With Jessica Jones season 3 about to be released, it’s time to freshen up on the story of Jessica Jones so far! This is our recap of the first season of Jessica Jones and we’ll divulge into Season 2 as a separate article. Here’s your story recap on the first season of Jessica Jones.
Season 1 was arguably the better of the two seasons thus far and was definitely one of the favorites out of all the Defenders seasons.
Jessica Jones Season 1 Recap
In the first season, Jessica Jones was on the trail of her arch-nemesis and rapist Kilgrave.
The purple man with the powers to make any person follow his commands left a trail of destruction in his wake, including destroying the good and hope that was within Jessica. His influence on Jessica was so strong this led to the death and murder of Reva Connors, the girlfriend of Luke Cage.
Due to Kilgrave forcing Jessica to murder a person, this allowed her to break the power that Kilgrave had over her. Even though she broke Kilgrave’s hold, this leads to Jessica having a post-traumatic stress disorder, and for her to hang up her career as a superhero along with opening up her own detective agency. In the process of killing Reva and breaking Kilgrave’s hold, he seemingly had been killed after being hit by a bus. Jones had even received a death certificate confirming his death.
Jessica Jones P.I
After opening up her own agency Jessica took to taking smaller jobs for cash so she could keep a low profile. Spending most of her days drinking on and off the job lead to her having very destructive behavior shutting out her close friend and adoptive sister Trish Walker.
The most lucrative client Jones had was Jeri Hogarth. Working for the firm Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz, Jessica Jones would deliver upon jobs that no one else could. Despite people complaining of Jessica Jones’ methods Hogarth refused to dismiss her secret weapon. Eventually, she would ask Jones to work full time for the law-firm only for Jones to decline her offer. Jones would be offered another job shady job by Hogarth that would eventually lead to Jessica Jones spying on ex-convict Luke Cage having sex with a woman he picked up at the bar.
Upon falling asleep while spying on Cage, Jones dreamt of Kilgrave.
Meeting Luke Cage
Jones would later take a case looking for the daughter of a neighbor, Hope Schlottman. The investigation would lead her to discover Hope had left home to be with a boyfriend. Returning to the shady job of forcing Gregory Spheeris to sign his subpoena, she was successful in doing so, despite Spheeris threatening to out her about her powers to the world.
Once again Jones would have a nightmare about Kilgrave.
Going to the bar where Luke Cage worked, he invited her to drink for free on “ladies night.” The pair would end up sleeping together. The next morning while Jones was in Luke’s bathroom she noticed the picture of Reva, leading her to have a panic attack because of the night she murdered Reva under Kilgrave’s command. Leaving the apartment without an explanation to Luke she fled home.
The return of Kilgrave
The next morning Hope Schlottman’s mother Barbara would ask for an update on her daughter’s whereabouts. Jones, picking up the investigation once more would eventually find Hope’s credit card being used at the same Italian restaurant that Kilgrave would take Jones. Showing a picture of Hope to the manager and confirming what was ordered, confirmed Jones’ fear that Kilgrave had somehow returned.
In a panic, Jones attempted to get paid early by Hogarth for a job so she could get away. Turning to her friend Trish Walker, Jone’s would make her aware of Kilgrave’s reappearance. Trish’s attempt to convince Jones to save Hope fell on death ears as she is too afraid of being controlled by Kilgrave again. During the cab ride home Jones had a change of heart and would attempt to rescue Hope.
Jones was successful in her rescue of Hope and was able to return her home. Sadly, Kilgrave had anticipated Hope’s escape and had secretly ordered her to kill her parents. Witnessing Hope pull a gun from her bag, Jones was too late and under Kilgrave’s control, Hope murdered her parents. Tired of running away Jones made a decision to stay and fight Kilgrave.
Investigating Kilgrave
After pictures of Luke were found at the scene of Hope’s crime, the police questioned Luke Cage. Confronting Jones about her job, she would reveal that she was hired to investigate a woman that Cage had been sleeping with. Despite Luke not knowing she was married, Jones would reveal the truth, Angered by her intrusion into his life, Luke tells Jones to leave.
Jones in the hope of seeking answers about Kilgrave’s survival went to find Hope and question her. Unsettled by her time spent with Kilgrave, Hope gave few answers to Jones’ questioning.
