9 Burning Questions I Have After Binge-Watching Jessica Jones Season 2

Listen, 13 hour-long episodes is a lot of television to consume over one weekend, and if you're anything like me, you probably needed some time to actually digest the cray-cray events of Jessica Jones Season 2 before diving into your next binge-watch. (Though, following all of that gritty Marvel drama, I've found that Netflix's Queer Eye is an excellent mood enhancer.) But now that I've thoroughly processed all of my emotions, it's time to stop trading banter with a delusion and get down to addressing a few key questions that need to be solved in future episodes. Such as:

1. Does Trish Walker have powers now?
   

   Apparently, Dr. Malus's gene manipulation wasn't such a failure after all. In Trish's final scene of Season 2, she displayed her newly acquired catlike reflexes when she dropped her phone, caught it with her foot — balanced it on her designer boot, natch — and then gently flipped it back into her hand like it was NBD. In other words, say hello to Hellcat. She may not be as strong as Jessica Jones, but Trish's heightened senses, keen balance, and feline agility, along with her martial arts practice, will bring her one step closer to finally becoming the hero she so desperately wants to be.

   In the comics, Hellcat's abilities are more paranormal in nature. For example: She has the power to sense mystical energy and deflect mystical attacks by summoning a force field. Unless Danny Rand enters the picture, it's unlikely that Jessica Jones will introduce Patsy's ink-and-paper husband, Daimon Hellstrom, a.k.a. the Son of Satan.

2. Is IGH gone for good?
   

   Seeing as everyone associated with the shadowy private research laboratory is dead now (and the facility itself was blown up by Malus), the easy answer would be "yes." From the show we know that the results of IGH's genetic experimentation on Jessica, her mother Alisa, and others gave them enhanced abilities — though, not all of IGH's human test subjects walked away with superpowers; that particular side effect only occurred in rare cases — as well as deep psychological trauma. IGH also developed a highly addictive drug that could temporarily increase someone's strength and reflexes.

   But what else did this company have their hands in? And who was funding all of Dr. Malus and Dr. Kozlov's illegal human trials? At the end of the season, Jeryn Hogarth hires Pryce Cheng and his new associate Malcolm for a job she says Jessica would be opposed to — and the list of things Jessica would be opposed to is very short — which seems to hint that Jeri's doing some further digging into IGH.

3. Did Karl Malus have other patients?
   

   The Whizzer can't be the only other person afflicted with superpowers under Dr. Malus's care. Who else is out there? And more importantly, are there other doctors who are preying on people who want powers? When Trish is rushed to the hospital after Malus's gene mutation goes horribly wrong, a nurse implies that there's an entire black market that profits off vulnerable people who are desperate to be "gifted" like Jessica Jones and Captain America. Who better to put a stop to these lowlife "doctors" and frauds than Jessica, someone who was violated and experimented on against her will? In fact, there's an entire Alias story line dedicated to that very scenario. (That being said, it would be a hell of a lot easier to introduce the Mutant Growth Hormone into Jessica Jones once the MCU is actually allowed to say the word "mutant.")

4. Will Jeri find a cure for her ALS?
   

   Never underestimate Jeri Hogarth. If she wants something, she gets it. And chances are, whatever shady business she has Pryce and Malcolm doing on behalf of her new firm, Jeryn Hogarth and Associates, has to do with finding a potential cure for her terminal diagnosis. Whether that involves IGH or her friend Danny Rand and his mystical connections is anyone's guess. But it's a little odd that she didn't at least reach out to Danny when she was diagnosed. After all, this is the guy who likes to tell everyone and their mother that he's the immortal Iron Fist. You know, the sworn protector of K'un-Lun who can channel his chi to his fist. If he can do that, then maybe he knows how to cure a terminal illness. Of course, there's also something extremely unnerving about a Jeri Hogarth who has nothing else to lose.

5. How long can Jessica stay mad at Trish?
   

   If there was anyone who knew how important family was to Jessica, someone who lost everyone she had ever loved in an instant, it was Trish — and yet she still shot and killed Alisa. For Jessica, it's going to take some time for her to get over the fact her sister killed her mother (she says she can't even look at her without thinking about it), so expect Season 3 to be a rough ride for the former dynamic duo. If Trish and Jessica are fractured, then Trish might have to ride solo as the city's newest vigilante. If that's the case then it wouldn't be surprising if she ran into Danny while he's on his own superhero kick.

6. Is Jessica trying to forget about the Defenders?
   

   Speaking of Danny, it's strange that Jessica never once mentioned her fellow Defenders or the fact they narrowly saved the city from a bunch of ninjas who threatened to blow it up a few months ago. It's especially weird considering Jessica connection with Matt Murdock in The Defenders and his subsequent "death." Does she feel guilty for leaving Matt with Elektra? Is there any lingering trauma from those events? Jessica obviously likes to bottle things up, but it's hard to believe that she wouldn't at least mention Matt or the Hand when explaining to Trish how much being a superhero actually sucks.

7. Are Jessica and Oscar a thing now?
   

   It sure looks that way, doesn't it? At the end of the season, Jessica sits down for a family meal with Oscar and his annoyingly cute, superhero-obsessed son, Vido. It's a poignant moment for Jessica, who tends to routinely (and drunkenly) wallow in her own isolation. But here, she's finally letting someone else in. With both Trish and Malcolm out of the picture (for now), Oscar is a source of real human connection and intimacy for Jess. Plus, it's a chance to see a softer side to sarcastic PI. (In the comics, Jessica Jones has a daughter.) While it's hard to imagine that Oscar and Jess will last — not with Luke Cage around, anyway — it's nice to see her finally opening up to someone. The kinky paint sex is also a major plus.

8. Does Jessica own multiple pairs of the same jeans?
   

   Jessica Jones has always been a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl. It's the kind of look that attracts zero attention — and that's how Jessica likes it. But by the third of fourth episode, you start to wonder if she only has one pair of jeans. (You know, the light-wash, slim-cut ones.) She wears them everywhere, rain or shine or blood or even in extreme heat. In response to the ire surrounding Jessica's jeans, star Krysten Ritter responded, "She doesn't give a shit. She doesn’t give a shit about her jeans." If that's the look she's going for, then she clearly succeeded.

9. Is it safe to wear a leather jacket in the sweltering NYC heat?
   

   In addition to the riveting mother-daughter drama, the second season of Jessica Jones also gave us the origin of her iconic leather jacket. It was more or less a "gift" from her late boyfriend Stirling. In the aftermath of his murder, Jess pretty much dedicated her own life to his memory — opening Alias Investigations (named after the club he planned to open), committing petty theft (his favorite pastime), and wearing that leather jack all the damn time. She even wears that jacket during a sweltering New York City heat wave and then has the gall to complain about the heat! TBH, she should be thankful Dr. Malus experimented on her because no normal personal could walk around in jeans, boots, and a leather jack in 90-degree heat and humidity and not pass out.

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