The wait was shorter than usual between seasons, but it’s finally here—Season 2 of Elsbeth! Everyone’s favorite optimistic attorney, Elsbeth Tascioni, played by Carrie Preston, is back. This time, she has a permanent job at the NYPD.
She works with Officer Kaya Blanke, portrayed by Carra Patterson, and is under the supervision of Captain Wagner, played by Wendell Pierce. The first season wrapped up neatly, leaving few loose ends.
Elsbeth was asked to stay at the NYPD to help uncover corruption and solve cases. In the season premiere titled “Subscription To Murder,” we see a lot of detective work, and it starts off with an interesting story.
A Fateful Night at the Opera
The episode starts at the opera, just like the first season. We see Phillip Cross, played by Nathan Lane, who is a regular opera-goer.
He chats with the usher before taking his seat. In front of him, a young couple sits down. Their names are Eddie, played by Corey Mach, and his date.
Eddie’s grandmother recently passed away, leaving him her opera subscription. He isn’t really into opera but is using the tickets to impress his date. Eddie’s behavior makes him seem out of place.
He has a phone out during the performance, and he even falls asleep while his date plays on her phone. He also makes loud noises while eating snacks and gets very physical with his date.
The final straw comes when he answers a phone call in the theater. After the call, Eddie leaves to meet a friend at a club.
This leaves Phillip Cross feeling frustrated with the opera experience. Cross decides to take action. He grabs a prop knife from his home, follows Eddie back to his apartment, and stabs him several times.
Elsbeth and Blanke: Out Shopping for Detective Gear
Now that the murder has happened, we check in on Elsbeth and Officer Blanke. The pair is out shopping for new clothes. Blanke wants something appropriate for her promotion to detective.
While Blanke thinks they should not be buying things before she is promoted, Elsbeth is optimistic and wants to be prepared. She knows that Captain Wagner has been supporting Blanke’s promotion.
However, Blanke feels the process is slow. Just then, they hear police sirens. Their break is over, and it is time to get back to work.
Working with a New Detective
Elsbeth and Blanke arrive at Eddie’s house. They meet Detective Flemming, played by Daniel Oreskes. He is a seasoned detective and will help them with the case.
Flemming believes that most cases are either about sex or money. Since Eddie’s wallet is missing, he thinks the murder was a robbery.
Elsbeth and Blanke do not agree with this theory. They believe that the violent way Eddie was killed suggests it was a crime of passion, not a random robbery.
Flemming listens to them and decides to look into their theory. Meanwhile, Captain Wagner meets with Lt. Connor, played by Daniel K. Isaac. Connor is replacing the corrupt Lt. Noonan.
He tells Wagner he is comfortable being a fact-based detective and doesn’t mind not being friends with everyone. Connor wants to check all the operations at the precinct to ensure everything is honest and above board.
Wagner is happy to have Connor join the team. He introduces Connor to Elsbeth. She offers her old office to Connor, as it was once Noonan’s—however, Connor declines.
He plans to make Elsbeth and her work unnecessary, meaning he does not want her in the precinct anymore. It is clear that Connor wants to root out corruption, but since the show is called “Elsbeth,” it seems unlikely he will succeed in getting rid of her.
After the introductions, Flemming and Blanke report their findings to Wagner. Flemming still thinks the case is a robbery and believes finding Eddie’s wallet will lead them to the killer.
New Evidence from the Autopsy
Back at the precinct, Elsbeth and Blanke look over the autopsy report. They discover that the coroner found unknown DNA on Eddie’s body. They also find a strange bruise shaped like the knife’s hilt but without a puncture wound.
Hearing this new information, Flemming changes his mind and agrees it looks like a crime of passion. The team decides to interview Eddie’s previous dates to get more information.
However, none of the women have anything nice to say about Eddie. His last date provides useful details about what he was doing on the night he was killed. Flemming tries to pin the murder on one of the women, but it leads nowhere. Eventually, they discover Eddie’s wallet has been found near the George Washington Bridge, discarded by Cross, who wore a fake mustache.
Investigating Eddie’s Last Night
With the robbery theory still in play, Flemming and Blanke go to the park to investigate. While Flemming checks the area around a bench, Blanke speaks to potential witnesses. They hit a dead end. Blanke mentions that one witness saw a man with a hat and mustache nearby. However, their investigation is cut short when Flemming decides to end the day. He refuses to work overtime without pay.
Back at the precinct, Elsbeth goes through Eddie’s phone photos. She sees Cross in the background of every opera selfie, looking annoyed. Elsbeth gets an idea. They should go back to the opera!
Elsbeth Discovers the Joy of Opera
Elsbeth and Blanke return to the opera. They sit right in front of Cross. While they are there for work, Elsbeth cannot help but enjoy herself.
She cries during the show, fully embracing her feelings. After the first act, they go to the lobby for intermission. Elsbeth tries to talk to Cross about the show, but he leaves quickly when he learns they are police officers.
