Jessica Jones 1x04 Review: Telephoto Lenses

“AKA 99 Friends”
Written by Hilly Hicks Jr.
Directed by David Petrarca
 
The Story
Jessica is trying to find out who Kilgrave has taking pictures of her. She thinks there might be a connection with her newest client, a woman who believes her husband is cheating on her. Simpson tries to break into Trish’s apartment because he’s convinced her body is lying on the floor where he left it. Jessica climbs in through the window and helps Trish confront Simpson, who can’t believe Trish is alive. He’s no longer under Kilgrave’s control. Jessica makes good use of his hatred of Kilgrave and his police resources to get access to the city’s security cameras. Simpson becomes very determined to apologize to Trish and help her feel safe, and Trish goes from not even wanting to talk to him to inviting him in and having a long, intimate conversation over her kitchen table. Also, he got her a gun. Hogarth is dealing with both her divorce and a flood of people claiming to be Kilgrave’s victims. Jessica helps her sort out the legit ones from the liars, but she doesn’t want to waste her time hanging out with these people because she’s sure her own case has a better connection to Kilgrave. Turns out, the lady who hired her (who likes to use dummies as shooting target practice) only wanted to get Jessica in position so she could shoot her, because she hates super heroes. Her own mom died when the Chitauri attacked New York, and she blames her death on the Avengers. So that lead was a bust. Jessica reluctantly stops by the Kilgrave victim support group, and stumbles on a piece of information she can actually use, which leads her to her neighbor, Malcolm. He’s the one Kilgrave has been using to take pictures of her.
 
Things I Liked

• Jessica is concerned for Luke’s safety!
• “You need to pull yourself together; you’re coming across distinctly paranoid.” “Everyone keeps saying that, it must be a conspiracy.”
• Jessica bracing herself between two buildings a couple stories up so she can keep an eye out
• Jessica being observant enough not to tackle her client before learning she was only shooting at dummies
• The husband of that anti-superpowers lady deciding he wants a divorce
• All the stories of Kilgrave’s victims, and how you can immediately tell the liars from the genuine victims
• Jessica getting her break in the case from the support group instead of the supposed infidelity case she thought was connected to Kilgrave

 
Things I Didn’t

• Those anti-superpowers jerks. Does that lady think her mom would have survived if the Avengers hadn’t been there to fight off the aliens? Is she just angry because her mom isn’t one of the people they did save by getting there when they did? It’s such an irrational attitude.

 
The Characters
Jessica is deleting her pictures of Luke at the same time that she’s trying to find out who’s taking pictures of her for Kilgrave. She doesn’t want to be like Kilgrave. She continues to be an awesome detective, which is fascinating to watch. And I really love that Malcolm turned out to be the one taking the pictures, because he’s someone Jessica has used too. Now she feels even worse about that because she knows Kilgrave has been using him. And we got a tiny hint of her backstory! Her parents died in an accident, which is clearly something that's still very painful for her. More, please?
 
Hogarth is so scary. All she can see in the idea of a guy who can mind-control people is the potential in that kind of power. She isn’t repulsed by what he uses it for, and she doesn’t seem to think that disqualifies him from possible rehabilitation. I mean, I could understand thinking that, but not saying it to the face of someone who lived as Kilgrave’s slave for an extended period, next to a room of other people he controlled.
 
Well, I think maybe the first warning sign about Simpson is that he gave Trish an illegal gun to help her feel safer. Aren’t guns allowed in New York? *does a Google search* Yes, they are. All Trish needs is a license to carry. Which, incidentally, why doesn’t she have one? She turned her apartment into an impenetrable fortress and she trained in krav maga, but she didn’t get a gun?  
 
Overall Rating
4.5/5