After the Purple…
By Eric Goldman
Note: We’re writing up separate reviews for all 13 Jessica Jones episodes, though for the purposes of binging brevity, some may be notably shorter than our usual reviews. Click here to see all of our Jessica Jones episode reviews.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Four episodes in and Jessica Jones just keeps getting better and better. There was a lot of standout material in this installment, showing the understandable after effects Jessica and Trish (and Simpson) were experiencing from what they’ve been going through.
For Jessica, that meant the worry that anyone could be watching her for Kilgrave. A fear that is actually very justified, given his abilities and what he does in this very episode, sending that little girl to deliver Jessica a message – her telling the girl, “I’m sorry this is happening to you” was a powerful, poignant touch.
Meanwhile, Simpson coming to Trish’s to try and make amends led to some great scenes. Because as much as she logically knew he wasn’t in control when he attacked her, how could she know if he was in his right mind now? The way they slowly began to bond, as she spoke to him through the door, was peppered with beats like her aiming the gun through the door at him or even just keeping the gun at her hand after she let him in and they seemed to really be connecting, that really stood out.
We want to hear it.
We also got to see even more about Trish’s past, and why she’s turned her back on being “Patsy” Walker, in a clever, dark take on her comic book origins. Trish proclaiming, “My mom blew half the jury” to get her a Teen Choice Award was a very Jessica Jones joke, as far as being a funny and decidedly edgy moment. And Trish having to apologize to Kilgrave on the air was a suitably uncomfortable and “gross” moment – one of many very well-played scenes by Rachael Taylor here.
Jeri gathering other victims of Kilgrave managed to mix humor with despair in equal measure, as we saw people clearly making up stories mixed with those who sounded disturbingly real, given what we’ve seen of Kilgrave. The man who spoke about abandoning his own baby on the street was especially chilling and once more solidifies just how horrible (and horrifying) Kilgrave is.
In the midst of this, Jeri’s line about how Kilgrave was wasting his “gift” and could “think bigger” was a chilling moment, insinuating Jeri could have an agenda far beyond that of a ruthless lawyer.
We want to hear it.
As for that final reveal, Malcolm being revealed as the photographer wasn’t exactly a jaw-dropping moment, but it was a satisfying one that helped give us a better idea what Malcolm was doing in Jessica’s life (and on this show).
Meanwhile, It was good, even amongst all this Kilgrave drama, to see Jessica take on a different case – even as it turned out to be one meant to lure her to her own death from misguided, revenge-seekers, who’d lost someone during the events of The Avengers. Though it felt weird to have Jessica, like Luke, go out of her way to not say the name “Hulk.” Just say Hulk! Regardless, Jessica telling off the couple (and trashing the place) was a very satisfying scene.
Jessica Jones just keeps getting better and better. This episode showed just how impactful Kilgrave’s actions had been, as Jessica, Trish and Simpson all worked to stay afloat in the wake of what he’d done, while we met others who’d come across him in the past. The supporting cast are all really coming into their own too, as we learned more about Trish’s past and got hints about Jeri and a revelation about Malcolm that changes things considerably.
