Jessica Jones: AKA It's Called Whiskey
November 20, 2015 7:57 PM - Season 1, Episode 3 - Subscribe

Jessica enlists Trish in Hope's defense/calling out Kilgrave, which brings Kilgrave out into the open a bit.

Jessica's trying to get her hands on some surgical anesthesia drugs, which is pretty difficult since that's not something your average drug dealer carries, and the doctor she tries to force into helping her (Jeri's future ex-wife) not only isn't gonna, she doesn't have access to it. Jessica seems to pick up a little something in a needle when she takes her neighbor Malcolm to the hospital though.

We find out that Trish basically lives in an armed fortress, has taken up Krav Maga, and won't get beaten up again, thanks. Or so she says. It's implied that Trish's mom used to beat her up and Jessica was the defender, but since Jessica moved out Trish has started taking care of herself. (And apparently she was a redheaded comic book star named Patty back in the day?)

Anyway, after hearing Hope get slandered a lot on the radio, Jessica wants Trish to do an interview with Hope on the air. Which doesn't sound like the best idea to me and indeed, it's not--Jeri mentions her client's insanity when Hope brings up mind control, Trish flat out admits that she buys it on the air and then starts insulting Kilgrave's manlihood enough to get him calling in all creepy and pissed off. Next thing you know, a mind-controlled cop drops by Trish's to kill her in front of Jessica. (Jessica uses that little syringe to make Trish look dead enough to pass for dead.)

Jessica follows the cop back to Kilgrave's new lair, where she has to stop the cop from jumping off the balcony twice, eyeballs Kilgrave, and then has to hand out a shit ton of concussions to all the folks sent to go after her. Kilgrave's other hobbies besides mind control are apparently lots of photography, of Jessica, all over the place, which creeps her right out. She does manage to save the cop's life, though.

On the good news side, Luke and Jessica are adorable together when they eat out at a food truck and break the bed. She tells him about the whole mind control thing, which he's doubtful about. She doesn't mention that she had something fatal to do with the dead girl he's got a picture of in his medicine cabinet. By the end she's telling him they shouldn't be together, but somehow I don't think that'll be an issue.

Oh yeah, and the door actually gets fixed (uh, permanently, not attempted to like in the last two episodes, my bad) by two dudes who think Jessica needs a key to get back into the place. So much for that.

(And I'm probably gonna head out soon, so if anyone else wants to do writeups past this episode before I get around to seeing them, it's up to you!)
posted by jenfullmoon (31 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
What I really like about this show is that Jessica is smart. If the last lead on Kilgrave is an accident, check the nearest hospital for the records. If you run into a policeman who's definitely been turned into an assassin zombie, discretely follow him back to the source. I don't know how much of this comes directly from the Alias comic, but I like it a whole lot.
posted by figurant at 8:45 PM on November 20, 2015 [8 favorites]


Besides super strength, Jessica's other power is slipping through doors just before they latch shut. It seems to happen at least three or four times per episode. I think I'll actually start counting at episode four.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 4:50 AM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


no Doctor why
posted by zjacreman at 5:58 AM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


What I really like about this show is that Jessica is smart.

Likewise. She's got super strength, and that's fun, but she mostly leans on her brains, and that is *more* fun.
posted by mordax at 11:13 AM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


Yeah one of the things I love about Jessica Jones is that she really is a good detective in the classic "Rockford" sense. Where Flash has always bugged me about how stupid the characters act due to PLOT, JJ has characters that are smart and act smart. It's very believable that Jessica could track down Killgrave.
posted by happyroach at 1:29 PM on November 21, 2015 [5 favorites]


I confess to being disappointed that Trish isn't Jessica's ex but evidently her best friend. (I had hopes after their interaction in the first episode.)

As far as the bus accident, I had thought that the bus was swerving to avoid Jessica, but it looks like it's swerving to avoid Killgrave. Which makes me wonder if he used some mojo on the bus driver - I'd sort of assumed that his power was a verbal thing with the whole "you want to invite me in" thing, but maybe it's telepathy with proximity or something?
posted by rmd1023 at 2:44 PM on November 21, 2015


God I was just glad she didn't have to fight the kids.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 3:44 PM on November 21, 2015 [4 favorites]


I'm really happy they kept Luke's "Sweet Christmas!"
posted by jason_steakums at 4:04 PM on November 21, 2015 [7 favorites]


Every relationship has issues, but "I killed your wife when I was under mind control" is a bit of stretch. That's one of the show stoppers that makes me think their relationship can never happen.

