AKA The Perfect Burger

## Marvel Cinematic Universe

*"Lady, a burger is... is home. It's summer. It's everything that's good."
"I thought good and bad were bullshit."
"That only applies to people."*
―Erik Gelden and Jessica Jones
***AKA The Perfect Burger*** is the first episode of the third season of the television series *Jessica Jones*.

## Synopsis

As Jessica focuses on helping the helpless, Dorothy Walker shows up at Alias to beg for help finding a missing Trish.

## Plot

In response to an Amber Alert, Jessica Jones tracks down the missing Cassie Yasdan, who had been taken by her father, who lost custody of her. Jones intends to return Cassie home, and when Mitch Yasdan threatens to get physical, Jones tosses him several feet in the air. The incident, unbeknownst to Jones, is captured on camera.

Jones returns to New York City with Cassie and gives her back to her mother, who while grateful, doesn't appreciate Jones' input on how to raise her child. Jones then returns home to learn from Vido Arocho that her altercation with Mitch Yasdan has since gone viral. She enters her apartment, where she and Gillian discuss furniture arrangement and clients.

Later that night, after Arocho and Gillian had long since gone home, Jones heads out. In the hallway, she runs into Malcolm Ducasse, who has upgraded apartments and moved into Mrs. Chin's old apartment. After introducing Jones to Zaya Okonjo, the two part ways.

While at the bar, Jones is approached by Eddy Costa, who congratulates her on bringing Cassie home, as it was he who mentioned the case to Jones. He then suggests that Jones ends her private investigator endeavors and leave it to the professionals. However, his reason for being there is to simply remind Jones of their agreement, that he'd throw her the occasional case and she won't break the law.

The following day, Jeri Hogarth wakes up from her sleep and falls onto the floor as she attempts to get up out of the bed. She sits on the ground in pain, contemplating whether to call 911. She ultimately chooses not to, instead grabbing some pills from her nightstand, but only to look at them.

Jones wakes up that morning to the sound of Dorothy Walker banging on her door. Jones slams the door in her face twice before even hearing out what she has to say. Dorothy reveals that Trish Walker is missing and wants to hire Jones to find her. According to Dorothy, 24 hours ago, Walker fell off the map. Dorothy offers to pay Jones for her services, but Jones is too far removed from caring about Walker. And so, she kicks Dorothy out. Jones then gets a call from Hogarth, who is in need of her assistance.

When Jones arrives at Hogarth's apartment, Hogarth shares with Jones her plan for the future. In her hand, she holds the pill bottle from her nightstand. Everyday, she asks herself if today is the day she would finally take them. The answer has been no, until that morning, when she felt the first significant symptoms of the ALS, though the symptoms did pass. However, it made her realize that when the day came for her to finally take them, she won't have it in her to do it herself. So, she is going to need someone to slip her the pills without her knowing, and she wants that to be Jones. However, Jones is reluctant.

Ducasse arrives at the scene of a car crash. Apparently, Cody Willamet had jumped a curve and hit another driver, who suspected that Willamet was jerking off while driving. The injured driver wants to sue him. Ducasse recommends against it for several reasons. Although, there is at least one thing the injured driver could get out of this, that being Willamet's truck. Ducasse approaches Willamet with a transfer of title document and tells him to sign it. He returns to the injured driver with the transfer and tells him that the car is now his, so long as he agrees to keep the accident to himself.

That night, Jones has a change of heart and decides to look into Walker's disappearance. She calls Dorothy to ask for Walker's credit card numbers, bills, the last person she saw, and the names and contacts of her co-workers. When asked about her security door, Dorothy reveals that Walker had moved and that she didn't have a security door at her new place. She apparently sold her condo and everything else she owned. They then agree to meet at Walker's apartment in the morning.

