TV Review: Marvel’s Jessica Jones – Season 1 Ep 3 “AKA It’s Called Whiskey”

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

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EPISODE 3: "AKA It's Called Whiskey"

SYNOPSIS: It won’t be easy to acquire or deploy. but Jessica thinks she’s found a weapon to use against Kilgrave. Luke and Jessica bond over their similarities.

BREAKDOWN: 1Well, it looks like taking a powersaw to your rock hard abs and not getting so much as a flesh wound is exactly the aphrodisiac to get Jessica Jones in the mood. After the closing reveal of his gifts in the previous episode, Jessica immediately jumps Luke Cage for the first of mutliple sex scenes in this hour. While the closest we get to Marvel nudity is some butt crack, we finally know what happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when super strength leads to super sex: busted pipes, broken windows, and smashed bed frames. Still handled as tastefully as possible, this lends itself to the relationship building between Jessica and Luke that also comes with one big roadblock.

After bonding over their special powers and wondering who else there could be like them, we learn that Luke got his powers from an experiment that resulted in impenetrable skin. Jessica also shares the origins of her powers as having come from an accident, the details likely to be revealed later. We also learn some more about Luke's backstory. In the last episode, we were shown that a bus accident contributed to Jessica finally breaking free from the grasp of Kilgrave. That accident also claimed the life of a woman whom we now know was the late wife of Luke Cage. Jessica finds her photo in Luke's medicine cabinet and the realization of who she was forces Jessica to leave abruptly. We later learn that Kilgrave ordered Jessica to kill Luke's wife, which she did with a super-powered punch. Jessica's guilt forces her to end her short relationship with Luke, but I am sure it will come up again in the near future.

Jessica is still hunting for the surgical anesthetic she needs to stop Kilgrave but multiple attempts to find it via hospitals or drug dealers falls short. She even tries to extort the drugs from Jeri Hogarth's wife (yes, the character is a lesbian) but she refuses to help. Eventually, Jessica uses her drug addict neighbor Malcolm as a diversion so she can steal the meds. Meanwhile, Jessica convinces Trish to interview Hope on her radio show to try and convince the world Kilgrave exists. But, in defense of her best friend, Trish emasculates him on the air and Kilgrave calls in menacingly. The threat doesn't go unanswered as he sends a police officer to her home to kill her. Jessica fights the cop off and drugs Trish long enough to send the cop back to Kilgrave. Jessica follows him and sees her former lover as he orders the cop to jump from the roof of the building.

Being the true hero she is meant to be, Jessica stops the cop and locks eyes with Kilgrave. We finally see David Tennant directly and the evil sneer he wears definitely alludes to the super villain we have this season. Kilgrave shares a lot in common with Vincent D'Onofrio's Fisk as both are well dressed and charismatic with an underlying menace. Jessica loses Kilgrave and has to showdown against the suburban family whose home he has been squatting in. She then finds a room of photos of her that form a creepy shrine. Jessica finds a photo coming through the printer that has the ominous message "see you later", clearly from Kilgrave. She then drags the cop to the alley behind the building and convinces him that she saved him after he jumped and to go home and forget what happened, Kilgrave's spell seemingly broken.

Ultimately, this hour reveals several tidbits that need to be discussed. Firstly, seeing two superheroes bang like teenagers was actually kind of normal. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been pretty tame when it comes to the less flashy side of superheroics. We never see when they go to the bathroom or when they do normal things that people do. The closest I can compare the sex scenes to is the shawarma scene from THE AVENGERS. This was just sex, something everyone does, but with some extra "gifts" thrown in. The dynamic between Mike Colter and Krysten Ritter is perfect and I hope there is more crossover once the Luke Cage series debuts (but I have a feeling that series will be a prequel to these events). We also learn that Patsy, a former model/actress, had an abusive mother which has contributed to her learning Krav Maga and having security at home.

Another good episode from this series keeps the season strong in the early going. The slow reveal of how Jessica Jones and Kilgrave's relationship started and fell apart is building the tension but it is the outstanding writing that keeps this going. Krysten Ritter is perfectly cast for the approach to Jessica Jones that this series is going for and you truly buy in to believing that she has these powers and has learned how to use them in her everyday life. KIlgrave is shaping up to be a creepy ass foe and I cannot wait to find out more of what is going on. The lack of voice-over in this hour also helps things greatly. So far this series is three for three.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE REFERENCES: Luke Cage references Hulk as "The Big Green Dude". Trish Walker recalls The Battle of New York from THE AVENGERS.

Final Verdict:

NEXT ON JESSICA JONES: Episode 4 "AKA 99 Friends" – A new case demands attention as Jessica tries to find out who’s spying on her for Kilgrave. Trish’s radio show yields unexpected consequences.