AKA The Perfect Burger

First Aired

June 14, 2019

Marvel Cinematic Universe
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"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^[src]

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 tracked down missing Cassie Yasdan, who had been taken by her father, who lost custody of her. Jones intended to return Cassie home, and when Mitch Yasdan threatened to get physical, Jones tossed him several feet in the air. The incident, unbeknownst to Jones, was captured on camera.

Jones returned to New York City with Cassie and gave her back to her mother, who while grateful, didn’t appreciate Jones' input on how to raise her child. Jones then returned home to learn from Vido Arocho that her altercation with Mitch Yasdan had since gone viral. She entered her apartment, where she and Gillian discussed furniture arrangement and clients.

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

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

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

Jones woke up that morning to the sound of Dorothy Walker banging on her door. Jones slammed the door in her face twice before even hearing out what she had to say. Dorothy revealed that Trish Walker was missing and wanted to hire Jones to find her. According to Dorothy, 24 hours ago, Walker fell off the map. Dorothy offered to pay Jones for her services, but Jones was too far removed from caring about Walker. And so, she kicked Dorothy out. Jones then got a call from Hogarth, who was in need of her assistance.

When Jones arrived at Hogarth's apartment, Hogarth shared with Jones her plan for the future. In her hand, she held the pill bottle from her nightstand. Everyday, she asked herself if today was the day she would finally take them. The answer had 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 wouldn't have it in her to do it herself. So, she was going to need someone to slip her the pills without her knowing, and she wanted that to be Jones. However, Jones was reluctant.

Ducasse arrived at the scene of a car crash. Apparently, Cody Willamet jumped a curve and hit another driver, who suspected that Willamet was jerking off while driving. The injured driver wanted to sue him. Ducasse recommenced against it for several reasons. Although, there was at least one thing the injure driver could get out of this, that being Willamet's truck. Ducasse approached Willamet with a transfer of title document and told him to sign it. He returned to the injured driver with the transfer and told him that the car was now his, so long as he agreed to keep the accident to himself.

That night, Jones had a change of heart and decided to look into Walker’s disappearance. She called 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 revealed 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 agreed to meet at Walker's apartment in the morning.

As planned, Jones and Dorothy arrived at Walker's new apartment. Jones began looking through Walker’s work. She discovered that Walker had been educating herself on everything. Jones realized that it was less of an apartment and more of a hideout. She hopped onto Walker’s laptop to see what she could find. Unlike Dorothy, who had previously attempted, Jones knew Walker’s password. Dorothy admitted that she used to be jealous of Jones’ relationship with Walker. Jones was her protector and she was Jones’ conscious, Dorothy concluded. She suggested that Jones must've miss that feeling, which led to her being kicked out by Jones, who then proceeded to search Walker’s laptop. She started 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 discovered email drafts, one for Jones, Dorothy, and Grace. Jones clicked on the draft addressed to her. It was a message, in which Walker explained her side of things and why she had to kill Jones' mother. This angered Jones, who knocked the laptop on the ground in a fit of rage.

Jones followed Walker’s ride history to a hotel. She headed inside, where after roughing up the clerk, she learned that Walker had been staying there. Jones entered Walker’s room and went through her bags and discovered the reason why she was staying there; she was staking out the apartment building next door.

Ducasse met with Hogarth to give her the nondisclosure agreement from the latest guy Willamet almost killed, though Ducasse was skeptical of his role in allowing an entitled drunk like Cody Willamet back on the road. Ducasse reminded Hogarth that he was an investigator, not a fixer, though she required both. She hoped to keep Ducasse around and assured him that it would all be worth it. With the experience he would gain from working with her and her eventual recommendation, he would be able to launch his own P.I. firm. While Ducasse was a valuable asset, before they could move further, Hogarth needed to know that he was with her. Once Ducasse was gone, Hogarth continued to read the Zoye 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 remained in Walker’s hotel room throughout the duration of the day. She used 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 spotted Walker down on the street. She appeared to be following someone. Jones watched from the hotel room as Walker followed the man into his home. She began to attack him. Just as he gained the upper hand, Jones came to save her, crashing through the man's window as he pulled out a gun and began firing. Jones disarmed the man and retreated into the bedroom with Walker, who exhibited impressive reflexes and agility before returning to the main room, only to discover that the man and the sculpture that Walker was after, was gone. Walker then jumped out the window and returned to her hotel room, with Jones not far behind.

Jones confronted Walker, referring to her as a cat burglar, but Walker was simply trying to get justice. Jones realized that what she saw Walker doing earlier must've meant 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 had been tracking him for weeks. She was just trying to be the hero she always wanted to be, and Jones mocked her for it. Jones questioned if it was all worth it to Walker considering that she got what she always wanted. Walker countered that she freed Jones from her responsibilities of helping people, because she could do that now. Before leaving, Jones told Walker that her mother was looking for her.

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

Jones got a drink at the bar, where Walker’s talk show, Style by Trish was on, but Jones requested that it be turned off.

Hogarth attended the Zoye Lyonne Arts Scholarship Benefit Concert. She seemed to have her eye mostly on Kith Lyonne, who thanked all the supporters for attending. Afterward, Hogarth and Lyonne discussed their past. It had been 25 years since they last seen each other. Hogarth pointed out the fact that she gave and supported the benefit concert every year. Kith then introduced her husband, Peter Lyonne to Hogarth. Peter had been following Hogarth’s defense of super powered vigilantes, as he was a lawyer, but was now a professor of criminal law. Before leaving, Hogarth gave Lyonne her card as they were to arrange a meeting to catch up.

Back at the bar, Jones made a bet with Erik Gelden, one that she lost, costing her $10. Gelden joked he had an instinct for idiocy. It was people like the idiots at the bar that he had never cared for, though Jones couldn’t say the same. According to her mother, she cared. He could tell from the look on Jones’ face that her mother was dead, to which he offered his condolences. Gelden continued to share his view of the world with Jones, how everything was terrible and optimism was a lie. He accepted reality and proceeded accordingly. The two of them toasted to having low expectations. Jones then received her burger she ordered, which he would not allow her to eat as it was waste. He was very much aware of who Jones was and what she was capable of, yet he continued, even offering to make her a burger of his own, that he bet $50 she would enjoy. Jones decided to take him up on the offer. They returned to her place, where he introduced himself as Erik as they kissed. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Jones suspected it was Vido Arocho, but as she opened the door, she was stabbed by someone wearing a black ski mask. Jones, bleeding and wounded, shoved her assailant down the hall. She fell to the ground, and her attacker escaped. Fortunately, Ducasse came out his apartment and tended to Jones as he called 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
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 Carter Cruise (uncredited)
Matthew R. Staley as Front Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Frank Fernandez as Pedestrian (uncredited)

Appearances

Locations

Events

Items

Vehicles

Taxicab

Organizations

Mentioned

Music

Song title	Artist	Location(s)
This Is War	Extreme Music	Recap song #1.
Pretty Fool	Beasts With No Name	Recap song #2.
Nothing Personal	Stella and The Storm	Recap song #3.
Devil Inside Me	Chrysta Bell	Eddy Costa joins Jessica Jones at a bar to discuss her handling of her most recent case.
Hate If You Want	Tony Cash	Malcolm Ducasse intentionally runs into Cody Willamet's car to keep him from driving drunk and hitting someone else.
String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: IV. Finale: Andante-vivace		Jeri Hogarth watches Kith Lyonne perform as part of a string quartet.
Boogeyman	Dead Posey	At the bar, Jessica Jones meets Erik Gelden over a bar fight bet, then they toast to low expectations and discuss burgers.