Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Sorry, Vivienne…ElliMax Can’t Be Conned

In Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 “Hot Tub Death Machine” Detective Ellis and Max investigate the murder of Sylvia Redfern, which (rudely) occurred during her nightly hot tub relaxation ritual. As we learn by the end of the hour, the motive for this crime wasn’t the perp’s need to keep the skeletons in his own closet hidden. Instead, Spencer Thorne was willing to do anything—even kill—to protect his wife’s secrets. The truth has a way of refusing to stay buried, though, and Max learns that the hard way when her mom’s attempt to learn as much about Ellis as possible by posing as a distant cousin backfires. Spectacularly.

Not only does Vivienne greatly underestimate how close ElliMax are—how much her daughter has shared with the detective, since almost the very beginning of their partnership—she also overestimates her own ability to pretend to be anything other than a mother who utterly adores her daughter. So, in the middle of trying to solve one mystery, Detective Ellis finds himself unraveling another. And all of this is done over the course of an episode that plays around with time in a really interesting, instructive way. As Max and Detective Ellis tell George, Ricky, and “Cousin Cheynne” about the case that has the dream team stumped, viewers experience the majority of the murder investigation as flashbacks.

So, the bulk of the timeline, the immediate “now” for them, is the surprise party. As in, Max’s fake birthday party becomes a surprise for the true guest of honor because the evening surprises Ellis with Max’s not-dead mom right there, in front of him. And, perhaps even more importantly, it eventually leads to Ellis learning the truth about why his partner didn’t boat off into the sunset with him. Those two things—Ellis learning those two things—are the real purpose of Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5. While the cases are often interesting enough, a procedural of this type isn’t really about solving any kind of murder mystery so much as they’re about putting these two people together to, one day hopefully soon, solve the mystery of what they are to each other.

But in this hour, the detective work is the most important thing. It’s just that it’s happening during family dinner, not through your more traditional police work; and it’s about Detective Ellis solving a much more personal mystery. And, as the impossible murder case becomes entirely possible with a little help from the animal kingdom and a wild story about a sheik and The Golden Girls, all viewers are left wondering is: When can ElliMax finally make magic happen?

MORE: Well, at least we know what Vivienne was up to when she called Ellis with that fake “Southern” accent at the end of Episode 4.

The dinner

When Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 begins with a diamond heist family planning session, dynamics have already shifted. As Ricky remains ~~cautious and pessimistic~~ realistic about the whole affair, Vivienne’s still kind of antagonizing him—”oh. Now, what kind of attitude is that?”—but now, instead of either ignoring is not-dead wife or meeting her with his own hostility, George is enough on her “side” to try playing peacemaker. But, even with Mom and Dad back on the same page, or at least beginning to head in that direction, Vivienne’s still hiding things. Case in point: When that doorbell rings, it’s painfully obvious that nobody else knows to expect Detective Ellis to show up with flowers for Max’s “birthday.” Ellis also has no idea what he’s walking into, and Max tries very, very hard to keep it that way.

After the initial introductions, with Max shooting those warning glances over her shoulder at her mom and utterly grimacing her way through a fake laugh for her partner’s benefit, it’s time for George and Ricky to put on their poker faces. They’re also shocked Ellis is here. Even though they also don’t know what game Vivienne’s playing, they both do their best to remain friendly. But they do such a good job of hiding their true feelings, they’re just…off. Awkward. Meanwhile, Detective Ellis clearly senses something’s wrong about the evening but has no idea what.

Well, the “what” comes later in the evening, when Ricky leaves Ellis alone with “Cheyenne.” At this point, ElliMax have already told the entire story about their murder investigation and why they’re completely stuck. Vivienne has already seen her daughter and Ellis for who and what they really are to each other, in one of the most natural, effortless romantic shots of the two characters we’ve seen in a long time—probably all season. And Max has, expertly, steered the conversation away from Jessica. Urgently. More than once.

ElliMax have always been painfully obvious, though, so for Max’s own mother to see them interacting in a casual space for the very first time and immediately recognize that theirs is a love story isn’t particularly groundbreaking. Or, well, it is—especially since George, apparently, needs a reminder—but not really anything new for the series. Instead, Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 gives viewers a chance to see that Vivienne’s family really, truly is her weakness. She makes two major errors here, and that leads to Ellis finally putting all the puzzle pieces together.

