Other Doctor Lives: Jessica Jones: Season 1, Episode 12 – “Take a Bloody Number” (2015)

*Returning character spoilers.*

If you read many episode reviews on this blog, you know I like a good penultimate episode. With a finale, there can be a question of whether or not you’ll stick the landing, but a penultimate episode can just go big, raising the stakes to a fever pitch. Because this season of Jessica Jones is so exciting, action-packed, and emotional anyway, I wouldn’t say this episode stands out in particular with the tension it brings, but it’s still a great episode that, I remember, left me sitting on the edge of my seat for the finale when I watched it for the first time.

Kilgrave’s making moves, and Jessica feels her window to catch him closing—if she doesn’t act soon, he could become too powerful for her to take him down. Luke has just come back into the picture and joins her pursuit, and together, they prepare for a showdown. Meanwhile, Trish does some digging that uncovers more secrets than she bargained for, and Malcolm questions whether he should stay in the fight.

Both the supporting-character subplots are good here. I like Trish in investigation mode, and she’s also forced to stand up to some personal demons along the way. The show takes Trish to all sorts of places over the course of the series, but I like pretty much everything about her character in this season, qualities and flaws alike. And while Malcolm is mostly outside the fray, he has some big personal stuff going on too, and I appreciate seeing how his driving force is consistently the care he shows other people. He doesn’t have powers, and he doesn’t have influence or special skills to contribute to something like stopping Kilgrave, but that doesn’t stop him from helping in whatever way he can.

It’s good to see Luke again. I’ll admit that, of the main Netflix Marvel actors, Mike Colter isn’t at the top of my list, but he really brings it in the action scenes. Both he and Krysten Ritter tear it up here, and I enjoy the different angle that his powers add to the proceedings. Also, I stan a moment where he and Jessica are heading into a dangerous situation, Jessica wants him to hang back so she can protect him, and he listens to her/respects her wishes. You love to see it.

Episode 11 didn’t have any Kilgrave in it, but he’s back with a vengeance here, just being so Kilgrave. Being petty and punishing someone in a completely outsized way for mildly irritating him? Check. Being staggeringly deluded about his perception of his “relationship” with Jessica? So much so. Being creepy as all get-out, unpredictable, and casually menacing? Absolutely. He hasn’t fully rebounded from a recent run-in with Jessica, and yet he’s more dangerous than ever, going for bigger gambits and fueled by rage and obsession. What a terrible human being. David Tennant plays all of this expertly.