Jessica Jones season 2 episode 10 review: AKA Pork Chop

Following her appearance in Defenders, Jessica Jones is back on Netflix for a second season. As ever, we’re going to be reviewing every episode of the series – one per day – providing analysis, easter egg spots and speculation for those who aren’t planning to binge it all in one go. All discussion is welcome but please don’t spoil future episodes in the comments.

This review contains spoilers.

2.10 AKA Pork Chop

If this episode’s ending didn’t make you go “OHHHH SHIT” then frankly, I fail to see what would. It looks heavily like Jessica “I’m a killer” Jones has struck again. Sure, it wasn’t like it was an ends-justify-means murder like it was with Kilgrave, but this has the potential to change the shape of the whole series. Is she going to want to keep her powers after this? Is she going to keep it together? I’ve been enjoying it all season, but this is the first time I’ve actually wanted to skip a review and just keep going. The things I do for you people.

Anyway, other than that, the episode is still pretty tense: Alisa’s imprisonment puts her in direct conflict with her daughter once again, but this time it’s an emotional conflict as she chooses her partner over her relationship with her child. Despite that, Jessica’s still looking for a solution, which is a good metaphor for anyone who has ever dealt with a parental relationship that is less-than-sunny. I continue to enjoy their story. The story with the guard was on-theme, too, and it’s a good piece of writing to show that even the most powerful woman on the show can be brought low by abuse. The notion that anyone can be a victim is worth highlighting.

Jeri, meanwhile, gets the comeuppance I’d been half-expecting as Jess quickly nails down the idea that Shane isn’t the miracle healer she’d come to believe. I wasn’t expecting Shane and Inez to also run off with all of her stuff, but y’know. In this metaphor Shane and Inez are the kind of bogus miracle cures peddled to people with lifelong illnesses, and what do those things do if not take all of your money?

And as if that wasn’t depressing enough, Trish completely bombs her audition for ZCN, because apparently she needs to be hepped up on goofballs to actually say the stuff people want to hear. This stuff could come across a little heavy-handed, but I did love the hyperreal staging of this scene, and the POV shot of the darkness surrounding her. Trish has taken a beating this season and nothing she says is going to convince me she’s more interested in stopping IGH than getting her next hit. The argument between Trish and Jess was pregnant with the idea that Trish wants superpowers, and Alisa flat out says it to her. She needs to be special and nothing – not fame, not integrity, not respect – is going to make her feel special. She’s always going to feel like she’s missing something until she has what Jessica has.

And THEN, as if it wasn’t enough that she screwed everything up, Trish drags Malcolm back into it before knocking him out cold and stuffing him in the boot of her car. She’s not just a bad person, she’s a bad and actively toxic friend. If this was real life I’d be advising Malcolm to quit his job and find a new squad because no-one here gives a single damn about him like I do and he deserves better.

And if there were any comics references in here, I didn’t spot them. But then hey, at this point in the story even I’m not paying attention to anything except the characters.

Read James’ review of the previous episode, AKA Shark In The Bathtub, Monster In The Bed, here.