Marvel’s Jessica Jones had a strong season one debut on Netflix. Critics loved that it wasn’t a traditional superhero series, but more about the effects of post traumatic stress disorder in a world that happened to be inhabited by powered people. Following season one, the reviews and audience response became a bit more mixed as Jessica’s world expanded.
In fact, when examining the series through the lens of the Internet Movie Database, it’s clear that the first season was the fan favorite as the episodes have higher ratings than season two and three. These episodes make up the 10 best from season two - according to those IMDb ratings.
AKA Ain’t We Got Fun S2E08 (7.7)
Much of the plot in this particular episode doesn’t center on Jessica, which might be why it’s leading off the top ten. While Jessica is busy chatting with her mother and their doctor, Trish and Malcolm have their own problems.
After spending the night with Malcolm, Trish and Jessica’s associate don’t see eye to eye on how she’s going about helping people. When Malcolm’s own investigation sees him in trouble, Trish shares the IGH inhaler she has with him to help him heal faster, which completely freaks him out since he’s a recovering addict as well, and causes him to run away from her.
It might not be the best of the season, but it certainly is a good indicator of just what all of the characters value.
AKA Facetime S2E06 (7.7)
This particular episode focuses on two things: Trish Walker as an addict and adrenaline junkie, and Jessica’s search for the mysterious woman connected to IGH’s experimentation.
Trish’s dependency on her IGH drug isn’t the most compelling part of the season. It reinforces what the audience knows about the character, but season two doesn’t really kick that storyline into high gear until the end. Likewise, the cliffhanger at the end of the episode as Jessica’s mysterious suspect reveals herself to be Jessica’s mother didn’t sit well with some fans. That’s why this particular episode is near the bottom of the top 10.
AKA Shark In The Bathtub, Monster In The Bed S2E09 (7.8)
Much like the season one episode that saw Jessica try to teach Kilgrave how to be a hero, she does the same for her mother here. Fans might have hoped for the best, but Alisa has the tendency to favor violence over peaceful resolution.
In Trish’s corner of the series, she spends the episode under the influence of her IGH inhaler while on the radio, ranting against the topics she’s allowed to pursue - right before she quits on the air. It’s a dramatic turn for her character, but it was inevitable.
AKA God Help The Hobo S2E04 (7.8)
Would it be a season of Jessica Jones without someone being arrested for a crime that wasn’t their fault? No, it would not. In this case, Jessica and Trish attempt to track down a woman posing as the doctor who experimented on Jessica, but are able to find a nurse who worked at the facility instead.
Just as Jessica and Trish think they’re keeping the nurse safe, Jessica winds up arrested for murdering another detective. Trish, who tries to help her with the aid of her IGH inhaler, also winds up arrested, leaving Malcolm responsible for the nurses safety. Being arrested is old hat to Jessica at this point, but it’s the perfect obstacle to slow down her search.
AKA Sole Survivor S2E03 (7.8)
This episode is the one that really kickstarted the show digging into Jessica’s past before Kilgrave. While Jessica spent the first two episodes of the season reluctant to pursue information about the experiments that gave her abilities, “AKA Sole Survivor” is where she begins to feel like she has no choice but to follow the breadcrumbs.
In addition to realizing that everyone connected to the experiments appears to be getting killed off, Jessica is slapped with an eviction notice because of her powers. She also agrees to help Jeri Hogarth blackmail her fellow law partners. It’s a lot of typical bad luck and detective jobs for Jessica, but with the bonus of the slow burn on her history starting.
AKA Pray For My Patsy S2E12 (7.9)
At this point in the season, most of the big reveals were out, so it seemed like the show was spinning its wheels to get to a finale.
After Trish’s attempt to get her own super powers, she wound up stuck in the hospital, recovering from the interrupted procedure. Her anger at Jessica meant she didn’t want anything to do with her best friend. Likewise, Alisa Jones blamed Trish for the death of her partner, wanted revenge, and gave Jessica another violent rampage to stop.
AKA The Octopus S2E05 (7.9)
Jessica gets a lucky break after being arrested: a detective who trusts her. All she has to do in order to not be charged with murder is keep the police detective in the loop. Jessica generally has a hard time with things like that, so fans knew right away that wouldn’t go well, but it was still nice to see Jessica catch a break.
The rest of the episode sees Jessica follow a lead that ultimately causes a visit to an aquarium, where she sees her “mystery woman” with the same doctor who experimented on her. The cliffhanger comes in a show of super strength from the other woman, cracking the tank, and causing a huge diversion to get away from Jessica. Trish’s downward spiral really starts to take effect in this episode that would go on to be a major part of season two as she becomes more reliant on her IGH performance enhancing drugs and cuts her new boyfriend, who wants to marry her, out of her life.
AKA Playland S2E13 (8.0)
When it comes to IMDb ratings, a lot of time season finales end up in the top spot because there’s something cathartic about tying a season together. In this case, the season finale leads off the top three of the season instead.
Jessica ends up trying to work with her mother, despite her mother’s different approach to solving problems. Though they do manage to do a few heroic acts, ultimately Trish takes it upon herself to eliminate Alisa Jones from the equation. That act leads to a schism between Trish and Jessica, and one heck of a fight, but it also pushes Jessica to try to pursue some semblance of a normal life again.
AKA I Want Your Cray Cray S2E7 (8.4)
Set at the midpoint of the season, this episode was definitely a highlight for a lot of fans and critics. It’s no wonder it takes the number two spot on the list.
The hour is primarily a flashback to what happened between Jessica’s accident and then eventually being taken by Kilgrave. It serves to show how Jessica slowly attempted to move on with her life, but her one major romantic relationship was shattered when her mother escaped IGH custody and killed the boy.
With an inside look at Trish’s pop stardom and previous struggles with addiction, and Jessica as her hero, the episode also provides fans another look into their dynamic.
AKA Three Lives And Counting S2E11 (8.5)
Despite there being more episodes to follow, this episode could have served as a season finale. It has all of the adrenaline of a final hour and addresses everyone’s storylines.
With Alisa Jones in jail for her crimes, Jessica tries her best to help her mother by setting her doctor up with a new passport to leave the country. It would allow Alisa to testify against him, but also give Alisa peace of mind because he wouldn’t be around to get caught. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that way because Trish kidnaps Dr. Malus, hoping to get her own set of superpowers. When Jessica interrupts their procedure, Malus decides to take his own life and destroy the facility. It’s an explosive ending that would have made for a great cliffhanger.
