I Thought Elsbeth's Bloody Judge Crawford Twist Had To Be A Fake Out, But Now I Have Questions For The Season 2 Finale
Spoilers ahead for Episode 18 of Elsbeth Season 2, called "I Know What You Did Thirty-Three Summers Ago" and available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
The Season 2 finale of Elsbeth is quickly approaching in the 2025 TV schedule, but the latest episode delivered a twist so big that I thought it had to be a fake out when there are still weeks to go until the final credits roll. Michael Emerson returned as Judge Milton Crawford, and Elsbeth getting some serious dirt on the Moriarty to her Sherlock resulted in retaliation that ranged from close to home like Captain Wagner to all the way back to Elsbeth's ex in Chicago. The plot was seriously thickening...and then Delia turned up and shot Crawford dead.
It all happened so quickly that I was waiting for Elsbeth to wake up from a dream or snap out of a hallucination. Surely the big bad of the season wasn't already dead, right? Wrong! Despite two episodes left in the season, despite Crawford's friends in politics, despite Elsbeth and Co. getting the dirt they needed to put the judge behind bars the right way... Delia shot and killed him.
This completely upended my expectations for how Season 2 was going to end, although in hindsight perhaps I should have been suspicious that Milton wouldn't make it to the finale earlier this spring. CBS released the description for the finale back in March, revealing that the leading lady "comes face to face with many familiar suspects" while trying to solve a murder, complete with a list of the guests. Not among them? Carrie Preston's real-life husband, Michael Emerson. Check out the list:
Stephen Moyer – theater director Alex Modarian
Retta – matchmaker Margo Clarke
Gina Gershon – plastic surgeon Dr. Vanessa Holmes
Elizabeth Lail – tech CEO Quinn Powell
Arian Moayed – bar owner Joe Dillon
André De Shields – fashion designer Matteo Hart
Alyssa Milano – mafia princess Pupetta Del Ponte
The former Evil actor was never a recurring or regular part of the cast, with his appearances usually revealed ahead of time. With him missing from the finale cast list, should I have known to question whether he would live to the end of Season 2? Perhaps, but I was just picturing Crawford bringing back a parade of killers who ended up behind bars thanks to Elsbeth, possibly exposing her unconventional approach to cracking cases.
So, with Elsbeth's Season 2 nemesis dead, will there be a serialized element to the finale that ties all the guests stars together? Or are we in for glorified cameos from each and every one of them? Could Crawford have some vengeance that he arranged before his death just in case? Was this truly the end of the storyline?
Well, we can only wait and see on that front, but the promo for the next episode doesn't suggest that Crawford is still on Elsbeth's mind. Take a look:
Tune in to CBS on Thursday, May 1 for the "I've Got a Little List" episode of Elsbeth, airing at 9 p.m. ET since Matlock already wrapped Season 1 with its finale and vacated that time slot. You can also revisit past episodes of the hit drama streaming on Paramount+.
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