Unremarkable Ditties: Nothin' Matters And What If It Did

The Good: Some decent lyrics, Vocals aren't bad
The Bad: SHORT, Musically unimaginative, Lack of a hook
The Basics: Very much a young album, John Mellencamp's Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is understandably one he has distanced himself from!


John Mellancamp was my October Artist Of The Month and given how fast the year is going and how I have not chosen a subsequent Artist Of The Month, I've decided to continue my immersion in the works of John Mellencamp through the end of the year! Little makes me instantly regret that decision like the next Mellancamp album in my docket: Nothin' Matters And What If It Did. Nothin' Matters And What If It Did was one of John Mellancamp's earliest albums and it is one that is distinctive only in the lack of any worthwhile songs outside the two songs that made it to the radio. Forgettable and monotonous, Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is the work of a young artist making pop ditties that lack his distinctive sound, energy or enthusiasm in their presentation.

It did not surprise me to read an article in which John Mellencamp, years later, distanced himself from Nothin' Matters And What If It Did. Nothin' Matters And What If It Did lacks deep social commentary that is present on most John Mellencamp albums and Mellencamp challenges himself in no noticeable ways on the album.

With only eleven songs (12 on the 2005 c.d. reissue) clocking out at 35:59, Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is short and two of the songs - "Cry Baby" and "Peppermint Twist" are barely songs - they are more like vocal warm-up exercises/thrashing on instruments. That said, what appears on Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is very much the work of John Mellencamp as he was at the start of his career - though interviews seem to indicate that the record company exerted a lot of creative control over the whole venture. Nevertheless, Mellencamp wrote and composed all of the songs, save the album's opener "Hot Night In A Cold Town." Mellencamp provides all of the primary vocals and plays guitar on Nothin' Matters And What If It Did, but he was not involved in producing the album.

Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is dominated on the instrumental front by pianos. While the guitar, bass and drums that are more commonly associated with John Mellencamp are present, the piano is the dominant instrument on most of the songs, which gives all of the songs a lighter, more up-beat overall sound.

Vocally, John Mellencamp plays very comfortably in his youthful voice's range on Nothin' Matters And What If It Did. Mellencamp sings all of the lyrics clearly enough, but this is not an album where he holds notes particularly long or tests the limits of his voice at at register. He is comfortable with presenting cool, crisp vocals on the album and he delivers that pretty consistently.

On Nothin' Matters And What If It Did John Mellencamp sings mostly about relationships. His lyrics are mildly poetic, but do not evoke as strong of images as those from his later works. Indeed, it is a young man who wrote "Make me feel like I wanna feel / Baby tear this pain from my heart / Make me feel like I wanna feel / Make me feel like I did in the start / Maybe it's a change of plan / Now that your dreams have left me behind / Or is it another man / Who didn't care that you were mine" ("Make Me Feel"), not a seasoned veteran of love and love lost.

Still, Mellencamp tries to communicate on songs like "Don't Misunderstand Me." With lyrics like "I bring you renegade stories / And you tell me I'm crazy and wild / You say that I lack maturity / Stop actin' like a child / But you know I am a liar / And my promises only get in my way / You feel so good, when you're in my arms / Ain't there one right thing I can say / To make you want to stay" ("Don't Misunderstand Me"), Mellencamp hints at the emotional honesty that helped make most of his lyrics truly resonate with listeners.

The closest that John Mellencamp comes to a musical storysong on Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is "Wild Angel." Mellencamp singing "Cabin fever nearly drove us insane / When the snow fell on us last December / Look at me girl, I don't feel the same / Now those days they've all gone together" ("Wild Angel") is a stark contrast to the ridiculous amount of repetition of lines on the songs that surround it - "Cry Baby," "Peppermint Twist," and "Cheap Shot." Mellencamp abandons his early Folk influences on Nothin' Matters And What If It Did.

Nothin' Matters And What If It Did is utterly forgettable outside the two radio-played tracks "This Time" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night." It's unsurprising that no other songs from this album appear on the many compilations Mellencamp has released over the years.

For other works by John Mellencamp, please check out my reviews of:
Chestnut Street Incident
A Biograpghy
American Fool
Words And Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits

3/10

For a comprehensive list of the albums and singles I have reviewed, please check out my Music Review Index Pagefor an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Rebirth Of Nuke, The Downfall Of Jessica Jones: "AKA Sin Bin"

The Good: David Tennant's performance, Simpson's plotline, Plot climax
The Bad: Meanders, Jessica Jones's character, Inorganic character and plot development
The Basics: Jessica Jones beats the crap out of Kilgrave for no particular reason, which undermines all that the season has accomplished up until "AKA Sin Bin."


After Jessica Jones hit a season one (and Marvel Cinematic Universe!) high with "AKA WWJD?" (reviewed here!), there was a somewhat inevitable quality to the fall the season would take with its subsequent episode. Unfortunately, the fall is farther than it otherwise might have been because the season takes a turn for the utterly baffling when the protagonist makes a decision out of pain and ends up creating the villain. Like The Flash episode "Gorilla Warfare" (reviewed here!), "AKA Sin Bin" takes a character who is at a malleable position and can be turned to good and generically pushes that character into being a villain for no organic reason. Fidelity to the source material is placed above the organic development of the characters in the television incarnation.

And that is disappointing.

"AKA Sin Bin" is disappointing because it makes Jessica Jones almost unwatchable for the episode. A significant aspect of the episode's unwatchability comes from David Tennant's performance and Jessica Jones's severe character defect. In "AKA WWJD?" Jessica Jones saw the potential to harness Kilgrave and his power for the side of good; in "AKA Sin Bin" Jones tries to antagonize Kilgrave into being the villain she initially saw him as, completely neglecting the perspective she was opened to in the prior episode. And Tennant's performance as Kilgrave is heartbreaking to watch.

Kilgrave awakens in the hermitically-sealed room that Jessica set up and immediately begins getting tortured by Jessica Jones. Jessica Jones begins taunting Kilgrave with footage of the experiments that were performed upon him as a child. While recording Kilgrave, Jessica Jones tries to extract a confession through taunting Kilgrave and electrocuting him. Elsewhere, Simpson is mortally wounded and Trish drives him to Metro General Hospital as he cries out for Dr. Koslov. When Hogarth arrives, she advises Jones to release Kilgrave. Hogarth lets Jones know that Hope Shlottman is being offered a deal and Jones leaves Hogarth with Kilgrave while she gets a detective who can authenticate Kilgrave's statement.

