Jessica Jones: Review: Series 1 Episode 5: AKA The Sandwich Saved Me

As she attempts to capture Kilgrave, Jessica is reminded of her first encounter with him…

The inevitable flashback episode arrives, although it’s not quite as blatant as the ones in Daredevil, where the plot went on hold for some time while we learned key facts from Matt and Kingpin’s pasts. Here the flashbacks develop more organically out of the ongoing situation, and, as with the earlier episodes, it’s really interesting to see how David Tennant changes his performance as Kilgrave between the past and present – he may claim that being powerless was something he found interesting, but it’s a lie. Control is everything to him, and even a fraction of a moment without it is difficult.

The Jewel costume is fun even if we’re highly unlikely to see Krysten Ritter donning it (it’s not the sort of show like Daredevil that leads to that sort of big reveal), and there’s something far more appropriate about “the sandwich” saving the little girl than the brightly coloured costumed heroine swooping in. Once again Jessica’s powers are demonstrated in subtle ways – we know the Taser will knock someone out quickly, as we see with Trish, but Jessica takes hit after hit and still keeps fighting. I have a feeling that Simpson is not going to make it out of the series alive, particularly with his talk earlier about the fate of his GI Jones, and his attitude during the kidnap.

Verdict: Key information is being doled out piecemeal, but every episode has enough to keep you invested in the show. 8/10

Paul Simpson