Jessica takes Luke to the Metro-General ER. They diagnose for blunt-force trauma to the head and find gunpowder, but Jessica can't give them the full story. The doctors try to give Luke an injection but the needle won't penetrate his skin. When the orderly can't make the injection, the doctor calls for a nurse who knows what they're doing. Claire Temple, having overheard the entire thing, comes over. She confirms that Luke's skin can't be penetrated, and the ER doctor tries to bore into Luke's skull to relieve the swelling. The drill fractures on his skin and the doctor realizes that Luke is "gifted."
As the doctor goes to get a consult with the head of staff, two policemen come in. Jessica closes the drapes and tells Claire that she has to get Luke out of there. Claire says that she has to report the incident, but Jessica insists that Luke is a good man and got used by a villain. She admits that she shot Luke in the head but the alternative was dying, and Claire warns that moving Luke could kill him. Jessica picks Luke up and Claire realizes that she has super-strength, and says that Luke and Jessica aren't the first gifted that she's met. She helps Jessica get Luke out in a wheelchair and gives her directions to her car, and tells Jessica too ice Luke's head to reduce the swelling. However, Claire doesn't know if that will save his life. She figures that Jessica is guilty about what happened, and Jessica insists that it isn't her fault and blames Claire.
As the two women go past the nurses' station, a nurse, Ellie, gets a call and calls to Jessica by name. Ellie insists that Jessica take the call, and Jessica sends Claire to her office with Luke. Once Claire leaves, Jessica takes the phone, figuring that it's Kilgrave. She realizes that Kilgrave is watching her on the CCTVs, and Kilgrave says that he should have known she'd save herself and shoot Luke. Jessica puts the phone on mute, switches to the headset, and looks for the security center, while Kilgrave insists that he's not evil. She gets to the security center and sees Kilgrave running on the monitors, When she goes out the door, a security guard yells her name and opens fire, and Jessica slams the door shut and runs down the stairwell with the guard in pursuit.
Jessica ducks into a patient's room and the guard goes by. Kilgrave gets on the loudspeaker and the hospital video, brings up a picture of Jessica, and commands everyone to kill her. Jessica realizes that Kilgrave can now command everyone in the hospital, and the elderly patient tries to get out of her bed despite her broken hip. As Jessica subdues her, a male nurse comes in and Jessica knocks him out. Disguised as a nurse, Jessica slips out past the staff and patients searching for her. They finally realize who she is and attack her, and one doctor cuts her with a scalpel as Jessica runs out.
At the office, Claire tries to reduce Luke's swelling with icepacks, and he has a seizure. Jessica arrives and Claire explains that she's going to have to go in via Luke's optic nerve and drain the cerebral spinal fluid to save his life. Claire tells Jessica to hold Luke's head still, and admits that she's never done the procedure before. She inserts the needle and drains the fluid, and says that all they can do is wait. As Jessica pours herself a drink, she gets Luke's phone. Claire notices Jessica's cut and insists on treating it. Jessica explains that since Luke was calling Kilgrave, she plans to check the numbers he called. The nurse offers to call in a gifted friend that she knows, but Jessica refuses to let anyone else get hurt going after Kilgrave.
The next morning at his borrowed penthouse, Kilgrave complains to Albert that he couldn't stop Jessica. He demands the entire serum, and Albert warns that there's a 40% chance it will boost Kilgrave's powers enough to control Jessica, and a 60% it will kill him. Kilgrave considers his options and then tells his father to give it to him. He figures that if he can control Jessica then he'll make her fall in love with him again and then reject her... over and over, to make her suffer. Kilgrave then tells his father to begin.
Jessica lies down next to the unconscious Luke and admits that he's the first one she ever pictured a future with. She promises that she won't be around to screw up his life, probably because she'll be dead. Claire calls that Luke's phone is recharged and Jessica kisses Luke and then leaves the room.
Albert injects Kilgrave in the neck with the serum while the mind-controlled penthouse owners, hedge fund broker Justin Boden and his spouse Frank Levin, watch helplessly. Kilgrave screams in agony as the purple serum spreads through his veins.
Jessica traces Luke's calls and discovers that one of them was to Justin's phone. She asks Claire to be there for Luke when he wakes up, and Claire reluctantly agrees. As Jessica leaves, she calls Trish and asks her to pick her up.
Trish picks up Jessica and drives to the penthouse, and Jessica warns that she might not come back. She asks her friend what she came over to say, and Trish says that she has a lead on IGH, the research group that funded Will's drug trials and may have been connected to how Jessica got her powers. Jessica thanks her and tells her to hold onto it. When Trish insists on going with her to confront Kilgrave, Jessica tells her wait until she calls her in as backup, and Trish agrees. They come up with something that Jessica would never say so she can text Trish and give her the all-clear, and Jessica says it will be "I love you."