Enlisting the aid of Detective Clemons and Trish, Jessica Jones returns to Kilgrave's cell where she tries to goad Kilgrave into using his powers on her so that she can exonerate Hope Shlottman. While Simpson gets healed back into a mysterious medical program to recover from almost being blown up, Trish returns to Jessica's side. Trish and Jones begin the search for Kilgrave's parents with the hope that they can antagonize Kilgrave into revealing his powers on camera.

"AKA Sin Bin" is packed with information, but is tainted by Jones acting more villainous than Kilgrave. Jones notices that the footage with the experiments done on Kilgrave when he was Kevin Thompson includes multiple other children who were experimented upon, potentially setting up future seasons of Jessica Jones.

The character of Jeri Hogarth is given more depth in "AKA Sin Bin" and actress Carrie-Anne Moss has the chance to illustrate just how cold and calculating she can make Hogarth. Hogarth squares off against Kilgrave and her moral ambiguity reaches a new low when she expresses a willingness to use Kilgrave's powers for her own means. Given that Hogarth's big conflict now is with her acrimonious divorce with Wendy, Hogarth's willingness to use Kilgrave seems particularly petty.

The Simpson subplot is interesting and gives rise to a secondary villain for the first season of Jessica Jones. Simpson, as it turns out, was once part of some form of super soldier program and in "AKA Sin Bin" he re-enters it. Simpson is motivated by guilt over his friends getting killed at the climax of the prior episode and his attempt to take power back in his own life is the mirror image of Kilgrave being robbed of his power until the end of the episode.

Ultimately, "AKA Sin Bin" is unpleasant to watch; there is nothing entertaining about watching one person torture another. The episode's climax goes a long way to saving the episode that otherwise meanders and includes some truly melodramatic scenes between Hogarth and Pam, but it is not enough. Sadly, it's almost like the writers and director John Dahl knew how far gone the episode was when Jessica Jones comments on how watching the footage even she feels sorry for Kilgrave, but she does not stop tormenting Kilgrave, so it's kind of a wash. In fact, as Trish and Jones hunt for Kilgrave's parents, Kilgrave very simply writes out "Help Me" in sauce on the glass of the tank and Jessica's response only adds to her cruelty.

The result is that "AKA Sin Bin" becomes the low point of the first season of Jessica Jones, despite the fact that David Tennant's performance is absolutely amazing.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Jessica Jones - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Thomas Kopache, please visit my reviews of:
No Country For Old Men
The West Wing
"Harbinger" - Star Trek: Enterprise
"Broken Bow" - Star Trek: Enterprise
"Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Ties Of Blood And Water" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"The Thaw" - Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Generations
"Emergence" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Next Phase" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Parliament Of Dreams" - Babylon 5

4/10

For other film and television reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Meh, Coffee. Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Underwhelms.

The Good: Reasonably priced, Good aroma
The Bad: Not at all distinct in its flavor, Not the strongest flavor for a deep roast
The Basics: The Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Coffee is an average coffee advertised as a deep roast, which is bound to let down serious dark coffee drinkers.


As one who loves a variety of coffee, one of the things that mystifies me in the world still is people who drink coffee that barely tastes like coffee. Medium blends, light roasts . . . they all come out tasting like diluted coffee to me and that leaves me, a serious coffee drinker, with a strong sense of disappointment. Whenever I encounter a medium blend masquarading as something darker, I get disappointed. That is where I came down on the Peet's Coffee's Major Dickason's Blend Coffee.

I found the bag of Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend at my local discount store and after trying a bag and a half of it, I am not surprised how it ended up there. In a pretty packed market, Peet's Coffee lacks a real hook and has only mediocrity in the bag and cups of coffee.

Basics

Peet's Coffee is, apparently, a California coffee shop and this bag was the first bag I found in the Midwest. The bags of Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend coffee weigh 12 oz. and come ground. Because it is not whole bean coffee, no grinding is required. The Major Dickason's Coffee is easily protected from absorbing scents of other foods and the bag can be resealed using the wire-based "tie."

Major Dickason's Blend Coffee has a decent aroma in the bag, which foreshadows a much stronger blend than it actually is.

Ease Of Preparation

Major Dickason's Blend Coffee is remarkably easy to prepare, assuming one has a coffee scoop! First, open the bag. Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Coffee is vacuum sealed when first purchased. After opening foil bag, procure a scoop (not included) and measure out one heaping tablespoon for every two cups of water in your coffee maker. Major Dickason's Blend Coffee is intended for automatic (drip or percolating) coffee makers, like my Hamilton Beach coffee maker (reviewed here!). This is NOT an instant coffee. As a result, it needs to be brewed.

Consult your coffee maker's instructions for how to brew the coffee. However, as far as the basics go, you'll need a coffee filter, like the Crucial Coffee #4 permanent filter (reviewed here) we use, into which you put the Major Dickason's Blend Coffee and then brew through your coffee maker. The directions recommend making a pot at a time.

Taste

The Major Dickason's Blend coffee smells bold and strong, inviting consumers with its bold aroma. It smells dark and like a strong coffee, which made me think the cup would be a powerful and good cup of coffee.

Unfortunately, on the tongue, the Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend is a surprisingly weak blend. The coffee flavor is present, but it is sublimated below a watery flavor that made me initially feel like I had made the coffee too weak. Each pot I made, I tried to up the coffee flavor, but the pots came out equally weak. The Major Dickason's Blend kicks with a medium roast coffee flavor, but it always starts with accents of water overwhelming the coffee flavor.

What truly lost me on the Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend was that what coffee flavor the coffee possessed was completely overwhelmed by the addition of creamer to the beverage. Creamer eliminated all flavor of coffee in the mug and that was both surprising and disappointing.

Nutrition

This is coffee, not something that has nutrients in it! The Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Coffee does not contribute anything to one's daily recommended allowance of anything. As well, the Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend does not reveal on its packaging what type of coffee beans are in their blend.

This is a caffeinated blend and to its credit, it is a good "wake me up" coffee! This has enough caffeine to energize consumers in the morning when one begins consuming it. Because it is a caffeinated coffee, it appears to not have undergone any of the chemical processes that sometimes cause complications in decaffeinated coffees. This is a blend that actually wakes up the consumer.

Major Dickason's Blend Coffee is marked as Kosher, but does not have any other dietary notes.

