Jessica Jones S01 E08 – Nightmare Barbie’s Dreamhouse

Previously: Jessica tried to frame herself, but Kilgrave didn’t let her.
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AKA WWJD

Jessica: Just in case you were thinking that you’d get a break from feels this episode, the answer is HELL NO! 

Marines: I may be crying already. Just preemptive crying.

Jessica: This one begins with Flashback Feels, as we get a glimpse, for the first time, of Jessica’s family. They’re getting ready for a trip, bags packed as mom, dad and obligatorily annoying little brother Philip come down the stairs. Philip turns back at the front door and calls “We’re going to leave without you, Jessie!” up the stairs, and we see Present!Jessica standing in the background, looking on sadly. Finally, Past!Jessica comes down the stairs, complaining about spending time in the car with her brother. The door clicks shut, and sad music segues us back to the present, where Jessica confronts Kilgrave standing in her old living room.

Looking really fucking pleased with himself, he says, “Welcome home, Jessica Jones.” A suited-up bodyguard is there too, and repeats “Hi Hank” when Kilgrave orders him to say hi, then grits his teeth and looks embarrassed. Been there, friend! Can’t state how many times I’ve said “you too!” after a waitress tells me to enjoy a meal. But without any Kilgrave excuse.

Marines: On the bright side, with 100% less murdery undertones, too.

Jessica: You don’t know me! J/k I’m nice. Unless it’s pre-coffee. Then I’m… grunty.

Kilgrave apologizes for that but insists Hank is there because he’s paid. Hank searches Jessica for weapons as Kilgrave reiterates his plan to have her choose to be with him of her own free will. Just — this whole situation — he’s talking to her about free will but the constant threat of him hangs palpably in the air. Plus, Hank.

Mari: And the entire manipulation of recreating her childhood home. 

Jessica: Yes, that is its own LEVEL of insanity.

Hank finds Jessica’s phone, which was recording in her pocket in an attempt to catch a confession out of Kilgrave. She had to try, I guess. He takes her phone, and looks disappointed that she didn’t immediately come to him out of love. EYEROLL! Then he offers a tour, and goes to take her hand. She steps back and adamantly states that he WILL NOT TOUCH HER. EVER. Good on you, Jess.

She turns and looks all around the room they’re in, the camera panning around in a continuous shot to the door jamb with her and her brothers’ names and ages. As she walks through to the living room and sees a photo of her family on the bookcase. The couch, too, is the same. Kilgrave found the real estate agent who sold the house after her family’s deaths, and copied everything from her pictures. Jessica picks up a photo of herself and Philip, then puts it down sadly.

“You shouldn’t have,” she says sarcastically. Kilgrave replies that “when we were together” he asked her what her happiest memories were. Jessica stops, remembering, and says “Home” in the most broken voice.

Kilgrave claps his hands and brings forth the staff — a chef and a housekeeper, who he claims are also being very well paid. They confirm this, and he asks them to leave. Jessica looks completely overwhelmed and emotionally drained, and says she’s tired. Kilgrave leads her upstairs, to the bedrooms.

There are more family portraits along the hallway walls. Kilgrave is about to go into Philip’s room, but Jessica grabs the doorknob and says angrily, “NO.” Kilgrave claims to understand she has lots of feelings for “the dead brother.” So on to her room, which is exactly as she left it, down to the CDs in the case, which Kilgrave explains proudly that he used a magnifying glass to study in the photos. He acts as though he expects praise for this, saying, “A little appreciation wouldn’t hurt anyone,” as she grits her teeth and tries to keep the rage or the feels or all of it under control in front of him.

I have to say that the camerawork so far in this episode is excellent, lots of sweeping and panning shots to give a full feeling of the space within the rooms, and also adding to the overwhelmed aspects of Jessica emotionally right now, with just a touch of claustrophobia, especially with Kilgrave, the one we’ve been avoiding this whole time, up so close and personal. This twist that was revealed several episodes ago just explodes in this one, and blows my mind with how MESSED UP it is and really lets the torturous aspects of Kilgrave and his powers sink in. As we’ll see as we go on…

Mari: They are emphasizing too how much Kilgrave either thinks this is a good idea or thinks that Jessica should think this is a good idea. That combined with Jessica and Kilgrave in this enclosed space is just making me so TENSE.

