Jessica Jones season 3, episode 11 review: A.K.A Hellcat

Trish wasn’t born to be a sidekick, and now she makes for a terrifying vigilante. In episode 11 of Jessica Jones, Hellcat metes out her own brand of justice.

At the end of the previous episode of Jessica Jones, Erik Gelden was on the lookout, while Trish Walker “grilled” one of his marks. The interrogation went sour with Erik witnessing Trish beat the man nearly to death. Viewers were left wondering how these two teamed up and what Trish’s intent was.

Episode 11 flips the script and gives viewers Trish’s point of view of the events leading up to this attack. Trish has been struggling with the murder of her mother and the fact that Hogarth continues to shield Salinger, the man behind Dorothy’s murder. On top of that, Trish’s innate need to do good and be a hero clouds her judgement. As Hellcat is unleashed, one can’t help but wonder if for every bad guy she takes down, Trish Walker is taking their place.

It’s Patsy!

One could argue the show has been trying too hard to redeem Dorothy Walker. It’s understandable that Trish and Jessica are both grieving for their mother; that is a very natural reaction for both of them irrespective of how abusive and controlling Dorothy was. But it almost seems like the writers have forgotten just how awful Dorothy was as a person (and continued to be up until her death), especially when it came to her treatment of Trish’s personal autonomy. Dorothy never tried to understand what her daughter(s) wanted, she only ever thought about herself. Molding Trish’s characterization around her mother is a disservice to her character.

In this episode, we see how Trish got her iconic role as Patsy, and it, yet again, doesn’t cast Dorothy in the best light. Being ambitious is one thing, and Dorothy was a smart enough single mother to apply all the best tactics to ensure her daughter’s future success. But she constantly throws Trish into the deep end without any emotional support; even little Trish feels like she has to give it her all because she “owes” Dorothy. It’s really worrying that Trish now uses Dorothy’s abusive lessons as fuel for her vigilante acts. Trish is much better than that, and the showrunners shouldn’t diminish Trish’s motivations to match her mother’s ambitions.

Trish and Erik Team Up

Erik has been an intriguing addition to the cast in this season. He’s little more than a plot device, a handy tool that Jessica and, in this episode Trish, can use to make sure they’re on the right track. Erik is much more than his comic book counterpart, though he remains a blank slate on to which Trish and Jessica’s needs are constantly imprinted. In “A.K.A Hellcat,” he helps Trish because Erik feels somewhat responsible for Dorothy’s death. Of course, their team-up just makes matters worse, and gets Jessica into even more trouble.

As we see in this episode, a lot of what’s been going on behind Jessica’s back has been down to Erik and Trish – they’re both ill-experienced for this kind of work, but they find mutual ground in their desire to take down bad guys. Erik is exactly the catalyst Trish needs and, because of his powers, he unwitting fuels her actions further and further. Trish has already crossed the line, so how far does she need to go before Erik starts getting headaches around her?

Hellcat is on the Prowl

Trish’s arc as Hellcat in this season of Jessica Jones has been quite resonant. Who amongst us doesn’t want to be a hero to make this world a better place? Trish is driven by this need and, now that she has the power to back up her desire, Trish has gone full speed ahead. The trouble is people like Salinger continue to be obstacles in her way – because of him, Trish’s mother is now dead, and Jessica is once again under surveillance. So Trish’s heroism keeps becoming embroiled in her murky personal life. She hasn’t reached her full potential, but will she ever?

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This episode highlights Trish’s inexperience in the field. It’s not that Trish doesn’t know how to do research or to scope out a target. Trish’s problem is that she is governed by her emotions, and this leads to her becoming completely unhinged. Her need for justice is now intertwined with vengeance. Trish just doesn’t know it yet.

As a character, Trish has grown leaps and bounds, and Hellcat has admittedly overshadowed Jessica herself this season. The important thing to remember is that Trish is governed by altruism, though her methods do need a lot of practice. Trish has been responsible for a number of deaths but, so far, she has only killed truly evil people. Other shows have been content with allowing their “heroes” to kill innocents and get away with it (looking at you Arrow), but that is hopefully not where Trish’s arc is headed. That being said, is Trish already beyond redemption? How does being judge, jury and executioner fit with her morals?

Trish and Jessica’s relationship is the core foundation of show, it always has been. It has really come to the fore in this season, especially with them starting off at opposing sides. Not often do we see two sisters rally to each other in mainstream media, but these stories are becoming more frequent. Despite an overarching plot of evil bad guys trying to take these women down, the highlight of each episode is seeing how close Trish and Jessica are, and how much of a strength and weakness they are for each other. If Salinger is smart, he’ll use their bond to take them down but, given that this is the final season of Jessica Jones, this troubled, loving and compelling duo deserve a happy ending.