Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 ‘Basket Case’ is a watchable hour that’s not without its strong points, but how much viewers like, dislike, or are apathetic about it might just depend on whether or not they know what’s been going with a certain ACC team. Replace football with basketball. Swap out the university’s colors with a real-life in-state rival’s. Then, totally rewrite the coach’s previous scandalous “gate” to be about surveillance instead of balls so it’ll be a useful tool in cracking the case…and exactly nobody who’s aware of this story, whether on purpose or in an “everything I know, I learned against my will” sense, will be fooled.
It’s not quite a Law & Order type of “ripped from the headlines” scenario — thankfully, no one in the football program appears to have been murdered in an ice bath, draaagggggged out, and left in an alley for a drunk woman to find while taking an emergency stop in an alley — but if you know, you can’t help but…well, know. And if you do, it makes for a weird experience. Even, maybe especially, if you have no interest in certain people’s personal lives. Like, come on. Coach is even in a relationship with a huge age gap, with a woman who a lot of fans have very strong opinions about. So, from a case of the week standpoint, let’s just say choices were made.
To be clear, Lana Condor is great as Peyton. She nails that sassy, smug, total b**ch (or, as the guy on the sports radio show in the cold open says, a witch) dynamic necessary for viewers to hear all these terrible things people say about the character, and feel not a single bit bad for her. But if the goal is for her to push Elsbeth into being more unapologetic about certain things, like standing up for herself — which, in general, isn’t a bad lesson for a lot of women — there needs to be something redeemable about her. And there simply isn’t. Not unless you count her actually not being the killer, which is good for her, but bad for this particular series’ formula.
Peyton is awful on a heightened level, which is often the type of characterization the series uses for its stereotypical villains. The exaggerated evil of the murderers usually helps make episodes more fun because we’re all in on the joke, and the terrible people are usually, actually, the worst of the worst kind of terrible. But because Peyton’s actually wrongfully blamed (both for the murder and for the team’s losing streak), Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 should leave viewers with at least some feeling of “wow, Detective Taylor was wrong to target her based on her own personal biases and support for the team.” If we’re going to have that conversation, though, then we need to take how race plays into that real-world problem into account. Which, uh, Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 does not. To say the least.
But does anything that happens in this hour create any depth, whatsoever, for the smart-mouthed and selfie-taking future creator of a smudge-free concealer? What about any sense of compassion for the wrongfully accused? Sorry, not sorry, but no. Instead, I’m leaning more toward, “wow. Glad that’s over,” with a bit of “hope the real person isn’t actually like this because yikes” and “ok but everything I knew about this, I already learned against my will. And now, I just had the unfortunate experience of learning more by doing a bit of research to see how many more parallels I could find. Why did I even.”
But hey, it’s not a total waste. At least Elsbeth Tascioni gets to dress up as the team mascot like she’s JT Yorke from Degrassi (RIP) or something.
MORE: Elsbeth Season 3 started off strong.
The “remedial” stress test
Another aspect of Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 that manages to be more unsettling than entertaining: Captain Wagner’s reaction to Lieutenant Connor’s cybersecurity stress test. Wagner comes across a little bit more defensive and, at times, almost mean than the person we’ve come to know and love. This could be a matter of him having an off day, or his ongoing issues with technology being a point of embarrassment that makes him more frustrated each time it comes up. Admittedly, the negative reaction to everything else happening in this hour could also be coloring my opinion of the situation. But the way he ropes Officer Summerville into prank-calling Connor so he can reveal he has the guy’s badge and wallet is…wrong, actually. No matter how much benefit of the doubt you give it.
Then, there’s how it all has the potential to tie into the larger story, both in this episode and beyond. There’s an ageism issue right from the beginning of the hour, when the sport commentary guys make some snarky remark about Coach being 106 or whatever, when he isn’t. (And, to be clear, whether you like, love, hate, or even don’t give a care about the real coach, ageism is bad, actually.) That carries through the story, mostly as an undertone, only to have Wagner bring his own age up toward the end: “Give me a heads up if I ever turn into that old guy that no one wants to tell when to move on.” Should we be worried? As in, is that supposed to be a warning about the character’s future? Or is it just a casual aside at the end of the case?
“The old man versus technology” can sometimes be a fun plot device if it feels like viewers relate to the joke in a “well, it happens to everyone” or “wow, yeah, this is what helping parents out with the computer is like” sort of way. But there’s a fine line between that and continuing society’s obsession with age and disrespecting elders. I wouldn’t necessarily say this crosses way over it or anything, but it just feels too close for comfort. Especially for a series like Elsbeth.
MORE: Wagner vs. technology worked way better when his daughter gave him a hand in Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 4.
More Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 reactions
- …do dudes actually say “ding dong”? Twice, in one conversation? And make so many Harry Potter references, too?
- This cold open feels like it’s taking 10 years off my life. What is this, the last couple seasons of SVU?
- The best thing Peyton does in this whole episode is take out her headphones so I don’t have to hear these dudebros anymore.
- “It’s what they call Twitter now.” Are “they” in the room with us? Sh**’s never gonna stick. Argue with the wall.
- “Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.” Thank you for randomly educating the goyim that no, wishing us the partying and the sex isn’t appropriate for that particular day. But hearing Yom pronounced that way is so F—ing irritating.
