S01.E13: AKA Smile

[Cranberry]

Jessica and Luke get help from someone else in the neighborhood. Kilgrave gears up for a major test of powers against Jessica.

[penguinnj]

Can't decide if "oh for god's sake, it's Patsy" is a shout out to Absolutely Fabulous :)

Also the huge stone angel in the park- just screamed "don't blink"

 

LOVED the series- I had hoped Kilgrave would make it to series 2 but I thought the ending fit.  Loved the noir feel of the episodes and thought the storytelling was, overall, pretty well paced.  I found the writing more engaging than Daredevil and the acting was fairly superb- although I expected that.  Tennant was amazing!!

My qualms mostly came with a few of the subplots

• wasn't that interested in Trish's boyfriend.  But by the end I wasn't sure if it had to be included because of possible future developments.
• Trinity's divorce was dragged out FAR too long
• Didn't love the attempts to throw science and secret power boosting potions into the end
• Did Jessica only own one pair of jeans???  I need an answer on that

Edited November 21, 2015 by penguinnj

[Conan Troutman]

Damn, Jessica needed that hug at the end. And I need some cheap whisky now (or a P&R episode, well maybe both). What a ride.

I thought Kilgrave's death was a bit anticathartic (that a word?) at first, but of course he couldn't have the decency to go out in a satisfying way.

 

• Did Jessica only own one pair of jeans???  I need an answer on that

 

One pair is perfectly sufficient. Two pairs could be convenient in case you have to do laundry. Anything more is decadence.

[calliope1975]

I can see why the neck snap could be anticlimactic, but I don't know how else I would have ended it. Kilgrave was such a vile, remorseless villain, and I loved how dark this series went. I didn't need graphic scenes to be creeped out by him, and I'm so happy (that's a weird word to use) to see rape and PTSD shown in a realistic, life-shattering yet not life-ending way. It was treated seriously and not as a plot point.

 

I like the seeming team up at the end of Jessica and Malcolm. I'm so glad he got his hope back and wants to help people. Also happy to see Claire again. Poor thing is a wounded vigilante magnet. 

 

Final note - I'm gonna need Jessica's boots. 

[numbnut]

I also found Kilgrave's end a bit anticlimactic but only because I didn't get why Jessica couldn't kill him sooner (there would be more collateral damage the longer he lived). Glad he's dead though; another season of the same villain would be tiresome.

 

Did Jessica only own one pair of jeans???  I need an answer on that

 

After Rosario fixed Jessica's sliced leg, Jessica wore a fresh pair of jeans to lie beside Luke in bed.

[kdm07]

Well, that was fun! I had no previous knowledge about Jessica Jones in the comics so I went into it as a newbie. Really enjoyed almost all the characters and the relationship between Jess and Trish. The only character I didn't care for was Simpson but otherwise, bring on S2!

 

Side-note: it was nice seeing them tie into Daredevil as well by bringing in Rosario's character.

Edited November 22, 2015 by kdm07

[gik910]

I was on the fence about Kilgrave's ending but I think the "anti-climactic" simple end was the way to go.  It gives Jessica some sense of closure and effectively ends that period of her life. Now she rebuilds.

 

 

While Tennant was great in the role (at times he was so charming that I was rooting for him to get a redemption arc), I felt like the whole Kilgrave storyline was kind of dragged out by the last few episodes and his death thereby was the only way to end the season. The challenge for season 2 will be to find a villain that matches Tenant. Or maybe they will just do more cases of the week, because they must be aware of the fact that Kilgrave will be hard to top.

Seriously- Tennant is so f'ing charming it's ridiculous.  I think the way season 2 will play out depends on what happens in Luke's, Iron Fist;s, & the Defenders series.  I am also really curious to see how they work in what else is happening in the universe...

 

This series did confirm for me how much I wish Marvel Studios was in charge of Agents of Shield though.

 

There were a few things I wasn't crazy about-but it was still by far one of the most enjoyable shows I have watched in a while.  Ritter was fantastic and I was sucked in right away.  They kept me till the end and I cannot wait to see where they are going to go with her.

[zxy556575]

If it ever comes up in conversation, my new answer to what superpower I want is mind control.

 

I agree with others about Simpson being a non-starter. His story and sketchy off-camera history ended up going nowhere. If I was supposed to tie it into something comics-related and make my own connections, I'm ignorant of all that and couldn't. My nose started twitching back in that early ep when he stayed over at Trish's and inserted himself, unasked, into her plans and conversation with Jessica. Put your pants on, indeed.

 

I wondered why Kilgrave didn't order the frozen bystanders to help him fight off Jessica, but that final neck snap sound was pretty satisfying.

 

Great acting all around. I know Tennant primarily from a miniseries called The Escape Artist, and he was excellent in that as well. I adored Jeri and Trish and really enjoyed Luke and Malcolm. Kilgrave was a fantastic villain. All told, the secondary characters pulled me in more than Jessica did.

 

It would nice if Jessica got some relief from the unrelenting darkness in the next series, but my guess is not.

 

Overall, great job, Netflix and everyone involved. This show was very different from Daredevil but I like them both very much and equally.

 

Except -- to bring it around full circle  -- the danged credits!  ;)

Edited November 22, 2015 by lordonia

[Xenith22]

I wondered why Killgrave didn't order the frozen bystanders to help him fight off Jessica, but that final neck snap sound was pretty satisfying.

Jessica was holding him via a tight grip on his throat rendering him unable to speak a command.

