Elsbeth Recap: Don’t Cross Mrs. Claus

As a dedicated fan who’s been following this series from its inception, I must say that this week’s episode was a heartwarming rollercoaster ride. The plot twists were as unpredictable as a London fog, and the character development was as rich and layered as a classic British pudding.

This season, it seems like Christmas time can be quite a complex mix of emotions! Just like numerous occasions we think should only bring happiness, Christmas can often present a variety of feelings. To illustrate, consider Dirk and DeeDee Dashers (played by Christopher Fitzgerald and Vanessa Bayer), who are renowned as the monarchs of Christmas due to their success in vintage taste-making. Soon, the Rockefellers will be among their clients. In celebration of its 60th anniversary, Dress Up magazine (you might remember Gisela Mott, the magazine’s stern editor, from the season one finale at Not Fashion Week™) has unveiled an exciting partnership: Dress Up x Dashers. This collaboration introduces a charming collection of vintage-styled Christmas ornaments. Aren’t they adorable?

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I can’t help but compare my personal situation to the plot of a classic romantic comedy. Every year, it seems like DeeDee (played by Vanessa Bayer) and I are living in our own holiday movie, “24/7 Christmas”. However, unlike the characters who find their love renewed with each passing season, this annual celebration has drained her affection for the festivities. Now, she’s seeking a divorce from the tradition, and I, the eternal optimist when it comes to Christmas, am left in shock.

In his workshop, Dirk meticulously crafted a unique figurine for John Waters, focusing especially on getting the thin mustache right. A sudden inspiration struck him: DeeDee’s untimely mishap could solve this predicament more effectively. With Mr. Christmas losing his wife around Christmas, it turned out to be advantageous for their business. However, during the Dress Up x Dashers launch and tree-lighting event, DeeDee miraculously escaped harm while Dirk, trapped by his own perfectionism, met an unfortunate end. As the day unfolded, he noticed a burnt-out lightbulb on the tree and climbed up the ladder to fix it. Unfortunately, he was electrocuted by frayed wires on the old string lights hanging from the tree. After recovering from the shock, he tumbled off the ladder and was impaled by some decorative reindeer antlers – a gruesome yet fitting end for Dirk’s quirky personality.

It’s not surprising that both Kaya and Elsbeth find the situation, despite its sadness, captivating. Detective Donnelly is tasked with explaining Dirk’s death again, describing it as a typical electrical shock from Christmas lights and a fall involving a ladder ending in a reindeer antler impalement. This, along with her cryptic “I’ll be in Delaware” line, earns her the Best Line Delivery for this episode. Gisela gives her stiff competition, though, commenting from behind her stylish black-and-silver attire and large sunglasses that being involved in two of Elsbeth and Kaya’s cases within six months indicates that the world is both small and dangerous!

Thankfully, Fire Marshal Lee Sparks, one of many I hope will follow who appreciate Elsbeth as if she’s the moon and stars herself, is on the scene. Apart from the damaged Christmas lights, he also finds that Dirk’s homemade tree-lighting mechanism poses a significant risk, potentially delivering a deadly shock to anyone operating it. Once Marshal Sparks determines the cause of Dirk’s demise, DeeDee – let’s call her De’Dée for short – jumps in to offer some rather misleading explanations. They had vintage lights at Gisela’s request; and truth be told, Dirk was quite fond of spending lengthy periods with the Dashers’ Little Helpers – a group of strong, traditionally handsome young men – in his workshop.

Among the knowledgeable associates, Graydon finds himself puzzled by Dirk’s demise, given his widespread admiration. Though he might have been firm as a supervisor, it was for the sake of safety and accuracy, and he was a true gentleman. However, he did appear preoccupied recently with fitness routines and skincare regimens. He could also be hard to contact at night. As investigators consider these details, they ponder an intriguing question: Could it be that Dirk wished De’Dée… deceased?

Elsbeth, Kaya, and Donnelly prefer not to disclose their partially developed theory to De’Dée until they have additional supporting evidence, so they continue with their investigation by visiting the Dashers’ representative to understand why he and Dirk were on the phone frequently for hours every day. Lo and behold, De’Dée has been swift – she’s already in Kidder’s office presenting a glittering, multi-hued ensemble to promote a streamlined, monochromatic product line. This is quite a shift in their merchandising approach, and Kidder quickly vetoes the idea. It appears that Dirk was correct; De’Dée will need to reign as the Queen of Christmas again, as widowhood during the holidays has led to increased sales for their Dress Up collaboration.