Storage/Clean-up

Major Dickason's Blend Coffee ought to be stored sealed in its container with bag’s top folded down. Coffee is known to absorb flavors of food nearby it, so keeping the bag folded tightly closed is highly recommended. The bag came to us fresh, but we used it up well before its expiration date.

After brewing, coffee grounds ought to be disposed of. This is not an ideal coffee to make a second pot with (second brewings I attempted came out 1/4 as potent as the first brewing), so this is not an ideal coffee for the coffee miser. These grounds may be thrown in the trash when used or put in a compost pile, if available. Coffee grounds make great compost.

Overall

Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Coffee smells good and woke me up when I needed it to, but otherwise did not measure up on the taste front.

For other coffee reviews, please visit my reviews of:
Green Mountain Coffee Organic House Blend Coffee
Dunkin' Donuts Glazed Chocolate Donut Flavored Coffee
The Coffee Fool Fool's House French Blended Coffee

4/10

For other drink reviews, please check out my Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Marvel Gets Its Perfect Work With The Jessica Jones Episode "AKA WWJD?"

The Good: Amazing character development, Impressive acting, Engaging plot
The Bad: Nothing! Not one frame!
The Basics: "AKA WWJD?" puts Jessica Jones in her childhood home with a very different Kilgrave than the one she remembers!


This has been a pretty Marvel intensive week with graphic novels, ornaments and episodes of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Jessica Jones getting reviewed. In all my time reviewing, the elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have never quite hit perfection. The closest the franchise has managed thus far was the Daredevil episode "World On Fire" (reviewed here!) and the previous episode of Jessica Jones, "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" (reviewed here!). That inability to push over into a flawless work that holds up over multiple viewings ends with the Jessica Jones episode "AKA WWJD?"

"AKA WWJD?" explores an entirely different side of (the up until now villainous) Kilgrave and it is impossible to discuss without some references to where "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" went before it. After Jones's aborted attempt to get imprisoned to trap Kilgrave and get him to expose his powers on recording devices, Kilgrave told Jessica Jones what his resurfacing in her life is all about. Kilgrave professed his love for Jones and when Jessica finds her old journal left by Kilgrave in her office, she knows that Kilgrave is in her childhood house and she heads there to confront him.

Opening with the flashback to the last day Jessica Jones had with her family of origin as a child, an unsettled Jessica Jones enters her childhood home. Kilgrave has bought the house and he has bodyguards there now. Hank, the bodyguard, easily discovers the recording device Jones had to attempt to get Kilgrave's confession. Kilgrave agrees not to touch Jessica Jones without her consent and Jones reaquaints herself with the house, which Kilgrave has restored. Jones is surprised when Kilgrave keeps his word, even letting her take a call from Trish before she locks him out of her bedroom.

After an uncomfortable dinner, Jones discovers Simpson in the house and when he tells her that he placed a bomb in the basement, she kicks him out and finds and disarms the bomb. While Hogarth's lawyer tries to work out the details of the divorce with Wendy's lawyers, Trish hunts down Simpson and she finds him with old special ops buddies of his. The next morning, Kilgrave and Jessica Jones have breakfast out back when the nosy neighbor, Mrs. De Luca comes over and tells stories about Jones's family. When Kilgrave compels De Luca to tell the truth about a statement she made, Jones uses the moment as a test that allows Kilgrave to illustrate compassion. After Jones accuses Kilgrave of raping her, Kilgrave reveals his past and how difficult it has been for him to understand the difference between his will and other people's desires. Jones takes Kilgrave on a mission to use his powers for a positive result and with that successful, Jones has to choose how to proceed with Kilgrave.

"AKA WWJD?" is so good because it completely turns the expectations viewers might have about Kilgrave on their side and makes him into a truly complicated character worth watching. Kilgrave's backstory is finally laid out and understanding that he received his power as a child makes his character suddenly make a rich amount of sense. Kilgrave never developed an adult sense of rationality, so he essentially thinks like a ten year old and when he told people what he wanted from them, he got it, so his moral development was severely stunted. Kilgrave exposes Jessica Jones to an entirely different viewpoint on him and she discovers that they actually have common elements in their backstories. Kilgrave and Jones were both given superhuman abilities without their consent or understanding and when Jones starts to understand that, "AKA WWJD?" and Jessica Jones turns in a completely different direction.

Jessica Jones is an intriguing protagonist and "AKA WWJD?" because its end is not where it goes. "AKA Sin Bin," which follows, has Jones doing a truly reprehensible thing and the series takes a dive for it. But in "AKA WWJD?" why Jones makes her ultimate choice after getting advice from Trish is not yet clear. Instead, in "AKA WWJD?," Jones harnesses Kilgrave's powers for a good purpose. Jones and Kilgrave make an exceptional team in "AKA WWJD?" and there is something horrific about the truth of Kilgrave telling Jones that he cannot be a hero without her.

"AKA WWJD?" is all about the power of consequences and choices and part of what makes the episode truly great is that Jessica Jones is not a saint. Trish, who was abused as a child, has built up a fortress and has a somewhat forgiving nature - as previously seen with Simpson. Trish is protective of Jessica and she has a good heart, despite her backstory. Jessica is not Trish and the beauty of "AKA WWJD?" is that like Kilgrave, Jessica tries to do the right thing, but she does not succeed. She makes her ultimate decision in the episode based on her pain and loss and her horror of what Kilgrave did in her past. Jones is hampered by her own fears and the inability to move beyond the pain he caused. Jones makes a deeply human choice and it is sad to watch, but perfectly understandable.

Jones's decision in "AKA WWJD?" in no way undermines the episode. In part, that is because the acting is absolutely amazing. Both Krysten Ritter and David Tennant give career high performances as Kilgrave and Jessica Jones in "AKA WWJD?" Ritter delivers a powerful anti-rape statement without it sounding like a P.S.A. And David Tennant . . . wow. Just wow. His performance has to be seen to believed; he is so varied in his performance that he redefines the range of his acting in this one episode. Tennant makes the villain who viewers have spent the prior seven episodes believing is an absolute monster a character one can empathize with. He completely sells lines about how Kilgrave simply does not know the difference between right and wrong!

Director Simon Cellan Jones should have gotten a second take from Robert Verlaque when he blinked as Kilgrave was telling Laurent and Alva they could not blink, but that briefest moment cannot rob the episode of its greatness or its perfect rating. Instead, "AKA WWJD?" is a solid hour of television that makes bold statements, pushes the characters forward and allows the actors to completely explode their potential while playing out a plot that has an incredible potential to go in any possible direction!

