'Elsbeth' Season 2 Episode 19 "I've Got a Little List" Recap

The guest stars in this episode are Billy Magnussen (Rod Bedford) and Kyle Harris (Colin).

The show opens with Rod talking to his friend Colin. There are flashbacks of his past actions as he recounts them to Colin, at an indoor shooting range. He’s not paying attention and as he twirls the gun around it goes off, and Colin is hit in the arm.

Later, Rod jots down in his notebook a list about killing someone.

He goes out and does it. He stalks someone and shoots them. He picks up bullet casings and leaves a person dead in the street. He lines through the list in his notebook. The next day, Detective Blanke meets Elsbeth at the crime scene. hey find the victim lives in a van that looks nothing like a dump inside. The inside is well decorated, and very fancy. Officer Nikki Reynolds discovers the victim is royalty, Wilhelm Von Hofer, Prince of Lichtenburg. At that time, Rod meets Colin at a bar. The news shows the person that was killed. Ron looks worried and leaves shaken.

Detective Blanke, Elsbeth and Officer Reynolds search the van, and brainstorm on why he was killed. They find that it wasn’t a robbery, and he was not a runaway. The shooter took the casings, so they suspect it was a targeted shooting, not random. Elsbeth does her Elsbething and re-enacts the possible actions the shooter took. The shooting sounds she makes triggers her memory of Judge Crawford’s death on the courthouse steps. Detective Blanke’s calling her name brings her back to the present. She excuses herself to recover. A big black SUV pulls up and Rod gets out to ask her what happened. Rod is curious about Elsbeth. She tells him what she does, and remarks that it’s odd that a random wealthy person pulls over to look at a crime scene. He deflects and tells her he’s curious because he’s buying a warehouse across the street. Elsbeth thinks he’s a developer, but Rod says his family is in the gun manufacturing business, and gives her his business card. She recognizes the family name, and says he must hate when a person is shot. They introduce themselves, and Rod gets back into his car. He writes a new list in his notebook “Get away with murder!” and leaves.

Back at the station, Elsbeth tells Officer Blanke that Rod Bedford lied about buying the warehouse. It was owned by the city and was not for sale. CPT Wagner comes in and introduces them to Agent Wes McCarthy, ICE Transnational Crime Investigative Unit. He’s there to oversee the case, due to the situation in Greenland. He’s been in contact with the royal family. He shows them photos of the crime scene and says this may have been an assassination. They suspect a terrorist cell made of princesses, the Crown Free Movement.  Elsbeth says it took three shots to kill the prince. That is not a trained assassin. She says they have another suspect, Rod Bedford. Detective Blanke asks Officer Reynolds to check Rod’s social media and look for a connection between the prince and Rod.

Officer Blanke will check out the angry feminist theory, and Elsbeth will ask Rod about the “lady gun” idea suggested by McCarthy. Elsbeth gets to the Canister Club Rod frequents, and is prevented from entering by security. Rod tells security she’s there to see him, and is always welcome there. Rod tells Elsbeth the place has a cigar bar and an indoor shooting range. Colin comes over and tells Elsbeth about the last time he and Rod were shooting, and how he almost killed him. Elsbeth tells Rod about the small caliber gun and asks for information. She scans through pics on Rod’s phone, recognizing some celebrities. She looks through his “b” list, bucket list. He has some notable experiences. Rod marks through his b list. She realizes that Rod can literally do anything. She tells him that’s not a blessing. Rod tells her not to feel sorry for him, because he’s found something that thrills him. He lies and says it’s talking to her about the murder case. Colin asks if he can join them on a ride-along, but Elsbeth says that won’t happen. She almost leaves with Rod’s phone in her haste to leave.  

CPT Wagner asks Detective Blanke to see him in his office. Wagner tells her he found out she was offered a job by CPT Kershaw on a special task force. He tells her a spot just opened up, and training starts immediately. He doesn’t want to lose her, but says it’s a great opportunity. He tells Blanke CPT Kershaw needs an answer soon.Agent McCarthy, Elsbeth and Detective Blanke look at the camera footage of the crime scene area and find it’s not a woman. Agent McCarthy goes to call the royal family. Officer Reynolds tells them Ivan Dieter posted a story on Von Hofer’s murder. He mentioned evidence that was never publicized.

Reynolds tells them the Ivan Dieter name is an alias for a social media bot. Elsbeth surmises the guy in the camera photo could be Rod. She talks to him to find out if he had a motive. She tells him about the footage they found, but doesn’t give anything away.Later that night Rod creates a note supposedly done by the Crown Free Terror Cell stating “Men Against the Crown” and tries to incriminate the cell. Detective Blanke and Elsbeth don’t believe the theory. Elsbeth notices the paper stock quality is similar to a business card she got from Rod. Officer Reynolds found the letters in the note are from fancy rich New Yorkers’ magazines. Agent McCarthy disagrees with Elsbeth about the suspect. Elsbeth says they are all wrong, and still believes Rod is guilty. She talks to Colin at the club, and gets little information except that everything bores Rod.

Wagner asks Detective Blanke why she didn’t accept Captain Kershaw’s offer. She doesn’t want to leave so soon after becoming a detective. She decides to accept the offer, but wonders how to tell Elsbeth. Kaya does tell Elsbeth and she’s very happy for her, Later, Elsbeth rushes into CPT Wagner’s office and says the motive is Rod trying to feel something. He’s trying to get an adrenaline rush, and thinks murder invigorates him. Captain Wagner gets a message stating the Crown Free Terror Cell claimed responsibility for the murder of the prince.

The TCIU declares the case solved. Elsbeth knows Rod is a killer, and presents her theory to Wagner. She knows he killed a man for an adrenaline rush. Captain Wagner doesn’t agree to arresting Rod. Elsbeth leaves when she realizes the rich and powerful can get away with anything. That added to Kaya leaving makes her angry. She returns to the Canister Club to see Rod. She sees his jacket on a chair, and searches it. He catches her. He lets her look at his bucket list, but the pages were removed. He tells Colin to call the police. Officer Reynolds and another were following Elsbeth, and entered the club. They arrest Elsbeth.

Elsbeth gets arraigned and she enters the courtroom. The judge recognizes her. She represents herself, and asks to be released on her own recognizance. This judge was a friend of Judge Crawford and he denied Elsbeth bail. Her prior arrest and fraternization with Delia Kirby gets her sent to jail. Meanwhile, Detective Blanke and Officer Reynolds return to the club and arrest Rod. Blanke tells him about his imaginary friend, Ivan Dieter. He posted information on unpublicized evidence. Detective Blanke and Officer Reynolds arrest Rod. Officer Blanke tells him how they figured it out.

At the station, Agent McCarthy tells Captain Wagner and Detective Blanke the Lichtenburg Royal Family was driven out, and the monarchy fell. McCarthy doesn’t admit he was wrong about the prince’s killer. Captain Wagner and Detective Blanke visit Elsbeth in jail. She knows Rod will be out because he’s rich and powerful. She is so sad and begins crying. She’s miserable and can’t pretend justice is fair. Elsbeth will miss Kaya. Elsbeth will be transferred to the midtown detention center where some murderers she put away are. Uh oh.

Seeing Elsbeth in despair and in jail was disconsoling. Add to that the fact that a bored rich and powerful murderer who got a thrill by killing people, was very uncomfortable to watch. This episode was art imitating life, sadly. Good to see Officer Reynolds again, and will really miss Detective Kaya Blanke. The acting was superb and Billy Magnussen portrayed Rod scarily, exceptionally well! 

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