Jessica comes up with a mad plan to get to Kilgrave…

There’s a lot thrown into this episode, with our first proper meeting with Trish’s mom (or her pimp, as Jessica – with some justification, it seems – calls her), as well as Hogarth’s ex, Wendy, getting pushed too far by Jessica’s actions on the lawyer’s behalf. It helps overlook the complete lunacy of Jessica’s plan to somehow use the layers of security at a Supermax prison to get Kilgrave (and as he shows in passing at the precinct, it wouldn’t have worked anyway), or the fact that it’s somehow light in New York at 7pm in winter!

The bond between Trish and Jessica is at the heart of the episode, shown by the fact that even with only a few hours’ freedom left (as far as she knows), Jessica ensures that Trish’s mom stays away from her, reinforcing the fear of God – or rather Jessica – in her. I’m hoping that either this series or next we’ll get to see how the tables turn from the moderately cowed Jessica of the final flashback to the power balance in this episode. Trish also seems to be the only person with a hope of talking some sense into Jessica, although even she isn’t going to dissuade the guilt-ridden PI from her course of action. There’s also a very nicely played scene towards the end of the episode between Jessica and Ruben’s sister Robyn, with both actresses giving the moments the heightened sensibilities the show requires while still making the loss and guilt palpable.

And then there’s Kilgrave. Tennant is giving it all he’s got, reining in his performance much of the time to make the explosions all the more obvious. As with Wilson Fisk in Daredevil, by this stage of the series, we know what he’s capable of (and we have a graphic reminder at the start of the episode), so he doesn’t need to be blatant. But how did he know Jessica was going to be at the police station…?

Verdict: Some strong performances maintain the interest despite some of the occasional absurdities. 8/10

Paul Simpson