Elsbeth Recap: Sanctioned Mayhem

As a seasoned legal analyst with years of experience under my belt, I can’t help but be captivated by the intricate web of events unfolding in this narrative. The characters are as complex as a fine wine, each with their own unique aroma and flavor.

In a rather unfortunate turn of events, Mackenzie Altman (Brittany O’Grady) must have experienced quite an eventful night to feel relieved upon seeing Officer Kaya Blanke at her apartment, ready to arrest her for vandalism. This is the exact situation she finds herself in when she wakes up with no recollection of how she ended up with blood on a white Marilyn Monroe dress similar to that in The Seven Year Itch, sporting bangs hairstyle, a mysterious tattoo celebrating the love between Rick and Amy (people she doesn’t know), and a hickey from what appears to be a very small mouth. To add to her predicament, Mac had dreamt of shooting a werewolf-masked attacker, and as it turns out, her handgun is missing from its locked safe. Oh, how unfortunate.

It’s fortunate that Kaya was the one making the arrest since Elsbeth can now join the investigation. I had been eagerly anticipating a Halloween episode this season and was intrigued to see how Elsbeth would craft her costume. Rather than carrying multiple options in her bags throughout town, she decided on a single, well-executed strategy. She opted for a classic look, dressing as Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, complete with an elegant updo and a long cigarette holder, which unfortunately made smoking appear quite glamorous in its time.

1st Character Development Twist: Stiff as a board, Lieutenant Connor, is the lone staff member at the precinct sporting a costume. His choice? None other than Sir Winston Churchill, complete with a bowler hat, handkerchief, and an impeccably pressed shirt.

While Mac waited in a meeting room, Kaya provided some useful background information: Mac was the eldest daughter on “Father’s Keepers,” a series similar to Nickelodeon or Disney Channel, about a widowed father raising four daughters. Her co-star, Cissy (Zolee Griggs), who suggested Mac stay quiet until her attorney arrived, played one of the younger sisters on the show. Neither of them followed Miley Cyrus’s path from child stardom to adult careers in the industry, but Mac was particularly determined to do so. Her persistent lawyer, Danny Beck (Ryan Spahn), then arrived, stating that the club owner had dropped the charges as it was all a misunderstanding. This aligns with Danny’s history of rescuing celebrities from trouble; he’s freed one client from a cult and another from a drug cartel in Bogotá – for a fee, naturally.

As a movie critic, I found myself pondering Mac’s peculiar behavior in the latest flick. Despite the opportunity for freedom, she confides in Elsbeth her uncertainty about the events of the previous night and her suspicion that she might have taken another life. Her determination to unravel the mystery, regardless of the potential repercussions on her own life, was a surprising twist from the usual spoiled former child star narrative.

Using information from Cissy, Instagram posts, a bartender, and tattoo artist Kaya, as well as their own memories, Elsbeth, Kaya, and Mac work backwards from the previous night to reconstruct Mac’s actions and fill in significant gaps in her memory, which unfortunately lead them to discover a deceased body. It appears that Mac did shoot someone, and this person was not just an acquaintance but an on-again, off-again friend and romantic interest named Sonny Miller (Geronimo Ambert). Since Mac has allies like Elsbeth and Kaya, Detective Smullen is considering the case closed, primarily because Sonny is dead and gunshot residue was found on Mac’s hands from a gun that matches the one used to kill Sonny. However, Smullen’s eagerness to close the case seems more driven by resentment than healthy competition, as it would be in his best interest to build a strong case against his main suspect.

The two-episode run without the presence of bitter former detectives has concluded, however, Elsbeth and Kaya’s investigation continues! Without delving too deeply, there are at least three compelling reasons not to indict Mac immediately: first, she wouldn’t have carried the gun with her during her night out (she had no pockets or bag, and the PostMark party employed a metal detector); second, she assisted in locating Sonny’s body; third, her memory lapse about the previous night indicates she may not have been intoxicated to the point of blackout, but possibly drugged instead.

Elsbeth and Kaya persistently explore Mac’s evening activities and personal connections. Contrary to popular belief, Cissy, who resides with Mac, is actually crashing at her place instead of being a roommate. This living arrangement has strained their relationship, as each views the other as exploitative. Interestingly, Mac is not even aware of Cissy’s real name! In fact, she appears to have no genuine friends whatsoever. Furthermore, Danny seems to take advantage of or exacerbate her social isolation. He shows intense interest and protectiveness in her life, which Mac justifies as excessive care. Remarkably, he is working on a multi-film deal with the PostMark Channel for her and overseeing the design and construction of a club in Montenegro, located along the Adriatic Sea to the east of Italy.

