What I’m Watching: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 9 “AKA Sin Bin” (A-)

It was hard to top the previous episode, and I wasn’t sure that this hour was going to do it, but then the last ten incredibly tense minutes of this installment sealed the deal. This show has always been unapologetically and very effectively dark, and that worked incredibly to its advantage in this case. Jessica brought Kilgrave to the sealed chamber she set up, but wasn’t content to ensure that his powers wouldn’t work. Instead, she set it up so that he would be bombarded with horrifying images from his childhood and filled the chamber with water to shock him anytime she felt like it. There were mixed emotions of so many kinds experienced by his guards, as Trish nearly shot him and Hogarth nearly went in there to do who knows what before they were interrupted. Tracking down Kilgrave’s parents and getting them to come see him was a brilliant idea, and inviting Detective Clemons to be a witness to the party should have helped too. But, as usual, that’s not where this show ends. Jessica let things go until Kilgrave’s mother was about to stab herself, but then the electricity fizzled out, and all bets were off. My pulse was pounding as Trish pulled the trigger only to be relieved by an empty barrel and Clemons broke his fingers to follow Kilgrave out as per his orders. That look on Jessica’s face as she realized that she had resisted his command was oddly content, and there’s no reason to be happy right now. At least all our people made it out alive, and Will may be stronger than ever thanks to whatever illegal army medication he’s currently on. And, in better news than our characters could possibly hope for, this show has been renewed for a second season! I’m very glad.