 

I mostly agree with what you said, though I thought Kilgrave's death was fine. He was almost an unstoppable villain, but they managed to find a death for him that made sense. My only criticism is that the plan was really contingent on him not telling people to do awful things should he die.

Yeah...especially given his reluctance to believe his power could actually effect Jessica again, it seems hard to believe he did not safeguards in place?

 

For that matter the whole scene in the ticket station seemed like a complete trainwreck...I mean seriously it made absolutely no sense.   Using Trish as a decoy only served to put her in a position of having a dozen guns pointed at her with no escape....then when she revealed the ruse it takes major suspension of disbelief that a vindictive Killgrave would not have had her shot as another way to wound Jessica?    And what was the point of the ruse?   So Jessica could sneak up on him from the balcony....a balcony that was nowhere near his position and that certainly too far away from him for her to sneakily leap down at him and snap his neck before he could react?   What the crap.   Then what was with the show making a big deal out of her jump from the balcony.  We've seen her do it before, so why was it played for extra dramatic effect?   I thought for sure we were going to see Jones fly there, since that was actually one of Jewel's powers in the comics?  

 

I agree with others about Simpson being a non-starter. His story and sketchy off-camera history ended up going nowhere. If I was supposed to tie it into something comics-related and make my own connections, I'm ignorant of all that and couldn't. My nose started twitching back in that early ep when he stayed over at Trish's and inserted himself, unasked, into her plans and conversation with Jessica.

I have to say I was also not a fan of this re-invention of "Nuke" as he is known in the comics.  The explanation for his personality shift was done rather poorly, and barely any explanation was actually given of the pills where you pretty much had to know about them from the comics.  The whole thing felt rushed and done just for shock value, which was disappointing.

 

Finally on a different note...did I miss it, or did no one ever refer to Trish/Patsy as a Hellcat in reference to her comic book alias?   I was kind of surprised about that as it seemed like the kind of obvious easy to make wink/nod that these shows usually make at some point.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Xenith22

[that one guy]

 

Did Jessica only own one pair of jeans???  I need an answer on that

There's a definitive answer to that - the costume designer said she owns three and picks up whichever is the closest to clean off of the floor in the morning.

I loved this show. I was disappointed that Matt Murdoch didn't show up at the end as her new lawyer - internet rumors had told me he would. Otherwise it was amazing. No easy answers with this one. Officer Friendly turned out to be right that you couldn't contain Kilgrave and had to kill him, although obviously he was wrong about murdering a cop and two military guys. And it's too bad David Tennant won't be returning, because he was brilliant, and the MCU is short on effective villains who aren't named Loki. Tennant's baddy was much better than Eccleston's - can we expect to see villainous turns from Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi over the next few years? I'll settle for Michelle Gomez...

 

I don't know if the secret research firm is a setup for next season or for Luke Cage, but I hope to see Krysten Ritter and Rosario Dawson at least make appearances on Luke's show.

[Conan Troutman]

I can see why the neck snap could be anticlimactic, but I don't know how else I would have ended it.

 

I didn't say anticlimactic, I said anticathartic. His death didn't offer the emotional cleansing or payoff that deaths of villains usually offer, neither to Jessica nor to the audience. That doesn't have to be a bad thing (just as sometimes a story line can have an anticlimactic ending that still works)  and it makes a lot of sense here - he was too dangerous (and enough of an asshole to senselessly take down the people at the dock with him) to give him a proper beating, just kill him quickly before he can do any more harm.

[Sakura12]

I liked Killgrave's end. She made him come to her so she could control his death. She grabbed him by throat so he couldn't speak then broke his neck. I actually thought he could control her again and he'd be around for season 2. Patsy also looked like she believed it until Jessica looked at her and told her she loved her. I like that he's not going to be around, villains become boring if they stick around too long. And being that this is TV I'm one that thinks that the hero should kill if necessary. His death was very necessary. And for the slight chance he survives (because come on this is a comic book show so we now it's possible) I hope we don't see him again for a few seasons. 

 

I know more people got hurt and that's unfortunate, she did what she could. As I've said in the other threads. She's not perfect but she's human. 

 

I loved seeing Night Nurse Claire to connect it to Daredevil. But she really gets stuck helping the wounded "gifted" people. They do need a nurse with the beatings they take on a daily basis. She's a good person to have on your side. I kind of hope Matt is in need of PI on Daredevil and Claire recommends Jessica, just so they can meet. 

 

I like how her flying is all awkward since that's part of her comic story where she sucks at flying and mostly just uses it jump really far and fall. 

 

And I will always love an ending where it's about two sisters saying they love each other than it being about a shipping relationship. This was Jessica and Trish's story, Luke was just there for Jessica to find someone like her. It's Trish who she really loves. 

 

I loved the Noir ending with Jessica becoming a Hero PI with Malcolm as her assistant. I'm looking forward to seeing that in Season 2 as well as learning more about where Jessica's powers come from. I'm guessing the truck her dad hit was filled with the enhancement drugs and they all went into her making her super and not dependent on drugs. IGH is probably trying to figure out how to replicate her and they will be the big bads next season. 

Edited November 22, 2015 by Sakura12

[readster]

I was very happy with the ending to the season. Everything tied up nicely, showed the connections between Jessica and Daredevil and set up the future Luke Cage and Iron Fist series nicely. Keep in mind for those who have read the old Alias series know it lasted almost four years and a lot happened in that time. I really enjoyed Killgrave's ending and the season ending with Jessica about to get a major upswing in business with her PI company and how far Malcolm came in the season. Of course, I really enjoyed everyone except Simpson from beginning to end. Something that is good about binge watching or seeing a whole season like this. It connects more instead of plots that start so many episodes ago and get lost until they pop out of nowhere. Bring on Season 2, bring on the Luke Cage series and of course, I'm ready for Daredevil season 2.

