Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Elsbeth Flips The Bird

Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0

5

This was hands down one of the funniest episodes of Elsbeth yet. How the writers continue to keep things fresh and exciting is a mystery to me, but we are here for it.

“Elsbeth Flips The Bird” was a nonstop roller coaster ride of the campiest and most insane plotting of the series so far. And we also got to see the return of another Season 1 vet.

However, the most crucial thing that Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 5 brought to life was the criminal cost of avocados. How else could the show reference something like “The Avocado Cartel.”

I was not expecting that level of camp. However, the price of that green gold has skyrocketed, and something needs to be done.

Best of all, we finally received more info on the high-profile case Elsbeth is caught up in.

Elsbeth May Have To Come To Terms With Her Past As A Lawyer

Is it a Chicago thing to mysteriously pull up in an all-black vehicle just to chat with someone in another state?

On Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 2, Carter Schmidt rolled up with news for Elsbeth that a case from her past was about to bite them both in the ass.

Now, we meet the soon-to-be ex-wife of Elsbeth’s former client, Mark Van Ness. You know someone is rich when they have the “Van” in their last name. I’m just saying.

From the soon-to-be-single missus, we learned that Elsbeth handled Mark’s previous divorce. In doing so, Elsbeth learned how terrible her client was.

The rub is that Elsbeth didn’t share any of that information with Mark’s new wife, hence the divorce. Now, the wife is claiming that she married Mark under false pretenses.

Was it Elsbeth’s responsibility to tell the new wife what she learned about her client? Or does that fall under lawyer/client confidentiality? Someone call Kathy Bates on Matlock and find out.

Elsbeth has a big heart, but this is one moral conundrum. It makes you wonder why Elsbeth ever wanted to be a lawyer in the first place. There are other ways to serve justice on a silver platter. Just ask Chef Z.

A Pain Tolerance That Can Only Be Described As Medieval

The Chef in this episode was phenomenal. She was crazy as hell but phenomenal. For one thing, the Chef was a terrible murderer. She left so many clues right from the start.

As soon as she put the dead guy’s phone back, I immediately shouted, “You didn’t wipe your fingerprints!” It may be time to step away from the murder shows.

That said, the kill scene was a little, shall we say, farfetched. First, the guy didn’t even try to push Chef Z off of him. He just stared at her while she slowly lowered her hands to his neck.

Suffice it to say, the murder was not believable in the slightest. Sure, adrenaline probably gave the Chef strength, but the same should have been true for him.

People can become superhuman when they are fighting for their lives. But that scene right after, of the Chef injuring herself, was EVERYTHING. Save that level of insanity for the kitchens on The Bear.

The woman bashed her own head with a meat tenderizer, for god’s sake. At least it led to the hilarious comment from Elsbeth when she described Chef Z’s pain tolerance as “medieval.”

That isn’t the only thing Chef Z gave to Elsbeth. Because the Chef wouldn’t let Elsbeth make a reservation, viewers were gifted with another appearance by the fabulous Nadine Clay.

I Feel Very Strongly That Elsbeth Is Fantastic At Bringing Back Fan-Favorite Characters

If you’ve read the reviews for previous episodes, you know that my absolute favorite guest character is Nadine Clay. The character was last seen on Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 10, feeling very strongly about things.

Since then, she’s gained a pound and returned to smelling food rather than eating it. My god, the character looked incredible — even with her outrageously tiny purse that looked like it was for a cat.

And who else did we see make another appearance in this nonstop thrill ride of an episode? None other than Detective Grandpa, Detective Donnelly, and Detective Edwards.

Donnelly was just on Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 4, so it was a treat to see the character so soon again. I wouldn’t be mad to have her dry sarcasm in more cases. It perfectly balances Elsbeth’s whimsical nature.

Then there was Detective Grandpa. I’ve already forgotten his real name, but who cares? The man is so funny in that “back in my day” kind of way.

Finally, there is Detective Edwards. Sure, she’s a bit of an acquired taste, but watching the character realize Elsbeth’s worth has been fun.

When first introduced on Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 6, she wasn’t exactly Elsbeth’s biggest fan. Since then, her disdain has thankfully grown to tolerance.

Elsbeth can always use more friends, especially when she’s driving Kaya crazy.

Lieutenants, Lawsuits, And Exams, Oh My!

Elsbeth is a fantastic series that consistently delivers quality writing. However, the campiness is sometimes taken too far and comes across as disingenuous.

The scene where Elsbeth’s cooking distracted Kaya from studying felt incredibly forced.

First, why would Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) make so much noise when she knows her friend is studying? That is very out of character. Secondly, why wouldn’t Kaya just go to a coffee shop?

The Elsbeth writers are really trying to stir an invisible pot because what made the smoke detector go off? There were two pans on the stove, and neither was smoking.

Still, they are having a much easier time than Wagner (Wendell Pierce). That poor man has never been so bad at anything as he is at trying to get the precinct to like him.

From raffles to poker games, at least the captain is getting good at socializing. That Lieutenant Connor, though, is a real piece of work.

Help me out here. Is he gunning for Wagner and Elsbeth, or is he so detached from human emotion that the only thing that matters to him is protocol?

The character walks around the precinct like C3PO. This is CBS, not Disney+. Seriously, the only two faces he knows how to make are no expression and confusion, so maybe he’s a robot.

Either way, between Wagner’s popularity, Elsbeth’s Chicago case, and Kaya passing her exams, we have a lot to think about while Elsbeth goes on break.

Don’t worry, though — we won’t have to wait long. The series will return in early December for a Christmas episode. Until then, watch out for Elsbeth’s knees.

Do you think Elsbeth should have told Mark Van Ness’s new wife what she learned about her client?

What do you think Lieutenant Connor’s deal is with Elsbeth and Captain Wagner?

Please drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I bring you the next Elsbeth Review!

And keep an eye out for the Elsbeth Spoilers posted before each new episode!

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