‘He’s The Moriarty To Her Sherlock’: Carrie Preston Opens Up About Michael Emerson Playing Elsbeth’s Nemesis, And I’m Sold

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As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of detective games, I can tell you that Elsbeth Season 2’s latest episode was a rollercoaster ride of suspense and intrigue. Michael Emerson‘s portrayal of Judge Milton Crawford as a cunning antagonist brought a fresh twist to the series, making me feel like I was playing a new chapter in my favorite detective game.

Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of Elsbeth Season 2, called “One Angry Woman” and set to be available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

As a dedicated gamer, I was thrilled to learn that the upcoming episode of Elsbeth in the 2024 TV lineup brings Michael Emerson onto the scene as a guest star. Unlike other temporary characters who’ve crossed paths with his real-life spouse on this popular CBS drama, it seems Michael’s character, Judge Milton Crawford, is here to stir things up for good!

Despite Elsbeth’s attempts to be excused from jury duty to spend time with her son (who was played by Ben Levi Ross following his unexpected debut last week), Judge Crawford refused, not because there weren’t legitimate reasons for her dismissal. In fact, the defense attorney promptly moved to dismiss her once she mentioned that she works with the police.

Was it questionable that Elsbeth was secretly informing Delia during the trial? Yes, and the lawyer’s actions didn’t seem to benefit his client much. However, it turned out advantageous as she wasn’t dismissed. In essence, it seemed undeniably clear that Crawford intended to imprison Delia for murder… given his motive, since he was actually the culprit of the week.

In the final episode of “The Good Wife,” Carrie Preston’s character, unlike her typical knack for detecting wrongdoing, failed to realize the suspect was a murderer. However, she remained sharp enough to sense that something wasn’t quite right. The leading man was indeed “almost untouchable” as the leading lady put it! When I chatted with Carrie Preston about when her character Elsbeth picked up on the judge’s suspicious behavior ahead of the 2025 TV lineup, she disclosed:

From the onset, she notices his peculiar decisions in the trial which seem illogical to her. As a result, she becomes wary of him when he begins granting things that no other judge would approve. Her suspicion grows, but she can’t quite grasp why this particular judge is making these mistakes rather than suspecting any connection to the murder. Instead, she finds herself puzzled about the judge and his uncharacteristic errors. She’s not necessarily linking him to the crime, but she’s curious about his behavior.

Elsbeth might be exceptionally perceptive, able to see connections others overlook, but there was no hint that the stern judge could have been involved in murder. However, things changed when he casually dropped the word “disco,” leading Elsbeth to suspect he knew more than he was letting on about the incident. Carrie Preston continued:

After realizing that the murderer remains at large, she becomes incredibly determined to bring the perpetrator to justice and finds ways to accomplish this goal. Essentially, the killer serves as an elusive whale (Moby Dick) or a cunning adversary (Moriarty) to her detective, fueling her relentless pursuit throughout the season.

In contrast to Crawford being likened to Moriarty and Elsbeth as Sherlock, it’s not about two evenly matched adversaries squaring off. Instead, we can only hope that their story doesn’t end tragically for Elsbeth, similar to Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick. Given Michael Emerson’s talent for portraying villains on shows like Evil and Lost, I was taken aback by his character, Elsbeth, transforming into a murderer armed with a baseball bat so swiftly in “One Angry Woman.” Carrie Preston reacted to this unexpected development by saying:

On our program, we often begin by revealing the murder victim upfront, making it clear who we’re investigating. It certainly highlights his ruthless nature. There are numerous methods for bringing someone down, but this one is particularly harsh. However, it seemed to be the only strategy he thought would help him conceal his actions effectively.

In an ingenious manner, Crawford managed to conceal his actions exceptionally well; if not for his unguarded comment about disco, he might have successfully evaded detection. The Donna Summer record hadn’t been mentioned by anyone before, but Elsbeth astutely picked up on his error and is now onto him. Having a returning antagonist in Season 2 instead of weekly one-offs adds an intriguing twist to the plot, I inquired about this very point from Carrie Preston, and she responded:

So far, we haven’t encountered anything like that, but it’ll certainly be intriguing. Instead of recurring battles, I face a long-standing conflict in each episode, and as mentioned earlier, this isn’t your typical whale-sized challenge – think Moby Dick. Having such an ongoing struggle, and the fact that it’s Michael, adds an extra layer of excitement for me.

The less thrilling aspect is that after Elsbeth’s fall finale, there will be several weeks of winter break before it comes back in late January. However, fans can still anticipate the fall finale, as Michael Emerson will appear for his second episode of Season 2. Don’t miss the fall finale of Elsbeth on CBS this Thursday, December 19 at 10 p.m. ET, or stream it on demand via Paramount+.

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2024-12-13 07:07