[GenieinTX]

I loved that finale scene with Jessica and Kilgrave.   She had to stand there pretending to not be able to move and watch him force Trish to kiss him.  It was grotesque.  Then seeing him realize maybe he could have her and want her so badly was just gross.  And think about the choice she must have made.  All of those people could have been triggered to committ suicide if he died, she knew it, and she still had to take the risk.  She still had to kill him. 

 

I love David Tennant, so so much.  He's such a charming guy and I was just amazed again this whole series at how good an actor he is.  He totally draws me in.  Even though I have seen him in so many other things, I totally believed him as Kilgrave.  Now time to go watch a little Doctor Who, to cleanse out the ick.

 

Loved the side characters too of Malcolm and Trish.  Both were both fully formed and sympathetic people.  But Trish is a bad ass and Malcom just wants to help.  Love them both.  Hated Simpson.  The actor has a banging body to be sure, but didn't care about his story at all.

Edited November 22, 2015 by GenieinTX

[Chaos Theory]

Well that was an ending.

I always tell myself I am not going to binge on Netflix shows but then well I do. Maybe we should start a support group:

Anyway I liked how the season ends....and there so needs to be another one. I think I liked this just as much if not more then Daredevil. My favorite type of movie is a psychological thriller and when it is a good one it stays with you. Jessica Jones was less an action show then a psychological thriller and that is what appeals to me. Well besides a strong female cast.

Also I like that even though there were romantic love interests the final batter was with two sisters. I liked the last part when Kilgrave told Jennifer to say she loved him and instead she looked over at Trish and said those words before she killed Kilgrave. It was a strong scene.

Absolutely love Trish. At first I thought she was going to be a minor character. There for little more then moral support and maybe someone for Jessica to save but pretty quickly I realized that this was the important relationship of the show. Not Jessica and Luke or Trish and Simpson. The bond between sisters and seeing how that bond for forged during a previous episode. Seeing how far it went is probably among one of the better parts of a great series.

I am still not sure what to make of Jeri Hogarth. I liked where the show left her as well. Guilt ridden but still who she is. Watching those last scenes was fabulous especially when she turned to Jessica and told her if she had the kind of evidence she had to free Jessica it would have been enough to free Hope.

Very strong female cast which is a major plus and why I thought the show was fabulous but now on to the males of note.

David Tennant was great as Kilgrave. Maybe not as good as Vincent D'Onofrio was as Fisk but I don't need to compare them. They both made fitting villains for the people they were fighting. I don't think Fisk would have worked on Jessica Jones and I besides the obvious I don't think Kilgrave would have worked as well on Matt Murdock. Kilgrave was a good and proper villain for a character who didn't want to be or believe she was a hero. As origin stories go I liked it and I liked the way it ended between them,

Luke Cage was also a good character for a romantic foil for Jessica without getting in her way. Il liked how the relationship developed and then fell apart. I thought they fit well together.

I am not sure what to make of Will Simpson. I thought in the beginning the relationship between him and Trish was cute but it got dark fast. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I liked the fighter pill aspect and that Trish took one of them to save Jennifer. If there is a season two I wouldn't mind if the show continues having Trish take those pills to make her more "super."

Malcom was another character I thought was just a throwaway character. However I liked his origin story as well and how yes he is turning into a fitting side kick for Jessica because he does like to help people. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him,

All in all a fantastic series that I enjoyed a lot and I am really hoping for another season. I would love see what Jessica Jones does next.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[zxy556575]

The series took a pretty bummer view of parents. Who's worse -- Trish's psychopathic stage mom or the Thompsons? Even though Jessica eventually bought into Albert and Louise's version of events, the recordings still show them doing some pretty horrific stuff, even if it was purportedly in the name of finding a cure. Which they apparently never did before Kevin was able to get the upper hand and twist them to do his bidding. I wonder how they escaped.

 

The oddest characters of the series for me were Ruben and Robyn. Creepy and off-putting for no reason? I doubt their parents are going to win any child-rearing prizes.

 

What happened to the vaccine, anyway -- Albert finished it, right? He was shown spraying himself with it for protection before he faced his son.

Edited November 22, 2015 by lordonia

[calliope1975]

What happened to the vaccine, anyway -- Albert finished it, right? He was shown spraying himself with it for protection before he faced his son.

 

I think it just didn't work. After he realized his son could still control him, he looked at Jessica, shook his head no, and apologized.

[penguinnj]

 

There's a definitive answer to that - the costume designer said she owns three and picks up whichever is the closest to clean off of the floor in the morning.

Thank you so much!!  That was really bugging me.

 

I love David Tennant, so so much.  He's such a charming guy and I was just amazed again this whole series at how good an actor he is.  He totally draws me in.  Even though I have seen him in so many other things, I totally believed him as Kilgrave.  Now time to go watch a little Doctor Who, to cleanse out the ick.

I had to do that too- Girl In The Fireplace and The Wasp and The Unicorn.  I also watched bits of What We Did On Our Holiday because I still needed a laugh.  This show was very dark :)  

I agree that it was surprising there were no safeguards in place- I half expected another version of the 2 servants who had razors to their throats when Jessica broke the bottle- but a mass suicide may have been a little TOO bleak.  