Jessica: Jessica’s phone rings in Kilgrave’s pocket and he exclaims, “It’s Patsy!” He tells her she can answer if she wants because she’s not his prisoner, and puts it on speakerphone. Trish’s worried “Jess?” comes through, and she asks what happened at the police station. Jess says that Kilgrave showed up, no one was hurt, she left the city and she’s sorry she didn’t call. Kilgrave whisper-asks if she wants to invite Trish over and Jess gives her biggest glare yet, and he retreats. Over the phone, Trish asks how she knows this isn’t like last time, with Jessica under his control. Jessica replies, “Because Kilgrave is a psychotic, repulsive waste of a human being and if I were under his control he would never let me say that.” She and he have a glaring contest while she says this, but it convinces Trish. She asks Trish to let her do her thing, and Trish reveals that Simpson disappeared, and she’s worried he was potentially captured by Kilgrave. Jessica glances at Kilgrave but he just shrugs and shakes his head. They hang up and she returns the phone to Kilgrave.

Kilgrave puts a box on the bed as a present to her. He steps into the hallway and invites her to dinner downstairs when she’s ready. She slams the door in his face, locks it and jams the chair under the door handle. In the hallway, Kilgrave and Hank stand there a moment, listening to those sounds, then walk away.

Jessica opens the box, which has a card that says “To new beginnings.” Inside is a slinky, sparkly purple evening gown, which Jessica immediately rips to shreds.

She lies down on the bed and closes her eyes. Sad music plays as the camera moves closer and the light moves from afternoon to dark, showing the passage of time.

Downstairs, Kilgrave is sitting alone at the dinner table, with Hank, Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva standing at attention. The table is set for two, with a candle, and Kilgrave looks bored. “Ugh, how do you people live like this?” he finally asks, wondering how they manage the torture of waiting and wondering if people will do what they want.

Mari: Beyond everything that is wrong with Kilgrave, his absolute inability to understand free will and consent is breathtaking. 

Jessica: He really only knows extremes, and his free will is the only thing that exists for him. He’s created this whole interior world of limits and understanding and it’s COMPLETELY WRONG but because he is so powerful it persists.

He hears the bedroom door open and close upstairs and says, “Finally!” He adjusts his suit and stands at his seat while the chef uncovers the food on the table. Jessica comes down, and takes a moment before turning the corner and walking into the dining table. While she does this, the family portraits are seen on the wall behind her.

“No dress?” Kilgrave asks as she sits down. She says purple isn’t her color and downs the glass of wine in front of her. As she pours more wine — this time into the larger water glass — she asks if there will always be armed guards around, after which Kilgrave dismisses Hank due to it being “awkward.” Awkward is his word. Anyone else’s word might be threatening, creepy, insane!?!

Jessica continues to pound wine, and asks what Kilgrave’s ultimate goal is. He says for them to eventually “make a go of it” and that anything can happen in this world. Jessica assures him this will never happen, but he ignores that. He says he’s had Chef Laurent prepare her favorite meal, some sort of pasta, but she declares that’s HIS favorite meal, which now makes her nauseous. She’ll be having a liquid dinner, and the chef glances nervously between them as she chugs her more wine, then calls for another bottle.

Kilgrave eyes her, then asks if she thinks she drinks too much, to which she replies it’s the only way she gets through the day “after what you did to me.” He is shocked she blames her drinking on him, telling her “it wasn’t all bad,” though maybe the ending was rough. Jessica takes issue with him calling making her murder someone “ending roughly.” Kilgrave asserts that he never told her to kill Riva specifically, just to “take care of her,” and that punching was Jessica’s idea. Jessica has had enough of this gaslighting bullshit and calls him a “damn son of a bitch” while smashing her wine bottle against the wall.

Suddenly, Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva march out of the kitchen and stand on either side of Jessica, holding knives to their throats. She rolls her eyes, having revealed his safeguard. He says that he said he’d never control her, but that he needs something in place until they can trust each other. Blood is starting to collect on the knives and he tells them to put them down, then to clean up the broken wine bottle. Jessica casts them a sad look, then stands, saying she’s full and tired, and says a final “I’m sorry” to the chef and housekeeper before leaving. They stop a moment and look at her silently. Kilgrave looks thoughtful as she goes.

