Elsbeth Season 3 Episode 2 Breakdown – What Happened in “Doll Day Afternoon”

Two guys meet on a dark street, and one opens his car trunk and shows the other a small wrapped package inside. Money is exchanged, and the package is given to a guy who opens it, and complains that it’s not what he wanted. A fight ensues, and one guy is knocked into a wall. The other guy takes the money and the package which is a Doll?!  He was murdered for this, and it cost $6,000?! Another strange case for Elsbeth.

The next morning, Elsbeth is at the crime scene gazing out at the NYC skyline musing and wishing she knew how to paint. She’s approached by an NYC Police Officer, Officer Mike Summerville. He’s her new temporary partner. Elsbeth’s partners are being rotated again. Summerville has a strand of hair in an evidence bag. Elsbeth quickly identifies it as possibly from a wig. She also finds a gem next to the victim’s car tire. They open the trunk and find Becker’s Toys wrapping paper.  Elsbeth thinks she knows where he works, and Officer Summerville is mystified and asks where. She tells him it’s ‘where dreams come true’. They go to Becker’s Toys. 

They are stopped by a person dressed in a toy soldier’s outfit, and Summerville asks if Patrick Palmer worked there. The gentleman says he did, but he’s not there. Summerville leaves Elsbeth to play with the toys while he talks to the manager. Elsbeth finds the piano that plays when you walk on it. She’s having a great time. Elsbeth meets a doll doctor, and wanders over to the doll hospital at the back of the store. She compliments him on his “Chrissie Spirited Girl Doll” with bright red hair. Elsbeth’s mind quickly notices the similarities from the crime scene, including the missing gem stone on the man’s ring. She unknowingly meets Palmer’s murderer, Nolan Hurst.  Subtly, she alerts Summerville who walks away and calls for backup assistance. Hurst hears him and snatches his gun out of his holster. Things escalate as Hurst fires a shot into the air and threatens Raggedy Ann. He tells Summerville to get out of the store now.  It quickly turns into a hostage situation.

Captain Wagner gets there and the whole street is cordoned off. Summerville is outside. He tells him how Hurst got his gun and Wagner tells him they need to make sure he doesn’t use it. Elsbeth is in the Emergency Service Unit giving her statement to Captain Tully. She is frustrating him with details about dolls and a doll doctor, while he’s trying to find out how many hostages there are. Captain Wagner interrupts and calms Elsbeth, and gets the facts. The emergency service officer finds Nolan Hurst record and they find out he was recently released from prison. Tully assumes he was trafficking drugs in the dolls. Elsbeth finds him too intense. Wagner knows Tully and tells Elsbeth he’s always like that. This is the first time since Elsbeth met Judge Milton Crawford, that she seemed intimidated. Tully impatiently tries to deal with the toy store customer service department, and Elsbeth helps him out. 

Inside the store, Nolan tapes the hostages’ hands and has them sitting until he hears from the police. They call and Nolan makes his demands. He doesn’t see Jen, Raggedy Ann, live-streamed what was happening on social media. He snatches her phone away. He tells the police he wants to make a hostage switch. Tully tells him that’s not done, but Nolan insists.  Officer Summerville volunteers to go, but Nolan says to send in the plain clothes female police officer. Elsbeth jumps up to volunteer, but everyone in the ESU says, almost in unison, that she’s not a police officer. This added levity to the tense moments. Nolan demands Elsbeth or no hostage switch, and hangs up. Elsbeth collects her trademark bags and Captain Wagner walks Elsbeth over to the entrance. Nolan asks her about her bags, but Elsbeth takes too long, so he tells her to drop them or no exchange. He lets Raggedy Ann go. Teddy comes down all stressed out about his mom. Elsbeth tells the other hostages about the rescue plan. What happens next is hilarious, and it was a laugh out loud moment  There more to follow..  

A hostage situation in a toy store is already incongruous, all caused by an accidental murder of a toy store employee trafficking drugs in dolls. This episode has perfectly orchestrated acting, with cute, heartbreaking and sad moments. This is also the first time the whole episode is conducted completely outside the police station. The camera's unusual camera shots, closeups, wide-angles all intensified the scenes.  

Does Nolan release the hostages? How does Elsbeth get to re-enact the crime? What does Teddy discover about Captain Tully? What’s the new rescue plan? What does “We get through this together or we don’t get through this at all” mean?  

This was another entertaining Elsbeth episode. I loved the giant piano in the toy store, the toys and the plot. The ESU crew was a great addition, as well. The ending was completely a surprise, and in concert with the whole idiosyncratic, comedic episode’s style. The guest stars played the characters like they were in a live action play. They did a great job. I really enjoyed this and gave it 4.7 out of 5 stars. 

Side Note: Noticed a little chemistry sparking between Elsbeth and Captain Tully. Too bad the character had little concern for others, and overbearing. 

What did you think?

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