Jessica enters the penthouse and finds Frank dead on the floor. He injected himself with bleach on Kilgrave's command, and Jessica continues on. Albert is in the kitchen, dead, his arms cut off with a hacksaw. Justin is trying to cram the arms down the garbage disposal, and Jessica punches him unconscious before he can kill himself. She locks Justin in the closet and finds a photo of Justin and Frank at the docks next to their boat, Goldfish. Albert has a photo of his family--and a young Kevin--in his shirt pocket. Jessica examines it briefly and puts it back, and Albert gasps for breath. He warns Jessica that Kilgrave is stronger and will make her kill herself, and then dies. Jessica texts Trish with their signal and the woman drives back to the penthouse.
Claire is on the phone telling her co-worker that she can't come in because of a personal emergency. Malcolm enters the office and wonders who Claire is. They introduce each other, and Malcolm recognizes Luke. Claire and Malcolm compare notes and realize that they both know gifted people, Malcolm talks about how he was trying to get a degree in social work and help people, and he doesn't want powers. He figures that's why Luke and Jessica are separate from other people, and each other. Claire insists that she's no one's sidekick, and Malcolm tells her to take a break while he watches Luke.
Jeri is working in her office when Jessica calls. She found the jar that contained Hope's unborn child, and Jeri admits that Kilgrave forced her to tell him where it was. Jeri insists that she's suffered enough with Pam up on murder charges and her partners forcing her out. Jessica tells the lawyer that Kilgrave used it to boost his powers, and tells Jeri to fight for her job because she's going to represent Justin. Before she hangs up, Jessica tells Jeri that doing something good help with the self-loathing. Trish warns Jessica that Kilgrave left the boat photo for her to find, and Jessica has already confirmed its location. Jessica figures that at least it will end, one way or another.
Jessica walks into Maritime Manhattan, wearing a hoodie, and Kilgrave steps out. The woman avoids looking him in the face and wears earphones blasting music. Kilgrave orders his mind-controlled policemen out and Jessica keeps coming. She finally stops and Kilgrave orders her to show him her face. The alarm goes off and "Jessica" removes the hoodie... to reveal that it's Trish. Kilgrave spots Jessica on the balcony above and orders his men to open fire. Trish runs for cover and an exasperated Kilgrave walks out.
As the men move up the stairs, Jessica leaps off the balcony and across the hall. She runs after Kilgrave, slamming the gate behind her and jamming it shut. Trish is waiting for her... and so are two dozen people under Kilgrave's control. Kilgrave tells the crew to ready Justin's yacht, and then tells his victims to kill each other. Jessica and Trish take out as many as they can, and one man knocks off Trish's headphones. As Kilgrave stares, Jessica shoves through the crowd and advances on him.
Kilgrave screams "stop!" and everyone stops... including Jessica. He figures that she's faking, and points out that if she killed him then the victims would have stopped. Jessica doesn't know what would happen for sure if Kilgrave died, and she just wanted him to stop them. Kilgrave figures that she's pretending to give him what he wants, and is tempted to give in to her act. He tells Jessica that she's never loved everyone except one person, and orders Trish to come over. Kilgrave figures that Jessica would do anything to protect Trish, and says that he'll take her with him and they'll be together always as master and slave. He says that they're leaving and if Trish sees Jessica, she'll slit her own throat.
As Jessica stares, Kilgrave tells Trish to kiss him like she means it. She does, and when Jessica does nothing, Kilgrave realizes that she's his now. He tells Jessica that eventually she will feel what he feels, and tells her to smile. Jessica does, and Kilgrave laughs in triumph and tells her to say that she loves him. She does, and Kilgrave comes over to him. Jessica grabs him, tells him to smile, and breaks his neck.
Later, Luke wakes up and Claire tells him to go slow. She introduces herself and says that Jessica was arrested for Kilgrave's murder. Luke prepares to get her out of jail, but Claire tells him that he needs to recover. When Luke worries that the police are looking for him, Claire assures him that no one is looking for him after everything that happened on the docks. She admits that she knows Luke's secret, and advises him and Jessica to try and work out a relationship between them. When Claire comes back with some water, she's discovered that Luke has left.
DA Katrina Reyes meets with Jeri, representing Jessica. The lawyer points out that they have dozens of witnesses, including the policemen, who will confirm that Kilgrave had mind-control powers. Jeri suggests that Kilgrave had Jessica snap his own neck out of guilt, the same man that compelled Hope to kill her parents. Reyes asks Jessica if she has anything to say, and she doesn't.
Reyes has no choice but to release Jessica, and Trish is waiting for her outside. She hugs Jessica, and after a moment Jessica hugs her back.
Later a deliveryman brings Trish Dorothy's files on IGH. There's a note from Dorothy saying that there's more where they came from. Trish starts going through the files.
Jessica returns to her office and discovers that Luke is gone. Malcolm is in the kitchen cleaning up, and Jessica has a dozen voicemail messages from prospective new clients who heard about her on the news. Jessica deletes them and the phone rings. Malcolm picks it up and says that they've reached Alias Investigations and asks how they can help.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 8, 2015