Returning to her room, Jessica sees Philip’s door slightly ajar, and starts to walk in. Someone grabs her wrist and tries to pull her in, but instead she pulls back, and slams SIMPSON up against the wall, her hand on his throat. They tussle quiet-like back and forth, not quite slamming each other into walls as he claims she’s under Kilgrave’s control and she insists she’s not. Hearing some of the scuffle, Kilgrave calls up but Jessica replies she’s drunk and he should leave her alone, then uses that to prove to Simpson she’s of her right mind.

Simpson insists she come with him because he put a fucking BOMB in the basement, oh jeez this guy. Jessica pulls him into her room and locks the door. They have a whole fiercely whispered conversation. It’s basically the same argument as before — she doesn’t want to kill Kilgrave because they need to prove Hope’s innocence. Simpson says he’s too dangerous to live. Jessica tells him that she has to handle this her way, and she takes his cell phone.

Kilgrave knocks on the door to ask if everything’s all right. He starts to come in but Jessica walks out, saying there’s a bomb in the basement and they need to get Hank. Simpson glowers behind the door.

Hank finds the bomb, and while Kilgrave’s asking questions, Jessica does something on Simpson’s phone. Kilgrave quickly puts together that it was probably Simpson, and muses on the fact that “sweet” Housekeeper Alva and Chef Laurent would have been killed. “You’ve killed more people as an afterthought,” Jessica retorts, to which Kilgrave fucking replies, “I haven’t killed anyone!”

Jessica says he uses his powers but Kilgrave insists that his hands are clean, and that he has never actually murdered a single person. During first watch, I was screaming at the screen at this. In later watches, I simply glower, much like Simpson. (M: I’m in screaming mode. He’s so completely perverted.)

Kilgrave decides that Jessica saving his life means she cares for him. She says she doesn’t want any more death on her conscience, even if it’s his, which he would understand if he had a conscience. He says he does, it’s just more… selective. And by that, he means that he cares about her, but everyone else is “fungible.” GREAT S.A.T. WORD KILGRAVE, YOU’RE STILL AN ASSHOLE!

After he walks away, we see that Jessica was testing out the recording on Simpson’s phone, and it worked. Nothing usable, but her face is thoughtful.

A cityscape shot brings us to Hogarth’s office. There’s a discussion between Hogarth and her lawyer, and Wendy and her lawyer. They’re discussing Wendy’s claim on 70% of Hogarth’s cash monies, etc. Wendy is PISSED, and goes on about being threatened by Jessica in the last episode, which Hogarth of course denies. Wendy says she married Hogarth “because you were kind to me” but now she sees what everyone else sees, which is the cold, “bastard” part of Hogarth. The woman who plays Wendy acts the hell out of this scene, portraying Wendy’s vulnerability, particularly against Hogarth who can totally win the stare-freeze-out, but she remains strong, saying that Hogarth needs to say she’s sorry with money, not words.

Pam interrupts saying Hogarth has a message, and Hogarth leaves her lawyer to finish up. The message is from Jessica, telling Hogarth that she’s with Kilgrave.

Elsewhere — Trish hides while a group of men walk past outside a building. She calls out to them and it’s Simpson with two other guys. He tries to act all normal but Trish is like, yo, the last time we talked you were hunting Kilgrave and then I didn’t hear from you, so what the fuck? He apologizes for not getting in touch, and says that Kilgrave is out of the city now and he lost track of him, but it’s totally fine and hey, they can be together now! Trish says that Jessica is still on the run, and can’t come back until Kilgrave is captured. Simpson insists she can take care of herself, and that he clearly sees now that it’s an “us vs. them” situation, “them” presumably meaning super-powered people. He tells her she needs to step back and stay safe. Trish storms off.

Morning in Jessica’s bedroom of present-day-childhood-trauma. She wakes as the door rattles open, and suddenly her mom walks into the room. She tells Jessica it’s time to get up, and Jessica looks around in confusion as her mother, father and brother stand at the foot of her bed. Philip says she’s not ready, and complains that their parents always take her side. Blood suddenly drips from under his hat, his mouth, his chest as he says, “We’d all be alive if it wasn’t for you, Jessie.” “Philip’s right,” her mom says, also bleeding. “You really are a screw up.” Her father is also covered in blood and tells her to “make it right, Jessie.” Philip yells, “Make it goddamn right!” Jessica awakes with a start. Damn dream-ghosts, why you gotta play it like that? Cold.

The TV in her room is on, where a news report talks of a hostage situation. She turns it off and looks out her window, seeing the rest of the neighborhood people going on with their lives. “Make it goddamn right, Jones,” she tells herself, as a riff of her theme song plays.

