Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
Come through Elsbeth with the quick draw on old Van Ness. Our favorite Chicago attorney showed everyone that, despite all the pink, you don’t trifle with her.
Judge Milton had better keep his wits about him because he has no idea who he is dealing with. Honestly, I did not think the series would be able to neatly wrap up the Chicago case so quickly and creatively. It really seemed like the case was going to spill over into Season 3.
However, Elsbeth is far from out of the woods. The poor woman can’t seem to break this season. First, the new lieutenant was giving her grief, then the Chicago case, and now she still has that murderous judge gunning for her.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
But like the seasoned professional that Miss Tascioni is, she hasn’t let her troubles slow her down from cracking every case that comes her way.
Granted, as far as cases go, Elsbeth barely needed a clue to sum up the murder in “Finance Bros.”
No Amount of Money Can Substitute Brain Cells or Common Sense
Seriously, Elsbeth spent all of five minutes looking Alan Ruck’s (Succession) Peter up and down at the crime scene before she knew he was the killer.
To be fair, there was absolutely nothing redeeming about the character. Everything about him screamed, “He would kill a person without hesitation.” And he did. As always, our girl was right on the money.
Now, I have never worked in a position anywhere near the finance industry. So, can someone tell me if CEOs and such really spend THAT MUCH time practicing their golf game?
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
Is it part of the position? Like you become a high-powered CEO, and then they hand you an overpriced suit and a golf club? Is the lack of common sense part of it, too, or just a bonus?
Peter, being the brain trust that he was, pushed his brother out of a window and then ransacked the body in broad daylight. That is a level of elitism that I didn’t even know existed.
It’s just baffling to me that he genuinely thought he was going to get away with the murder while leaving breadcrumbs for the NYPD and Elsbeth.
It was almost the same setup as Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 8. That was the one where the crime app CEO faked a Zoom meeting to bludgeon a journalist to death. And like that case, the final nail in the coffin came down to the killer’s location.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
Raise your hand if you immediately knew Peter used a VPN to fake his location while calling that news station. Honestly, this would have been a great case for Detective Edwards.
The Show Is So Much More Than Just the Fabulous Elsbeth as the Detectives Share More And More of the Spotlight
As the resident tech-savvy detective, Edwards would have had this case in the bag but the actress was probably busy with her Ryan Murphy show, Grotesquerie.
Instead, we were treated to a double dose of Detective Bobby Smullen. If you recall, Smullen was the lead detective in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 9.
Since then, he has been surprisingly cordial; some might even say friendly to Miss Tascioni. Could the crankiest cop at the precinct be finally coming around to Elsbeth?
I’m telling you; it’s those poker game nights, and I love that the series keeps that going.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
Elsbeth has been slowly transitioning into an ensemble show, and it’s only made every episode of Elsbeth Season 2 that much better.
Still, it would be nice to see Detective Donnelly or Detective Grandpa (Flemming) on another case. Personally, I can’t get enough of Donnelly’s dry sense of humor or Flemming’s “back in my day” attitude.
Speaking of attitude, we have to talk about that verbal smackdown Elsbeth delivered to Van Ness.
Even Though Elsbeth Can Clearly Hold Her Own, It’s Nice to Know Captain Wagner Has Her Back No Matter What
If you’re like this TV Fanatic, you know nearly nothing about laws and protocols regarding client confidentiality. So, I thought this whole divorce mess would go on much longer than it did.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
First of all, how dare they try to pin the suppressed police report on Elsbeth? I know the legal system is as broken and corrupt as they come, but that was a low-down, dirty move.
It kind of makes you wonder why anyone would want to be a lawyer, but then you remember that there are people like Elsbeth who just want to bring truth and light to the world.
That was some straight-up trickery, but it gave Wagner (Wendell Pierce) another chance to show Elsbeth how much she means to him. Did you see that look in his eyes when he found out?
That man takes care of his own, especially now that he has Lieutenant Connor on his side ready to back up Elsbeth as well.
Side note: does anyone else kind of hope the lieutenant and Elsbeth’s son, Teddy, hit it off the next time he guest stars in an episode?
We’re going to need something to balance all the drama headed Elsbeth’s way. Did you think it was just a coincidence that “Finance Bros” ended on a shot of Judge Milton?
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
Believe It or Not, This Episode Was Likely the Calm Before the Real Storm
It’s kind of frightening that Michael Emerson‘s Judge Milton Crawford has been absent for two episodes now. The man doesn’t need much time to sow discord and chaos.
Now that the Chicago case is done and dealt with, the series will likely zero in on the rivalry between Elsbeth and Milton, much to this TV Fanatic’s delight.
Emerson is just so good as a villain.
He somehow makes you love to hate him because even though he almost always plays someone sinister, the actor does it in a way that keeps you glued to the screen.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
We would be fools to think he has just been resting on his laurels since Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 8.
You don’t become a murdering judge without constantly thinking ahead.
Now that Elsbeth has sidestepped his little attack on her through the Chicago case, I’m willing to bet Milton will try other avenues to stop Elsbeth from revealing him as a killer.
We’re at the halfway mark for Elsbeth Season 2, so the Judge Milton thing could be wrapped up in the next couple of episodes, or the CBS series might milk this juicy plot for all its worth.
We’ll just have to keep watching every episode of this perfectly crafted campy series until we get some answers.
(Michael Parmelee/CBS)
Carrie Preston is just so damn likable. I could watch her in just about any role.
Do you think Judge Milton will have something in the works to mess with Elsbeth?
Were you surprised that the show wrapped up the Chicago case so quickly?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I review another episode of Elsbeth!
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