Which is a shame, because they have great chemistry.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:42 PM on November 21, 2015


I find it strangely fascinating that Kilgrave, a man who has gotten used to getting everything he wants, is a sports fans because part of sports fandom is learning that you almost never get what you want.
posted by john-a-dreams at 6:06 PM on November 21, 2015 [6 favorites]


I have only watched up to this ep so no spoilers, and I assume the bus swerves to avoid hitting Luke's wife lying in the road and it hits Kilgrave. But was the wife dead at that point? or just unconscious due to being hit by Jessica and the bus falling over finished her off. And there's some reason this wife was a threat I think. It wasn't just a random mind control for the heck of it.

The show is getting better, I mean, it started off pretty good and each episode is an improvement as the story gets traction. Of course my favorite part is the relationship, now lack of it, between Luke and Jessica.

Was Trish supposed to have a super power as well? And I thought they were sisters until this episode. You know, tv sisters who never look similar. Will the cop, as a former mind controlee, be in future episodes? I like how they do that in Person of Interest, revisiting some characters-of-the-week.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:55 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


LOL at the size of that house Kilgrave was crashing in

(This show is gold. I can't remember if it was this ep or last ep with the lines "rude girls are lonely girls" "counting on it!" -- gold!)
posted by trunk muffins at 9:00 PM on November 21, 2015


I find it strangely fascinating that Kilgrave, a man who has gotten used to getting everything he wants, is a sports fans because part of sports fandom is learning that you almost never get what you want.

I don't think it's coincidental. Having a power like that, it seems like it might be absolutely fascinating to observe events that are unpredictable and chaotic from a safe vantage. I could've seen him interested in maybe dice for the same reason.

(I also think his affection for sports plays into his interest in both Jones and Hope - Hope was a star athlete, and Jones is physically superhuman. I think he liked that.)
posted by mordax at 10:02 PM on November 21, 2015 [3 favorites]


I really wanted some resolution on the kids in the closet. Kind of disturbed that we didn't get any.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 8:08 AM on November 22, 2015 [2 favorites]


Mod note: One comment deleted; please avoid commenting about future episodes. Thanks.
posted by taz (staff) at 4:35 AM on November 23, 2015


I don't think it's coincidental. Having a power like that, it seems like it might be absolutely fascinating to observe events that are unpredictable and chaotic from a safe vantage. I could've seen him interested in maybe dice for the same reason.

Strong Female Protagonist (which you should definitely be reading if you like smart, more-realistic superhero stories) has a character who reads minds and hates watching TV because he can't hear what the characters are thinking, but he discovers that he loves cartoons because they don't fall into the uncanny valley of looking like people but having no thoughts.
posted by straight at 7:37 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]


I love how off-hand Kilgrave is about his villainy. He just waves at the balcony and casually tells the cop to leave that way. These Marvel shows really understand better than most of the movies how important a great villain is to a great superhero story.
posted by octothorpe at 7:55 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]


Yeah, Killgrave is managing to find the biggest "we bought several units and broke down walls and floors between them" apartments in NYC, apparently.
posted by rmd1023 at 1:03 PM on November 23, 2015


Looks like Jessica was able to defy Kilgrave in the flashback, so that gives me a little bit of hope that trying to track him down isn't extremely reckless. Still, kind of odd that she's not even wearing the headphones that she just had on while following the cop. I guess we don't really know how his powers work, but it stands to reason that if you couldn't hear him you might be okay.
posted by ODiV at 7:01 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]


First rugby wife, now Malcolm; do all of Jessica's misdirections involve ruining a black person's life?
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:24 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


Ok, so obviously this cop is a witness for Hope? I have only watched through this episode, so I guess I will find out, but I was surprised it didn't come up, and she just sent him home. Or she didn't want to ruin another life?

Also, did anyone else experience a moment of wild panic when the cop was remembering he killed her friend and I thought she might tell him the friend wasn't dead, and then he would have to try again? (I actually grabbed the remote and hit pause and yelled "NO, DON'T TELL HIM!") But this is something she would know, being smart.

Also yeah, I don't understand his powers. I thought he had to speak to compel, but now I'm not so sure. I wondered about ear plugs or even some kind of sound distorter. But I'm no scientist!
posted by Glinn at 5:17 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]


I also worried that her telling the cop that Trish wasn't dead would trigger him to resume trying to kill her. I wonder if we'll see him again and I mostly hope we don't.