She joins Kilgrave on the deck outside for breakfast. Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva serve breakfast, and Jessica asks Kilgrave if his actions ever haunt him. He says not really, and she brings up Hope’s parents, asking how he’d feel if he was forced to kill his own parents, to which he replies no forcing would be necessary. She asks about them some more, turning on Simpson’s cell phone recorder surreptitiously, asking if killing Hope’s parents was about his parents, but he says it was about her, punishment for her “literally throwing me under the bus.”

Before they can get further, we hear an old woman’s voice say, “Jessie Jones.” Jess winces in annoyances as her next door neighbor comes up to them. Nosy Neighbor hugs her, and wonders about “such a handsome husband,” to which Jessica quickly replies they’re not married. Nosy Neighbor claims to have lots of stories about little Jessica to tell, so Kilgrave invites her to sit down and talk while Jessica does some more Simpson-level glowering and eye rolls. It’s weird seeing Kilgrave be polite and real-person conversational for more than two minutes.

Mari: And yet, it’s still in such an awful, awful way. 

Jessica: Nosy Neighbor talks about Jessica’s parents, and how sometimes they would fight, which irritates Jessica, but Nosy Neighbor just continues, on with more stories about Jessica as a tomboy. Then Nosy just for some reason decides to tell a story about how she sensed “something terrible” would happen on the day the family died, and she’s had a “burden” all these years that she didn’t warn them.

Kilgrave looks between increasingly irritated Jessica and self-satisfied Nosy Neighbor, then asks, all intense-Kilgrave-y now, if she really did have that terrible sense. Nosy admits, under his power, that she didn’t, but saying so makes her feel important. “Isn’t that a shitty thing to do?” he says. She starts to cry and he snaps that she should say it. “Yes, it is,” she cries. He asks what she’d want to do to someone who did that to her. Slap them, she replies. Kilgrave looks at Jessica, who’s been glowering this whole time, but her expression has softened just a tick, and she gives a small shake of her head. Kilgrave orders Nosy Neighbor to leave.

Kilgrave asks if that was satisfying, and Jessica admits it was a little. He says “you’re welcome” and touches her forearm. Immediately she throws off his arm and storms away, shouting he’s never to touch her. Kilgrave is irritated and follows behind, back into the house.

He calls her Jessie, which she also doesn’t like, and says they “used to do a lot more than touch hands.” “Yeah,” she replies. “It’s called rape.” Killgrave scoffs. They argue, with him bringing up the fact that they stayed in nice hotels, and it was never his intention to harm her. She argues back that she never wanted to do any of it, that he violated not only her body but her mind. He shouts that he never knows if people do what they want to do around him, or what he wants, that he has to “painstakingly choose” every word he says. She is not impressed with his pity party. (M: NEITHER AM I. BOO HOO.)

He blames his parents, another aspect Jessica rejects as an excuse. Kilgrave says he will show her what he means, and pulls the yellow USB disk out of his pocket — she recognizes it, in helpful flashback form, as the one that she dug up the night Riva was killed.

We cut to a laptop, and Jessica watches as Kilgrave pulls up his files from the USB. We see a young kid, maybe 10 or so, shaved head, in a hospital gown. Wires are affixed to his head and his body, and there is medical equipment in the background. On the table in front of him are puzzle pieces. A male voice tells him to put the puzzle together. The kid refuses and a woman’s voice replies, “Kevin, please” and implores him to show that his fine motor skills are improved. Kilgrave identifies the voices as his mother and father, scientists who turned him into “a freak.” As the kid begins to do the puzzle, Kilgrave reaches out to advance the video. Seated in front of him, Jessica cringes away from the proximity of his arm. The video now shows a cerebral spinal fluid extraction. The scientist parents, faces unseen, push Kevin Kilgrave onto the table, and jab a big ass needle into his neck as he screams. It’s disturbing. While Jessica’s dad played with her, Kilgrave says, his prepped him for yet another surgery.

On camera, the kid screams “Stop!” As his mother argues they’re not done, Kevin says “Back away” and they do, sounding confused, alarmed. The kid sits up, and looks around. Kilgrave walks up and shuts the laptop, saying, “Like you, this power was forced upon me.”

He walks into the other room and turns on the television. Jessica saves the latest recording on Simpson’s cell phone, then joins Kilgrave in the living room. He says the USB, which he wanted from Riva, was the last proof of his existence, his beginning. Jessica confirms that his parents are the only ones who know of his powers, and he says they ran away — from their promising careers as well as their 10-year-old son.