 

Malcom was another character I thought was just a throwaway character.  However I liked his origin story as well and how yes he is turning into a fitting side kick for Jessica because he does like to help people.  I wouldn't mind seeing more of him

Was shocked by his character arc- I also thought he was a throwaway.  I haven't been that surprised by a show in a long time and it felt great- Kudos :)

Am also really happy that the response has been so good- this show deserves it.

[tanita]

On one side I love the fact that Kilgrave was finally killed - he was positively out of control in his obsession with her, but on the other, I'm sad because he was such an effective and devious villain. I almost want them to somehow resurrect him if this gets season 2 or maybe as a shock surprise in the Defenders.

 

And I felt that the feeling after his death was appropriate. You would expect a great ease, but remember, Jessica thought he was dead before and still she was haunted by their time together. Just because she killed him, won't erase the past. The taint he left with his abuse of her and all the people who were hurt or died as collateral damage in his demented courtship will never disappear. So his death to her can never be fully satisfying.

 

I agree with all the Malcolm love. In the premier I was very unimpressed, but by the end of the show he became sort of the heart of the group. He recovered. He is what Jessica should be. Only two characters that I could go on without in the future - the creepy twin sister and Simpson aka. Nuke. He was all over the place and kind of shoehorned IMO. But given that he and Jessica are made by the same guys, we haven't seen the last of him.

Edited November 22, 2015 by tanita

[AimingforYoko]

I don't why I didn't see Malcolm as Jessica's Boy Friday coming, it's so obvious in hindsight.

[Grace284]

I was so glad to get through an episode without Robyn's actress popping up to drastically misread the tone of the scene.

 

All in all I enjoyed the series but I think 13 episodes may have been too much. The finding, losing, catching, losing, finding of Kilgrave became repetitive quite quickly, but it was kept interesting mostly by the great acting.

[The Kings Foot]

Tennant's baddy was much better than Eccleston's - can we expect to see villainous turns from Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi over the next few years? I'll settle for Michelle Gomez...

 

 

She had a cameo as a baddy in Gotham last week.

[The Kings Foot]

The series took a pretty bummer view of parents. Who's worse -- Trish's psychopathic stage mom or the Thompsons? Even though Jessica eventually bought into Albert and Louise's version of events, the recordings still show them doing some pretty horrific stuff, even if it was purportedly in the name of finding a cure. Which they apparently never did before Kevin was able to get the upper hand and twist them to do his bidding. I wonder how they escaped.

 

The oddest characters of the series for me were Ruben and Robyn. Creepy and off-putting for no reason? I doubt their parents are going to win any child-rearing prizes.

 

 

They were odd but I like them. They were the most human characters to me. Just trying to get along in thier closed little world not bothering anyone.......unfortunately they land in the wrong TV series. They should have  moved to Alaska.

 

 

 

 

And I will always love an ending where it's about two sisters saying they love each other than it being about a shipping relationship. This was Jessica and Trish's story, Luke was just there for Jessica to find someone like her. It's Trish who she really loves. 

 

 

That;s not goingto stop anyone from shipping them. :-)  Especially since they're not blood relatives.  They early episodes before we learn exactly who they are  could easily work for exes.

Edited November 23, 2015 by The Kings Foot

[Izeinwinter]

The Trish Walker tag on tumbler is about 50% people shipping it, and well. It's easily the strongest and healthiest relationship Jessica has.  Not to mention.. "something I never say, like I love you". I spent the back end of the show going "Marry the woman already", because nothing is ever going to compete with that, to the point where I was wondering if the entire point of Hogart was to avoid Jessica/Trish becoming the only ship anyone cared about in the same way Agent Carter fandom focused on Martinelli

Edited November 23, 2015 by Izeinwinter

[The Kings Foot]

SO having thought about it for a bit, I'd say JJ is good but not as good as DD.  It doesnt lack in acting or direction but the story being told just happens to be a smaller and more personal one than Daredevil and so JJ lacks some of the epic , edge of your seat thrill that Daredevil had. 

 

I think JJ might have benefited from being 10 episodes instead of 13 since some plot points seemed just there make up time. 

 

That said  the show definitely pushed boundaries and i'm curious what artistic slant Luke Cage will take .  Ritter acted her pants off, Tennant was truly the scariest villain ive seen in a long time--like a bored Joker.

 

I do think Jessica Jones the character could benefit by simply being around saner people. Just a few minutes with Night Nurse had Jones acting more put together than ever. 

[Boundary]

I'll preface this by saying that DD and JJ are just two sides of a Defenders series, therefore there shouldn't be "that show was/is better than this". But this felt different, smaller but no less well done even though Daredevil still sets the standard. What I liked a lot about this show was that it wasn't preachy, the flashbacks were kept to a minimum and relevant, Kilgrave was a great villain, and the acting was top notch. There were slight things I thought needed improvement: Kilgrave takedown became repetitive, I certainly lost a bit of the spine tingling creepy factor I got from the earlier episodes. Maybe a few cases of the week would have helped, I don't support the notion of fewer episodes - when we get TV this well made 3 more episodes of getting to know Jessica and her buddies is time well spent. And there should have been more Claire Temple, a lot more.

 

Two things I have to wonder about MCU-wise. With Fisk and Kilgrave so memorable as villains, the Defenders series will have its work cut out to outdo these shows in the villain department. And these Netflix shows and Agent Carter feel way more a part of the MCU than Agents of SHIELD ever does. I can see Jessica, Matt, Claire as well as Fisk and Kilgrave on the big screen, something that never happens with Agents of SHIELD, even though I like that show for what it is.

