‘Jessica Jones’ Season 2 Episode 11 Recap: Screw Ethics

Before we start this recap, can we just pause for a moment and recognize that JENNIFER LYNCH directed this episode? You know, DAVID LYNCH’S DAUGHTER? Okay, that’s not fair; she’s done some cool shit in her own right: Boxing Helena was pretty sexy/cool, and she made the only two bearable episodes of the prior American Horror Story seasons, including Cult‘s season finale. Actually, looking at her IMDB, Jennifer Lynch is kind of killing it (no pun intended) in getting those sweet, sweet TV writer/director credits.

And look, am I saying it’s a one-to-one that a woman who grew up with the world’s weirdest dad directed an episode where the main character gets to put her parent in jail for being a mentally ill demi-god? Ah, maybe that’s a stretch. (David Lynch, caaaaall me. Why haven’t you called me? At least send me a DM.) (Also, Jennifer Lynch, that goes for you too!)

So: onto the plot! Kilgrave is back! Kilgrave is baaaaaack, y’all, and that means it’s time for Jessica Jones* Season 2 to get out of its mope-dive and add a little bit of panache into what is, let’s just remind ourselves, a television program based on a comic book.

So we’re starting with Jessica killing Dale, the stock “evil guard” character who was apparently transferred out of Lichfield for not having a sympathetic enough backstory. Jessica’s freaking out, even though the murder was self-defense, and, fun fact, New York does have a stand-your-ground law, and you’d think it’d esp apply to super-powered people with a grudge. In fact, I even did some research on this! (I Googled a thing and then Googled another thing to make sure the first Googled thing was correct.)

With respect to victims inside their home, New York’s Castle Doctrine states:

A person in possession or control of, or licensed or privileged to be in, a dwelling or an occupied building, who reasonably believes that another  person is committing or attempting to commit a burglary of such dwelling or building, may use deadly physical force upon such other person when he or she reasonably  believes such to be necessary to prevent or terminate the commission or attempted commission of such burglary.

BUT! Jessica’s dissociative episode from killing yet a third person (Reva, Kilgrave and now Dale) opens a door to let multiple Kilgraves acting as devil and devil on her shoulder. Which in a way, is worse for Jessica than just ONE Kilgrave, who was corporeal and evil and forced her to do stuff, instead of just getting in her head and slyly suggesting that she and her mom should embrace their killer status, just as he did.

Also, Jessica just wrote a note on Dale’s computer and dumped his body off a building? Nothing suspicious about that!

With Alisa behind bars (albeit with a way nicer guard…and let’s see how THAT turns out!), Trish is able to find Dr. Karl and force him to turn get a bunch of…veterinary supplies for cats. Because, you know, subtlety. Malcolm’s locked in the trunk and unable to save the day, so when Jessica finds the two of them on the lam, she immediately goes back to her old methods of blaming the person closest to her: poor, getting his dick-wick Malcolm. Even though he’s totally helpful in finding where Trish has forced Dr. Karl to perform some super experiment on her (the bottom of a garment warehouse? Yikes!).

She’s halfway to kitty-ville before Jessica interrupts and gives Dr. Karl a stern talking-to instead of beating him to death, which is…you know…progress? Dr. Karl, sensitive, sea-loving soul that he is, realizes his life of helping people is a complete failure (though…is it?) and tells Jessica to run out of the building with Trish on her back before blowing the building to smithereens.

And since obviously, even prisons show the local news 24/7, Alisa sees her precious Dr. Kush blown to bits and tied indubiously to Trish Walker. Which…she has a point, right? Trish forced Dr. Karl to make her super; held him hostage and then berated him about how his life is total shit, leading to my new (and probs last) fave Dr. Karlism: “You already have me at gunpoint. You don’t need to crush my soul as well.”

Alisa breaks out of jail, knocking out that guard who was just being nice to her and proving, once again, that she’s not the world’s best role model and even without all the genetic testing and years of trauma, these two would need some SEVERE family therapy.

*Obviously, I am referring to the show, not the character, who will never, ever get out of her mope-fest, without the help of Oscar the superintendent and some fake passports to live under the sea in the Marianas trenches, which I think we ALL know is code for Atlantis. They could be the Marvel versions of Aquaman, and the perfect foil for the almost-there Hellcat, who would HATE her sister becoming half-fish!

Drew Grant is an editor, writer and YA novelist living in Los Angeles. Formerly the Arts & Entertainment editor at The New York Observer, Drew also founded the brand’s television vertical, tvDownload. Currently, she is managing editor at RealClearLife.com. Her passions involve watching TV, writing about TV and interviewing people on TV. At Oberlin College, she once taught a class on Twin Peaks, and that’s pretty cool. Previous bylines: Salon.com, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, and Gotham Magazine. Twitter and Instagram: @Videodrew.

Watch Jessica Jones Season 2 Episode 11 ("AKA Three Lives And Counting") on Netflix