In reverse order, “Cousin Cheynne” brings up the time George and Vivienne met the Sheikh of Habibi in the middle of solving the very case that ElliMax can’t. No wide-eyed, drawling owner of a corny novelty mug emporium can be expected to remember someone else’s experience that easily and fondly, especially not while solving a mystery that, essentially, fits right in to the con universe. Unless, of course, she’s a con woman herself. That might’ve slipped past Detective Dumb’s radar, considering how terrible it’s been in relation to all things Max in Season 3. But, just before that, when Vivienne describes what her daughter was like when she was younger, she just can’t avoid slipping out of that fake drawl and just…speaking with the love and pride only a mother—not a distant cousin—can have.

Although the heartfelt tone Vivienne uses to talk about Max is a huge red flag, it’s not everything. Vivienne tells a story Ellis knows very well, thanks to the woman he’s in love with sharing it with him, back when he was busy falling hard for her—and before all the egg-shaped betrayals and missed opportunities. But she tells that story as “Cousin Cheyenne,” when Ellis knows that shared love of Dead of Night was a huge part of Max’s relationship with her mom. If there had been a third family member so deeply involved in that fandom, Max would’ve at least mentioned them as an aside. But she didn’t. Because there wasn’t one. So, Dead of Night is…the dead giveaway.

In the moment, it’s like you can see the lazy, little hamster on his barely-functional wheel in Detective Ellis’ head suddenly find some energy and start running around in there to get some ideas forming. It’s subtle—just a little bit of a furrowed brow from Giacomo Gianniotti, but as soon as “Cheyenne” mentions Dead of Night, he sees right through that carefully-crafted persona and all the effort the entire family has put into keeping Vivienne’s secret. He finally gets it…but not all of “it.” (That comes later, at least to the extent Max will allow.)

Because ElliMax are nothing if not a couple of old married folks (who don’t realize it, even when everyone else does), Ellis’ tone of voice on “I think I have more questions than I did before” is enough of a warning for Max. So, her forced brightness immediately crashes and burns, turning into her wordlessly shooting him—not her mom!—looks, asking what’s wrong/what happened. But there’s a dinner to finish, a case to close.

So, they don’t have that discussion until after they’re finally able to explain who killed Sylvia Redfern and how. Which, good news there, not just for justice and all that good stuff: If even an impossible murder turns out to have an explanation, perhaps there’s still hope for a certain pairing that seems impossible on paper.

MORE: Cole Ellis is part of Max’s family, which means he’s George and Ricky’s family, too. But will Vivienne see him that way? Only time will tell.

The (almost) whole truth

Often, at the end of a case, ElliMax will have a loaded moment of some sort. Some kind of crumb to keep the shippers from starving to death, if you will. Most of Wild Cards Season 3, however, has been more about stealing every opportunity for them and, instead, causing as much Jessica-related angst as possible. In the season premiere, Max’s reunion with Marc the Cat was heartbreakingly, horribly cut short when she found out about the other woman in one of the most uncomfortable ways possible. Then, in Episode 2, a sweet moment on the boat that would normally be about ElliMax and Marc was about Ellis giving the new girl a toothbrush…and even the more promising moments in the next two episodes were still awkward and tense. Not the good romantic tension. Just…tense, two people having no clue how to just be them kind of tense.

Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 continues this third season’s tradition of pain, pain, and more pain. On the plus side, though, this post-case ElliMax angst is the good kind—and the necessary kind. Ellis has to confront Max about her lies, and she has to open up to him about what it’s been like to have Vivienne back. And wow, do both of those things make for some excellent TV. Top to bottom, the entire moment of truth is perfect. It’s beautifully, vulnerably acted by Vanessa Morgan, and Gianniotti goes so smoothly from Ellis’ righteous anger and sense of betrayal over realizing Max has been lying to him about yet one more thing—so, of course, he jumps to the worst possible conclusion from that—to just…softening and wanting to support her.