[The Kings Foot]

: Kilgrave takedown became repetitive, I certainly lost a bit of the spine tingling creepy factor I got from the earlier episodes. Maybe a few cases of the week would have helped, I don't support the notion of fewer episodes - when we get TV this well made 3 more episodes of getting to know Jessica and her buddies is time well spent. And there should have been more Claire Temple, a lot more.

 

Ahh excellent suggestion .  There could have been a couple of actual cases of the week to break the repetitiveness.  Jessica has to pay her bills somehow. Kilgrave could have disappeared again for a time prompting JJ to take on a regular case.

[venusnv80]

Great series! Enjoyed it immensely. I'm fine with Kilgrave being dead and how it happened, he was starting to dance on my LAST nerve. 

[scarynikki12]

Normally, when a villain's powers get enhanced, contrivance ends up helping the hero defeat him.  Here, Kilgrave's enhanced powers ended up being his downfall.  If he hadn't found a way to make himself stronger, then Jessica never could have tricked him into believing that he could control her again and she wouldn't have been able to get close enough to kill him.  Nicely played.

[xqueenfrostine]

Great finale!  I loved that Jessica ended the episode with Malcolm.  I loved the two of them together and was hoping they'd reconcile by the end of the series.  I like that it seems that he's reconciled with the fact that Jessica is the way she is, and still wants to stick around and be her Guy Friday anyway.

 

And Trish!  I'm glad she got to play such a big role.  Her relationship with Jessica was one of the high points of the series for me, and I got chills when Jessica told her she loved her.  I don't ship these two in the romantic sense, but I still ship these two hard.  Their relationship ended up being way more important to me than Jessica's with Luke.

 

 

Normally, when a villain's powers get enhanced, contrivance ends up helping the hero defeat him.  Here, Kilgrave's enhanced powers ended up being his downfall.  If he hadn't found a way to make himself stronger, then Jessica never could have tricked him into believing that he could control her again and she wouldn't have been able to get close enough to kill him.  Nicely played.

 

 

I love this point.  I think it's part of why I felt satisfied by Kilgrave's death.  It happened exactly as it should have, not just with Kilgrave believing that he had a leg up over Jessica but with him believing that he finally had his heart's desire within his grasp.  And then moments later his dreams were dashed and his life was ended.  And the simple broken neck was a good way for him to go.  It underscored the fact that while his powers were great, in the end he was just as weak and frail as any ungifted human being.

 

I also liked the way things ended with Hogarth.  Her "testimony" to the DA almost sounded as much like an apology to Jessica for not taking her (and Hope!) seriously about Kilgrave.  She seems in a spot where she might take up Jessica's advice on do-gooding as a means of alleviating self-loathing.  

[StarBrand]

 

Ahh excellent suggestion .  There could have been a couple of actual cases of the week to break the repetitiveness.  Jessica has to pay her bills somehow. Kilgrave could have disappeared again for a time prompting JJ to take on a regular case.

It seems like Jessica will be plenty busy based on the amount of calls she was getting and the end.

 

About that last scene-Jessica is already physically and mentally drained by this battle with Kilgrave, and now she's got to deal with this new-found popularity-she's about to become busier than ever. She's all like "oh, shit, now I have to deal with all THIS now." Like the voice-over implies-she does not feel the least bit like a hero.

 

As for Kilgrave, I will miss David Tennant's scenery-chewing performance, but it was time for him to go, for some sort of definite resolution. First, he didn't buy the fact Jessica was controlled by him again. Then she kept it up through him molesting her sister, she stood still, and he started to believe it. Big mistake.

[Bec]

That rumor about Matt Murdock making an appearance on this show was lies, man! Lies!

 

At least we got some Claire. Maybe that rumor only meant Matt would be mentioned, which he was this episode.

 

Still, this show is good on its own merit and I’m glad I watched it. I see Jessica doesn’t share Matt’s qualms about killing the villain. I wonder if they would butt heads when they have to work together (we know they have to meet at some point for the team-up in the Defenders series. I can’t wait!)

 

One of the themes these Netflix series love to play with is the idea that there’s a thin line between hero and villain. The point of Simpson was that he wanted to be a hero but inadvertently turned himself into a villain instead. Wanting to be a hero can be a dangerous thing, and I think Trish now sees that even she could turn into a villain (those pills made her lose her mind a little, who knows what she would have done next if that red pill didn’t make her forget how to breathe), that’s why she’s not so quick to write Simpson off.

 

Trish's reasons for looking into IGH are complicated. It’s partly she wants to save Simpson from the evil lab, partly to help Jessica figure out her origin, and partly she wants to find out if she can get herself some super powers, too. I’m pretty intrigued by where they could go with this.

 

I didn’t know anything about the comics version of Simpson’s character, but what was presented on screen was understandable enough, albeit really rushed. I had no idea he would become a villain. I wonder what would happen if he gets off those meds. Would he feel horrible about the people he killed? It’s not exactly the same as being Kilgraved into killing people, so it makes him way more culpable for his actions. Because he decided to do those bad things, even if it was in a drug addled state - he decided to take those drugs knowing the “side effects”. It's a sort of parallel to Jessica making bad choices while drunk.

[Craphole Island]

I really enjoyed the finale and loved the series as a whole. I do agree that the finale was somewhat anti-climactic after the insanity of a few episodes back, but I thought it worked well.

 

I liked how Kilgrave was defeated but must admit to being confused about Jessica's plan. It all seemed to be contingent on hoping that Kilgrave won't command any of those other people, including Trish, to do something terrible. I was really worried for Trish and afraid he would tell her to kill herself, drown herself, or something horrible. But I absolutely loved Jessica's fakeout and her telling Trish "I love you", and then telling Kilgrave to smile. It was perfect.

