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Jessica Jones: AKA The Double Half-Wappinger

Jessica: "Road trip."
Trish: "Exciting."

Publicity and truth, fairness and unfairness, definitely a theme. Jessica is a hero and Sallinger is a serial killer, but they aren't seen that way by the public.

It was clever of Jessica to realize that the way to bring down Sallinger was to visit his home town and research his past, and the way Jessica and Trish were so effective as a team suggested that maybe they're meant to work together after all. Keeping Trish a secret was a big plus for them again, even though Trish is tired of playing the vapid dumb blonde. But it is so much fun to watch! Trish's Patsy-like car alarm meltdown in front of the police station was priceless, one of the most enjoyable moments of the season so far. It made me think of Bruce Wayne as a flippant self-centered one-percenter. "I am psychologically shutting down! Oh, God, this is very triggering for me!"

It got them the dirt, too, pun intended. I liked how Jessica matter-of-factly tipped over the Silvas' back yard gazebo as if it weighed nothing. I also liked how she didn't find the body until the second time she dug, and that she did it all while Velasco the local cop kept pointing a gun at her while screaming threats. If Sallinger hadn't been so perverse with his "truth" photos, Nathan's body wouldn't have been discovered. It was satisfying, but did anyone else think it was a bit too convenient?

Back in high school, Sallinger targeted Nathan because Nathan was being scouted by colleges, and Sallinger sees any sort of artificial advantage as "cheating." By confronting Sallinger in public at the gym and making him look like a fool during their wrestling match, Jessica deliberately made Sallinger pay attention to her own "cheating." It was an impulse on Jessica's part (maybe she couldn't help it after seeing him interact with all those kids) but I think it was also a way of focusing Sallinger's attention on Jessica herself instead of his next victim, a courageous thing for Jessica to do. Especially after the getting stabbed thing that emphasized that Jessica isn't invulnerable.

I was so disappointed by Jeri's decision to defend Sallinger because her law firm needs the publicity… right up until Jessica said, "Looks like you finally found someone to put you out of your misery." That made me gasp. If this is true, it's incredibly sad. Jeri couldn't talk Jessica into killing her, but Sallinger might be happy to do it. And what if he decided on some accompanying torture? How could anyone choose to be the victim of a serial killer? There are so much pleasanter ways to die.

Malcolm might break up with Zaya because of her willingness to help Jeri defend a psycho serial killer. I liked how he barged into the meeting with Sallinger and that he protested, although I wanted him to outright quit. Oh, well. He'll probably be fired instead because, while reviewing security footage, Zaya stumbled over video of a masked Trish breaking into Malcolm's office, Malcolm discovering her, and the two of them talking like friends. That can't be good for Zaya and Malcolm's romantic relationship, Malcolm's career, or both.

Finally, I think I love Gillian. Her earlier scenes featured a militant adherence to break time that suggested she was less than engaged, but the efficient and delightfully sarcastic way she coped with the phone onslaught by reporters and the way she refused to give information to Malcolm showed why Jessica has kept her on. Not to mention that Gillian also knew Trish's identity, something every paper in New York wanted.

I also enjoyed the way she reported Malcolm's expressions to Trish during their phone conversation. Too funny.

Bits:

— Title musings: The "double half-Wappinger" was a wrestling move invented by Sallinger and his teenage victim/best friend. It could fancifully apply to what Jessica did to Sallinger at the gym.

— Jessica usually wears a white or black tee. This time she was wearing one that said "Interpol." Why?

— No Erik or Berry in this one. They're out of town and out of Sallinger's reach.

— Zaya let Jeri know that she accidentally sent her a text meant for Kith. Was that a result of Jeri's illness? I doubt a woman as carefully compartmentalized as Jeri would make a mistake like that unless she couldn't help it.

— "Tractor rollovers are totally a thing." Sallinger didn't kill his brother. He killed his best friend, instead.

— A photographer just caught a masked Trish jumping off a trestle down to the street below. Maybe "masked woman" news will be dominating the next news cycle?

Quotes:

Jessica: "How many superheroes does it take to lock up a psycho killer? More than two, apparently."

Sallinger: "Perhaps I'm an easy target, a single white male. And she's this… feminist vindicator. But there wasn't just one female vigilante. There are two of them. Maybe they're taking back the night or something."

Jessica: "This is what happens when you give a shit. The world flings it back at you."

Jeri: (to Sallinger) "If you have anything damaging in your history, Jessica will uncover it."
Literally.


Jessica: (re: salad) "You know, you don't have to eat that shit anymore. You're powered now. Your body can process a Cheeto or two."
Trish: "Yeah, I'm not a fan of anything that orange."
That has to be a sideways political comment. I'm not a fan of the orange, either.

Malcolm: "I'm Malcolm Ducasse."
Gillian: "The old me."
Gillian, and Aneesh Sheth who plays her, are trans.

Nathan's mother: "You people come here and dig up pain."
Again, literally.

Despite the lack of Sallinger denouement (I'm ready for Sallinger to go), I enjoyed this episode. Three out of four gazebos,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

2 comments:

  1. I'm really loving both this review and where the show is going

    Interpol is a band from Manhattan, btw. I don't know a lot about them, so I couldn't tell you if they were thematically relevant. Quite possibly it's just that someone in the production is a fan.

    And I love, love, love Gillian. Her comment in an earlier episode about being sick of seeing people throw family away as if there was an infinite supply hit me enough to make me tear up, and it wouldn't have if it wasn't coming from a trans perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review! I didn't make the orange connection - I need more sleep!

    And I am also a Gillian fan.

    ReplyDelete

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