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Jessica Jones - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other strong character-centered works, please visit my reviews of:
"Duet" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"4,722 Hours" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Father's Day" - Doctor Who

10/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Utterly Without Investment Potential: Why The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Flops!

The Good: Cinematography?
The Bad: Characters, Acting, Plot, Much of the direction
The Basics: The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials continues in an absolutely unimpressive way as Thomas and his Maze survivors struggle to survive in the post-Flare world.


I was over the whole "teen lit being made into blockbuster films" well before I saw The Maze Runner (reviewed here!). I'm decades past teen lit being my target demographic and while some adults have been wowed by the books or films they are based on, the skeptic in me is just not sold by the thinly-drawn characters, the senseless dystopias and the films that seem to highlight inexperienced talent in front of and behind the camera. So, I went into The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials with no particular enthusiasm for it. In fact, all I honestly remembered about The Maze Runner was split between excitement to see more of Patricia Clarkson in the sequel and thinking that actress Kaya Scodelario had had less screen presence than Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga (reviewed here!).

Sadly, The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials lived down to my lack of anticipation for it. After half an hour of waiting for anything truly significant to happen, the film transitions into a second-rate rebellion film with so little investment in the characters that I'm not sure the director bothered to have all the characters say their names this time around. Outside Thomas, Teresa, Aris, Dr. Paige, and Janson, most of the character's names slipped from my mind long before the characters left the screen. That is because much of the movie is teenage boys running around sweaty from people who are essentially zombies and none develop enough to actually truly give a damn about them.

After a flashback of being saved as a child by WCKD and Dr. Paige, Thomas finds himself in the present being brought to a facility, having been rescued from the Maze. At the facility, the young men and Teresa from the Maze meet Janson. Janson tells the youths that they have been rescued from WCKD and are safe at the waystation, where they will stay until they can be relocated to a safe location. Thomas's group is there with many other young people who were in other Mazes and the one who has been there the longest, Aris, quickly realizes that Thomas is suspicious of the facility as well. Aris shows Thomas a secret room in the facility and after Thomas steals a badge from a guard, he and Aris are able to gain entry. They discover that this group is engineering some of the creatures used in the Maze and is harvesting something from the young people brought there. When Janson enters, they see him in communication with Dr. Paige and realize that they are just in a different WCKD facility.

After rescuing Teresa, the young men flee the facility and end up nearby in an abandoned mall where they get enough supplies to survive before they are attacked by Cranks (the infected humans who did not survive the effects of the solar flares). After losing one of their own to an infection, the group discovers a small band of survivors and they work to be put in touch with the Resistance. But WCKD is not through with them and they begin a relentless hunt for the young people and the Right Arm and Thomas's group discovers there is a traitor in their midst.

And after two hours, I still didn't care.

Director Wes Ball does not let the shots linger on the Cranks long enough to truly appreciate what is happening with them and just how dangerous they are. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials oscillates between long, boring stretches where people we don't care about try to piece together the world they are just now encountering and meeting people who have lived in it and deliver lots of exposition to them and fast, senseless chases with people running in places they have never been and somehow getting to exactly where they need to go. The world of The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is faux-exciting; it is not overly exciting, but things move fast enough (when they do) so viewers forget for a few moments how little they care about the people being chased or the conceits of the world they are in.

Thomas is not a particularly interesting character and he is overshadowed the moment Jorge and then Vince appear on screen. In fact, after Jorge pops up, Thomas could be killed and the story might have progressed in a more interesting way. The Right Arm resists WCKD and for someone who has been betrayed rather recently - multiple times - Thomas leaps right in to trusting them.

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials lacks performers with real screen presence used well. Wes Ball, sadly, needs to learn that you can't just throw Patricia Clarkson and Giancarlo Esposito on screen with lousy material and expect them to make it better. Amid a number of amateurs, Esposito and Clarkson stand out, but they seem out of place beside the cast that appears more lost than engaged. There is a large chunk of the film where Kaya Scodelario does not have lines, but is seen behind the guys mouthing things. I'm still not sure why directors of young women seem to give the universal note "never let the audience see you with your mouth fully closed."

The wasteland of The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is mirrored by a lack of a compelling story, a dull series of characters and actors who are either unprofessional or unable to deliver their usual caliber of performance in the material they are given.

For other works with Aiden Gillen, please check out my reviews of:
Game Of Thrones - Season Four
Game Of Thrones - Season Three
Game Of Thrones - Season Two
Game Of Thrones - Season One
The Dark Knight Rises

2/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Explosive Jessica Jones Twist Comes In "AKA Top Shelf Perverts!"

The Good: Great character development, Wonderful acting, Awesome plot development, Good reversals.
The Bad: Moments that lack clarity/minutia, Works better in context than on its own
The Basics: "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" rockets Jessica Jones in a new direction and moves the series close to its perfect peak!


One of the aspects of the first season of Jessica Jones that I quickly came to love was the idea that the protagonist, while possessing incredible powers of strength and resiliency (and the ability to fall in a guided way which others might call flying), is essentially human. The first season of Jessica Jones is largely a game of cat and mouse between the private investigator Jessica Jones and her former abuser, the mind-controlling Kilgrave. What I came to like quickly about Jessica Jones's humanity was that it led her to be wrong an awful number of times throughout the season, especially in the early hunt for Kilgrave.

Kilgrave is a man in control and a man who has planned for a number of contingencies as far as his interactions with Jessica Jones are concerned. When the show focused on Kilgrave, it went into interesting and compelling places, not just dark or dreary ones. Indeed, in the episode that diverges from Jessica's hunt for Kilgrave to resolve the ticking time bomb of Jones's backstory with Luke Cage, "AKA You're A Winner!" (reviewed here!), arguably the most watchable aspect was Kilgrave getting money and then going through the effort of buying a house completely legitimately. There's a "what the hell is he up to?!" quality to Kilgrave being very frustrated by his inability to use his pusher powers when convincing the owner of the house he wants to sell it to him for twice the market value. "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" picks up the Kilgrave thread in a powerful way and leaps the main plot forward in a pretty significant jump.

It also continues the trend of illustrating just how horribly wrong Jessica Jones can be in her methods of trying to find and entrap Kilgrave. And just how far ahead Kilgrave is of her in his thinking!

