave, which she managed to find and use to make Trish appear dead so she could follow the cop to The Purple Man’s location.
Unfortunately, Jessica and Kilgrave’s first face to face of the season was uninspiring until the very end of the scene. They stare each other down, she saves the cop a few times, then has to run a gauntlet of mind controlled family members while she’s chasing after him. Speaking of family, are those kids still in the closet? Are they dead? What happened there?
Jessica fails to catch Kilgrave, but finds herself in the creepiest of creeper rooms, where her face and figure litter the walls. Eventually the printer spits out a ‘see you later’ image, showing our unlikely hero that the antagonist is still a couple steps ahead, which takes Jessica back to Luke’s apartment.
Back to Luke’s apartment where she still says nothing. Nothing about the fact that she killed his wife. Nothing about Kilgrave. Nothing about anything. It’s just not an idea I can get behind, and will continue to be a struggle until she shares that information.
Jessica Jones remains a series that interests me, but hasn’t hooked me in just yet. We’re still early on, so Marvel has plenty of time to work their magic and get me wanting more, and I hope to see those changes and growth in the coming episodes.
Still hungry for more Jessica Jones? Check out these links for reviews!
Episode One Video Review, Episode Two Review
Not enough Jessica? Here are some character profiles!