Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Elsbeth’s Eleven

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

The Elsbeth writers seem to be trying to outdo themselves with each passing episode. I honestly thought we were about to have our first date without murder. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Even though a character was still killed off, viewers were treated to a mini-heist with a less happy ending than the movie that inspired the story.

Of course, you could say that any of the Oceans movies inspired him, but since references like “you’re looking Mindy Kaling”, we know Elsbeth‘s Eleven drew themes from Ocean’s 8.

If that wasn’t enough to keep the audience enthralled, the legendary Vanessa Williams gave a hilarious and memorable performance.

Vanessa Williams is no stranger to the Good Wife universe, but her character on Elsbeth is as brand new and shiny as the jewelry she tried to steal

No one plays an iconic diva quite like Vanessa Williams. This titan of the entertainment industry has been performing and singing her sweet songs for over forty years.

She is known for her roles in hilarious serials like Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives and starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the 2000 film Shaft.

You have fans The Good Wife you may remember her as Courtney Paige’s recurring character during the show’s seventh season.

Elsbeth has practically an endless supply of possible episodic killers. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been one yet from my article about Nine actors who would make excellent guest stars, aka Killers!

I was glad to be wrong about this though because Vanessa Williams was fantastic. Aside from being absolutely stunning, she’s no stranger to playing a tightly wound woman or two.

Her character, Roselyn, is very reminiscent of Wilhelmina Slater from her Ugly Betty days, with just a hint of her Renee Perry character from Desperate Housewives.

How funny was that fall when he faked cyanide poisoning? And the fact that no one really bought it was the perfect level of self-aware camp.

They get so close, but in the end, the only ones who walk away happy are the police and Judith. Good for her.

She gave decades of her life to the jewelry store only to be trashed, only to be replaced by an evil female robot dressed in a meat suit.

The gem expert wasn’t much nicer, but he hardly deserved to be poisoned with cyanide. That Roselyn was quick on her feet.

However, I don’t know about any of you, but I thought things surrounding this case seemed a little shady.

Detective Donnelly is back and she’s as dry as ever

Captain Wagner was quick to rule this case an accidental death only because the jewelry store was heavily arming him. Something about that doesn’t seem right, and Elsbeth clearly agreed.

When you think about it, Captain Wagner came very close to letting a murderer get away. If Elsbeth and Kaya hadn’t continued to investigate the case, Roselyn would have gotten away with not only the murder, but the theft as well.

Part of me wanted Roselyn to get away with it entirely, mainly because of the actress playing her. However, I’m not upset that we got another episode with Detective Donnelly.

She may be tough on the outside, but we haven’t forgotten how sweet she was to our favorite Chicago lawyer. Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 10.

She was the only detective to say goodbye and told Elsbeth that she would miss her. Of course, in classic Donnelly fashion, she ran off before Elsbeth could hug her.

As for the detective group, Donnelly’s dry humor compliments Elsbeth’s moody nature. Who else can deliver a line like “murder is supposed to be fun?” with such perfect comic timing?

One thing we have to talk about is how incredible Elsbeth, Kaya, Donnelly and even Wagner looked at the gala. Gosh, everyone looked great.

Here’s my question though: Why doesn’t the way Elsbeth dresses for fancy events translate to her everyday clothes?

Someone please burn Elsbeth’s bucket hat

Has anyone else noticed any inconsistencies with Elsbeth’s wardrobe? For some reason, her taste becomes impeccable when it’s time to rub shoulders with rich people.

It was not the first time that Elsbeth dazzled in a fabulous ensemble. She was dressed for the gods in Elsbeth Season 1 Episode 4. So why do we still see bucket hats?

No wonder every suspect thinks Elsbeth isn’t all there. She dresses like she should be pushing a shopping cart of plants and puppies down the sidewalk. If that happens, you saw it here first.

Seriously, it’s getting out of control. What was that Pepto Bismal and rhinestone jacket she was rocking in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 4? One good ray of sunlight on that jacket and the whole thing would go up in flames.

How does she go from wearing this to the amazing dress she rocked at the end of “Elsbeth’s Eleven”? It’s not nice to tease the audience with gorgeous clothes only to bring back the bucket hat.

Interestingly, I have heard no mention of Elsbeth’s involvement in a high-profile case in Chicago. The last time I heard anything substantial was Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 2.

Carter Schmidt came and went with an ominous scene that set Elsbeth on edge. However, she seems to be quite unfazed by the situation.

However, that other shoe could drop at any moment. At least she’s more comfortable with her bow than Captain Wagner.

Like the titular character, Elsbeth, the show makes sure it never forgets a familiar face

That poor guy is trying so hard to be nice on the premises. I should be sorry to laugh, but the man is like an oak — steadfast.

If he hadn’t been the new lieutenant, I doubt Wagner would be trying so hard to win over his colleagues.

I mean, he got Elsbeth and Kaya milkshakes, and it’s a universal truth that milkshakes make everything better. It will be fun to see what other tactics he tries to get people to like him.

You know what else was a little fun? The references to Lavish Ladies. Are there any returning characters?

Between the hoodie Kaya was wearing and the show named after it, it looks like the writers wanted to keep the fictional reality show in mind – emphasis on fiction.

Since Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 1numerous references were made to past episodes. As the trend continues, we’ll likely see more characters pop up throughout Season 2.

My money is on Laura Benanti’s Nadine Clay. I would love to see her character Sashay back on screen. She is hilariously detached from reality in the best way.

Speaking of returns, where the hell is John Behlmann’s fireman Jake Turling? The man lit a fire in “The Wrong Stuff” under Elsbeth and then disappeared.

We were excited to see Elsbeth return to the dating world, but we soon learned it was a tease. Oh good.

For now, we’ll just have to settle for more amazing cases and stories from the Elsbeth writers. CBSHis Elsbeth is a strong line-up of talented people in front of and behind the camera.

Which Elsbeth Season 1 character do you want to see come back?

Do you think we’ll see more cameos from The Good Wife or The Good Fight?

Please leave a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode and join me again when I bring you another review for Elsbeth!

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