When Max finally has a chance to talk about how her mom’s return has affected her with the one and only person she can ever be this honest and open with, she’s finally able to show just how exhausting holding it together has been. And because Ellis actually sees her—for the first time all season, the dope—all that weight she’s been carrying, all that pain she’s been holding, he’s feeling for her. But the thing is, as much as he says he’s there if Max needs him, the reality is, he isn’t. He hasn’t been. Because he’s been so wrapped up in his own happiness, he hasn’t seen her falling apart right beside him. It’ll be interesting to see how learning about Vivienne in Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 changes that.

Will Ellis make more time for Max or, at the very least, shut up about how well he’s been sleeping at night? One can only hope. Especially since that dim, little light inside his head flickers on long enough for him to ask the other important question about Vivienne—when she came back. There’s a terrible sort of gravity to the pause Morgan takes before delivering that “two months ago” line. And, as she continues, haltingly working through Max’s confession that she was on her way to meet Ellis when her mom appeared at the door, there’s a very real sense that Max knows this is going to hurt Ellis. And it’s hurting her, both to hurt him and relive all the thoughts of what could have—should have—been.

But she can’t hold back on this one, most important truth. Because she doesn’t want to, needs him to know now that she has her opening…and because she’s still lying about one detail—the reason Vivienne’s back. If she confesses enough, if she bares enough of her soul, Max probably thinks that will save her from future heartbreak if and when Ellis learns about the diamond heist. But, to relate this back to the case in Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5, lying to protect someone you love just winds up hurting everyone in the end. So, let’s just say I’m worried. Especially since, with the way this man’s brain tends to (fail to) function, he’ll assume Max is playing some long con, or keeping him in the dark about the diamond heist because she’s still the same con artist she always was, or trying to keep her family safe.

Well, to be clear, Ellis would be right to think that last part—and wrong about which family she’s trying to keep safe. As viewers know, and Jessica’s boyfriend Detective Dumb doesn’t, it was that picture of him (and a couple of Yates and Simmons) that got Max to ask what job her family needed to do for Varga to stay safe. Before that, she was fine with just going on the run forever. Never seeing Ellis again, giving up her own happiness? Max can handle that. Actually risking something terrible happening to him? That’s not something Max will even consider.

…and Max still probably thinks abandoning Ellis wouldn’t do irreparable harm. Because she was, and still is, trying to convince herself he’s better off with Jessica. “They say everything happens for a reason. Guess it all worked out for the best, right” rings entirely hollow. But it’s something both Max and Ellis have to try to convince themselves, and each other, of now that they’re in this mess.

Good luck. Max totally fails at the fake brightness there, and those loaded looks ElliMax give each other before parting ways don’t exactly convey that either of them feels “the best” about their current situation. So, Ellis goes home to look utterly haunted on the boat in a (far-too-brief) moment alone, Max goes home to have her magical revelation about the heist, and we just have to wait this disaster out.

MORE: Let’s just go back to the “I’ll be your cricket” moment and live there forever.

More Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5 reactions

“Realistic.” Mother Vivienne with the head tilt and eyebrow raise like “ok, then. If you want to play it that way…”
“Are we…expecting…someone?” If the oh-so-careful way Max asks this doesn’t give her worries away, that look in her eyes sure does.
Ok but: How dare Ellis be so sweet and show up with flowers, when he has a third wheel waiting for him on the boat when he goes home at night? But also: Let’s all swoon for a minute over this man dropping everything to show up and surprise his “work partner” for what he, stupidly, thinks is her birthday. And finally, how does he not know the actual day, when they both know so many deeply personal things about each other? Detective Dumb strikes again!
“The reports of my birthday?” Stage whisper: “…have been greatly exaggerated.” Amazing.
Phew, that look over her shoulder as she slams that door shut!
Tamara Taylor is fantastic as “Cousin Cheyenne” lays it on thick for Ellis, while Vivienne…plots and has all these wordless conversations with Max and George, trying to assert that she can totally pull off…whatever she’s up to by having Ellis here. And Vivienne absolutely makes sure her whole family knows she’s enjoying watching them squirm.
That little mother/daughter aside, though. First off, poor Max. It’s like being a teenager whose mom is trying to set her up with her crush or something. Just with much, much higher stakes—on multiple levels. Here, she has to cover up everything about the “felony-fueled strategy dinner,” hide the fact that “Cousin Cheyenne” is her not-dead mom, and try to protect her heart from the cute boy who belongs to someone else. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Morgan is so good playing that “upset daughter who can’t get through to her mom” dynamic, and Taylor is just terrific at that calm, in charge con woman…who’s also having a little bit of fun at her daughter’s expense.
“Ohhhh, gosh. That little vein in your neck is throbbing.”
“Just tell me: WHY.” “Because. I wanted to meet the man for whom you gave up millions.” My heart. She’s in agony. I’m in agony. We’re all in agony.
“I vet him. Every day.” Not a single bit of doubt about this man. None. Completely different than the way Morgan kind of over-does Max’s defense of her mom not contacting them for 15 years when she finally tells Ellis (most of) the truth later on. In the first situation, she’s 100% certain; in the other one, she’s fighting to convince herself just as much as she’s trying to convince Ellis.
“I don’t blame you. He is really cute. Kinda like a…Labrador you just want to cuddle.” Can’t blame her there.
“What about that local sports team?” “Which. One.” And George is just looking back and forth like “???” Men: Still terrible at the small talks.
It’s the way Max cringes over that corny mug for me.
Loved the way “I’ve watched enough television to know you’re not supposed to touch anything on a…crime scene? But she was sitting there…dead and…the water was bubbling. It just—it felt indecent!” Loved the way Madison Ryne Smith played this moment. Like the truth was just fighting to get out and, eventually, won. Just burst right on out of him, totally out of his control. As the truth will, on occasion, do!
“Well, who orders food at 3:00 a.m. and then pulls the plug on their own life?” Points were made.
Tamara Taylor just eating up the scenery with “Cheyenne” (literally) eating snacks and looking oh so intrigued by this great mystery—while also shooting looks at her daughter that say she’s soooo winning this round.
“Nonsense. In our somewhat checkered careers, we’ve done the impossible. Several times.”
“What? Did the AI run amok? Are we…all doomed?” I mean…
Hear me out: What if we didn’t phone that friend? Better: What if we just…never met her in the first place?
“WHO IS JESSICA.” And Max practically pleading as her mom keeps yenta-ing her way on through…
“No scandal, no fun.”
“Detective Ellis.” “…and Max.” A duo.
“Is he supposed to be judging me? Because if so, he’s nailing it.” Shocked every time I rewatch Wild Cards Season 3 Episode 5, hear Max say this, and realize it’s not about Marc the Cat.
“That’s a lot of poop logistics. You must have a spreadsheet and a strong stomach.” Murder is serious business. This series, thankfully, is not.
Well. ElliMax is serious business. The murder investigations, however…great comedy.
“Does the job come with a tiara and free dental?”  “A lot of people are attracted to positions of power. It’s not just about the perks.” “Yeah. And moths are attracted to flames. Doesn’t mean we put them in charge of utilities.” The commentary. 10/10.
Obligatory: “I would die for Yates” moment. One thing Amy Goodmurphy is going to do is absolutely steal the scene with Yates’ antics, and her reaction to the crazies on the phone is no exception. I mean, it’s exceptional and all, but…yeah.
Would’ve been funnier if she said she was going to contact Agent Mulder about the alieums, though.
“I hate. A full moon. Listen to these: A portal opened up next to a Denny’s. A time traveler stuck in a port-a-potty—something reeks about that. Annnnnd. My neighbor is a succubus. So…actually gonna check that one out.”
“Crazytown! How can I help you?”
Never change, Yates. Please. Never, ever, ever change.
Oh, he is so proud of his girl when he talks about her hair and makeup changes. That is a man in love. (The only two people who don’t see it are the two idiots in love…and he’s the biggest idiot.)