The intention behind setting up the club was primarily to serve as a consistent money-maker, ensuring comfortable and wealthy retirements for both Mac and Danny. So far, she has invested approximately $6 million, but due to weather issues and unreliable contractors, the club remains unopened. It’s been suggested that Danny’s comment about Mac being easily influenced and overly trusting might not have been a criticism of his client, but rather a revelation about the true nature of his role as her manager.

It’s worth noting that Smullen has also been involved in the investigation, discovering an interesting detail: two days before Sonny’s death, he contacted a production company in Montenegro to arrange a video shoot at the club that Mac had agreed could be used as a set. Here’s where it gets intriguing: the person he spoke to informed him that no such club actually exists. This raises the possibility that his next call was to Danny, potentially offering a motive for Danny to murder Sonny. If this call was meant to reveal that Danny had been exposed and was being blackmailed, that would make more sense than suggesting Mac killed Sonny due to her questionable sobriety at the time (which was already precarious, given her history of alcohol and Xanax use). However, it seems strange that despite this apparent knowledge, Mac somehow still ended up pulling the trigger.

Bloodwork results furnish evidence for Elsbeth’s roofie hypothesis; Mac had high levels of a substance called scopolamine in her system. Captain Wagner explains that it’s a nightshade (so it’s related to tomatoes and eggplant) commonly called Devil’s Breath, which Colombian drug cartels use to hypnotize people and compel them to carry out terrible crimes. Kaya pipes up that it’s pretty easy to acquire here because it also has a legitimate use in small doses as an anti-nausea medication. Danny chimes in to cite a law stating that defendants can’t be held responsible if they commit crimes while involuntarily intoxicated, which is an incredibly convenient thing for him to know as someone who was deeply intertwined in all of Mac’s business and finance dealings, and who knows the combination to her gun safe.

Elsbeth suddenly recalls that it’s possible Danny might have discovered about Devil’s Breach during his rescue mission for a client in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. A quick video call with Jesse Fox (previously known as Dan Hoy), the said former client, verifies this suspicion, also revealing Danny’s history of embezzlement, explaining why he is no longer a client.

The final piece of the puzzle snaps into place as the gang attends a party thrown by Mac’s friend and former producer Roya (Haven Burton), who happens to own the monkey that gave Mac that embarrassing small-mouth hickey. Roya had hosted a party the night before, which didn’t have a metal detector but did use invisible ink stamps to show who had been admitted. The previous party stamps were on the right wrist, and the second one was on the left. Danny’s been maintaining all along that he never left the PostMark party, too bad, so sad, but what’s this? An invisible ink stamp from Roya’s earlier party on his right wrist? Off to jail with you, sir!

Mac, who clearly still needs a lot of personal growth, won’t face criminal charges for Sonny’s death, but the legal proceedings to clear her name will take some time. Kaya and Elsbeth choose to view this ordeal as a chance for Mac to begin anew with genuine friendships. It might also be beneficial for her to part ways with the outdated “I’ll be the judge of that” catchphrase from the Father’s Keepers era.

Simultaneously at the police station, Wagner noticed Detective Smullen register for a meeting with Lieutenant Connor as part of his review, and he’s eager to learn about Connor’s advancements so far. Unfortunately, Wagner isn’t satisfied with the current situation; employee spirits are down, and the officers view him as an aloof captain who favors Elsbeth and Kaya. Moreover, the ambiguous position of Elsbeth is causing discomfort among her colleagues. Pffft!

That night, with his wife Claudia (Gloria Reuben), Wagner is deep in thought. He may seem distant, but he’s actually shy! Claudia urges him to be more open and then ponders whether Connor is trying to win over Wagner or perhaps Elsbeth herself. Neither scenario is favorable.

In This Week’s Tote Bag

In this episode, we catch a brief moment of a more assertive Elsbeth. When Smullen implies that Mac’s fame might be deceiving – calling her an actress who is “being snowed,” Elsbeth retorts that it’s no surprise he doesn’t trust Mac; after all, many men are skeptical about what women say unless they are their mothers. Of course, not every man fits this description, but it’s clear that far too many do. I enjoy the spirited side of Elsbeth and hope to see more of her in future episodes.

If I don’t smoke, could I find a way to give off that unique, slightly eccentric vibe associated with people who use long cigarette holders? Would eBay be a good place to search for such accessories?

2024-11-01 08:54

Elsbeth Recap: Sanctioned Mayhem

In This Week’s Tote Bag

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