Opening with Kilgrave going through the Alias Investigations offices, Ruben arrives to bring Jessica Jones banana bread. Jones, at the same time, is out drunk, waiting for Wendy to get off her shift at the clinic. Jones tries to get Wendy to sign the divorce papers while on the subway platform, accidentally going too far with threatening Jeri's soon-to-be-ex-wife. Returning home, Malcolm and Jessica Jones discover Ruben's body on her bed, his neck slashed by his own hand. Frustrated by how far ahead Kilgrave is in his machinations, Jessica Jones vows to end Kilgrave and his influence.

Jones hatches a plan to get put in Supermax Prison, believing that such a controlled environment will entrap Kilgrave and get the irrefutable evidence of Kilgrave's powers on seven layers of security. With hours before Detective Clemons comes on duty, Jessica Jones uses the day to tie up all the loose ends she can. While Jessica pursues her plan, Trish and Simpson hatch their own plan. Walker has managed to find Kilgrave's new security firm while Jones approaches Hogarth about helping her get locked up in Supermax. While Malcolm tries to dispose of Ruben's body, Jessica says goodbye to all she knows and then has to recover the body to bait her trap. But Jones's attempt to get incarcerated is thwarted by Kilgrave's own plans and the revelation of his goals in returning to Jessica Jones's life!

"AKA Top Shelf Perverts" has moments of incredible depth on all fronts. David Tennant's performance might be impressive all the way through, but director Simon Cellan Jones captures a look from Tenant at the very end of the first scene that cannot possibly be appreciated for its magnitude and depth on the first viewing. The twist of Kilgrave's character that comes in the final act is only able to land because of Tennant's incredible performance abilities. Tennant is given the chance to illustrate more range in "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" than he was in the entirety of his stint on Doctor Who!

Jessica Jones begins "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" totally lost. Rejected by Luke Cage after she told him the truth of her part in his wife's death, she is struggling to meet any of her obligations or find any sense of normalcy. Jones is out of control and even half in the bag, she recognizes that hurting Wendy was an unintended consequence of her attempt to tie up the loose end of paying off the favor she owes Jeri. After Ruben's death, she becomes incredibly focused and the whole "what would you do if you only had one day left" concept plays out well for Jessica's character through the episode.

While Jessica builds her own plan, Trish and Will debate over the methods of dealing with Kilgrave. Simpson takes a very hardline stance that Kilgrave needs to be executed, while Trish argues that killing is what separates heroes and villains. Walker wants Kilgrave alive so he can be used to exonerate Jones and Hope Shlottman. Between her backstory getting fleshed out by Jones's visit to Walker's mother and the hardline devotion she has to proving Jones right and safe, Trish's character gets quite a bit deeper throughout "AKA Top Shelf Perverts."

There is something delightful about watching the melodrama between Wendy, Pam and Jeri unfold. "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" has another confrontation between the three and Wendy is a powerful woman in Jessica Jones. Hurt and being replaced by the younger, blonder model, Wendy reacts with strength and a sense of control that is not realistic for her situation. It does, however, make for an impressive character!

In fact, in considering "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" there were only two things that did not work as well as the rest of the incredibly well-constructed and well-presented episode. The first is a moment of performance by actress Colby Minifie. When Robyn calls Jessica Jones a "sexual predator" to Malcolm, Minifie is smiling in her eyes. For those watching and able to catch such cues, it's a very minor glitch in the episode. Somewhat more serious is how Wil Traval presents the character of Will Simpson. Simpson finds Kilgrave's house in the suburbs and when Trish calls, his responses are not clear. Traval plays the moment like Simpson is under Kilgrave's control, which is not the case.

"AKA Top Shelf Perverts" marks the return of Detective Clemons to the narrative and actor Clarke Peters and Krysten Ritter play off one another exceptionally well. Eka Darville illustrates his performance depth in "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" by contrast to his prior performances. In "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" Darville presents Malcolm with a clarity and devotion that makes him interesting to watch. Darville has real range and it is in this episode where he truly shows his chops.

This episode also marks the on-screen appearance of Trish's mother and the horrible nature of the character provides a scene almost as unsettling as the graphic appearance of Ruben's corpse. Anyone who was raised by narcissists is likely to be able to relate and be appropriately horrified by Dorothy Walker.

"AKA Top Shelf Perverts" is so close to perfection that it is virtually impossible to see it for what it is. The episode is so truly great because the revelation by Kilgrave is so unexpected that it shocks the audience and turns the entire series on its head. But as a self-contained episode, "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" has little moments that absolutely rely upon the larger narrative to make sense or have impact. Given that only one other episode in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before this ever hit this high water mark, it's hard to complain at all. "AKA Top Shelf Perverts" absolutely knocks Jessica Jones out of the park of obscurity and into something truly vital.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Jessica Jones - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Robin Weigert, please visit my reviews of:
Concussion
Synecdoche, New York
Lost - Season 3

9.5/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Awesome, But Not Indispensible, The 2015 Potted Groot Ornament Is Still Awesome!

The Good: Great sculpt, Collectibility, Awesome sound clip
The Bad: Frontheavy, Light on coloring details
The Basics: The first of the Guardians Of The Galaxy ornaments, the Potted Groot is adorable, but not as awesome as one might hope.


When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, arguably the biggest surprise for the merchandisers had to be the success of Guardians Of The Galaxy. A relatively obscure corner of the Marvel Universe, Guardians Of The Galaxy became a blockbuster and most merchandisers had to play catch-up given they did not plan for characters like Groot and Rocket to become coveted by collectors. Hallmark was one such company caught off guard and in the October ornament release, they caught up with the Potted Groot ornament.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, “Potted Groot” is a holiday ornament that features the dancing, twig reincarnation of Groot from the post-credit scene of Guardians Of The Galaxy (reviewed here!). In the post-credit scene, the potted Groot begins rocking out to the Jackson 5 song "I Want You Back" whenever Drax the Destroyer is not looking in his direction. The Potted Groot ornament is made entirely of plastic and is an amazing sculpt, even if the coloring is nowhere near as vibrant as in the promotional materials or the digital reference.

Basics

“Potted Groot” recreates Groot in his Potted form from Guardians Of The Galaxy as he stretches out in a dance pose. The ornament, released in 2015, is a pretty remarkable ornament that is perfect in the detailing, but not its coloring. Potted Groot in this incarnation looks just like the CG version of Potted Groot with the Potted Groot with impressive detailing for the arms, soil and pot, but not the coloring. Measuring four inches tall, two and a half inches wide and two inches deep, this “Potted Groot” seems to be selling exceptionally well, at least at the Hallmark stores I've visited, at the original issue price of $17.95.

