It’s safe to say I did not see that one coming.
After wondering for weeks about why Judge Milton Crawford (Michael Emerson) killed Andy Mertens (Quincy Dunn-Baker) in Season 2 Episode 7 of Elsbeth, we finally have some answers. But now, there are even more questions swirling around.
**Spoiler alert for Season 2 of Elsbeth**
In the recent episode titled “I Know What You Did 33 Summers Ago,” Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) begins to unravel the mystery behind Andy’s murder. She races against time as Crawford threatens to take action against her and her loved ones. The biggest twist came in the closing moments of the episode when Delia (Meredith Holzman), the woman Crawford tried to frame for Andy’s murder, shoots and kills Crawford.
The story began with Elsbeth being selected for jury duty in Delia’s case. She witnessed Crawford’s attempts to shift the blame onto Delia for his own misdeeds. Initially, the reasons for Andy’s murder were left unexplained on the show. However, all is now revealed.
As the title of the episode alludes, Crawford and Andy’s history goes back three decades, when Andy was working at a yacht club where Crawford’s family held a membership. During one summer at the club, Crawford killed a young girl and made it look like an accident, roping Andy in and swearing him to secrecy. Until now, when he decided he needed to come forward since Crawford has been looking to secure a federal court seat.
The episode sees Elsbeth and Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) work to uncover the truth, only for the pieces to fall apart as Crawford uses his connections to wreak havoc on the NYPD, the DOJ, and even Elsbeth’s ex-husband. Ultimately, he gets away with it and takes the coveted vacancy, declaring victory over Elsbeth and her team and leaving her feeling hopeless.
That’s when the shocking twist plays out in the final moments as Judge Crawford’s fate is sealed by Delia on the steps of a federal courthouse. In the scene, Delia — plagued by the horror that Crawford is getting away with Andy’s murder — walks up from behind Elsbeth, pulls out a handgun, and shoots Crawford right in the heart, killing him almost instantly. The moment is so stunning to Elsbeth that her confidence is completely shaken in the next scene.
After Teddy (Ben Ross) receives an impressively high score on his LSAT, he remarks while watching news coverage of Crawford’s shooting that he cannot be part of an unjust system like the one in place. As everyone looks to Elsbeth to reassure her son that he can still do good in the world of litigation, she hesitates to respond and clearly feels conflicted over his future and her own. It’s an unexpected and completely welcome departure from the way the season could have played out.
Giving Elsbeth a crisis of faith in her own profession and the work she has dedicated her life to is so much more appealing than watching a cat-and-mouse game unfold. Nothing against the latter, but given a choice between the two, I would always rather see a character wrestle with the decisions that led them to one moment and question how they ended up there.
This season has already provided us with many an intimidating moment between the real-life husband and wife duo and, at some point, it was going to get tired. Changing it up and subverting expectations by killing off their antagonist is a confident step in showing the audience that they are not just another procedural drama, but something elevated.
As for what comes next, that part is still up in the air. But know that we will be watching.
The first 18 episodes of Elsbeth Season 2 are currently streaming on Paramount+. New episodes air Thursdays on CBS and stream the next day.
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