1x05 AKA The Sandwich Saved Me

8.5/10. Easily the best episode of the show so far. I think the writing really improved here, in terms of the dialogue and the way the character interactions were written. The flashback device could have been too clumsy to work, but it actually did a lot to aid the audience's understanding of who Jessica Jones was before Kilgrave -- someone who was still sharp-tongued and cynical, but much less broken and hurt. I liked pre-Kilgrave Jessica's dynamic with Trish, and that, along with the taxi-stopping routine and saving Malcolm, helped to give Jessica something of a backstory without having to do an explicit origin episode.

I'm still not crazy about post-Kilgrave Jessica, though she's growing on me. Her locking Simpson in the hermetically-sealed chamber felt a little too much like something Amy Gardner would do. But Trish's conversation with Simpson, where she explains that Jessica never likes the men Trish dates, helped make Jessica's hostility for this guy who's just trying to help work in the context of the story. The subtext that she feels threatened by someone taking away the attention of, thus far, her dearest and only friend, makes her dealing harshly with Simpson, overzealous though he may be, make sense.

I also liked the plan to nab Kilgrave. It was a tense, heist-like sequence, with just enough of a twist to add some flair to the proceedings. If I have one beef with it, it's that it seems pretty convenient that Jessica wasn't able to just knock out the guys who were attacking them at the safehouse, but willing suspension of disbelief and all that.

And I also appreciated the story with Malcom. Helping the junkie is always a little cliche, but I thought the execution was good here. Thus far, the show has mostly used Kilgrave's powers as a metaphor for rape, for a trauma in the past that can't be shaken in the present. But I like how they pivoted a bit here to use it as a metaphor for addiction as well. When under Kilgrave's control, people are made to want things that, in the sober light of day, they don't actually want. Playing with the interplay between addiction and control like that made for some interesting thematic material.

In addition, the one consistent thing about this season has been the creepiness of Kilgrave. His conversation with Jessica on the phone, in addition to his creepy demands that Jessica send him photos, really drove home the skin-crawling nature of the character. Putting Jessica in a situation where she's allowing her own privacy to be violated in order to help Malcom, no matter how much she protests that it's just to keep Kilgrave from winning, is a compelling and meaningful way to add some more shading to Jessica's mission to save Hope and get rid of Kilgrave.

Otherwise, I'm not sure what to make of the story with Hope being harassed by her fellow inmates (possibly being controlled by Kilgrave?). Trish is nigh-literally holding Chekhov's gun, which could be cool or could be something ripped from a lifetime movie. And I'm enjoying the addition of Simpson to the Jessica-Trish team, if only because he creates some interesting conflicts that help to liven what can occasionally be a cliche dynamic.

Still, as I said at the top, this is the best the show has been so far, and it's heartening to see the character material and dialogue improve while maintaining the solid storytelling the show's been able to muster so far.