Her investigation would lead her to the hospital Kilgrave would have been sent to. Printing off copies of the file of the ‘John Doe’ that night Kilgrave was hit by a bus. She would return to her apartment only to find men there, mistaking them for enemies she would knock them out until learning they were hired by Trish to fix her door.
Jones discovered on the report that two ambulances were dispatched that night. One of the drivers named Jack Denton then becomes the focus of her ongoing investigation.
Ambulance Antics
Jones would discover the driver of the ambulance had suffered a stroke after disappearing for three weeks. Denton had been charged with stealing one of the two ambulances that went missing that night, despite them being returned. Struggling to communicate with Jack, he would ask for her to kill him. Refusing to do so, she left intending to investigate who had donated the dialysis machine to Denton.
After a confrontation with Gina, Jones would race to the bar to help Luke after Gina’s husband and his friends went to the bar to cause trouble. Despite helping Luke, she was bad for business and he asked her to leave. Jones then received a call and was told which Doctor had leased the machine to Denton. After tracking down the doctor, he fled at the sight of Jones. Easily catching him he fearfully asked her if Kilgrave was with her.
She would learn from the doctor that Kilgrave was afraid to go to sleep. Jones would then realize that surgical anesthesia was a potential weakness of Kilgrave’s. She would then order the Doctor to tell Jeri everything he knew about Kilgrave.
Breaking the powers in
Luke Cage has been doing some deducting of his own and realized Jones had powers like him. Showing off his unpenetrable skin, the pair would again sleep together.
Trish invited Hope to speak on her talk show so she could openly discuss Kilgrave’s powers. During the interview, Hogarth dismisses the existence of Kilgrave and accuses Schlottman of being insane. Trish would then mention the events of the Avengers and the fact that anything was possible. Calling Kilgrave a coward on air, Jones panics as Kilgrave was in fact listening and calls up the station, and threatens Trish. For their own safety, they flee the radio station, but out of panic Trish assaults a fan wanting an autograph, paranoid of Kilgrave’s threat.
Kilgrave makes his move
After the assault on a fan police officer, Will Simpson attempted to bring Trish in for questioning. Opening her door to the officer, it’s revealed he was sent there to kill her under orders by Kilgrave. Jones would arrive just in time to fight off Simpson and save Trish. After presuming he had completed his mission Simpson would leave and report back to Kilgrave.
Following Simpson back to Kilgrave’s hideout, discovered he had been staying with a rich family. Her plan to ambush Kilgrave is thwarted when he orders Simpson to commit suicide. After stopping his death, Jones loses the element of surprise and comes face to face with Kilgrave for the first time in a year.
Unable to capture Kilgrave, Jessica would discover that he had been keeping a near constant watch on her. With hundreds of pictures of her mapped across a room, she realizes Kilgrave has a spy.
I Spy
Paranoia and confusion would continue to rock Jones as she continues to try and find her spy. Hogarth would make Jones aware of a victims support group for those that had suffered through being ‘Kilgraved.’ A young girl would later leave Jones a message after being taken under Kilgraves control. He accepted the apology Trish had made live on air and was safe for the time being but showed his disappointment that Jones had left him to die that night.
After attending the victim’s support group, one of the victims gave Jones the clue she needed to hopefully find her spy. To her shock, she would discover the spy was her junkie neighbor Malcolm Ducasse. Breaking into his apartment she found the equipment used to survey her.
Trying to help Malcolm break his addiction and his link to Kilgrave, the pair come up with a plan.
Living with Kilgrave
After helping Luke Cage investigate the disappearance of a man named Antione Greer, the pair began to grow closer. Discovering who the bus driver was that night Luke attempted to find him, and kill him as he believed the man had killed Reva. To stop Luke from killing an innocent man, she revealed her role in Reva’s death, the betrayal too much for Luke, dismisses Jessica.
Returning home in a drunken state, she finds the dead body of one of her neighbors in her bed. Tired of Kilgrave murdering innocents, Jessica decides enough is enough. Deciding to save the lives of those around her it’s better to be a prison for life then watch those around her die. Saying goodbye to those close to her, she tries to have herself arrested and put into supermax. Her attempt is thwarted by Kilgrave as he has already mind controlled the officers to shoot themselves on his order. Admitting his actions were out of love for Jessica, he left.
Jessica would later find Kilgrave waiting for her at her parent’s and her former childhood home with a smile on his face.