As planned, Jones and Dorothy arrive at Walker's new apartment. Jones begins looking through Walker's work. She discovers that Walker has been educating herself on everything. Jones realizes that it is less of an apartment and more of a hideout. She hops onto Walker's laptop to see what she could find. Unlike Dorothy, who has previously attempted, Jones knows Walker's password. Dorothy admits that she used to be jealous of Jones’ relationship with Walker. Jones is her protector and she is Jones’ conscious, Dorothy concludes. She suggests that Jones must've missed that feeling, which led to her being kicked out by Jones, who then proceeds to search Walker's laptop. She starts by looking through Walker's ride history with LYFT, jotting down each address Walker was either taken to or picked up from. Also in Walker's inbox, Jones discovers email drafts, one for Jones, Dorothy, and Grace. Jones clicks on the draft addressed to her. It was a message, in which Walker explains her side of things and why she had to kill Jones' mother. This angers Jones, who knocks the laptop on the ground in a fit of rage.

Jones follows Walker's ride history to a hotel. She heads inside, where after roughing up the clerk, she learns that Walker has been staying there. Jones enters Walker's room and goes through her bags, where she discovers the reason why she is staying there; she is staking out the apartment building next door.

Ducasse meets with Hogarth to give her the nondisclosure agreement from the latest guy Willamet almost killed, though Ducasse is skeptical of his role in allowing an entitled drunk like Cody Willamet back on the road. Ducasse reminds Hogarth that he is an investigator, not a fixer, though she requires both. She hopes to keep Ducasse around and assures him that it will all be worth it. With the experience he will gain from working with her and her eventual recommendation, he will be able to launch his own P.I. firm. While Ducasse is a valuable asset, before they could move further, Hogarth needs to know that he was with her. Once Ducasse was gone, Hogarth continued to read the Zoey Lyonne Arts Scholarship Benefit Concert email she had received. She also instructed Char to make a platinum-level donation and then put the address in her calendar.

Jones remains in Walker's hotel room throughout the duration of the day. She uses the binoculars she found in Walker's bag to scope the neighboring apartment building, to see what it was that Walker was staking out. Jones spots Walker down on the street. She appears to be following someone. Jones watches from the hotel room as Walker followed the man into his home. She began to attack him. Just as he gains the upper hand, Jones comes to save her, crashing through the man's window as he pulls out a gun and begins firing. Jones disarms the man and retreated into the bedroom with Walker, who exhibits impressive reflexes and agility before returning to the main room, only to discover that the man and the sculpture that Walker is after, is gone. Walker then jumps out the window and returns to her hotel room, with Jones not far behind.

Jones confronts Walker, referring to her as a cat burglar, but Walker is simply trying to get justice. Jones realizes that what she saw Walker doing earlier must mean that Karl Malus' procedure worked. Because of Jones, the man got away. The sculpture in his safe would’ve linked him to an assault. Walker has been tracking him for weeks. She is just trying to be the hero she always wanted to be, and Jones mocks her for it. Jones questions if it is all worth it to Walker considering that she gets what she always wanted. Walker counters that she freed Jones from her responsibilities of helping people, because she could do that now. Before leaving, Jones tells Walker that her mother is looking for her.

As it turns out, Ducasse has not yet gotten over letting Willamet walk, and so he has been following him. He watches from his car as Willamet exited a restaurant drunk, with his girlfriend telling him that he is too drunk to drive, though Willamet is far too belligerent to adhere to her warnings. Willamet then pulls off in his car with Ducasse on his tail. Willamet pulls up to a stop sign, not only drunk, but texting while driving. As he drives forward, he is hit from the side by Ducasse, who exits his car and flees the scene.

Jones gets a drink at the bar, where Walker's talk show, *Style by Trish* is on, but Jones requests that it be turned off. Hogarth attends the Zoey Lyonne Arts Scholarship Benefit Concert. She seems to have her eye mostly on Kith Lyonne, who thanks all the supporters for attending. Afterward, Hogarth and Lyonne discuss their past. It has been 25 years since they last saw each other. Hogarth points out the fact that she gives and supports the benefit concert every year. Kith then introduces her husband, Peter Lyonne to Hogarth. Peter has been following Hogarth's defense of super powered vigilantes, as he was a lawyer, but is now a professor of criminal law. Before leaving, Hogarth gives Lyonne her card as they are to arrange a meeting to catch up.

