[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 10, “Finance Bros.”]
Elsbeth has won her Van Ness battle, now it’s on to the Crawford war.
Carrie Preston‘s do-gooder had to prove her innocence in the Van Ness legal scandal for which she was being framed in the February 6 episode of Elsbeth Season 2, and the episode’s final moments teed up the return of the villainous Judge Crawford, played by Preston’s husband, Michael Emerson, who hasn’t been seen since the midseason finale in December. He makes his Elsbeth return in Season 2 Episode 12, premiering on Thursday, February 20 on CBS.
After breaking down at the wellness retreat last week because she didn’t know how to ask for help, Elsbeth got by with help from her friends at the precinct in “Finance Bros.” A night of poker and brainstorming with her colleagues resulted in a plan to legally work around to the attorney-client privilege that had been keeping her silent in the ongoing Van Ness divorce scandal.
Van Ness’ lawyer, Carter Schmidt from The Good Wife and The Good Fight (played by Christian Borle), came to town in the episode to warn Elsbeth that his firm was making her their fall guy for the buried police report containing details of domestic abuse in Van Ness’ first marriage. This information is key in his new divorce proceedings, and being able to talk about it publicly is the key to proving Elsbeth’s innocence.
Michael Park and Christian Borle in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 10 (CBS)
Van Ness himself appeared for the first time at the end of the episode when he crossed paths with Elsbeth on the streets of Manhattan (the satisfied look on Carter’s face proved that this was no chance encounter). Van Ness was played by Michael Park from Saint X, As the World Turns, Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, and more. Park has been seen in this TV universe before, but as a different character. He played a man called Lloyd Bullock in The Good Wife in 2009.
The plan was for Elsbeth to approach Van Ness and goad him into threatening her. Knowing all about his temper thanks to the very real police report that she very much did not hide, Elsbeth knew it wouldn’t take much to get this man angry. All she had to do was tell the truth, and he threatened her in front of Kaya (Carra Patterson), whom he didn’t know was in cahoots with his new adversary. Kaya arrested him for menacing behavior.
Threatening Elsbeth in front of a witness means that attorney-client privilege no longer applies, making Elsbeth free to defend herself against the firm’s false accusations. Now, Elsbeth has bigger fish to try.
Wagner (Wendell Pierce), Kaya, and the rest of her precinct friends are squaring up to take the crooked judge down. But before Crawford returns, let’s have a little romance! The February 13 episode is Valentine’s Day-themed, and then Crawford returns the following week.
Carra Patterson, Michael Park, and Carrie Preston in Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 10 (CBS)
Ioan Gruffudd and Sullivan Jones guest star as potential love interests for Elsbeth and Kaya (respectively) in next week’s installment, and the February 20 episode is a family affair on several levels when Ben Levi Ross returns as Elsbeth’s son, Teddy, Preston’s husband returns as Crawford, and real-life father-son duo Matthew Broderick and James Wilkie Broderick guest star. (Does Ruck and Broderick appearing in nearly back-to-back episodes count as a Ferris Bueller reunion?)
This week’s murderer was Succession star Alan Ruck, who relived his Connor Roy days when playing Peter Hepson, a Wall Street titan with a bitter rivalry against his twin brother.
Elsbeth, Thursdays, 10/9c, CBS
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