On the TV, more footage of the hostage situation is playing. Jessica asks if the reason Kilgrave does what he does is because no one taught him anything better. He doesn’t deny it. She says they should go for a ride, but won’t say where. Kilgrave looks intrigued yet suspicious. She says it’ll take about two hours, so he calls Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva into the room. “If I’m not back in two hours, please remove the skin from each other’s faces.” Eugh. Welcome back creepy-ass Kilgrave. His punishments are always so physical, visceral, pain-filled and — I realized, as I was typing this — weirdly polite at times, like how he used the word “please.” Alva and Laurent exchange horrified glances as he walks away.

Hostage situation. Police are trying to talk to the armed man who has his family sequestered with him. “Oh,” Kilgrave says as they arrive. “You want me to do the hero thing.”

They walk around back, and Kilgrave reluctantly follows Jessica’s orders, making the cops let them up to the house. Jessica bends the iron back door like tinfoil and they continue into the house. In the living room, the Disturbed Man is holding a shotgun on his wife and kids, who are crying, and he’s yelling at them to shut up.

Disturbed Man sees them as they approach, but Kilgrave tells him not to shoot or move, and Jessica has the wife and kids run out the back. The wife pauses to tell them thank you, specifically Kilgrave, and Kilgrave gives her a weird look then orders her not to tell anyone they were there. She leaves.

Kilgrave tells Disturbed Man to put the barrel of his gun into his mouth. Jessica says that he can’t kill him, and Kilgrave offers that Disturbed Man is going to kill himself, and that he’s insane, clearly not worth saving. Jessica insists that isn’t for him to decide. They argue, but finally Kilgrave asks “What would Jessica do?” But you know, while that is sort of the title of the episode it’s not an exact exact quote, so,  I’M NOT GIVING YOU A STAR, KILGRAVE.

Mari: HOLD FAST. It is not the thing and also Kilgrave sucks so HOLD FAST.

Jessica: You’re right! I get trigger happy with episode title stars. But I won’t break this time!!

Jessica has him tell the man to put down the gun and turn himself in to the police. Kilgrave rolls his eyes, his expression clearly stating “this is lame!” but does so. The man obeys, sobbing. Kilgrave declares the whole experience a “waste of energy.” Jessica counters that he just saved four lives.

Back at the Childhood Home of Present-day Trauma, Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva react in relief as the door opens and Kilgrave and Jessica return. “I want cake!” Kilgrave loudly and joyfully proclaims, and they rush off to do his bidding.

Kilgrave starts discussing saving people and being a hero, and wonders how many people it would take for him to “get back to zero” on the morality scale. Jessica, angrily, tells him that saving someone “doesn’t mean un-killing someone else” and Kilgrave looks slightly disappointed, but says they should do this more often.

Jessica says he doesn’t need her to do that, and he insists that he does, to keep him from doing things like telling Disturbed Man to shoot himself. He insists that he can’t be a hero without Jessica and she reacts in horror, realizing he’s right.

She looks overwhelmed, almost nauseous, and says she needs to go for a walk, by herself, to think. Kilgrave really doesn’t want to let her go but she insists. He tells her to return, since Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva probably “won’t survive the letdown” if she doesn’t. She says she will and leaves.

Flashback: Young Jessica and Philip are in the back of the car, off on family vacation, fighting over a Gameboy. Philip wants it, but Jessica won’t give it back, until finally she throws it against the window, breaking it. Their father, who’s driving, turns back to scold her, but then his wife screams. The car charges toward the giant semi truck stopped in front of it and we hear tires screech.

Present day. Jessica rings Trish’s doorbell. Trish opens the door and gives her a hug. Jessica admits she found Kilgrave and has been living with him. Trish drags her inside. Jessica explains what happened, best condensed into: “trippy psycho drama bullshit, Nightmare Barbie’s dreamhouse bullshit.” She continues that she’s having a “what would Trish do moment” and presents the conundrum: “What would you do if you could harness Kilgrave’s powers for good?”

Mari: JESSICA NO. Please, you can’t change him!

Jessica: This is an interesting parallel to Hogarth’s “if you could use that gift” moment from episodes earlier. Trish insists it’s impossible, because Kilgrave is psychotic. Jessica says she could only do it by staying with him, forever, but that it could change the world. “I’m not the best one for the job, but I’m the only one.” She wonders if it’s a way to make things right.

