6 questions I have after watching Jessica Jones season 2

The wait is over for Jessica Jones season 2! Let the wait for answers begin… Every good TV shows leaves us with a few burning questions (why else would we want another season?), and although the second season of Netflix Original Jessica Jones is pretty well tied-up by the end, there are still a few things I want to know. Before I go any further, if you haven’t seen all of Jessica Jones season 2 yet, there’s major spoilers for the entire show below, so go watch it and then come back to sate your curiosity (you can also find a spoiler-free preview of the first five episodes here). If you’ve already done that, then read on for the five big questions I have after watching Jessica Jones season 2. 

1. How many other people did Dr. Karl Malus treat (and give powers too)?

Jessica asks Karl this exact question when she finds him hiding out in the love motel, but he’s too busy revealing to her that Shane is a con artist to answer her. Given that his lab was potentially up and running for the 17 years since the accident which sent Jessica and her mum to him (and who knows how long before that), that’s a significant number of powered people walking around. It’s likely that not all of the experiments were successful, and I doubt any were as extensive as Alisa’s given how he obsessed over her. But the door is open for other powered people to come into Jessica’s life who got their abilities from Malus. One already has in season 2 - Whizzer - and now that Jessica seems to be trying to form connections with other people, could she go looking for them in season 3?

2. Why didn’t Jessica continue with her court-appointed anger management group?

The obvious answer is that she scared the group leader so much during her first session that he just signed her entire court card, meaning she didn’t need to go back, but I’ll admit I’m a bit disappointed. Her angry ball-throwing speech about what she’s been through was one of the best bits from the trailer and it didn’t disappoint in the show either. But then we see nothing more of it - which is a shame, because it could've been a real opportunity for character growth. Admittedly, there was a lot going on, what with the reappearance of her dead mum and all, but maybe now that she’s ‘realised’ (seriously, she didn’t notice before?) she’s been cutting herself off, she’ll go back to therapy. 

3. Was Alisa actually brain damaged or is that just an excuse?

What do you do when you find out your mum is a mass murderer? You blame it on the coma, of course! Jessica states multiple times during the show that her mum has brain damage from the accident (and the five years she spent in a coma before Karl’s procedure even took hold), and that’s why she’s so ok with killing people who get in her way. But I have to wonder: is that true? It does seem odd that a relatively ‘normal’ person would suddenly become ok with murder no matter what they’d been through, and Jessica does say that her mum had no friends and alienated people even before the accident. That doesn’t make a murderer, obviously, but the trauma of the accident and the loss of her family could have pushed her to the point where she just doesn’t care anymore - and that’s not the same as brain damage. Either way, I get the distinct impression that Jessica doesn’t care, and the brain damage is just an easy excuse for her mum’s behaviour. 

4. Is Trish powered now?

Of course she is! I didn’t even need the phone-catching foot skills at the end of the last episode to tell me that. No way does someone go through a potentially power-giving procedure and not either die or get powers. Plus, anyone who knows the comics knows that Trish is actually Hellcat, a superhero with ace athletic abilities who teams up with the Avengers and the Defenders at different points in her storyline. Given the acrobatics Jessica Jones’ Trish performed at the end of season 2, I’m guessing Dr. Karl Malus’ treatment worked and she’s adopted catlike reflexes, which will certainly come in handy for season 3. 

5. What does Jeri have Pryce and Malcolm doing?

It’s obvious that Jeri has big plans for her new law firm, but what does she have Pryce and Malcolm doing for her? She specifically states that she’s hiring Cheng Consulting Management, rather than Alias Investigations, because Jessica would have a problem with the work she wants them to do. Given that Jessica’s moral compass doesn’t exactly point north, what could she want the pair to do? When Malcolm asks if it’s illegal, Jeri says that’s entirely up to them, so she obviously only cares about the end result, not the means. Now that she has her own firm, could she be planning to start the Heroes for Hire company her character is involved with in the comics? In the comics, she (or more accurately he, as the character’s gender was changed for the Netflix Original) is merely the lawyer and business representative for the company, which is owned by Luke Cage and Danny Rand, but that doesn’t mean it has to go this way in the series. Season 2 has certainly taught Jeri the allure of have powered people on staff, and finding them and using them for her own benefit would definitely be something Jessica wouldn’t be ok with. 

6. Will Jessica ever be able to forgive Trish?

This might like seem like a half-arsed question, but so much of the show is based around Jessica and Trish’s relationship that I wonder what season 3 will look like without it. And given what Trish did, I don’t see how their friendship can come back from that. Like Jessica said, all she sees now when she looks at Trish is the person who killed her mother. But neither one of them does very well without the other - and with Trish out of a job, back in touch with her abusive mother, and dealing with her new powers, she’s going to need her adoptive sister more than ever. Plus, if Jessica gives this whole 'not cutting herself off from people' thing a chance, surely that will include forgiving her sister? 

For more Jessica Jones season 2 news, check out our critical round-up to find out what the reviewers are saying.