Elsbeth raised the stakes for its first season finale, with the very real threat that Elsbeth herself would have to leave the NYPD. Fortunately, the season came to a happy ending, with the leading lady set for a more permanent position with the police and some forgiveness and understanding from Captain Wagner. Now, in the wake of the finale, CBS is airing reruns of the first season, starting with "Ear for an Ear," which I consider one of the show's most fun episodes. In light of what star Carrie Preston told CinemaBlend, I think it's worth rewatching to catch what we may have missed earlier in the 2024 TV schedule!
I spoke with Carrie Preston in the wake of Elsbeth learning that she was being sent back to Chicago due to Wagner's sense of personal betrayal. After she shared what made her "really emotional" about the Season 1 finale, I asked a question that I'd been pondering all season: is there actually anything in all of the character's many bags that the actress carries around? Preston shared:
Of course there is! I'm not going to tell you what it is. [laughs] You know, everyone asks that, and I think it's wonderful that people are curious about it. I mean, Elsbeth has a lot of I think crutches in there, things that she thinks she might need during the day to help her with her work, with her life. I mean, I think there's probably food in there. I think there's definitely books [and] files. Who knows if there's not an abacus in there? I mean, just things that she just thinks she could possibly need.
The actress didn't drop the details about what she carries in Elsbeth's many, many bags – although it's probably safe to say that it's not just spare pairs of mittens in each one! We haven't seen Elsbeth rely too heavily on what she's toting around, but I was intrigued by Preston describing them as her "crutches" while on the job. The actress went on to share something that wasn't obvious in Season 1 but 100% makes me want to revisit episodes streaming via Paramount+ subscription:
Probably no one has really noticed this, but I'll point it out to you that I made the choice on Elsbeth that when she goes in to finally catch the killer and make the arrest, that she's not holding any of her bags anymore.
I can't speak for the Elsbeth fandom en masse, but I hadn't noticed the trend of Elsbeth not having her bags when she closes the cases. Sure, she has to ditch them mid-case for situations like walking a runway or doing a dance number with Keegan-Michael Key, but she usually is armed with those crutches... evidently until the clutch moment! Carrie Preston elaborated on the reasoning behind the choice:
I figured she doesn't need them. You know what I mean? She's gotten everything out of them that she needs, and now it's just her words and her conviction against the criminal. And so that's become a sort of fun little thing that we've worked in.
If CBS continues to air weekly reruns following the Season 1 finale, then viewers won't need a streaming service to revisit episodes and see when Elsbeth stops carrying her bags. The first post-finale night rerun is "Ear for an Ear" on May 30, which was one of my personal favorites for a fun case combined with some great developments for the friendship between Kaya and Elsbeth after Elsbeth confided in Kaya about the investigation into Wagner.
For now, you can keep watching Elsbeth reruns on CBS Thursday nights ahead of its arrival for Season 2 in the fall. The full first season is also available streaming now with Paramount+.