Helping a Psycho Become a Hero
After some time living with Kilgrave and without being enthralled she learns more about his past. After a vocal altercation, Kilgrave would she Jones the experiments his parents carried out on him as a child, this was the method on how Kilgrave obtained his powers. Realizing no one had taught him ethics, she attempts to teach Kilgrave how to use his powers for good.
During a standoff with a gunman, Jones had convinced Kilgrave to help the situation by using his powers. Originally set on making the man kill himself, Jones would convince him otherwise. Back home Kilgrave would boast about their actions, acknowledging the fact that if it wasn’t for Jones, he would have killed that man. Realizing this horrific truth, Jessica leaves the property to go for a walk, but not before being warned that Kilgrave would kill the staff if she did not return.
Kilgrave’s Capture
Upon returning to the home Jessica was able to trick Kilgrave into eating a Chinese she had bought. The food was filled with a sedative and Jessica was able to subdue Kilgrave. Capturing him and taking him to a secluded location, she attempted to get a confession out of him for all of his crimes.
After failing to get a confession out of him, she thought of the next best thing to get into his head by finding his parents. Learning that his mother attending to the victim support group, Jones followed Louise Thompson to the hotel where she had been staying with her husband. Eavesdropping she learned that the experiments were meant to save Kilgrave from a degenerative disease of the brain.
Convincing Kilgrave’s parents to confront their son, they agree to meet him. Shocked by this revelation it catches Kilgrave off guard.
Family Reunion
After what seemed like a heartfelt family reunion, Louise had taken a pair of scissors and stabbed Kilgrave with them. Seeing it as their responsibility as parents to stop Kilgrave from causing more harm. Kilgrave would enthrall his own mother to kill herself. With evidence of his powers now used on camera, Jones had what she needed to put him away. To her disgust Hogarth had cut the line, therefore, no footage had been captured.
In the confusion, Kilgrave would get away.
Immunity
After learning that Kilgrave’s father Albert could potentially cure Kilgrave’s powers, Jones leaves him in the care of Hogarth. She is unable to find Kilgrave and becomes suspicious of Hogarth. In a heated confrontation with her wife, Hogarth had killed her wife in self-defense.
Jones has a confrontation with Kilgrave that leads her to be knocked out by a group of men. In the process, Kilgrave had learned that Jessica was immune to his power. Upon awakening, she discovers that Kilgrave has released Hope from prison and in exchange for his father he will give Hope back.
Hope learns that Jessica is immune to Kilgrave’s power, believing herself to be a hindrance and stopping Jones from taking down Kilgrave kills herself. Stabbing herself in the neck, she makes Jessica promise that Kilgrave will be disposed of.
Kilgraves Master Plan
In Jessica’s attempt to capture Kilgrave again, the crazed purple man had enthralled Luke Cage. Jessica was able to subdue Luke, but not without almost killing him. The bulletproof man would later survive his injuries and overcome his enthrallment by Kilgrave.
Jones would soon learn that Kilgrave planned to have his father make his powers even more powerful. In the process, Kilgrave had tortured his father, to which his father would die of his injuries. Finding a note inviting her to the Hudson Ferry Terminal, Jones would pursue him.
The fall of Kilgrave
In a bait and switch, Trish pretended to be Jessica while the real Jessica snuck up on Kilgrave. Enthralling a group of innocents to block her path, Jessica was stopped dead in her tracks. Taunting Jones, Kilgrave threatened to enthrall Trish for the rest of her life and would sexually assault her every day, along with the threat of Trish killing herself if they ever saw Jessica again.
Realizing that Jessica had stood in the spot that Kilgrave had demanded to stay, he is convinced his powers are working on her once again. Asking for Jessica to say “I love you,” she does, except she says it Trish and not Kilgrave. Not under the enthrallment of Kilgrave, Jessica grabs him by the neck and snaps it, ultimately killing him for good. All those present are released from his spell.
Jones would be jailed for Kilgrave’s murder, but thanks to the influence of Hogarth, Jones was released. After the world learns of Jessica Jone’s exploits she has thousands of messages awaiting her. With help from Malcolm, she returns to being a private eye.
Did you like the first season of Jessica Jones? Are you looking forward to the release of Jessica Jones Season 3? Let us know in the comments below!