- “You turned a legend into a sad, pathetic loser. Posing for selfies. Doing sandwich commercials. You singlehandedly destroyed a great man’s legacy….” Ok but the sandwich commercials were prior to that IRL relationship. I made the dumb mistake of Googling timelines and such, so can confirm.
- The drunk girls hollering about “MURDERED!!!” and a UTI were…choices were made.
- “I guess that makes you a celebrity.” “Hardly. They spelled my name wrong.” Me if I ever became famous.
- “Besides. Who cares, right?” “Certainly not me.” The deadpan from Wendell Pierce. Brilliant. (Also: What a mood.)
- “No, no. But I had a roommate who was on the softball team. And she stole my Wham! Album.” (Love the way Carrie Preston reads this, especially the part about the album.)
- “…oh. That is not ok.”
- “And that’s his…daughter?” The “no” in unison before her “ohh,” though.
- I mean, personally, I…ick. But as far as real life people go, I mean, it’s admittedly also none of my business. Anyway.
- One thing Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 does well in spite of itself is exactly what this series always does well — letting Preston play. Spinning in that chair, acting out dragging that body out of the bath: Yes. Just yes.
- “Oh, no, I didn’t. Because there were no. Real hackers. There was just you.” “All you need to do is pass a simple, quick remedial retraining.” “Say ‘remedial’ one more time and find out what happens.” Problems with this plot point aside, I do love the way Pierce jumps right in with the last line before his scene partner even finishes what he’s saying.
- Currently unsure what I think of Detective Taylor overall, but I will say the way Britne Oldford played that “tough cop” archetype in interrogation was spot on.
- “Are you sure you’re not letting your fandom cloud your judgment?” And every member of every fandom ever felt attacked!
- “They’re just copy/pasting the New York Confidential. Is my son the last fact checker working in all of journalism?” “Is that, like, a…job people used to have, or…” Yeah…See, this was a moment.
- Speaking of our son Teddy the fact checker, still waiting to see what he finds out about Pete the sandwich guy. Also kind of an interesting coincidence that another revelation about “Elspeth” the “mysterious redhead” drops right after we saw some cracks starting to form in Alec Bloom’s backstory….
- “Where are we on that alibi?” “Well, Captain. We are not nowhere, but we are also not somewhere.” “So, that leaves you…where?” “Exactly.” This is the content I come to this series for.
- Not this dude who probably has even less coaching experience than Peyton trying to say how Coach should do his job and rambling on about it to people who didn’t ask. (Typical.)
- “This woman says she’s with the police department. She’s dressed like a Sour Patch Kid.” Eh. I was going more with “coat matches the cab, almost.” But also: Bring this random character back! She was hilarious. (And the way she said it like “po-lice” made me think of my Grannie, which is always a bonus.)
- “But by the way: 8th grade seems very premature for college recruiting.” Sport people will correct me if I’m wrong, I’m sure, but pretty sure that used to be when kids, at least in some sports, would commit? Yes?
- “People act like it’s the age difference between me and Russ, but really I just think they’re miserable, lonely losers who hate to see two people actually happy.” I mean…could be one, the other, or both depending on the person doing the judging.
- “Maybe it’s generational. But I do think it’s a little sad that you feel like you have to do all of that to be taken seriously. Me, I’m just not going to apologize for being direct.” Ok but Elsbeth’s quirks aren’t an act. It’s who she is. I mean, again…There are things Peyton says here that, in the right context, could actually be good messaging. (See also: Donna on Suits, with “I’m not apologizing for who I am.”) They’re not here. Elsbeth is our protagonist. The thing we love about her is that she’s her authentic, playful, weird self no matter what. And that actually makes people take her less seriously. We’ve seen this over and over.
- Also: If you think there’s a “generational” problem with Elsbeth, lady, explain your relationship. You relate…how.
- “ACT NATCH!” on the whiteboard, while Elsbeth is being anything but “natch.”
- The makeup on the hand. I see what y’all did there. Cracked up.
- “Hey, Elsbeth with a B. Nice hustle.” Her little grin after the detective walked away, though!
- “What better way to silence the haters?” I mean, if people think you’re just a gold digger, spontaneously marrying the old guy…isn’t going to help, actually.
- “Actually, spousal privilege only applies in court testimony. But um. I guess you fired your lawyer.” No but when Elsbeth starts to throw it back in your face, you done effed up.
- “Phallus-shaped pool floatie for eighty-six dollars and five cents.” I—. Are they 12?
- “Yes, I know. However, Thingy can go wherever he….she? Thingy can go wherever Thingy wants. And did Thingy just witness you planting evidence?”
- “Old rage issues…” The way she’s all, like, grrrrrrrr…
- “Sorry. About all of this.” “No. You’re not. You should lean into that.”
- “It’s Elsbeth. E-L-S. B-E-T-H. Have some integrity.” GET THEM ELSBETH.
- (So can relate.)
- “No one likes losing control of their narrative. And media companies aren’t always kind to women connected to powerful men.” Correct! But this is…not the character/scenario to use to highlight this lesson!
- I…do not want to know about her and that politician. Or any of them.
- “I’ve read those rumors, too, Ava. But I choose not to dignify people’s gossip with a response.” Is this…growth? Did we even need the time jump to show growth for this particular character? (No, we did not.)
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 8 ‘Basket Case’? Leave us a comment!
Elsbeth airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.