In the lobby, they meet Dr. Yablonski, played by Daniel Davis, who was seen in Season 1. Blanke asks the usher about Eddie’s actions that night, while Yablonski shares details about Cross. He tells them that Cross is known for being strict and has attended shows alone since his wife died.
Yablonski, who found Cross’s obsession with Tosca annoying, suggests that Elsbeth and Blanke join him for a drink after the performance. Elsbeth approaches Cross to apologize for her emotional outburst. Surprisingly, he is happy to discuss how the opera affected her feelings.
Elsbeth asks if he goes to the bar after every show. Cross tells her he was at the bar the night Eddie was killed and even has the receipt as proof.
Elbseth finds this suspicious. It seems odd for someone to volunteer an alibi without being asked directly. Before the conversation ends, Elsbeth asks if he saw Eddie that night.
He says no but shares a story about another night, suggesting he could have left the bar quickly. He enjoys talking about the opera, and Elsbeth mentions wanting to learn more, which he accepts.
Blanke Faces a Setback in Her Career
Back at the precinct, Blanke interrogates Eddie’s friend Sean, played by Kario Marcel. She asks him about two calls he made to Eddie that night.
Sean says the first call was to invite him out, and he took the call during the opera. The second call was hours later when Sean realized Eddie left without paying his share of the bill.
Blanke thinks the first call is more interesting because Eddie answered it during the show. However, Wagner, Captain Wagner, is skeptical. He doubts anyone would kill over bad manners at the theater. Blanke struggles to convince him that the call might be relevant.
Meanwhile, at Cross’s home, Elsbeth arrives for her first opera lesson. She looks around at the opera items in Cross’s study. While showing, she discovers the knife he used to stab Eddie. He tells her it is a prop from the first Tosca production he attended. Cross starts teaching her about opera.
Uncovering More Clues
After a few hours of lessons, which frustrate Cross at times, Elsbeth notices something. She asks him why there are no photos of his wife in his study.
He explains that she was not real to him anymore. He tried to find people to go with him to the opera but eventually decided to go alone.
Elbsbeth continues her attempts to understand his theater behavior. Cross realizes she is trying to interrogate him, but he appreciates her passion for opera more than he is offended.
He even offers her a pair of opera glasses to choose from his collection. Elsbeth, while his back is turned, takes a pair and bags them as evidence without him noticing.
Back at the precinct, Blanke faces bad news. Captain Wagner tells her that Lt. Connor found a mix-up with her college credits.
It turns out that the two Advanced Placement (AP) courses she took in high school do not count towards her college credits. This means her promotion to detective is on hold.
Blanke is upset but decides to focus on finding a way to make up the missing credits. Wagner tries to help her by stalling the situation, but the news still weighs heavily on her.
A Surprising Discovery
Meanwhile, Elsbeth listens to an old interview with Gino Gozzi, played by Christopher Borg, who was a lead in the Tosca performance that Cross loves.
Gozzi was a controversial figure, known for being difficult but also talented. While looking through the opera archives, Elsbeth finds an old photo of Gozzi with Cross at an event.
Elbsbeth realizes that Gozzi and Cross knew each other. She brings this new evidence to Blanke. Together, they think it could mean that Cross was motivated by jealousy, as Gozzi took his place in the opera world.
To get more information, Elsbeth goes to speak to Gozzi directly. She discovers that Gozzi did have a fight with Cross over artistic differences, but he was not involved in the murder.
Blanke joins Elsbeth at the opera once more. They find a new suspect, the usher, who was present at both the bar and the theater. They interrogate him and find out that he has a close relationship with Cross.
The Truth Comes Out
As the investigation deepens, Elsbeth realizes that the key to solving the case lies with Cross. She sets up a meeting with him, and he reveals everything in a roundabout way.
Cross confesses to following Eddie and confronting him about his behavior. He also admits to being deeply affected by the opera and the emotions it stirs within him.
In a moment of vulnerability, Cross reveals how much he missed his wife and how Eddie’s disrespect for the opera reminded him of his loss. He admits to the stabbing but insists it was a mistake driven by emotions.
After Cross’s confession, Elsbeth faces a dilemma. She feels sympathy for him, understanding his grief, but knows that the law must be upheld.
A New Chapter Begins
In the closing scenes of the episode, Elsbeth talks with Blanke about the case. They both reflect on how challenging it is to balance justice with understanding human emotions. They are aware that not every crime is black and white, and sometimes there are complex feelings at play.
As the season progresses, it will be exciting to see how Elsbeth continues to follow her job at the NYPD and her personal growth. Season 2 of Elsbeth promises more twists and turns as the characters face new challenges, go into complex emotional stories, and seek justice.
With fresh mysteries to solve and relationships to show, fans are eager for what comes next. Elsbeth’s journey is just beginning, and audiences can’t wait to see how she handles the trials ahead, both as an attorney and a friend.