The Hallmark “Potted Groot” ornament is made of a durable plastic, which is impressive for the thin arms of the tree alien. He is cast in a simple brown, gray and off-white plastic. The proportions are all wonderful and this Potted Groot sculpt looks like it may have come from a digital model of the character, save on the coloriong front. The “Potted Groot” ornament has no visible seams and the rocks he is rooted in look neat and accurate.

Unfortunately, while the Potted Groot has glossy black eyes and that looks accurate. The pot, soil and brown of groot are all matte finish. The green for the vines and leaves on Potted Groot are not dark, rich or contrasting enough to pop against the brown of Groot's bark skin. Groot's smile is a good sculpted detail that is not matched by any depth of coloring detailing.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, “Potted Groot” could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but it only has a sound clip. Pressing a very noticeable white button in the soil begins playing a thirty second clip of the Jackson 5 song from a speaker embedded in the soil. The sound clip is loud and powered by two watch batteries that are included. The sound clip is an awesome touch that enhances the value of this ornament and is very cool.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake “Potted Groot” ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate superhero Christmas Tree, the “Potted Groot” ornament is very much a "luxury" ornament given how obscure the Guardians Of The Galaxy are to most geeks. That said, it's still pretty neat.

The ornament has a steel hook loop that comes out of the top center of Potted Groot’s head. Unfortunately, from that position, Potted Groot hangs with a noticeable and heavy front biased. This is a frontheavy ornament that looks like Groot is in a pot that is tipping forward.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have delved into virtually every other collectible franchise in an attempt to cash in on every major license. The Potted Groot series is part of the Marvel Comics ornament collection that has been growing since the buyout of Marvel by Disney. Hallmark seems happy to produce both DC and Marvel Comics-related ornaments and currently fans seem to be responding exceptionally well to the “Potted Groot” ornament. Given how popular the character is it is likely that this ornament will hold its value and probably appreciate in value.

Overview

Despite the frontheavy nature of the ornament and its coloring issues, the Potted Groot ornament is worth the fans tracking down and picking up!

For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2015 Iron Man The Avengers: Age Of Ultron
2015 The Hulk Vs. Ultron The Avengers: Age Of Ultron
2014 War Machine Iron Man 3 ornament
2014 Hulk Smash! ornament
2014 Captain America from Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014 Web-Slinging Wonder The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2013 Iron Patriot Iron Man 3 ornament
2012 Captain America The Avengers ornament
2012 Iron Man The Avengers ornament
2012 Thor The Avengers ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament

6.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Divergence Into Inevitable: Jessica Jones Treads Down With "AKA You're A Winner!"

The Good: Important character development, Decent performances
The Bad: Predictable plot, Oppressive tone
The Basics: Jessica Jones is hired by Luke Cage on a case that makes for an inevitable showdown in "AKA You're A Winner!"


To the credit of the writers and producers of Jessica Jones, it honestly seems like they worked together well to construct a very solid concept for the season. Unfortunately, it seems like that concept was about three episodes less than the commitment the executives had to Netflix and the creative team had to stretch it out by a couple episodes. I write that, not from any sort of industry knowledge, but because the flow of the the main plotline gets broken up a couple of times and then stretched in an almost painful way as the plot lumbers toward its ultimate resolution in "AKA Smile" (reviewed here!). The second significant divergence away from the main plotline in the first season of Jessica Jones is the episode "AKA You're A Winner!" To be fair, "AKA You're A Winner!" is something of a necessary evil episode and it comes at a decent time for a lull in the main plotline.

For several episodes in Jessica Jones, viewers have known that Jessica Jones is initially surveilling Luke Cage because she killed his wife while under Kilgrave's influence. Luke surmised that Jones could not get over the "dead wife" factor and let Jessica tank their budding relationship. Jessica, viewers knew, tanked the relationship because she felt unable to tell Luke Cage the truth of her part in his wife's death. That withheld truth has been a time bomb for the series and "AKA You're A Winner!" is when the producers chose to set off that bomb. Forming an episode around the revelation of the truth is a good idea, but it is almost a tangent to the main thrust of the plot (i.e. filling in another character on a backstory, as opposed to plunging forward in the main plot of finding and capturing Kilgrave). "AKA You're A Winner!" is made possible by the natural lull formed by the events in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" (reviewed here!). While Malcolm dries out and Kilgrave lays low following the botched attempt to capture him, there is a void that needs filling and the return of Luke Cage does that nicely.

The story picks up with Kilgrave playing poker in a high stakes back room game where he wins more than a million dollars with a seven and a two before he walks out. Jessica Jones and Malcolm sit around the Alias Investigations office trying to pool information on Kilgrave when Luke Cage arrives with a case for Jones. Cage is looking for Antoine, who is the brother of Serena, Luke's client. Antoine is in debt to a loan shark and has gone missing; Serena wants help in finding Antoine and getting him back safely. Jones takes the case, but Hogarth calls and informs Jones that Hope Shlottman was attacked in prison. Before Jones can move on Cage's case, she learns that Shlottman was attacked by another inmate - Sissy Garcia - who tells Jones that Hope hired her to beat her up. Jones learns that Shlottman is pregnant with Kilgrave's spawn before heading to deal with the Greer case.

After confronting the loan sharks outside Antoine's apartment, Luke Cage brings Jones back to her offices. There, Cage is confronted by Malcolm who tells the unbreakable man about Kilgrave and his powers. Outted to Luke, Jessica Jones falls back into bed with him. Jones entraps the man using Antoine's phone with a phony contest and tracks him back to a grow house where Antoine is holed up. But returning Antoine to his sister means that Luke will get information on the death of his wife and Jones does not want to risk that. Trying to control the situation puts Jones into an impossible predicament where she must balance the value of her secret against an innocent man's life!

"AKA You're A Winner!" has a decent pro-choice message and the episode eliminates all doubt over just what Kilgrave did to Hope. Shlottman gets beaten up by Sissy in order to try to kill the fetus because the prison doctor will take two months to get to her. The argument made in "AKA You're A Winner!" is an important one and one not discussed nearly enough in America's continuing debate over abortion and abortion rights. Hope Shlottman very articulately defines how feeling the fetus growing within her is a continued violation and it is one of the season's most universally poignant and powerful moments to hear Shlottman talk about the feeling of being continually raped.

