Not Binging Jessica Jones: Episode 7
This episode changes everything. Jessica Jones episode 7 “AKA Top Shelf Perverts” is the proverbial point of no return. This episode isn’t for the squeamish. It contains violent foreshadowing (and its results), blood, threats, decapitation, more threats, and general ickiness. David Tennant brings the creepiness in full force as Kilgrave and Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones sinks to deeper depths than we’ve seen her go previously. After watching episode 7, I’m eager to finish the series, although I can’t be sure I’m going to like it.
Episode 7 opens on Kilgrave, rummaging around in Jessica’s apartment. He’s interrupted by Jessica’s neighbor, Ruben. Under Kilgrave’s influence, Ruben confesses his love for Jessica, which doesn’t impress Kilgrave much. When Jessica returns from a bender, she finds Ruben dead in her bed, his throat violently slashed. Panicked, Jessica hatches a harebrained scheme to confess to Ruben’s murder and be sent to prison, where she’ll confront Kilgrave. Malcolm enlists Trish’s help to try to stop Jessica. Meanwhile, Jessica has other things to do, like physically threatening Jeri’s wife to sign the divorce papers. Before she goes down to the station to confess, Jessica tries to say goodbye to her past, although it doesn’t go so well. Getting locked up doesn’t go so well either, because Kilgrave is there. As he holds the entire precinct hostage, Kilgrave confesses his love to Jessica and tells her “Meet me at home.” The episode ends with Jessica returning o her childhood home, now owned by Kilgrave.
There are so many low points for all involved in this episode. Ruben ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is killed for it. His sister Robyn spends the last part of the episode trying to learn the truth from Jessica, although as Jessica finds out Robyn isn’t eager to actually know what happened to her brother. Trish and Jessica aren’t on the best of terms during this episode either, with Trish working on her own plan to trap Kilgrave. And Jeri’s plan to intimidate her wife into signing the divorce papers is complicated when Wendy comes back with evidence of Jeri’s misconduct, which she threatens to take to the bar association if Jeri doesn’t back off. By the end of the episode, only Kilgrave seems to have gotten what he wanted: Jessica with him in her childhood home and ready to start…something. A relationship? Wedded bliss?
Jessica’s character development goes super-deep for this episode, as shown by both her reaction to Ruben’s death and her confrontation with Trish’s mother as part of her farewell tour. It’s revealed that Trish’s mom was abusive and Jessica has been enforcing no contact as a way to protect Trish. While this makes Jessica a more likable character, her maverick actions for the rest of the episode make her harder to like. Jessica is flawed: self-loathing, prone to anger and not willing to listen to anyone but herself. She doesn’t like listening either: she continues to blame herself for Kilgrave’s crimes even after all her friends and loved ones try to convince her otherwise. And by the end of the episode she seems to have given up, delivering herself over to Kilgrave. Is this the end of Jessica? There’s five more episodes to go, so I doubt it. But this episode shows Jessica at rock bottom…and if it doesn’t, then I’m scared to know what rock bottom for her actually looks like.