Back at the bar, Jones makes a bet with Erik Gelden, one that she loses, costing her $10. Gelden jokes he has an instinct for idiocy. It is people like the idiots at the bar that he has never cared for, though Jones can't say the same. According to her mother, she cares. He could tell from the look on Jones’ face that her mother is dead, to which he offers his condolences. Gelden continues to share his view of the world with Jones, how everything is terrible and optimism is a lie. He accepts reality and proceeds accordingly. The two of them toasts to having low expectations. Jones then receives her burger she ordered, which he does not allow her to eat as it is waste. He is very much aware of who Jones is and what she is capable of, yet he continues, even offering to make her a burger of his own, that he bets $50 she would enjoy. Jones decides to take him up on the offer. They return to her place, where he introduces himself as Erik as they kiss. They are interrupted by a knock at the door. Jones suspects it is Vido Arocho, but as she opens the door, she is stabbed by someone wearing a black ski mask. Jones, bleeding and wounded, shoves her assailant down the hall. She falls to the ground, and her attacker escapes. Fortunately, Ducasse comes out his apartment and tends to Jones as he calls the police.

## Cast

**Main Cast:**

* Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
* Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker
* Eka Darville as Malcolm Ducasse
* Benjamin Walker as Erik Gelden
* Sarita Choudhury as Kith Lyonne
* Jeremy Bobb as Gregory Sallinger (uncredited)
* Tiffany Mack as Zaya Okonjo
* Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth

**Guest Stars:**

* Rebecca De Mornay as Dorothy Walker
* John Ventimiglia as Detective Eddy Costa
* John Benjamin Hickey as Peter Lyonne
* Aneesh Sheth as Gillian
* Jessica Frances Dukes as Grace Bennett
* Matt Weiss as Andrew Brandt
* Rileigh Skye McDonald as Cassie Yasdan
* Greg Abbey as Mitch Yasdan
* Nancy Lemenager as Mrs. Yasdan
* Dante Costabile as Cody Willamet
* Rachel McKeon as Char
* Chris McGinn as Sharon
* Kevin Chacon as Vido Arocho
* Rafael Poueriet as Pedestrian
* Alan Mingo Jr. as Host #1
* Janette Barber as Host #2
* Cristala Carter as Reporter
* Harley Yeager as Surfer
* Max Miller as Frat Bro #1
* Banji Aborisade as Frat Bro #2
* McLean Peterson as Girlfriend
* Breanna Timana as Screaming Child
* Cyndi Melendez as Carmen Cruise (uncredited)
* Matthew R. Staley as Front Desk Clerk (uncredited)
* Frank Fernandez as Pedestrian (uncredited)

## Appearances

### Locations

* Mexico
* New York City, New York
	+ *Rudy's Bar & Grill*
	+ Jessica Jones' Apartment Building
		- Alias Investigations Office
		- Malcolm Ducasse's Apartment
	+ Jeri Hogarth's Apartment
	+ Trish Walker's Hideout
	+ Nouvet Hotel
	+ Andrew Brandt's Apartment
	+ Hogarth & Associates Law Office
	+ Zoey Lyonne Art School
	+ Hauser's Bakery (mentioned)
	+ Slice City (mentioned)
	+ Trish Walker's Apartment (mentioned)
* London, England (mentioned)

### Events

* Rescue of Cassie Yasdan
* Skirmish at Andrew Brandt's Apartment
* Ambush at Alias Investigations Office
* Skirmish at the Hudson Ferry Terminal (mentioned)
* Assassination of Alisa Jones (mentioned)

### Items

* *Style by Trish*
* Pentobarbital
* Captain America's Shield (sticker)

### Organizations

* Alias Investigations
* Hogarth & Associates
* Cheng Consulting Management
* New York City Police Department
* ARN
* WNEX New York
* New York Scouts (mentioned)
* *New York Bulletin* (mentioned)
* Lyft (mentioned)

### Mentioned

* Captain America
* Alice Chen
* Lillian Bailey
* Candace Li
* Anthony Lucchese
* Alisa Jones
* Pryce Cheng
* Zoey Lyonne
* Karl Malus
* Russell Costa
* Oscar Arocho
* Sonia
* Joan Jett
* YouTube Users
	+ SurfBrah1995
	+ quirkycorkquarks
* Amelia Earhart

## References

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to **AKA The Perfect Burger**.

## External Links

* AKA The Perfect Burger on IMDb
* AKA The Perfect Burger on Disney+
* AKA The Perfect Burger on Marvel Database