Warning: SPOILERS forElsbethseason 2, episode 18, “I Know What You Did Thirty-Three Summers Ago.“Carrie Preston’s character was the subject of a terrifying psychic premonition inElsbethseason 2, and the end of Judge Crawford’s storyline seems to have doubly confirmed that Tascioni could still be in danger. While the coreElsbethcastcertainly isn’t lacking when it comes to charm, the current season has been delivering when it comes to guest stars. After heavy hitters like Nathan Lane, Vanessa Bayer, Matthew Broderick, Alyssa Milano, Ioan Gruffudd, and Mary-Louise Parker, it will be hard forElsbethseason 3to raise the bar even further.
There’s still the possibility of adding moreThe Good Wifecameos inElsbeth, which could affect the story quite a bit. In the meantime, however,a few of this season’s guest stars have already affected Elsbeth Tascioni’s character and storyline in lasting ways. Among the most notable examples has been Michael Emerson, who appears multiple times inElsbethseason 2 as the murderous and powerfully influential Judge Milton Crawford. Technically, his storyline is concluded. But details fromElsbeth’s psychic episode, and the way those details eventually pay off, suggest that Crawford’s influence will continue to have lasting effects.
A Psychic Has Specific Visions Of Elsbeth In Danger In Season 2, Episode 15
“I See…Murder” features Tracey Ullman as psychic Marilyn Gladwell, whose supernatural abilities are cause for speculation throughout much of the episode. But when she has a vision of a blue station wagon connected to a case from Wagner’s past, it seems to confirm that her sixth sense truly exists. That’s what makes it so terrifying when she has a vision in the interrogation room thatElsbeth needs to be wary of an evil figure in a dark robe who Marilyn connects with water and blood.
Although he doesn’t feature in this particular episode, Marilyn’s vision seems like a reference toJudge Crawford’s villain role inElsbeth. His threats against Tascioni had been mostly professional up to that point, butElsbeth already knew that he was a dangerous man capable of committing murder. In his last episode, there are scenes in which he seems dangerously close to pushing Elsbeth onto a subway train or down a flight of stairs. But the way his story concludes plays into Marilyn’s vision much differently.
Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 18 Connects Crawford With Blood And Water In Two Major Ways
Marilyn’s Vision Bookends The Episode’s Storyline
Crawford’s last episode contains what may very well beElsbeth’s darkest cold open to date. It features a young Milton Crawford, at this point a law student in his 20s, breaking into the pool at a yacht club with future murder victim Andy Mertens and teenager Sherry Mitchell. Milton tries to ditch Andy so he can take Sherry for himself, but he slaps her when she rejects his advances. After she responds by punching him in the nose, he bashes her head open against the side of the pool and holds her underwater until she drowns.
Andy accepted payment in return for his silence for years, but he tried to contact senators to spill the beans when he learned that Crawford was up for a federal judgeship. Although Elsbeth eventually pieces this together as the motive for Andy’s murder, Crawford uses his connections to have the evidence destroyed. But while Elsbeth vows not to give up, her investigation is cut short whenAndy’s lover Delia shows up to the courthouse and fatally shoots Crawford in the chest as it starts raining. A story that began with blood in the water eventually ends with the same.
Elsbeth May Still Be In Danger In Season 2
Crawford’s Death Could Have Severe Consequences
It’s a bigchange toElsbeth’s procedural formatto see Tascioni fail an investigation for the first time, and the characters are understandably devastated that they couldn’t deliver proper justice to Crawford. That said, it’s almost a relief to know he’s gone for good. Between Crawford cornering a raincoat-clad Elsbeth outside the subway and her standing atop a flight of concrete steps during their final confrontation,there were moments in which it seemed Marilyn’s prediction would play out much differently. Unfortunately, her warning to Tascioni to be careful still needs to be heeded.
Crawford had no shortage of powerful friends, many of whom he was already using to punish Elsbeth’s loved ones for continuing her investigation. Now that she’s publicly confronted him in the courthouse lobby just before he was murdered by the same woman assisting her probe into Milton’s past, the typically humorousThe Good Wifespinoffmay be rife with influential figures ready to interfere with Elsbeth’s personal and professional life, starting with her consent decree. Whether this sets up newElsbethvillains for future seasons or merely the season 2 finale, Tascioni should definitely keep her guard up.
Elsbeth
Cast
Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute attorney with a unique perspective, as she collaborates with the NYPD to tackle elusive criminals after a successful career in Chicago. Released in 2024, this series explores her unconventional methods in solving intricate cases.
