Have you seen the 2nd season of Jessica Jones?
post contains major spoilers… To be completely honest, I'm no fan of Jessica Jones back when I first discovered her and when I capped off the first season of the TV series. I mean, I'm not a misogynist and I don't hate her or anything. And don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of femme fatale (and duh, Marvel, too!) But being a non-fan of Jessica has to do with a single aspect: she's a child. And she's a brat. In season 1, I perceived Jessica as a child and nothing but. After her emotional shenanigans and rocking adventures this season, I got to see her in a brighter light. She may still be a child, for me, but I guess she's an emotionally responsible child now, which is a big plus. And I think - nay, believe - Alisa Jones played a massive part in that.
no kidding
And I guess, in my opinion, that didn't work for her last season. This season, however, I believe it did.
It's a Mother Thing
Even before she got her superpowers, Alisa is the sole reason why Jessica existed. And primarily due to Karl Malus, she ejected herself out of Jessica's life with the intention of secretly keeping an eye on her.
Were it not for Alisa, Jessica may only be that always-drunk-child-who-makes-a-career-out-of-vigilantism-because-she-has-superpowers. Well, she still is that. After all, that's her identity as a superhero.
But other than recognizing her merely for her character as a drunken vigilante and operating ALIAS Investigations, Jessica transformed into this emotional being with a damn good heart.
Case in point: she chose not to when she could've easily kill Karl.
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Now back to Alisa.
There is no denying that her introduction was rough. I mean she did attack Jessica for coming to meet her.
And beyond her initial attack against Jessica, it can be difficult to see Alisa as a protagonist… because, well, to borrow Oscar's words, "she murdered people". And unfortunately, many of the victims were innocent.
If I juggle between categorizing her as a protagonist and an antagonist, I'd say she's the former.
When Jessica knew of her identity, she became this genuine, loving, supportive mother who would risk her own life for her daughter. By then, not once did she show any hint that she's more superior than her daughter - even though it was apparent that she was.
It blows seeing her demise in the end when Jessica was finally able to make peace with the fact that they could be a team who saves the world. And it blows that it was someone as ordinary as Trish Walker killed her.
Of all people.
Trish Walks?
Again, I'm no misogynist. But I want Trish out.
I don't believe she contributes anything pleasant to Jessica's life and yet she claims otherwise. Talk about toxic. It's as if she sees herself as the one person who can redeem Jessica.
That, and I dislike the dynamic between them. Whoever thought that pairing up a superhuman and an ordinary person makes for good entertainment is flat out bonkers.
The Last Say
But even if Trish is not out of Jessica's life next season - realistically, she's still going to be a star, of course, I'm still looking forward to the 3rd installment of Jessica Jones.
No more Alisa, but hey, I got to see a really soft - and adorable - side to Jessica. I have no expectations. I'll just wait and watch!
*also published on Mild Trips and Medium