Marvel's Jessica Jones Review by Henry Tran

Marvel's Jessica Jones 1.02: AKA Crush Syndrome

Marvel's Jessica Jones 1.02: AKA Crush Syndrome

Written By:
Melissa Rosenberg
Directed By:
SJ Clarkson



Jessica Jones is a one-woman wrecking ball. She leaves so much damage in her wake. Yes, it's unintentional so that buys her more sympathy than Big Bad Kilgrave (who revels in his mind control and, as such, shows intent in his actions), but nevertheless it's damage. She wants to help out, and yet, she is only there for herself. She needs to prove that Kilgrave exists, to validate her always-present claims about what Kilgrave is. It's part an explanation to the world that she's not crazy or overly paranoid, and also part warning that everyone should stay away. Wherever Kilgrave goes, death and destruction is sure to follow.  





And the show is not keen to depict a structural breakdown like the goals of the villains in Daredevil or Arrow. Kilgrave is doing psychological damage to everyone he encounters. It manifests as all-consuming fear to those who somehow break free of his mind control. The most compelling aspect of this episode is in how Jessica pieces the whole case together in order to prove to Hogarth that Kilgrave is actually alive and is responsible for making Hope Shlottman murder her parents. 


The investigation pieces together parts of her past with Kilgrave. The key event being her finally leaving the man, which then sets off a bus crash that presumably killed him. The events that followed the bus crash were even more horrific than imagined: Kilgrave, who was sent flying by the back end of the overturned bus, roped a prominent trauma surgeon to perform emergency surgery on him with the use of two kidneys from an unfortunate ambulance driver. In learning this information from Dr. Kurata, she inadvertently learns Kilgrave's weakness.






The show is incredibly frightening when it uses any and all of its stylistic flourishes to full effect. The musical score seems off-kilter, which reflects how wrong the world is as well as the main character's fractured mindset. The color scheme changes to this dark, unsettling purple whenever we enter Jessica's mind and Kilgrave just flashes by unexpectedly. In "AKA Ladies Night," Kilgrave's specter licks Jessica's face while she sleeps. 


Here, he yells at her with the last thing he said to her before the accident, which causes her to smash and crack a subway window. Just seeing someone possibly write out his name on a piece of paper is chilling. The amount of control and human collateral wreckage he leaves behind is unbelievable. His time with Jessica should be revealed within the space of the coming episodes.






But Jessica is also the same way. She meddles in Luke Cage's life, which results in his mistress telling her off and then warning her about a fight with some big thugs. Jessica and Luke handle them with such ease, but that's not the point of the scene. The point is that they both revealed to each other concrete proof that there is something different about the both of them. It's something that could have been suspected in their rather graphic sex scene in "AKA Ladies Night" but is all but confirmed here. She shows him her super strength. He shows her in two different instances that he's basically impervious to pain. "Unbreakable" is the word he uses, and yet I feel like that's really an understatement. 


I just like his blase demeanor as the thugs try to break bottles over his head or try to stab him. That his surname is "Cage" drips with irony, much like the dangerous feeling that is associated with Kilgrave's name. Now that Jessica knows Kilgrave's weakness (and I love that a loss of consciousness as a weakness ties into the psychological nature of his power), it's a more level playing field. She has a way to combat him (as does Trish with the krav maga training, although I suspect battling him physically won't help much) if they are ever to meet again face-to-face. He still remains a huge looming (and altogether terrifying) threat, though.

Our Grade:
A-
Your Grade: A-
(Based on 2 grades)
The Good:
  • The characterization is already quite nuanced; no one is coming out perfect here
  • Kilgrave is absolutely terrifying and it’s only the second episode
The Bad:
  • Will the right people recognize what Kilgrave represents?

Henry Tran is a regular contributor of review for Critical Myth; The Critical Myth Show is heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @HenYay

Marvel's Jessica Jones by - 11/30/2015 7:36 AM213 views

Your Responses

Flaco_Jones
Flaco_Jones
CONCURRING OPINION

Grade: B+
Another solid episode, and it was nice to see Jessica get a hint at a weakness much sooner than I expected.While the presence of Kilgrave is definitely creepy, I'm still not sure I've seen enough of Tennant to give him all the credit, but hopefully we get to see more of him soon. Loved the bar fight scene and the confirmation to each other that they are indeed special.
See 1 More Concurring Opinion
ssj100matt
ssj100matt
CONCURRING OPINION

Grade: A
I never would have thought David Tennant could play such a creepy and sadistically villain. I knew he has the wit but he is playing Kilgrave soo well its creepy. All around the characters are really coming into their own and it seems they made good casting choices.

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