It appears that the person Dirk was having intimate conversations with wasn’t Kidder himself; instead, it was Kidder’s assistant, Holly, who was heartbroken and mourning. Despite their deep affection, Dirk couldn’t divorce his wife De’Dée due to perceived brand issues. Elsbeth is tasked with revealing Dirk’s affair with Holly and his failed plan to kill De’Dée, allowing him to remarry his fellow Christmas enthusiast. This revelation comes during drinks, a reference to previous episodes featuring Vanessa Williams and Arian Moyaed. The apple juice, fortunately free of cyanide, fuels Elsbeth’s growing suspicion about De’Dée’s story. The news of Dirk’s affair with Holly shocks Elsbeth, reminding her that De’Dée’s monochromatic home goods proposal was more than a year old. It seems De’Dée, who is now obligated to be Mrs. Claus once again, had been seeking an escape for quite some time.

It’s funny — not in a laugh out loud way, but definitely in a things that make you go hmm way — that Dirk and DeeDee agreed about exiting their marriage and only initially disagreed on methodology and rationale. Killing DeeDee was a business-first-affairs-of-the-heart-second decision for Dirk. For DeeDee, divorce was a sanity-restoring and lifesaving choice; she’d never have killed Dirk if she hadn’t figured out his scheme to kill her first. If Elsbeth were still a defense attorney, I bet she’d come up with an argument that would stand a chance of an acquittal for DeeDee.

Typically, it’s the minor aspects that give depth and resonance to the main storyline: for instance, DeeDee wearing rubber-coated black gloves, Gisela opting against antique lighting fixtures, the weekly vocabulary lesson (shunts! Lifelong learning is crucial), and the cookie-reveal of DeeDee’s color blindness and its impact on the story. Simultaneously, there are numerous happenings at the precinct and home: SantaCon is in full swing, resulting in a multitude of merry (inebriated) men in red and white filling up the cells. Additionally, Kaya is preparing to move back home as her renovations finished ahead of schedule. While this news is generally positive, it leaves Elsbeth feeling slightly disoriented.

Concerned about Kaya’s upcoming absence, Captain Wagner and she share worries for the holiday season. Without Kaya or Teddy (who will be visiting his father) to celebrate with, they fear it will be a gloomy Christmas indeed. However, they devise a clever plan to lift Elsbeth’s spirits, including decorating a tree at home using antique Blanke family ornaments and surprising her with the early arrival of Teddy (Ben Levi Ross). Kaya correctly points out that the magic and warmth associated with Christmas decorations stem from the relationships we cherish throughout the year. As I type this, a few tears slip down my face, but I’m moved by thoughtful surprises like these.

Captain Wagner would’ve undoubtedly assisted Elsbeth in regaining her spark, regardless of not finding an ideal gift for him to present to Claudia. Dance lessons at FlashRob Studios seem destined to be a success. Perhaps we’ll even get another appearance by Keegan-Michael Key in the next episode. That would make a wonderful Christmas wish for the upcoming season.

In This Week’s Tote Bag:

Firefighters appear captivated by Elsbeth, as her visit to the fire station to speak with Marshal Sparks (chuckle!) disrupts their usual routine. Instead of tending to their fire truck duties, they’re performing push-ups or flashing twinkly-eyed smiles at her. Elsbeth insists that it’s her hair that has them spellbound; this theory requires more investigation.

What I find most captivating about Elsbeth, aside from the narrative, is the exceptional costume design, specifically the coats Dan Lawson creates for Carrie Preston. He generously provides us with a veritable feast of coat-centric episodes. From gold lamé to luxurious faux fur, pink wool to green and yellow plaid, it’s a vibrant display of richly textured and colorful garments.

In a Bond villain-esque scene, DeeDee angrily tosses her taxidermied turtledove into the flames after discovering Dirk’s affair with Holly, snarling, “Happy Christmas, my love.

2024-12-06 08:54

Elsbeth Recap: Don’t Cross Mrs. Claus

In This Week’s Tote Bag:

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