It’s about time Elsbeth lived her Sex & The City realness in the next episode. A round of cosmopolitans for the girls! Seriously, the drink is full of electrolytes and antioxidants.
In Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 9, the aptly named “police of the police” finds herself sipping more than the usual tea when an exclusive cocktail bar owner takes justice into his own hands.
By the looks of things, Elsbeth will be mixing business with pleasure when she clinks glasses with Joe, played by Arian Moayed, known for his role as Stewy Hosseini in Succession.
With only this and one more episode to close out the show’s first season, audiences are likely to see equal parts of the weekly murders and the ongoing case of Wagner’s false accusation of corruption.
Speaking of the captain, while he’s given more than enough reasons to believe he is entirely innocent, the detective also seems to have one glaring weakness—a blindness to the people close to him.
He said that he thought Lieutenant Noonan, the real corrupted culprit, was like a brother to him and someone he trusted deeply. I mean, the man was in Captain Wagner’s wedding.
So, with that same blind spot, it’s still very possible that Claudia, the captain’s wife, is involved in the sweatshop cover-up. It may seem like a stretch, but the character is only seen once in Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 4, yet is brought up in every episode.
From a writing and plot perspective, it seems like a conscious choice in the script to include someone only seen once but bring them up so many times. Perhaps it’s a form of “fridging” to garner more sympathy from viewers for Wagner, but the man hardly needs it.
If Claudia is caught in the middle of this ongoing case, it’s very likely that the good captain will throw himself under the bus to save the wife he clearly loves very much. That actually wouldn’t make for too bad of a cliffhanger, as only Elsbeth and Kaya would know the truth.
Whatever the case ends up being with Wagner, it’s good to see him making intelligent choices going forward, as he was seen getting counsel from the titular character in Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 8.
As for the unofficial sleuth herself, Elsbeth has certainly made herself at home in the Big Apple. Despite her rather unique personality, she seems to have made many friendly connections, as seen at the housewarming party in Elsbeth in Season 1 Episode 7.
However, I’ll still be looking for the dog she possibly adopted in “Artificial Genius.” Elsbeth seems like someone who does the most for their fur baby.
Regarding her actual baby, there is still no sign of Teddy. Elsbeth’s son is another character who gets brought up a fair amount, considering he’s never once graced the screen. There’s barely a description of him anywhere apart from him being gay.
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll pop up for a heartwarming moment in the season finale or not at all.
Speaking of repeat offenders, Detective Smullen appears to be back for more headaches from furrowing his brows at everything Elsbeth says. He was last seen in Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 5, working on the case of the tennis player who died from nitroglycerin and ED meds.
As far as the less cooperative detectives are concerned, Smullen is not the worst, as that title goes to Detective Browner from Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 2, who was just downright rude and pompous. That said, Smullen has a cranky, curmudgeon way about him.
At the very least, audiences can always count on Officer Kaya Blanke to help ground this otherwise campy weekly murder “howcatchem.”
Miss Blanke is seen at Elsbeth’s side in the bar as they investigate the suspicious bar owner. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a little gal pal, gab-sesh, as the chemistry between Elsbeth and Kaya is always so sweet.
As far as arcs go, Blanke hasn’t been given much in the way of her own journey besides the unlikely friendship she forged with Elsbeth and the awkward place she was put in when Captain Wagner asked for her assistance in the corruption case against him.
For a character that many viewers have come to appreciate as the breath of fresh air amidst all the nonsensical murders, you’d think the writers would give her something more to work with. There’s not been much mentioned in the way of her family or past.
It seems like a missed opportunity, considering she is prevalent throughout each episode. It’s not like Elsbeth will suddenly hold back from asking personal and awkward questions of the people around her.
Since it’s the season’s second-to-last episode, Elsbeth will likely not introduce any new information or characters except for what’s already been established.
What do you think will inevitably come from this corruption case in the NYPD? What could the writers be building up to with the mention of Claudia and Teddy in almost every aired episode?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and come back after we review this episode after it airs!
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Joshua Pleming is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X.
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