Elsbeth Season-Premiere Recap: And Baby, That’s Show Business for You

by

Hello and welcome back for season three of *Elsbeth*! Don’t be surprised by the premiere airing on a Sunday – the show will be back to its regular Thursday nights starting this week. You can look forward to a second new episode and a recap soon after!

Elsbeth frequently sets her stories in workplaces filled with underlying conflict, and the season premiere is no exception. The victim, Scotty Bristol – a popular late-night talk show host and generally unpleasant person – is played by Stephen Colbert. Scotty is portrayed as a difficult boss: he’s rude to his employees, doesn’t prepare for interviews, and intentionally mocks the jokes his writers come up with, making sure they witness his dismissive behavior.

Eventually, Laurel, the producer of Scotty’s show *Way Late* (played by Amy Sedaris, a friend of Stephen Colbert), reaches her breaking point with Scotty’s controlling behavior. She pretends to seduce him, using their past connection, but instead manages to get his tie caught in his office shredder. Everyone initially believes it was a tragic accident – that he accidentally strangled himself. However, Elsbeth, despite being exhausted from a trip to Scotland to see Angus, notices some odd details. Scotty left his earbuds on his desk, which is unusual, suggesting someone else was present when he died. Additionally, his tie would have needed to be very tightly knotted for strangulation to occur, and it’s strange that he was lying backward over the shredder.

Detective Smullen begins investigating the murder, and while Kaya is away, Elsbeth is partnered with Officer Hackett. Smullen believes Mickey Muntz, a frequently embarrassed friend of the victim, is the likely suspect. However, Elsbeth observes that Mickey is truly grieving, while his wife, Laurel, seems more focused on moving forward and shielding Mickey, revealing she actually killed the victim due to Mickey’s health problems.

After Officer Hackett painstakingly pieced together the shredded documents from Scotty’s office, the team discovered they were joke submissions from aspiring comedy writers. This revealed more about the atmosphere at Way Late, where Scotty was known for taking jokes from others. Surprisingly, Officer Hackett, drawing on her own experience as a comedian and past victim of Scotty’s, explained to Detectives Smullen and Wagner that being ‘stolen from’ was actually seen as a sign of encouragement in that environment. However, the detectives still consider the possibility that years of mistreatment by a boss and idol could have pushed someone to a breaking point, so they return to the studio to investigate further.

The writers all have a solid alibi – they were all at both of head writer Ronan Gaines’s comedy shows the night before. This disproves the idea that a disgruntled writer might be involved. They also revealed the story behind the name of Scotty’s shredder, Mickey II: it’s a reference to the plant Audrey II from *Little Shop of Horrors*, and a somewhat cruel joke about a former employee named Mickey, who was often given unpleasant tasks. It doesn’t sound like a very respectful workplace! Luckily, Matthew, the page, was able to provide more background information, explaining how Scotty, Laurel, and Mickey all began their careers in improv and sharing his own pride in being the one who empties the shredder. Matthew also pointed out, as anyone who watches shows like *Downton Abbey* or *Upstairs, Downstairs* knows, that pages often overhear surprisingly candid conversations.

Elsbeth often relies on getting people to unexpectedly reveal information, and it’s a key part of how she solves mysteries. She manages to get the guarded Laurel to open up by playfully requesting an improv lesson. While Laurel eventually becomes cautious again, the trick works well enough to give Elsbeth a crucial insight – the improv principle of “yes, and” – which ultimately helps her uncover what happened to Scotty.

Elsbeth quickly realizes the police precinct is different from her previous, awful job at *Way Late* – there’s no constant overwork, public shaming, or micromanaging boss. However, after being away for a while, she’s noticing some concerning changes. Things that used to be free, like coffee, now cost a dollar. The supply closet is shockingly bare – no index cards, and even a Sharpie is on backorder! It’s a depressing situation, and Detective Smullen is unfairly taking it out on Lieutenant Connor, who made the difficult decisions to cut costs.

A strange new habit starts at the precinct: detectives begin giving Connor their full trash cans, seemingly blaming him for the mess and expecting him to take care of it. Eventually, Elsbeth talks to Captain Wagner, convincing him to intervene and take responsibility. It takes some time, but Wagner finally does the right thing, explaining to Elsbeth that while the changes are unpleasant, they’re necessary to keep her employed, and he wouldn’t have considered any other option.