Hogarth’s office. It’s nighttime, she’s by herself. She takes down a portrait of herself and Wendy, looks at it, then looks at her laptop, which contains a threatening email from Wendy about revealing her blackmail information on Hogarth’s shady shit. Hogarth curses out loud and texts Jessica, demanding dirt on Wendy.

Childhood Home of Present-day Trauma. Chef Laurent and Housekeeper Alva are looking out the window, asking desperately if they can close their eyes. Kilgrave says only when Jessica has returned. Hogarth’s text comes through, which Kilgrave sees since he still has Jessica’s phone. He replies, as Jessica, that it will get done. At that moment, a taxi pulls up and it’s Jessica. Laurent and Alva cry out in relief, rubbing their eyes.

Jessica has several bags full of Chinese takeout food, which she sets out on the table into four servings. When Kilgrave comes back from sprucing himself up, she tells him maybe he was right, that they could work together to “balance the scales.” She also calls Laurent and Alva in to eat with them, telling Kilgrave not to be a prick as he complains. As all three dig in, Kilgrave still looks suspicious, so Jessica takes a bite of the food on his plate, and a swig of his beer, telling him he can’t ingest sufentanyl. Satisfied, he starts eating as well.

Jessica goes to take a bite, but it falls into her lap. She gets up to clean her shirt, and Alva stands too, but Jessica waves her off and leaves the room. Alva suddenly keels over, and Laurent also tips forward. As he’s asking them what’s wrong, Jessica comes up behind Kilgrave, shoves a napkin in his mouth and injects him straight at the throat, telling him, “This is what Jessica would do.” And I cheer again! Even though I knew to expect it this time! It’s such a relief that she doesn’t let herself fall into the “maybe I can change him” track.

Mari: Seeing as how I yelled at her that she can’t change him, this also earned a cheer from me.

Jessica: Kilgrave collapses, unconscious. Jessica grabs the laptop with the yellow USB and puts it into her bag. She fireman carries Kilgrave outside, but is tackled by Hank before she can get to an area cleared of tree branches above. He points his gun at her, and she tries to reason with him, saying he’s seen what Kilgrave can do. Hank refuses, and is shot for his trouble. Simpson appears, and tells Jessica to hand Kilgrave over, to let his death be on Simpson. She refuses, and Simpson’s two buddies rush up.

Simpson tells her there’s nowhere to go but Jessica just jumps and disappears. “Did she just fly?” one of the guys asks. “Shit,” Simpson says.

A little old lady voice says, “Excuse me.” Nosy Neighbor comes up to Simpson, asking for him by name. She holds out a paper bag, saying Kilgrave told her to give it to him. He looks inside and sees the bomb that he put in the basement earlier. Nosy Neighbor holds up a cell phone and Simpson yells “bomb!” and he and his men scatter as the explosion goes off. JESUS. We pan up for the fireball, then back down to the destruction, showing only limbs of Nosy Neighbor remaining, and the unmoving body of Simpson, smoke curling off of him, a giant piece of glass shrapnel in his side.

END SCENE. Holy shit. This last bit always gets me. It goes to show that no one who Kilgrave touches escapes his psychotic insanity. I like this episode, in that it tells us the backstory of Jessica’s family, but there’s also a lot of dialogue between her and Kilgrave that highlight him and his motivations and personal justifications, and I just feel like you learn so much about both of them. I love the “This is what Jessica would do” moment beyond words, and even though she only has a few small parts, having Trish in this episode is clutch. She’s such an important presnce in Jessica’s life, especially in this flashback-heavy, nostalgia-however-twisted heavy episode. She represents the present and the future, and Jessica going to her, while in the moment seems that Jessica will choose to stay with Kilgrave, in my mind now better cements Jessica’s eventual decision to betray him and focus on the future rather than the past.

Mari: Seeing this for the first time, I’m just screaming, man. There are few really impactful moments here. It means so much to end on an act of Kilgrave violence because this episode teases his past trauma and the idea that he could change. But yes, no matter what, the people who come in contact with Kilgrave are in grave danger. He has no sense of true right or of any boundaries. 

I can’t wait to keep watching what Jessica would do.

 

Next time on Jessica Jones: Jessica finds Kilgrave’s parents in S01 E09 – AKA Sin Bin.