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Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 Makes Tony Hale One of the Creepiest Villains Yet

Critic's Rating: 4.8 / 5.0

Elsbeth may be a lighthearted mystery, but when it gets creepy, it goes all in.

Arrested Development’s Tony Hale played a creepy, paranoid billionaire on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6, whom I really did not want Elsbeth to spend any time alone with.

Of course, there would be no show if a bad guy successfully eliminated Elsbeth, but some of this episode bordered on horror.

Elsbeth confronts a billionaire played by Arrested Development's Tony Hale on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 Took Fears About New Technology To Extremes, But It Worked

When the episode began, it seemed like it was going to be yet another anti-AI rant disguised as a story.

AI has both positives and negatives, and the trope of the evil tech bro eliminating jobs, freedom, and life as we know it has gotten old.

However, Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 worked as a futuristic horror piece, and they even threw in an engineer who secretly installed safeguards so the smart panic room couldn’t actually be used to kill anyone.

Elsbeth tries to convince Wagner and Connor to investigate a billionaire on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Of course, knowing the formula the way I do, I wasn’t surprised that the crisis manager was the victim of the week.

As with any good horror film, as soon as Craig opened the door to that secret room, I practically screamed at the TV that Andres better not go in there if he hoped to get out alive.

Surprisingly, he came close to surviving.

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I wasn’t a fan of Anders managing to escape, only to be fatally run over when he poked his head out of a manhole in the middle of the street.

It was a campy, frustrating death, and I would have rather had a legitimate missing persons case — though I suppose that would have made it too easy once the NYPD got a warrant for that bunker.

Craig is extremely smug on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Plus, it gave Elsbeth extra determination to solve the case when she realized the police could have found Anders alive if they’d acted more quickly.

Of course, it also led to that goofy Escape the Room scene.

There had to have been a better way to figure out how Anders escaped that room than Connor stealing a clue after putting up with this weirdo host that reminded me of Days of Our Lives‘ Dr. Wilhelm Rolf.

Craig Was So Creepy, I Wouldn’t Put Anything Past Him

I wasn’t even sure it was a good idea for the cops to search the bunker.

Connor, Elsbeth, and Reynolds are surprised by a forensics report on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

As audacious as it would have been, I didn’t trust Craig to lock the entire team in the underground bunker.

Elsbeth is lucky she didn’t end up there after that scary one-on-one confrontation.

She often confronts criminals on her own, but I’ve never been as worried as I was this time.

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The way Craig advanced on her with that quiet but accusatory voice makes me shudder all over again when I think about it now.

Thankfully, Elsbeth had the sense to run away before anything happened, but that was a close one!

Elsbeth thinks she made a new friend on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Lieutenant Connor Was Shockingly Helpful

I’ve had very little use for this often-annoying character, but he redeemed himself here.

Despite hating people in general, Craig genuinely liked Connor and was devastated that he was on the police’s side.

That was a neat twist!

Winnie Crawford comes to see Elsbeth on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

He also stopped Craig from attacking the cops, which was also a welcome surprise.

I Knew Winnie Was Not To Be Trusted… But What Is She Up To?

The Winnie scenes were quite a roller coaster.

From the first time I saw Winnie, I doubted she was on any side but her late husband’s, and I was thrilled.

I’ve said this so much that it’s pretty much flogging a dead horse, but I hated the way the Judge Crawford story ended.

Elsbeth smiles at the high-tech security camera doorbell on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

The story was ramping up, and then he was shot and killed — the end.

So Winnie’s return gives me hope that the writers of Elsbeth will correct that mistake, or at least try to make it right.

Obviously, there’s no bringing Judge Crawford back from the dead. This isn’t Days of Our Lives.

So having Winnie continue the story is the next best thing, especially since I’m not sure exactly what she was up to.

She burned the missing evidence that proved her husband had murdered someone after finding it with Elsbeth’s help.

The team goes over autopsy results on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

So obviously, she wants to protect his reputation, whether or not she believes he was a killer.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if she had known all along, but why wait until now if all she wanted was revenge?

What do you think, Elsbeth fanatics?

What is the story with Winnie? Hit the comments with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this story with your Elsbeth-loving friends so they can join in the conversation.

Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.

Grade Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 "Bunker Down"
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If you enjoyed this article, check out our thoughts on the latest season of Only Murders In The Building, which also had evil billionaires at the center of the mystery. You might also like our articles about Watson, CBS’s other big mystery show.

Elsbeth airs on CBS on Thursdays at 10/9c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.

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Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 Brought Back Marissa Gold In Between Proving an Obvious Suspect’s Guilt

Critic's Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Marissa Gold was one of my favorite characters on The Good Wife, and I was thrilled that she moved on to The Good Fight.

Now she’s in New York, and her reintroduction on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 6 is the plot point I’ve been waiting for all season.

I’m not sure about her new role, which made her as morally ambiguous a character as her father, but I can’t complain about her being back.

Elsbeth is thrilled when Marissa returns to New York on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Marissa’s Mayoral Candidate Campaign Turned Into a Matchmaking Service

It was ironic that Marissa’s interest in helping Alex become the next mayor of New York aired two days after the real mayoral election.

Some critics of Mayor-Elect Zohran Mandami said he didn’t have enough experience to be mayor, so it was especially weird to hear that comment come from the fictional mayoral candidate.

I liked that Marissa added some politics to Elsbeth.