Oh, Trish with her amazing super fortress and video surveillance and everything. And still got duped, slightly, by the call for it being in the papers. I wonder if she still hadn't opened the door if he would have gone into super crazy mode trying to get to her. All that security and no chain lock on the door? Or did he just bust through it?

I'm glad she didn't have to rebreak her brand new door.
posted by jillithd at 5:06 PM on November 27, 2015 [1 favorite]


Mod note: A couple of comments deleted. Folks, please don't bring in info from future episodes or other sources. (Even if you are just trying to clear up confusion without explicitly spoiling, just let whatever is ambiguous be ambiguous.) Discussion in episode threads that aren't labeled "Rewatch" should cover only what has happened in current or earlier episodes. Thank you.
posted by taz (staff) at 1:19 AM on November 30, 2015 [5 favorites]


I liked the initial confrontation between her and Kilgrave. It makes me wonder if Kilgrave believes her somewhat immune to his abilities, hence his lack of trying to take control of her again. Likewise, because he can't control her, he wants to torment her.

The cop attack. UGH. It's great she was paranoid, but man, we all knew the second the cop showed up he was sent by Kilgrave. Meh!

First rugby wife, now Malcolm; do all of Jessica's misdirections involve ruining a black person's life?

Well, I think it's fair to say Hope was just a pawn in Kilgrave's decision to torment Jessica. So her life is ruined and her parents are dead. There's a line between Jessica's active involvement, sure, but if Jessica had finished off Kilgrave, none of it would have happened. Likewise, perhaps if Jessica had considered Kilgrave really messing with Hope, she might have searched her for a gun or other weapons. Trish's life was nearly taken explicitly because of Jessica's actions, too.
posted by Atreides at 2:59 PM on November 30, 2015


I liked the variation in fighting styles during the cop vs Trish vs Jessica event. The cop is using cop fighting strategies, Trish is using her Krav Magra, and Jessica is just scrappin' with no skill and only the knowledge that she's stronger. She's such an inelegant fighter, and it really fits with her character. If she ever has to fight someone similarly strong, she's in trouble.

My theory so far about Kilgrave's powers is that they are a combination of voice and proximity. I think he has to be physically in proximity with the person he is controlling with his voice, at least for the initial programming. I don't think he can control minds with just his voice (thus no control via phone calls, etc.). I also have the feeling that his commands fade with time. I'm REALLY curious if Jessica has developed a strategy to resisting him (not just recovering from her PTSD) or some sort of immunity to his control.

Also! did you hear the fan (before Trish took him down) say that he misses her red hair?! She's definitely Patsy Walker, Hellcat.
posted by sleeping bear at 9:21 AM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


The sequence of Jessica fighting her way through the people Kilgrave was sending after her felt so much like a video game sequence, fighting your way through the minions to get to the Boss. So well done. I'm by no means an action movie junkie, but I wanted them to keep coming.
posted by dry white toast at 2:20 PM on December 2, 2015


Luke and Jessica are adorable together when they eat out at a food truck and break the bed.

They really are adorable. The two of them together is my favorite part of the show so far.

She tells him about the whole mind control thing, which he's doubtful about.

She didn't really tell him though, she just asked if he thought it was possible, which was stupid. If she'd just assured him that someone like that was out there he'd at least have considered it more seriously. The way that conversation was written leads me to suspect that it's only a matter of time before Killgrave discovers Luke, if he hasn't already.
posted by homunculus at 5:24 PM on December 2, 2015


I just saw this episode last night. I am loving the metaphorical DV subtext that winds its way through everything; it perfectly captures the menace of having an enemy whose greatest weapon is making you believe that you owe him your obedience and loyalty, and whom nobody believes is really that much of a problem.

I also spent much of the episode yelling at the TV "EVERYONE IS A DANGER AND NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED!!!!"
posted by KathrynT at 12:46 PM on December 3, 2015


I spent much of it yelling "just tell him, Jessica!". But she never takes my advice.
posted by Coaticass at 1:14 PM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I think it's going to get really ugly with Kilgrave sending Luke after Jessica.
posted by ktkt at 10:30 PM on December 19, 2015


If Jessica had been truly ruthless she would have let the cop kill himself, waited until she was sure Kilgrave believed he was alone, and then shot him up with the anesthetic and killed him. But I guess the writers anticipated that by showing she was reluctant to beat up a certain number of people to get the anesthetic. So the story continues, and I'm happy to watch more episodes.
posted by A dead Quaker at 9:37 PM on January 13, 2016


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