IN REVIEW: JESSICA JONES: PLAYING WITH FIRE – EPISODE 16 – Ripple Effect

Synopsis: Jessica has all the pieces––now it’s time to make sure what happened to Jamie never happens to anyone again.

The Story

In the season finale. Jessica and Sam confront Selene for one final time but have a fight on their hands due to the Nova Naledi kids all being under Selene’s vampire-like spell. Isolated from Sam. Jessica has to stave off attacks from all the kids as she struggles to get at Selene who is feeding on Jessica’s energy while the kids are keeping her busy. Thankfully the struggle does come to an end and the story wraps up, but not as neatly as you’d expect.

The Narration

Fryda Wolff does a great job of narrating the action as Jessica and Sam make their final stand against Selene and try to free all the kids that are under Selene’s spell. The description of Jessica getting wrapped up in a lot of silk scarfs while Selene feeds on her is delivered brilliantly and does a great job of setting the mood and the threat that Selene poses given that her powers can control as well as feed on the energy of people.

The narration for the last 10 or 15 minutes that wraps the story up with Jessica barely surviving while also saving the kids with a little added help from Matt Murdock is really solid. I liked the sense of worry and paranoia that Wolff manages to convey when Selene escapes and the contrast offered up in the scenes that follow, which are of a celebration that Jessica was able to save the kids from being used any further by Selene. It was also just nice to have a sense of normalcy back for Jessica given that she had been through the wringer much like always.

Overall

This season one finale brings the story to a satisfying conclusion and makes the sensible decision to allow the main villain to escape and come back another day. The episode is bookended nicely with Jessica going to see her therapist where she reflects a little on what she has learned from the experience.  I also loved the fact that the kids who are rescued get another commune out of the ill-gotten gains of Selene, which are confiscated from her.

Overall. A solid end to what has been an enjoyable series.