 

I loved seeing Claire and god Rosario Dawson is really great. And I am so happy Malcolm will be sticking around because I really like his scenes, especially with Jessica.

 

I have to say, I think Trish is my favorite character. She could have easily been a passive, best-friend type role on the sidelines, so I was happy to see her in the action and WANTING to be a part of it. Not only wanting to be part of it, but actively preparing herself by training, etc. I also loved how loyal she was to Jessica and how as soon as she thought Simpson was acting strange, she acted fast. Rachael Taylor impressed me throughout this. I've known her since Transformers, and while I've never thought she was a bad actress at all, I've never thought much of her. So, I was pleasantly surprised at her in this and look forward to more Trish. I will miss Kilgrave's exasperated way he says "Oh, it's PATSY!!" though, heh.

[Dandesun]

There's a part of me that will miss Tennant but I'm not going to miss Kilgrave because he was horrible and there's really nowhere else for him to go from a narrative standpoint. Villains never seem to truly go away in comics and that's not always a good thing. Some villains work as recurring far better than others and I don't think Kilgrave really works as a returning villain. His 'goal' is miniscule and not made for a lot of tinkering. You can do a lot with the Hand, Fisk, Magneto, Doom... but not so much a guy like Kilgrave who is a limited run.

 

He was a terrific and terrifying way to introduce Jessica and her myriad issues into the Netflix MCU but as a returning villain? Meh. The most you could do is come up with various ways for him to use his power on people and I think we saw plenty already. 

 

Snapping his neck was great... it was simple, quick and effective. And it was also clearly surprising. He didn't see it coming. You could almost feel a twinge of... something... when he was so excited about the fact that Jessica was 'his' again but, ultimately, he had to go and having him go just when he thought he had her under his control again was the moment to do it. He got the realization that she was, in fact, never his at all and then the end.

 

And it's interesting to juxtapose Kilgrave's wanting Jessica to be 'his' to Jessica's talk to the unconscious Luke. Her monologue was so poignant. The idea of imagining them going bowling... so mundane but at least it would be theirs as opposed to the opulent lifestyle she lived as Kilgrave's thrall. And this is the only genre where you can hear lines like 'You're the first person I ever pictured a future with. You're also the first person I ever shot in the head.'

 

Well, this and soaps... but Jessica owns her assholery far more than Sonny Corinthos ever did.

 

The thing that made Jessica's monologue to Luke even more touching was her amending the 'if' to 'when' he would wake up and basically saying that she would be out of his life and not fucking it up anymore. I found it touching anyway. I am a big fan of Luke/Jessica in the comics so I'm probably already biased in their favor but they've been working for me despite the twists in the storyline that make things very unsettled between them. Still, I absolutely buy Jessica's tender feelings towards this man. It doesn't feel forced to me at all.

 

Then there was the Claire/Malcolm talk. That was just magical. I loved every single part of it and I loved that Malcolm was there at the end picking up the phone: Alias Investigations. How can we help you?

 

It was just as satisfying an ending to me as seeing Daredevil jumping off the building with his billy clubs (which I squeed over HARD, people)... just as satisfying in a completely different way.

[SeanC]

They were already straining to get the Kilgrave plotline to 13 episodes this season (which was especially obvious around episodes 10-11), so I don't think he had any real potential to be a recurring threat.  He also only really wants one thing, so I don't think there'd be much for them to add to future appearances (compared to, say, Wilson Fisk).

 

The Marvel Netflix series do a great job of showing that Rosario Dawson is a really good actress; she's just seldom in anything that serves her talents well.

Edited November 25, 2015 by SeanC

[Bec]

I've seen some people saying why doesn't Jessica just rip out Kilgrave's tongue like she threatened to do before? I think that could have killed him anyway, couldn't it? Isn't there a pretty major artery there? Also it would have been majorly gross.

 

And this being the Marvel-verse, someone can conceivably give him a tongue transplant and make him good as new.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Bec

[VCRTracking]

That was a great finale and this has been a great first season!

 

Krysten Ritter has been really good throughout the series but her monologue to an unconscious Luke might be her shining moment.

 

I was on the edge of my seat during the final standoff. Jessica saying "I love you" to Trish before she snapped Kilgrave's neck was perfect.

 

Tennant's speech on the balcony where he contemplated what he wanted to do to Jessica is probably in the top villain moments of the MCU. Kilgrave is the best MCU villain period.

 

I was spoiled on Claire Temple appearing but I still had a little jump for joy seeing her. Rosario Dawson was a delight and seems to have chemistry with everybody. Love her "Been there done that" attitude with gifted heroes and her talk with Malcolm.

 

The final shot? Beautiful.

 

Also the fact that showrunner Melissa Rosenberg also adapted all the Twilight movies proves you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Edited November 25, 2015 by VCRTracking

[millennium]

Pros:

 

* Extremely well-written dialogue.   It was real, with just enough edge.  

 

* Jessica and Trish.   A friendship that began in mutual tragedy and grew into love, respect and the deepest kind of trust.  

 

* Krysten Ritter.   I know her from Breaking Bad and Don't Trust the B----, and I wasn't reminded of either of those roles.  She created a believable and sympathetic hero and never once did it feel stale

 

* Rachel Taylor.   I could easily fall in love with Trish.

 

* Mike Colter.   Another great performance.    Never doubted him as Luke Cage.   Loved his soft-spoken characterization.

