While Nathan is undoubtedly the show’s protagonist, he isn’t the only significant figure. So, who is Jessica in The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself? We explain, with plenty of spoilers.
Much of the plot of The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself revolves around Nathan Byrne, the son of terrifying murderous Blood Witch Marcus Edge. But he isn’t the only significant character — in fact, he isn’t even the only significant character in his own family. Obviously, his father is of paramount importance, but his half-sister Jessica progresses throughout the eight episodes from a spiteful sibling to arguably the show’s chief antagonist.
Here’s what we know about her.
Who is Jessica in The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself?
Jessica is Nathan’s half-sister. They have the same mother but not the same father. However, they were both raised by their maternal Grandmother after the Fairborn Council had Soul and Aoife kill their mother.
Jessica hates Nathan. She torments him all throughout their childhood, blames him for their mother’s death, and is personally involved in the events that have Nathan taken away for “training” by the Fairborn Council. She also becomes one of the show’s main villains when she teams up with Soul, becoming his trusted right-hand-woman. By the end, she has teamed up with Mercury, another powerful Blood Witch, and will doubtlessly want revenge on Nathan and particularly Annalise if The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself is renewed for Season 2.
Who plays Jessica?
Jessica is played by newcomer Isobel Jesper Jones. This was her first TV role and will likely secure her an immediate reputation as a fearsome villain. She’s also set to star in the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
What is Jessica’s power?
Jessica has an especially potent ability — she’s a shapeshifter.
Since Jessica’s Giving Day occurs near the beginning of the story, she realizes what her power is early, and the first thing she does is use it to torment Nathan by shifting into their mother and blaming him for her death. We also see her use the power to torment one of her rivals, Hazel, when she’s taken away for cadet training by the Council.
Jessica also puts the ability to much more sadistic use as things go. When she tortures the boatman Habir, she shifts into him so she can experience his torment for herself. She shapeshifts into Zale’s young daughter to kill him and cause the massacre at the Ozanne farm, and she uses the power to ensure that both Max and Odette die on their Giving Day. She also shifts into Soul in order to lure Annalise to Wolfhagen for the finale.
Does Jessica die?
Despite having used her power all throughout the season, in the finale, Jessica elects not to use it in her confrontation with Annalise. Jessica has a particular disdain for Annalise and tries to trick Soul into eating her heart so that he can inherit her decimation ability, which would give him an advantage over Marcus. However, Jessica underestimates Annalise’s control of the power. In their final confrontation, Annalise hits Jessica with the decimation spell but lets it go halfway. This begins to rip Jessica’s face apart, but it also essentially prevents her from using her own shapeshifting ability. Since Jessica turned into her mother just before she tied, she’s stuck cycling between the two forms.
At the end of The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself, Jessica steps through the Cut that Gabriel opened to get back to Wolfhagen, and meets Mercury, who promises to help her get revenge.
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