Look out folks, here comes the flashback episode, which is becoming somewhat of a trope in the Marvel Netflix shows. At least they are well-done and interesting and do provide some interesting material for the shows and usually do a good job of giving context to the current storyline. The next three episodes of ‘Jessica Jones’ Season 2 are titled “AKA I Want Your Cray Cray” (aka The flashback episode), “AKA Ain’t We Got Fun,” and “AKA Shark in the Bathtub, Monster in the Bed.” Luckily, the series dives right back into the action following the flashback and we really get into the meat of the story with Jessica desperately trying to figure out what she is going to do about her “mother.”

So the flashback, pretty self-contained, basically tells the story of what Jessica’s mother, Alisa Jones, was up to all of those years she was missing while also giving us a glimpse into the past of Jessica and Trish. For Alisa, she first wakes up with horrible burns all over her face and an intense rage which causes her to go berserk in IGH and almost kill young Jessica, which is why Malus made the choice to give Jessica to Trish’s family for adoption and keep Alisa Jones under heavy sedation until they figure out how to control her rage side-effect. (Fun fact, Malus had no idea that Jessica had powers either, though he does mention that the “powers” were a unique side-effect triggered by something in both Alisa and Jessica’s DNA).

Jessica, meanwhile, is watching Trish spiral once more into addiction and partying as she releases a god-awful song called “I Want Your Cray-Cray.” They get into a huge fight outside the release party with Trish accusing Jessica of mooching off of her for rent and college tuition and Jessica throwing her addiction and fake friends in Trish’s face. Luckily for Jessica, she meets Stirling Adams that same night, clearly the first love of her life, who had also just been fired from the club, and they start a rollicking romance that sees Jessica as she quits school, abandons her apartment, and moves in with Stirling, giving up Trish and school for the new guy in her life (who is not the greatest influence as she starts stealing to survive. On the bright side, she does steal her trademark leather jacket, so we get the origins of that). Sadly for her, Stirling has massive ambitions and a debt to the mob as he borrowed money to start a club named “Alias” (and we get the big “aha” moment as we learn where her future business gets the name from). Now they want him to pay. Jessica fights them off for the moment but it is clear they aren’t done with Stirling or her.

When next we see Alisa, she has awoken with a new face (due to a genome therapy to fix the burns), and though sad to lose her old face, she is more enraged that most of her family is dead, fixating on Jessica as Malus tells her the girl still lives. She works with Malus to control her rage and her new abilities but it is much too slow for her and she wants to see Jessica. Eventually, Malus tells her about Jessica’s new family and adoption, and Alisa decides she wants out. So we finally see the scene where she attacks Inez and kills the other nurse and escapes, and Alisa spies on Jessica and Stirling, noting their love, and then later tracks Jessica to a bar where she is about to meet with Stirling.

Unfortunately for Jessica, Stirling is outside talking to the mob goons from earlier, who want to use Jessica and her abilities for some heists. stirling seems all too ready to sell her skills to them, provided he gets a share of the profits. Enraged, Alisa confronts Stirling once the goons leave and smashes his head into the building, killing him in her uncontrolled anger and leaves his body there and flees. Jessica arrives and is devastated that Stirling has been killed. She then reconnects with Trish at the same club they fought at earlier. Finding her high in a bathroom with some guy that Jessica beats down for calling her a bitch, she and Trish make amends, which causes Trish to sober up. As for Alisa, she returns to Malus, claiming to understand why he kept Jessica away from her and says they should continue her treatment. (Continued on next page)