 

* Rosario Dawson.   It was great to see Claire again and a good way of further establishing/expanding the universe.

 

Cons:

 

* A storyline that lasted maybe four episodes too long.   Towards the end, the show became a not-so-funny comedy of errors that allowed Kilgrave to keep slipping through Jessica's fingers -- she's struck by a car, she's clubbed by her neighbor, Hogarth lets him go, Lester Freamon and the evidence get burned to the ground by Simpson, and so on.   By the time she finally killed him, it was anticlimactic.

 

* Kilgrave.   A not very interesting villain.   He wasn't about creating an empire or taking over the city or any of that.   He was a weasel.   Just a bullying, infantile turd.   He had no real menace, just the ability to have a tantrum albeit with deadly results.   Incredibly boring in the long run.

 

* David Tennant.   An unfortunate choice.  I don't know if Kilgrave was British in the comics, but the choice to cast Tennant in this role once again raises the question "Why are all Hollywood villains British?"   Aside from simply being British and snarky, I don't think Tennant brought anything special to the role.

 

* Simpson.   His character and storyline seemed unnaturally wedged into the story for the purpose of serving a spinoff or other series.  Nothing compelling about the actor (I didn't even feel compelled to Google his name.)

 

* They-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.   Come on already.   We all know who the Hulk, Captain America and the rest are.   We saw the Avengers.   It seems forced and stupid for characters in this show to be referring to them in code, i.e., "the big green guy," or worse, "the flag waver."

 

* The actresses who played Trish and Pam look too much alike.   At first just distracting.   Then I got so caught up in the action during the scene at Wendy's apartment that I wasn't paying very close attention.  Until Jessica came in I thought it was Trish who killed Wendy, which was puzzling me because I was thinking, "I thought Trish was with Kilgrave's dad."  

 

* The idea that a problem like Kilgrave could go unnoticed by the police and government authorities for so long despite the many flagrant and public deaths left in his wake.    I don't buy it.

[Jack Kerouac]

For that matter the whole scene in the ticket station seemed like a complete trainwreck...I mean seriously it made absolutely no sense.   Using Trish as a decoy only served to put her in a position of having a dozen guns pointed at her with no escape....then when she revealed the ruse it takes major suspension of disbelief that a vindictive Killgrave would not have had her shot as another way to wound Jessica?    And what was the point of the ruse?   So Jessica could sneak up on him from the balcony....a balcony that was nowhere near his position and that certainly too far away from him for her to sneakily leap down at him and snap his neck before he could react?   What the crap.   Then what was with the show making a big deal out of her jump from the balcony.  We've seen her do it before, so why was it played for extra dramatic effect?   I thought for sure we were going to see Jones fly there, since that was actually one of Jewel's powers in the comics?  

 

Thank you! Why didn't he tell Trish to kill herself immediately if he died? BEFORE he stupidly walked up to Jessica? It's a gigantic plot hole and it didn't make any sense.

 

Other than that, I thought the series was awful, EXCEPT for Tennant. He was pretty good in the role. But everything else was a mess. Ritter was AWFUL as Jessica. She just couldn't pull out the gravitas for the role. Simpson was another poor choice, actor-wise.

 

And what was the point of the divorce story line? Was there any real point at all except for Trinity to cut the wire?

 

This could have been an eight or six episode series and it would have been fine, albeit poor. The only thing that saved it was Tennant. Replace him with a mediocre villain and most of the audience would have switched off after the third episode.

 

I personally think it was a Marvel mis-fire and doubt it will get a second season. it doesn't deserve it.

 

YMMV.

[AimingforYoko]

That was a great finale and this has been a great first season!

 

Krysten Ritter has been really good throughout the series but her monologue to an unconscious Luke might be her shining moment.

I got a mental picture of Jessica and Luke being banned from all the bowling alleys in NYC for ruining their equipment.

[Bec]

That just made me flashback to that bowling alley scene in Daredevil. That bowling alley seemed to keep on going "business as usual" right after that, so I'm sure they would be okay with Jessica and Luke bowling there.

[VCRTracking]

* Kilgrave.   A not very interesting villain.   He wasn't about creating an empire or taking over the city or any of that.   He was a weasel.   Just a bullying, infantile turd.   He had no real menace, just the ability to have a tantrum albeit with deadly results.   Incredibly boring in the long run.

 

I've had my of "take of the city or world" type villains. Done well it can be great, but I've seen a lot where it was just not interesting. Kilgrave was more insidious in that he wrecked peoples lives wherever he went as casually as a person swats a fly and was going to get away with it until somebody stopped him.

 

I personally think it was a Marvel mis-fire and doubt it will get a second season. it doesn't deserve it.

 

YMMV.

 

 

I personally think it elevated the Marvel brand. As much as I love some of the movies and network TV shows, they never got this deep into issues like trauma and rape while depicting complex characters. I hope it gets a second and third season.

 

YMMV.

[thuganomics85]

Finally finished my watch!  Focus first on just this episode in general.

 

As fantastic as I thought David Tennant was and even though I think Kilgrave is going to go down as one of my favorite villains ever, I am so relieved that he is dead.  I really hope it sticks.  Because I do think he is the type of character that I can easily see being ruined if he stuck around for too long.  Like Sylar from Heroes or T-Bag from Prison Break.  There would have been attempts to keep him relevant that would have made no sense, attempts to maybe even team up with the leads/heroes, and worst of all, the chance he would become an anti-hero or "redeemed."  For Kilgrave, that can't happen.  He was evil.  A psycho.  A rapist and a horrible human being.  This season wouldn't have worked for me if it didn't end with Jessica killing him.  He isn't the type of character that could realistic be a continuous thorn in their side, like Wilson Fisk on Daredevil.  One and done, please!

