Luke Owen reviews the fourth episode of Jessica Jones…
In the last couple of episode reviews (here and here), I’ve mentioned that Jessica Jones was missing a certain something. They were good, but they weren’t great and they certainly weren’t a match for the strong opening episode. It didn’t hook us in like Daredevil, and the story didn’t have that certain spark that made it ‘must-binge’ TV.
Until now. Because this episode is AWESOME.
Building on last episode’s subtle teases towards Captain America: Civil War, Jessica is hired with finding a no-good cheating husband by a very upset wife. It gives the show that episode-long arc that we’ve been searching for, as well as the Monster-of-the-Week gimmick the show could have benefited from. It ebbs and flows brilliantly over the episode runtime, with enough mystery and intrigue before the final showdown between Jones and “the reveal”. As I said in the show’s preview, it’s a lot like Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. Obscure, I know.
We also get some new developments between Trish and Simpson. Not contempt to just wallow in being controlled by Kilgrave, Simpson is looking to make amends for his actions – in more ways that one. If Simpson is going to become a more stable character in the show, it could lend to the rumours that he’ll become Nuke at some point. Personally, it would be great if it was saved for the end of the series and moves over into Daredevil or a second season of Jessica Jones, but the idea of changing Nuke from a former Vietnam War hero to a victim of Kilgrave would be genius.
There’s also a really creepy girl in this episode. Kilgrave really knows no bounds.
In a follow up on the last episode, it was a shame to see Trish apologising to Kilgrave over the radio, even if she was doing it against her better judgement. However what is great about this scene is it really sells what a monster Kilgrave is, and also what a petty man he can be. He’s really the most vile and evil of people, yet a simple apology on the radio and acknowledgement that you’re wrong is all you need to do to get him off your back. What a nasty piece of work! It’s why Kilgrave is becoming one of the best villains in the MCU. You wouldn’t see Winter Soldier, Mandarin or Loki acting this way with Cap, Iron Man and Thor.
And finally, we get the reveal of who the photographer was – and it was the one person we least expected. Just what tangled web has Kilgrave weaved to get to this point?
This is the best episode of the series so far. It has a great episode-long storyline running through it while still putting together the building blocks for larger themes. This is what the show has been missing, but its welcome to arrive so quickly in the series.
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth and a contributor on The Flickering Myth Movie Show. You can follow him on Twitter @ThisisLukeOwen.
Originally published November 21, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