The heady topics of rape and abortion are broken up with witty dialogue from Pam, he Catholic lesbian. But the episode treads more toward the serious and darkly real; Jones gets realistically upset at Malcolm for telling her past to Cage and before the episode degenerates into gunfights and an inevitable conflict, "AKA You're A Winner!" is almost oppressive for its tone and themes.

Despite his comparatively limited appearance in "AKA You're A Winner!," David Tennant blows away every scene he is in. Kilgrave has recovered from the attempted abduction and is seen shopping online for houses and playing poker. Between getting angry at the noise at the cafe he is at and his forced geniality when dealing with the owner of the house he wants, Tennant shows impressive range as Kilgrave in "AKA You're A Winner!"

On the character front, Jessica Jones finally comes clean to Luke Cage, but it is more out of plot necessity than any sense of genuine character development. Perhaps more important are the lengths Cage was ready to go to for his dead wife and Hogarth's pragmatism in creating a side project from the Shlottman case. Luke comes close to a monstrous act out of his sense of grief and Hogarth simply becomes quietly monstrous in a way that was only previously alluded to.

Antoine Greer is very much a subplot case, but it occupies most of "AKA You're A Winner!" Marvel afficianados with more knowledge than me might be hopeful that "Greer" indicates a future appearance of Tigra into the Marvel Cinematic/Television universe. If the producers are considering such, the District Attorney in "AKA Smile" played by Michelle Hurd seems like she would be ideal to cast for Tigra. Her face looks just like Tigra did in the She-Hulk> book I read that had the character! There is no hint of superhuman abilities in the pothead Greer in "AKA You're A Winner!"

Ultimately, "AKA You're A Winner!" is an incredibly average story, presented in an ultimately average way. It is not a horrible episode of Jessica Jones, but it feels very much like filler as opposed to a vital, essential, episode of the series.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Jessica Jones - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Susie Abromeit, please visit my reviews of:
Battle Los Angeles
Sex Drive

5/10

For other film and television reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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She Might Be Iconic, But The 2015 Celebration Barbie Ornament Isn't One Of Hallmark's Winners!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Neat sparkles, Good balance
The Bad: Very obvious seams, Seems expensive, Lack of detailing, Poor fabric elements.
The Basics: The 2015 Celebration Barbie Hallmark ornament does not hold up against its variant!


Every year when I set to reviewing Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, I find myself debating whether or not to review prime ornaments and their variants. Usually, I only review the prime ornament, especially if the ornament is essentially identical to its variant. In the case of Barbie ornaments, I seldom review both the caucasian and black variants of the ornaments. In the case of the 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament, I found it was worthwhile to review both. After all, the classic, caucasian, Celebration Barbie ornament this year seems to be substantively less-than its black counterpart (reviewed here!).

Somehow, the black Celebration Barbie ornament manages to hide its assembled quality better than its blonde counterpart and the differences make all the difference. The 2015 blonde Celebration Barbie ornament is distinctly inferior compared to its black variant.

Basics

The 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament recreates this year's limited edition caucasian Celebration Barbie doll in ornament form, which allows collectors to get a more affordable version of the popular doll in ornament form. The ornament was released with an original issue price of $17.95, which is on par with other ornaments in the Barbie line, at least from the prior years when Hallmark had the license to produce Barbie holiday ornaments. The 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament is 4 1/2" tall by 3" wide by 2 3/4" deep.

The 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament has a silver dress with a dark red bustier and the cloth element is a weird mesh that descends flatly from Barbie's waist. The mesh is very thin and much of the silver of the skirt is visible through the cloth element. Barbie's hair cascades over her shoulders and the hair leaves Barbie's ear exposed. On the ornament's ear is a tiny piece of glitter, which embodies an in-scale earring. Barbie's red lips stand out in a gaudy way, contrasting her pale skin with the bright red. The Celebration Barbie ornament does not have fingernails, either sculpted into the hands or painted on. The glitter on the Celebration Barbie's bustier is obvious, but does not pop the way it does against the black Celebration Barbie's skin tones. The arms, hair and other parts have deep seams, which make it look like the 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament was assembled . . . and not with pieces that entirely fit!

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the Celebration Barbie ornament could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but it does not. This is just the ornament, with its off fabric elements accenting it. I've long thought that it was disappointing that the Celebration Barbie ornaments do not have any articulation to her limbs. With rebooting the line, fans are given consistency and fidelity to the past Barbie ornaments, rather than improvements with the new additions.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake 2015 Celebration Barbie ornament is that the ornaments will be hung on a Christmas Tree. For those creating the ultimate Barbie Christmas Tree, the Celebration Barbie ornaments become necessary for the die-hard collectors. Barbie has a steel hook loop at the top, back, of her head and from there she hangs fairly level!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have branched out into every major franchise from Barbie to Gone With The Wind to The Hunger Games. The Celebration Barbie ornament was released at the October Ornament Release Weekend and it has sold out at several of the Hallmark stores I've been to. Despite my thoughts on the ornament, given that this is the first year Hallmark is once again producing the Celebration Barbie ornaments, one suspects that Hallmark will sell most of them and the rest will be bought up by dealers banking on them as an investment. Whether that pans out seems like it would depend upon how subsequent years manage to keep the enthusiasm for Barbie at Hallmark. That makes this ornament an investment crapshoot and it seems like it would be produced in great enough quantity to meet demand and thus could be unlikely to gain value fast.

Overview

The 2015 Barbie Celebration ornament looks simple and assembled, which undermines the return of the iconic doll in ornament form!

For other Barbie ornament reviews, please check out:
2015 Barbie Celebration Set (2013/2014 Celebration Barbie)
2012 Barbie Provencale
2012 Brava, Ballerina! Barbie
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Black)
2012 Holiday Celebration Barbie (Caucasian)
2012 Matinee Fashion Barbie - Final In The Series!
2012 Tweed Indeed Barbie
2011 Celebration Barbie (Black)
2011 Campus Sweetheart Barbie
2011 Prima Ballerina Barbie ornament
1996 Enchanted Evening Barbie ornament
1995 Barbie Debut (Brunette) - Club Exclusive
1994 Barbie Debut ornament

4/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The First Knock-Out Jessica Jones: "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me"

The Good: Good character development, Decent performances, Wonderful plot development, Awesome reversals
The Bad: Minutia, A tad front-heavy
The Basics: Incredibly well constructed, "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" connects an incredible number of dots in the story of Jessica Jones!


