written by Kiara Williams
Man, I wish someone would give me $8,000…without the blood on it, of course.
SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT
Looks like we’re finally getting a real Jessica/Trish team-up that…I’m not entirely sure I wanted, if I’m being honest. I don’t really feel like Trish has done enough for the plot to force them together like that, but I’m not gonna be a baby about it. Let’s see how this goes.
Salinger is a slippery guy – no social media, no criminal record, nothing except a million degrees and a ton of knowledge that can be used to outsmart Jess and Trish. Trish is eager to just dangle him off the side of a building, which Jess immediately shoots down. Assaulting Salinger will only bring them more harm. Jess has to do it the right way, or Salinger will use his law degree to put them both away. The one advantage that our heroines have is that Salinger doesn’t know Trish.
(Trish also points out that super strength isn’t one of her powers. Then what is, exactly? All those experiments seemed to only give her the power of hardcore parkour.)
At the beginning of their stakeout of Salinger, Trish whines about how Jess doesn’t trust her to do things right on her own. This is one of the main reasons why Trish has been The Most Annoying. She wants all the glory and autonomy, but she hasn’t done anything to prove she deserves it. We start to get her on the right path a little when she has one (1) good idea: She shuts off the power to Salinger’s building so she can get inside his apartment without getting spotted by the security cameras. Broken clocks, and all that.
Trish finds a binder of photos, supposedly of Salinger’s previous victims, and takes photos around his apartment. Trish thinks this is enough to take to the police, but Jess shoots the idea down because the photos were obtained illegally. Trish gets ornery and wants to just go beat the crap of out Salinger, and takes offense when Jess suggests that beating up the dude with a law degree wouldn’t be the best idea.
I feel like the show is trying to set up this equal-sided conflict between Trish and Jess, and it doesn’t work because Trish is so often very much in the wrong. Jess lost her spleen because of Salinger, and Trish thinks that Jess doesn’t want to beat the crap out of the man? Like, the story is trying to set up a “who is right?” conflict and it is not working for me at all. I’m pretty much at the point where I’m content with whatever ends this subplot so we can move on, even if Trish hasn’t earned it. They even have to use Jess’ assistant Gillian to get them to talk to each other. “I am sick and tired of people throwing away family and friends.” Where did that come from? Did I miss something in a previous episode?
Trish tells Jess to let go of the fact that she killed her mom. Let go?! Really? You 360-No-Scoped her mom right in front of her and then claimed to be morality itself for so many months, and Jess is supposed to let that go just because you say so? The word that springs to mind is “audacity”.
At least Jess is able to take out her frustrations on a squeaky-clean Erik.
Anyway, other things happened this episode! Professional Life Ruiner Jeri Hogarth has released the info on Kith’s husband, and we see Jeri comforting the poor woman as Kith freaks out over the breach of trust from her husband. Peter embezzled money from his own dead daughter’s scholarship fund to buy gifts for his other partners. The level of disrespect for his own family is awful. Peter, of course, shows up and blames Jeri for ruining his life. And yes, he’s a little correct because Jeri spilled the info on his misdeeds, but she didn’t hold his hand to the fire and make him do those things. He’s angry he got caught before he could tell Kith about it, which I don’t think he was really going to do anyway. He storms off in a rage, unable to get Kith to listen to him.
Jess also stumbles upon Erik seemingly kidnapping a sex worker while tailing Salinger. It turns out to be Erik’s sister Berry/Brianna, whom Salinger has threatened to kill multiple times. Erik and Jess takes her to Malcolm’s place to hide her from Salinger. Erik’s Douche Radar goes off around Malcolm, which I’m sure is just from Malcolm’s morally gray shenanigans, but who knows?
Erik helps Jess figure out how Salinger could hide the bodies of his victims in a crowded city. Turns out Salinger chopped them up with a hand saw. Now all Jess has to do is find them. Trish and Jess are able to trail Salinger to his hiding place: an old train yard. Trish is ordered to catch Salinger while Jess investigates the train tank that Salinger was in. Jess finds the body parts, but a tripwire seals Jess in and releases chemicals to kill her. Trish is about to corner Salinger when he tells her that Jess is about to die. Trish chooses to save Jess, letting Salinger get away. “I wish I didn’t kill your mom,” Trish says. “I wish she hadn’t been a mass murderer,” Jess says back. At least it’s a start.
So hey! Peter is back and he has his own exposé to drop. He films himself talking about Jeri, accusing her of repping Supers and letting them get away with crimes, as well as accusing her of releasing the exposé on him. The video later reveals that Peter is in a bathtub of his own blood. Police find him dead in his bathtub some time after the video was posted. With Peter’s accusation about the Supers, this makes me worried for Jessica more than anything. Jeri made her own bed by being selfish and controlling, so whatever she gets from this she probably deserves, to be honest.
Malcolm, who is taking some days off from the firm (mainly to hide from Peter), is messed up after learning about Peter’s suicide, believing that his actions are mainly what drove Peter to kill himself. Malcolm then gets sucker-punched when Berry’s pimp comes to pick her up from his apartment. Life comes at you fast, huh?
With Salinger back out on the streets, he very quickly finds his next victim. It’s Erik. Salinger breaks into his hotel room and knocks him out with a sleeper hold. There’s something extra creepy about the casual way he pats Erik’s chest as he lies on the floor.
I hope Jess can find Erik before he ends up in another train tank.
Jessica Jones Seasons 1-3 are available now on Netflix. Kiara can be reached on Twitter @DJPrincessK.