Jessica Jones - You're Welcome

A BONAFIDE TRISH WALKER EPISODE! I was totally doing a “YAY!” I’m not ashamed. Look, I’m a Jessica Jones guy. Love her and will miss the character once I wrap up the Netflix series. But when you get total focus almost exclusively on one character, it can be a bit exhausting…nothing wrong with some real love devoted to supporting characters. And I love Trish so seeing her finally getting her own episode—granted it does come in the third season, but that’s cool, getting one is better than none at all—brought some excitement. And seeing Trish keeping tabs on Jessica, when we had just seen Jessica doing the same with Trish at Dorothy’s urging previously was kind of neat, too.

Trish realized that she had gained superhuman gifts thanks to the mad science imposed on Jessica, later developing Parcour-like movements across various angled benches, tables, concrete slabs, etc. In serious training, working out, weight-lifting, and boxing, Trish is hoping to flip and fly, perhaps becoming a type of Ninja who could “make a difference”. Listening to police dispatch, Trish fails to realize that her celebrity would be a detriment in committing to superhero acts in broad daylight…she stops a robbery, is served by that boob’s hack attorney, and understands her heroic deeds will need to be a bit more discreet.

Hogarth will agree to represent Trish, as Trish came to her because Jeri earned Jessica’s respect, if she becomes her “entertainment attorney” as well, not wanting to take on such a prestigious client “piecemeal”. But it was Trish going to Hogarth, not Jessica trying to help her out by going to Hogarth. And through Trish’s unanswered calls to Jessica, and her willingness to go into the apartment complex, only to hear from a distance, behind a wall hiding as she listened to Oscar and Jessica’s talking, Trish learns that their intimate relationship was over. Oscar was another potential love interest that couldn’t stick for Jessica, with Oscar moving on to a new relationship with someone else. And mentioned in conversation between the two for Trish to hear, the loss of the mother still lingers painfully. And Trish is made once again to feel like shit when she realizes Malcolm works for Hogarth, the two eventually talking about how she killed Jessica’s mother…it is as expected, full of tension, biting criticism against each other’s life and career choices, and cutting angst. What cracked me up was later Malcolm informs Trish that the guy she beat up while he was stealing a guy’s phone was willing to come way down on a settlement check, his comment that she was one step away from a psyche ward (with warning that TMZ would eventually question “What is Patsy doing now?”) eventually nudges her to do a silly show about fashion to sustain her lifestyle, which would allow her to be night hero. Malcolm explaining how he got the guy to commit to the lesser settlement, through warning of telling his son that he wasn’t the real father, you get an idea of what it is like to work for Hogarth and the ruthless nature of getting dirt to help clients escape prosecution. Trish on the show working her magic when a caller talks of being divorced, using spring as a season of new beginnings and encouraging her not to be blue when fashion can help bring out the beauty in her has her mom quite tickled pink…used a lot of color there, I realize.

Trish was not a fan of Jessica's dull PI camera and investigative work.

What I love about television today is that you can have two concurrent stories going on at once and then both can be told in separate episodes. Jessica’s eventual pursuit of Trish’s whereabouts and past activities and vice versa. Jessica found what Trish wrote in her laptop and in this episode we see what Trish wanted to write, decided to write and save, and that what was available eventually was found by Jessica.

The ugh Jessica still feels towards Trish remains by episode’s end. When Jessica was stabbed, she wanted the name of Andrew Brandt, and only Trish could provide that. But that is all Jessica wanted. Once Trish provided the name Jessica had no further use for her. And Trish took that to heart…that rage at just being called for a name left Trish fuming. No longer, it seems, will Trish and Jessica “work together”. Too much was lost the day Trish killed Jessica’s mother. 4/5

*Seemingly not a critical success, “You’re Welcome” was a *welcome* change of pace with me.