As much as I enjoyed the first season of Jessica Jones, when it came time for me to review the whole of the first season, I found myself very much conflicted. In the last few episodes of the season, the show takes a left turn and while that turn humanizes the superhuman protagonist of the show, it also forces the first season on a beeline into the most conventional plot progression one could imagine for a super hero-based television show. And, as much as I might want to blame the late-season turn into the mundane for the problems in the first season of Jessica Jones, the truth is, the show had some erratic plotting long before the key turning point. After three episodes of rising action focused on a seemingly inevitable confrontation between protagonist Jessica Jones and her adversary, the mind-controlling Kilgrave, the show took a significant detour for "AKA 99 Friends" (reviewed here!). "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" recovers the footing lost by "AKA 99 Friends" and rockets the story ahead, once again forcing viewers to wonder, up until the last moments of the episode, just how the season could be maintained following the events of the episode.

The truth is "AKA 99 Friends" was not a complete stumble; it built character and the meandering plot comes into sharp focus in the episode's final minute for a big character reversal that leaves viewers shocked. Unfortunately, it is absolutely impossible to discuss "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" without referencing where "AKA 99 Friends" finished as that key reversal defines the new direction Jessica Jones takes in her hunt for Kilgrave. In "AKA 99 Friends," Jones discovers who has been performing surveillance upon her for Kilgrave and her theory that the heroin-addicted Malcolm has been under Kilgrave's control for quite some time is immediately confirmed by Jessica Jones in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me."

Using that information, Jessica Jones and her sister Trish Walker and the former special ops soldier, now police officer, Will Simpson rocket the plot of Jessica Jones forward in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me." "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" is a packed episode and it is the first real knockout episode of Jessica Jones.

Opening 18 months ago with Jessica Jones slacking off at her crappy job when her boss confronts her on it, she extorts him for six months severance pay. She and Trish go out and have a drink and it is a fun time for both, despite a drunken idiot at the bar recognizing Trish from her days as a child star. Flashing back to the present, Jessica and Trish find records of what Malcolm was like before he became a heroin addict and she tracks him to a meeting with Kilgrave where Malcolm delivers him photographs in exchange for drugs. Tracking him a second day, Jessica Jones arrives at Trish's apartment where she finds Simpson there.

Jessica Jones is advised by Trish to enlist Simpson and his skills in her effort to capture Kilgrave in order to exonerate Hope Shlottman. Simpson shows Jones an isolated facility he has access to that has a hermetically sealed room where they believe they can store Kilgrave after sedating him. Jessica begrudgingly agrees to wait until Monday so Simpson has time to build in some safeguards against Kilgrave. Simpson expresses curiosity and reservations about working with Jones, but Trish mollifies him. Jones visits Shlottman in jail, where the prisoner begs for money, which Jones provides to the increasingly distraught Hope. After all of the preparation is done, Jones, Simpson and Walker execute their plan to capture Kilgrave, with unintended consequences.

Through the flashbacks peppered throughout "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" the episode reinforces both Jessica Jones's integrity and her motivation at this point in the season. Simpson argues for killing Kilgrave, but Jones knows it is essential to keep him alive in order to exonerate Hope Shlottman. Jones exhibits kindness to both Hope and Malcolm and the show expertly develops the character as Jones transitions from an overqualified slacker to a professional working on a team for a common purpose. Jessica Jones is once again revealed to be exceptionally clever and the moment Jones and Kilgrave make contact in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" is electric and tense!

"AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" does a decent job of illustrating just how clever and manipulative Kilgrave is. He got control of Malcolm six months ago and the way he manipulates Malcolm is heartbreaking. Malcolm, we learn in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me," was once a promising student who wanted to become a social worker. Trish helps Jessica Jones put together the extent of the manipulation when they observe that Malcolm has left like clockwork every morning at quarter to ten since Jessica first started noticing him. The concept of Malcolm in Jessica Jones is a clever one as social commentary, as well as fitting the plot and characters of the specific show wonderfully. The idea of drug addicts as invisible in society, so much so that they could be used for surveillance for months is a clever one and "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" illustrates horrifyingly well how Malcolm is kept in place by his addition and the mind control.

Kilgrave is also proven to be an exceptional tactical thinker in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me." As the rising action of the episode occurs and Jones, Simpson, and Walker execute the plan to capture Kilgrave, the safeguards he has in place are incredible and illustrate his understanding of the dangers of taunting Jessica Jones. Kilgrave has spent the early part of the season taunting Jones and after coming face to face with her at the climax of "AKA It's Called Whiskey" (reviewed here!), it's clear Kilgrave understood the potential consequences of trying to unsettle Jones. Using intermediaries to set the location of the meet each time is a clever precaution for Kilgrave.

"AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" either misses an opportunity to connect to Daredevil or it makes a statement on how Hell's Kitchen has changed since Daredevil when Malcolm's drugs are shown. Madame Gao's drugs in Daredevil had a distinctive stamp and the drugs Kilgrave provides lack that stamp. It could have been a clever tie-in, but the show avoids making that connection, which is a little disappointing. There are other Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins, from the overt child in a Captain America costume to the references to the patient zero that required the CDC in New York to set up the hermetically-sealed room.

Director Stephen Surjik gets so much right in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" that it is surprising to an alarming degree when he doesn't. The most poignant example is when Jones tracks Malcolm to the news kiosk, Kilgrave looks directly at the camera/Jones and it is inconceivable that he does not see her/Surjik left the shot in the episode. The episode is constructed well with the time needed to get the ex-fil room set up spent with flashbacks and a weird scene between Jones and her upstairs neighbor Ruben, so Surjik gets a lot more right than the one awkward shot.

All of the performers in "AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" play their parts brilliantly. Taylor, especially, erupts over the course of the episode as an actress with an amazing ability to emote using only her eyes and the tiniest movement of her lips. Rachael Taylor makes Trish seem entirely vital and gives her enough screen presence through her subtle moments of performance to make a Hellcat spin-off seem entirely viable (hint, hint, Netflix!). Wil Traval continues to build the presence of Simpson through the course of the episode.

"AKA The Sandwich Saved Me" is packed with clever lines, good character development and wonderful performances, putting Jessica Jones right back on track to energize its audience!

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Jessica Jones - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Rachael Taylor, please visit my reviews of:
The Darkest Hour
Transformers

9/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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