 

And I actually liked the simple, but effective way Jessica killed him.  Sure, it would have been a bit more satisfying if she actually did what she said and ripped his tongue out or something, but watching her snap his neck was beautiful to watch.  And while I can somewhat question why he didn't put some kind of fail-safe before going near her at the end, I can buy that a combination of his ego over his new power and truly believing Jessica would have never let him near Trish, was enough to make him make that fatal mistake.  It worked for me, and I've certainly seen worst ways a villain allowed himself to get get defeated.

 

Now, I do agree the train station sequence was a mess.  I didn't really get the plan, and why Jessica needed Trish along as a decoy in the first place.  It just felt like they wanted a big set-piece, but they didn't really plot it out very well.  Only big misfire for me.

 

Loved that the Jessica/Trish relationship was put in the forefront again.  I really do believe that Trish is the person Jessica loves, either has a friend or, as I'm sure some out there do, something more.  And Trish feels the same way.  Again, they just have a bond I don't ever see breaking.  Their relationship was the heart of this season, I think.  Hope we see more of it.

 

Glad to see Claire Temple again, even if most of it was to set-up Luke for his series.  I did like the banter she had with Jessica.  Also enjoyed her interactions with Malcolm.  Just wished they found a way to have her opposite of Trish.

 

Hogarth returns to help bail Jessica out, but as Jessica more or less points out, she still has a lot to answer for, and she might not ever fully redeem herself.

 

I guess the IGH and Simpson plot really is being saved for next season.  With respect to Simpson, if this is the case, I hope they get another character to serve as the main antagonist, because Kilgrave is a hard act to follow, and I really doubt Simpson would cut it.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this series.  It was different from Daredevil, so I won't compare them, but I think Marvel/Netflix are onto something here.  And it might not be for everyone, but I really don't see how this isn't going to get renewed.  I'm sure it's been viewed by a decent amount, seems to have fans (it has five stars on the user grade), and it got pretty great reviews.  Plus, Marvel has a lot invested in this.  And this is Netflix.  I mean, they renewed Hemlock Grove for a few seasons, even though I heard it wasn't very good.  And there is the Lilyhammer show that kicked around for multiple seasons and I only just found out it existed.  I just can't see any scenario this doesn't get a second season.  And it would be well-deserved, in my opinion.

[Last Time Lord]

My mother thought Jessica was really under Kilgrave's influence at the end and she was freaking out about it until she grabbed him.

It was amazing.

[Sakura12]

I believed it too for half a second because I figured they wanted to keep him for another season, then when it hit me I wanted Killgrave to believe her and walk closer to her so she could kill him. 

Edited November 27, 2015 by Sakura12

[Ororo Monroe]

That was stressful! The ending made me think for a while that maybe Kilgrave had succeeded, so when she turned to Trish and said "I Love You", I cheered out loud. I also liked the earlier scene between Claire and Malcolm, (Rosario Dawson is the best, right?) and I thought it was cool that Malcolm stayed and will be Jessica's Man Friday.

 

I also liked that the real love story was between Trish and Jessica. I thought Trish was going to be the best friend/damsel in distress but she ended up being a true partner and sister to Jessica. Bring on season 2!

[india wilkes]

Wow! Just finished this show today! So good! I am bad at analyzing and getting deep, but I am glad Kilgrave is gone. Really thought Jessica was under his 'spell' there for a minute. I was bummed we didnt see luke and Jessica clear the air. It seemed unfinished. Left me feeling annoyed. lol

[Racj82]

Damn, a lot of hate for Simpson here. These shows and series always need to have a few dangling carrots for later use. It's the nature of the game. Who's Daisy's parents? What's up with Thor and his creepy vision of Asgard? What is up with the people Daredevil's mentor is involved with? Etc. Etc. It's the nature of the beast. These are ongoing series. Connected series. Not everything will make sense right away. But, I don't have a problem with it. A few diversions in a series like this doesn't hurt it. We can't be focused on Kilgrave 24/7 and the world building has to continue. I get that some people seem to pick and choose which marvel properties they watch but they don't build these stories that way. They build them for those that are following the universe in general. Just on a base level,I liked Simpson and Trish together. I liked that Trish never changed who she was to appease him either. Simpson is just another damaged soul in this universe. No way this is the last of him anyway. So, I can't judge a arc that's clearly not finished.

[Helena Dax]

Kilgrave didn't suffer as  much as he deserved, but I liked his death. I must say,  though, that any of them was being smart. He should have told  them to kill  themselves if she attacked him.  Jessica and Trish, especially Trish,  should have used small earplugs under the big  earplugs.  And why wasn't Jessica carrying a gun? No need to get that close to him. 

 

Loved to see Jessica and Trish fighting and bringing him down  together. I don't ship them, but I love the idea that no one will be as important to them as each other; it's bromance at its best, except that it should be called womance  or something like that.

 

It seems that Jeri is becoming a human being, good  for her. 

 

Poor Jessica's going to have to learn  to handle  her new fame as  superhero. It looks great, heh. And I like  Malcolm as his assistant. And Like... well, I  think  he'll be back sooner or  later.

 

Can't wait for next season!

[zxy556575]

I wonder if the aftermath and any repercussions from Kilgrave's homicide will be covered in season 2. The show made such a big plot point out of not being able to prove that Kilgrave was doing anything illegal so I'm wondering how, or if, Jessica gets away with killing an unarmed man.