What I’m Watching: Jessica Jones (Season Finale)

Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 13 “AKA Smile” (B+)

I’d say there’s something simplistic about this finale, but it’s only that the entire season leading up to now was just so incredibly excellent that this capper couldn’t even come close to being the best part. It was certainly great, don’t get me wrong, and in many ways this conclusion of the arc is the most fitting one possible. Not being able to control Jessica tore Kilgrave apart, to the point that he was rehearsing his comedy routine to see how many people he could influence and how far that control could reach. The bigger and most significant gain was that Jessica figured out a way to help others resist his control, snapping Trish out of his sway by uttering the words “I love you” and that coldly snapping his neck. It’s almost too easy a finale, but Jessica getting questioned by the police for murder did complicate it. Analyzing Luke as the first person she pictured a future with and also the first person she shot in the head was an interesting process, and he really did take a while to come back from the injuries that would have killed anyone with weaker skin. This show is obviously gearing up for its Marvel Netflix crossover, with Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple from “Daredevil” playing a big role in the episode and Michelle Huird’s D.A. Katrina Reyes, who just made her first appearance on “Daredevil” where I am in that show’s second season, also showing up. I’m eager to see more of Jessica and Trish and anyone else who’s still alive anywhere I can, and I can’t wait for season two of this truly superb, dark, powerful show.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Krysten Ritter as Jessica