Everyone was thrilled to welcome Elsbeth back from Scotland, and they especially enjoyed the gifts she brought. Wagner received whiskey, Smullen got shortbread, and Connor was visibly moved by a navy and green tartan scarf with a subtle touch of red.

This week’s episode focuses heavily on building the central mystery, meaning we don’t learn much about what Elsbeth is up to personally. Her relationship with Angus is uncertain – she’s not even sure if they’re officially dating! She brushes off Teddy’s surprise at being home early, explaining she wanted to support her friend Cheryl, who’s promoting her memoir about her time at various wellness retreats. Teddy’s landed a new job as a fact-checker at *The View*, and Elsbeth proudly reminds him that she actually solved the murder that happened there – the one involving the reporter whose dog was named Gonzo. The episode includes a couple of references to past cases, which are enjoyable for longtime viewers but aren’t crucial for newcomers. These details help create a sense that the show exists within a well-developed and consistent world.

The episode cleverly connects back to past storylines and characters – we even see Cameron, the medical examiner, briefly confirm that Kaya has finished her training and started her first undercover mission! Visually, “Yes, And” really emphasizes how bright and unique Elsbeth’s world is. This episode features four sheep-themed tote bags, including one with the famous black sheep design Princess Diana popularized. And the costumes are fantastic! There’s a standout hot-pink tartan suit, and a beautiful white and floral suit with flared pants. But the final outfit – a vibrant mix of mango, star fruit, and papaya colors – is particularly stunning.

Okay, so the investigation is really focusing on Laurel and Mickey now, and honestly, I think Smullen is way off thinking Mickey did it. He just doesn’t seem capable of something like murder, especially with his heart problems! Apparently, he was actually trying to work things out with Scotty – he was even psyching himself up in the elevator to ask for some time off to get healthy, and threatened to quit if Scotty didn’t approve it. It’s so frustrating because he could have just *asked*! Later, when he told Laurel about it, I swear I saw a flicker of something – maybe regret – on her face. He’s getting his time off now, but all this drama for something he could have handled calmly! It just doesn’t add up.

Mickey sadly doesn’t get a chance to explain himself because the realization that Laurel killed Scotty causes a deadly heart attack. When Elsbeth hears Laurel agreeing with Smullen that Mickey’s confessed guilt likely caused the heart attack, she knows her suspicions about Laurel are correct. However, she needs one more piece of the puzzle. It clicks when she thinks about Smullen deliberately leaving trash in her office – could someone have similarly planted the shredded paper found in Mickey’s boat?

Laurel was indeed capable of the act, and she followed through with it. After Matthew had already emptied Mickey II’s trash, she tried to cover her tracks by shredding a joke proposal in her office and then placing it in Mickey II’s bin. However, the important question isn’t *what* she did or *how* she did it, but *why*. Laurel, Scotty, and Mickey shared a deep connection from their time as an improv group early in their careers. But over time, Scotty used that bond to control Laurel and Mickey, manipulating them into not having children, preventing Mickey from prioritizing his health, and generally treating them cruelly. This behavior ultimately drove Laurel to take action.

Everything worked out nicely in the end! Matthew, who used to be a page, got Mickey’s old job, and Ronan stepped into Scotty’s role on *Way Late*. Plus, Officer Hackett is going back to trying comedy, and Ronan even bought one of her jokes for $200! What a deal!

Tote Bags Extravaganza

Okay, I’m noticing a weird thing in this episode – lots of little nods to Mike Myers! It’s not just the old-fashioned shirts and ties. The coffee Elsbeth buys is hilarious *and* practical – she gets a huge cup of joe in an NYPD mug that’s practically a bucket! It totally reminded me of that bit in *So I Married an Axe Murderer* where his character orders this ridiculously oversized cappuccino. It was a funny little detail that really stood out to me.

Lindsay Mendez is an accomplished actor in both film and theater, but I first became familiar with her work through *21 Chump Street*. This incredibly funny, memorable, and moving 16-minute musical was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda (before *Hamilton*) for a live show on *This American Life*. You can listen to it online or watch a performance on YouTube.

I think the cute, vintage decorations in Mickey and Laurel’s kitchen – like the bunny and kitten cookie jars and the ceramic chicken holding spoons – probably came from Amy Sedaris’s personal collection. If you have any information about where those items actually came from, please share!

Read More

2025-10-13 05:58