All those characters! Vanessa Morgan’s work on this series is a gift.
I caught that little look over at Vivienne that was basically like “yeah, anything you can do, I can do better” from Max, too.
“If these are the best and brightest this city has to offer, I may have to run for mayor.” “Oooh, can I be your campaign manager?”
“Ricky for Mayor: Less scandal, more sparkle.” So beyond sold. WHEN’S ELECTION DAY.
“But they’re not together, Viv.” “Oh, please. Look at them.” Can we talk about how that shot is framed??? Yes. LOOK AT THEM. It’s screaming, “ROMANTIC DUO.” As if we didn’t already know…
But is George playing stupid here after everything he’s seen or…?
Anyway. Con Mom ships it, so she’s ok with me. For now.
“How many people told us it wouldn’t work?” “And yet, look what we made.” “We did good,” “Yeah. We did.” “You did good.” AND THE LOVING LOOK FROM HER TO HIM??? I…ship the parents, maybe???
Tamara Taylor and Jason Priestley are great as a formerly married, sorta estranged, sorta widower/dead wife, extremely complicated couple. And regardless of whatever Vivienne and George’s issues are, they are proud, loving parents.
…that’s going to make whatever angst I’m sure we’ll get hit with at some point hurt more, huh.
“Wow. A politician who’s direct.” Nothing but respect for my future mayor’s campaign manager.
“Let me guess: You’re newly engaged, looking for a starter home. Cozy but plenty of room for baby number one. Am I right?” Morgan and Gianniotti are so great with the simultaneously-increasing discomfort and the (also perfectly in-unison) “NO.” What a hilariously awkward moment.
BUT WHY NOT, THOUGH?
Also: Even strangers continue to see right through them. Just saying!
“She’s not a cop” is basically a reflex for Ellis at this point. But whew, that look of pride and love as he admits “she’s talented.”
“Just like she is now. An absolute ray of sunshine. And so imaginative. She was so engrossed in books, and movies, and TV. We shared a love of this silly, little vampire book series called Dead of Night. We’d always read them together, and whenever a new book was published, we would camp outside the bookstore just to be the first in line. It was just…one of those things we bonded on. I mean…when—whenever I visited, you know.” So much emotion from Tamara Taylor here. And when Vivienne realizes she’s sounding too much like a proud, loving mom who misses those shared bookstore campouts, she is not remotely convincing with the Cheyenne “cover” about visiting. Just pitch perfect. Spot on. All that good stuff.
In case anyone forgot, or in case Gianniotti’s little reaction there isn’t enough to sell this: We had a whole, entire episode about Dead of Night! Of all the stories for “Cheyenne” to tell…
And the shot of Max while Vivienne and Ellis talk about her…genuinely can’t tell which character’s loving gaze we’re seeing her through. Probably because they both love her so very, very much, it doesn’t even matter.
“Right. Yes. I was in Dubai. With my LATE. WIFE.” Nice try, George. A for effort or whatever. But Vivienne F—ed up.
“I see a woman dancing. Badly.” The physical comedy!
“What are you doing?” “Vibing. Why? What are you doing.” “Ok, well. Be. Ready.” “You didn’t need to tell me to be ready, Max. I was born ready.” And we should all believe her!
“…we stayed up watching episodes of The Golden Girls. Guy had every episode on VHS tape. Really weird. And he obviously had some kind of daddy issues because his father looked just like Bea Arthur.” Hear me out: Nothing weird about wanting to have personal copies of every single episode of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
“I’m not gonna lie: You almost had us stumped. Which is very hard to do, so. Kudos to you. Not about the murder part. Murder bad.” I love her.
“Sometimes, people do crazy things for the ones they love.” Yeah, like giving up the Ashford millions, plotting to steal a diamond, and lying about their not-dead mom coming back, and…
“Look, I know I should’ve told you before…” And that deep breath as she leans against the table… “Half my life, I thought that my mom was dead…and then…one day, I find out that it’s all a lie. Some days, I’m filled with so much gratitude that she’s back. And other days? I hate her for what she put me through.” Incredibly done here.
As in, my heart. Hurts.
“I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you and George.”
…and she looks…pained as she tries to smile. She’s got to hate having to still hold onto that one secret in all of this, even as he’s so there and so him and so supportive.
“Yeah. It’s been a lot ot process. But we’re coping. Slowly.” And alone. She’s been alone in this!
“Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have told you that.” God. Imagine feeling the need to apologize for basically confessing you were about to hop on the love boat and sail off to happily-ever-after together…
Kiss and make up, already!
“Was Max surprised?” “Yeah…yeah, you could say that. We both were.”
Where’s Marc?
“I need to say something: I don’t like what Vivienne did tonight. It was reckless. And it makes me nervous. How do we know she won’t go off-book on the day?” “She won’t. I’ll make sure of it.” I believe that Max believes this. Do I believe that she’ll be able to do what she thinks she’ll be able to do? No, I do not.
“…with magic.” Sold.