*Episode premise spoilers, but since this is the series finale, that includes some major spoilers that came before it.*
While David Tennant’s season 2 appearance on Jessica Jones is a proper guest starring role, his appearance in the season finale is barely a cameo. But, completist that I am, I need to write about it. Let’s do this!
Jessica has discovered that Trish is using Erik’s ability to identify and punish bad people, and she’s already multiple people, including the imprisoned serial killer Salinger. Though it kills her to do it, Jessica realizes she needs to bring Trish to justice.
I think season 1 of Jessica Jones is unquestionably its best, and David Tennant is just one of many reasons why. Nothing else on the show hits quite as hard as that does, but I find season 3 pretty compelling, albeit in a painful way. Throughout seasons 2 and 3, it’s hard to watch Trish transform so much from the brave, supportive sister she was in the first season. First, she gets hooked on the experimental superhuman inhalers Thompson was using in the military, then she becomes obsessed with getting real, permanent powers of her own, putting her life at serious risk to get them. And then, once she has them, she grows increasingly consumed with being judge, jury, and even executioner. It’s a tragic fall for a character that I really loved in season 1.
And no matter what harm Trish has done, Jessica still loves her, which makes it all the more heartbreaking for her to have to go up against her sister and stop her. Even though they’re not nearly as close as they once were, even though Trish has already hurt Jessica in profound ways, she can’t stop caring. As they go toe-to-toe, Jessica urges Trish to stop, telling her, “You’re not fast enough, and you can’t beat me.”
The finale also gives us a last-minute Defenders reunion, with Luke Cage returning to the show where he made his Marvel TV debut. His appearance is brief, and he doesn’t really get to throw down, but it’s good to see him with Jessica again. Relationships between powered people are important, because often, they’re the only ones who can really understand the burdens they have to deal with.
As I said, hardly any David Tennant. We get the slightest nod to Kilgrave, with a vocal cameo at the end of the episode—as you can see from the screenshot at the top of the post, the only visual cue to his presence is the purple lighting. I won’t spoil the details of his short appearance, but it’s a definite moment, and it comes at a pivotal point for Jessica.
And that’s the end of Jessica Jones! Wrap-up thoughts:
Accent Watch
English, posher than Tennant’s Doctor(s), and I think a little posher than Crowley as well.
Recommend?
In General – Yes. This is a strong, gritty superhero/detective show, full of messed-up characters and complex relationships. Krysten Ritter is absolutely fantastic as Jessica.
David Tennant – Definitely! Tennant is skin-crawlingly good as Kilgrave, and so radically different than the Doctor or Crowley.
Warnings
Violence (including discussion of rape,) sexual content, language, drinking/smoking/drug use, strong thematic elements (including stalking, PTSD, and psychological torture,) and a disabled character played by a nondisabled actor in the later seasons.