Although this show is usually far more lighthearted than The Good Wife, the entire franchise until now has been about the intersection of politics and the law, and it wouldn’t make sense for Marissa to show up without her strong political opinions.

Julia and Rivers link arms on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Of course, politics was almost secondary to her storyline, which involved matchmaking Elsbeth and Alex, although she also decided to make them look like a couple because she thought it would be good for Alex’s campaign.

Elsbeth didn’t appreciate being used for political points, but I couldn’t help thinking that Marissa genuinely wants the two of them together, especially after they hit it off.

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And of course, Alex had a connection to the fire department, keeping the running joke alive that firemen are always attracted to Elsbeth, who generally does not return their interest.

This mayoral election storyline is probably a longer-term arc, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex has some unsavory connections.

(Michael Parmelee/CBS)

I think I read somewhere that there’s more to come with the Judge Crawford story that was so abruptly ended last year.

Assuming I didn’t dream that, Alex could have some connection to Crawford that will blow up in Elsbeth and Marissa’s faces.

Even if it’s not that, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s dirty somehow, or at least has a very big skeleton in his closet.

Seemingly perfect boyfriend material usually does, especially in shows where politics is a big part of the backdrop.

Gary Was One Of The Most Obvious Suspects Ever, But It Was Still Fun For Elsbeth to Trap Him

I especially love that William Jackson Harper played the villain.

A murderer hides his guilt under laughter on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5
(CBS/Michael Paremelee)

I know him as Chidi from The Good Place — the only character who I didn’t instantly believe was really in the Bad Place.

It’s traditional for mystery shows to make the bad guy an actor who is known for playing a good guy, and I enjoyed Elsbeth’s decision to do so this time.

Of course, Gary was one of the most obvious killers Elsbeth had ever run across.

His whole plan was incredibly sloppy, and there were so many reasons to suspect him that Captain Wagner didn’t argue for once, instead assigning someone to work with Elsbeth.

Of course, he chose the most annoying detective in the squad room, and he did it mostly because it stopped Rivers from taking Julia to lunch, but it was still a step above trying to convince Elsbeth that she was wrong.

Captain Wagner sits and drinks coffe on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

Elsbeth Got a Huge Clue On The First Meeting

That was all it took for her to figure this mystery out.

Her doctor friend oh-so-casually mentioned that he could have sworn that the victim only had an oxygen tank for the purpose of getting the table she wanted at restaurants, and that clued Elsbeth into the fact that there had been foul play.

And of course, she met Gary immediately before that, and he made a lot of noise about the arts being under attack.

Gary’s obviousness was due to his conviction that he was smarter than everyone else and that he was justified in killing Dolores because she was ruining his magazine, which was barely staying afloat.

He got his comeuppance way before he was finally arrested.

Trying to get money at a benefit on Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5
(CBS/Michael Parmelee)

The Reading Of The Will Was One Of The Most Ironic Elsbeth Scenes In The Series’ History

Gary killed Dolores for her non-existent money.

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I never laughed so hard as I did at the fact that his murder netted him a collection of terrible poetry and a few hundred dollars… and that that was the victim’s entire estate.

Crime literally did not pay in this case.

That was Gary’s karma — and also the beginning of his downfall.

(Michael Parmelee/CBS)

Although it looked to Rivers like Gary’s motive disappeared with his dreams of inheriting a fortune to keep his business alive, Elsbeth knew that his belief that he would give himself a windfall was the perfect reason to kill and set about proving it.

I especially loved the trick Elsbeth played to get Gary to confess.

I Knew Gary Was Being Played As Soon as That Doorman Gave Him That Message About a Warrant.

But I’m not a narcissist who thinks I’m smarter than everybody, and I’m not trying to hide evidence of a murder, either.

It was fun watching it play out. The more the trap closed, the more overconfident Gary got, and his downfall was sweet.

(Michael Parmelee/CBS)

I especially loved it when Elsbeth revealed she’d lied to him only after he’d confessed. Idiot!

What did you think?

I’ve said more than enough; now I want to hear your opinions about Elsbeth Season 3 so far. Add your thoughts in the comments and share this article with your friends so they can join in.

Vote in our poll below to rank the episode.

Grade Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 5 "Poetic Justice"
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If you enjoyed this article, check out our coverage of Only Murders In the Building, which has a similar vibe. You might also like our thoughts on Watson, the other big CBS mystery show.

Elsbeth airs on CBS on Thursdays at 10/9c and streams on Paramount+ on Fridays.

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.        

Comments

Thomas

Friday 7th of November 2025

Did not like the ending---why would the killer panic over an item of clothing that could have been exposed to oxygen any number of places in the world.

Jack Ori

Monday 10th of November 2025

I think it was one of those things where Elsbeth made it sound plausible he was about to be caught so he didn't do any fact-checking.

Tony

Friday 7th of November 2025

This show is getting very repetitive. The killer is increasingly sloppy and Esbeth figuring it out right away is getting old.

Maybe have Elsbeth wrong for once, and have her peers start questioning her.

What purpose is Wagner’s daughter serving?

I really enjoyed the first season but the quirks and plot lines are getting quite redundant.

MrWriteNYC

Thursday 6th of November 2025

Raise your hand if you don’t remember the episode because you turned “The arts are under attack!” into a drinking game.

Oh, and I don’t trust Marissa any further than I can throw her.

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