Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 3 felt a lot more like the show I fell in love with.
Kaya made an appearance, for one thing, and I’m glad a story is being built around her undercover operation.
Plus, the murder of the week was one of the most satisfying cases Elsbeth has had in a while.
Kaya’s Undercover Operation Is Shaping Up To Be This Season’s Big Mystery
Elsbeth always has a season-long mystery that is more reminiscent of its The Good Wife roots than the cases of the week.
Kaya’s story appears to be that mystery, and it’s a compelling one.
She’s apparently investigating corruption at the Waterfront and dealing with unsavory characters, and one of them might have realized she was a cop.
Elsbeth witnessed her being approached by a burly guy with a thick beard, which, on TV, tends to be a red flag, and then Kaya’s phone number was disconnected.
Whatever danger Kaya is in is only one part of the story, though.
This corruption is likely to be a big deal that might tie back to the NYPD, or for whatever reason Marisa Gold is slated to visit New York soon.
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Before She Disappeared, Kaya Slipped Effortlessly Back Into Her Friendship With Elsbeth
Those precious few moments they had at the bar were the best part of Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 3.
Elsbeth’s news of her off-screen breakup with Angus was sad but inevitable, since he’s not a regular part of the show.
I’m glad that Kaya was there to reassure her that she’d find someone else someday, but the best part of their meeting was how excited Kaya got about Black Veil.
I forgot she’s obsessed with reality TV, but that was typical Kaya, and I loved every second of it.
Kaya’s Inability To Help Was a Frustrating Obstacle
Elsbeth’s inability to share the stills of Raquel on the ferry without blowing Kaya’s cover was annoying.
When Raquel was lying her ass off about how she wasn’t on the boat at all, I’d have loved the look on her face if Elsbeth had been able to show her the proof.
Still, I knew from the beginning the timestamp on her TikTok post meant nothing, and not just because the cold open showed her killing Johnny.
Even without knowing the name of the app that Grace suggested could be used, I knew there was such a thing as scheduling posts ahead of time.
Raquel was too smug about that timestamp, as if she assumed no cop could ever figure out how social media worked and investigate whether she posted live or used a scheduler, which was one of many reasons I couldn’t wait for Elsbeth to take her down.
She was too arrogant in general in the way that only murderers who think they’re smarter than everyone ever are, and every time she opened her mouth, I was more ready for Elsbeth to deliver the final blow.
Her reaction upon hearing the news that Johnny had left a voicemail for his mother gave her away immediately, so it was only a matter of Elsbeth proving it.
Raquel’s Mother-In-Law Was The Real MVP
I don’t know why it never occurred to Raquel that Johnny might get in touch with his mother, too.
I guess she was too self-centered to consider the possibility that Johnny had relationships with anyone but her, but not doing so was a fatal flaw in her plan that she should have seen coming.
Cathy Moriarty was absolutely perfect as Johnny’s mother.
She resented Raquel for always acting like Johnny wasn’t good enough, and knew that something was off about his dying so soon after getting in touch with her.
I was glad she got the last laugh.
It was so satisfying for Johnny’s mother to be on the set to help confront Raquel about what she’d done when Elsbeth did the final rundown of how Raquel killed Johnny and what the proof was.
Getting her own show to replace the one Raquel had was a nice bit of karma after everything she’d been through.
It was also fitting for Elsbeth to confront Raquel with the cameras rolling.
Elsbeth’s imitations of Raquel’s pity parties were hilarious, and Raquel got humiliated by getting arrested on national television.
Raquel made a foolish mistake in the end.
She should have realized that using brand new equipment when Johnny’s had a distinctive, weathered look was going to give her away the second she ran across a detail-oriented person.
Surprisingly, no one realized it before Elsbeth. The Internet is full of conspiracy theorists, and every influencer has haters.
Some troll or other should have commented publicly about the difference in the helmet and carabiner long before Elsbeth did.
What did you think about this episode of Elsbeth?
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If you love Elsbeth, you might also enjoy our coverage of Only Murders in the Building, which has a similar vibe. We also cover Matlock and Watson, two other CBS mystery shows that you might fall hard for.
Elsbeth airs on CBS on Thursdays at 10/9c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.
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Elsbeth met up with an old friend on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 3 and everything felt right for a few minutes. Our review!
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Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 2 was different, but not exactly in ways that worked or even made sense. Our review!
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Stephen Colbert kicked off a fun murder plot, and all the comedic elements were still there, but something felt off on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 1.
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