Elsbeth (2024) s02e01 Episode Script

1
(CHIMES SOUNDING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Good evening, Jesse. (SIGHS)
Another Thursday,
another dreary Trovatore.
Keep an open mind.
Monday night was pretty good.
They pay you to say that.
But we live in hope.
(PHILLIP SIGHS)
Uh, this is us. Oh.
EDDIE: Oh, some seats, right?
Amazing. I feel like Cher in that movie.
(CHUCKLES) Oh, I have to pee.
Should I go or wait?
I would go.
I'm sorry. I couldn't help overhearing.
If you leave during the performance,
the ushers won't let you back in
until intermission.
Oh.
Then I will go now. (CHUCKLES)
Thank you. (CHUCKLES)
Thanks.
I don't want to be nosy,
but I'm here on my subscription,
and I always sit behind
an older woman, Abigail,
who comes with her home aide.
Oh, yeah, Abby was my grandmother.
She died last week.
Oh.
I'm terribly sorry to hear that.
She was so lovely.
And short.
Yeah, she, uh,
she left me her subscription.
I see. Are you an opera lover?
Uh, you mean fat people
screaming for three hours?
No, not a fan.
Then why are you here?
To be honest
tell a woman you got
great seats to the opera, boom, you're in.
You know what I mean? (CHUCKLES)
You here with anyone?
PHILLIP: No.
This seat
used to be occupied
by my late wife, Evelyn.
I know it's an extravagance, but, uh,
I haven't had the heart to give it up.
I am sorry about your grandmother.
Oh, whatever. She was old.
(LAUGHS)
I guess you'd better get used to
sitting behind me now.
Welcome to the opera.
There really is nothing like it. Enjoy.
MANDY (WHISPERS): Hey.
(SIGHS)
(LIVELY ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(SINGERS SINGING IN ITALIAN)
- (WOMAN SINGING INTENSE ARIA)
- (CELL PHONE CHIMING)
(SNORING)
(MAN SINGING IN ITALIAN)
- (LAUGHING)
- Figaro, Figaro, Figaro ♪
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro ♪
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro ♪
(ARIA CONTINUES IN ITALIAN)
(PLASTIC BOTTLE CRINKLING)
- (CRUNCHING LOUDLY)
- (GULPING)
(BELCHES, GRUNTS)
(CRUNCHING LOUDLY)
(SNEEZES)
(WOMAN SINGING MELANCHOLY ARIA)
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
- Hello?
- (SOMEONE SHUSHES)
Talk louder. I'm at the opera.
(SCOFFS) How should I know?
It's in French or something.
Really?
Hey, it's my buddy Sean.
He's got a table at 10 Hemlock.
You want to go?
You get the joke, right?
Sure. We're coming.
Uh, Stoli, dirty.
(ARIA CONTINUES)
(SIGHS)
(GROANS)
(INTENSE OPERATIC SONG PLAYING
WITH SINGING IN ITALIAN)
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTING)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(GRUNTING)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(PANTING)
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Unbelievable.
Feels like just yesterday.
KAYA: This is New York.
Fads come and go.
I suppose the fact that Matteo
was guilty of murder didn't help.
Probably not.
Well, back to being unique.
Which isn't so bad.
Now, let's go find you
some detective clothes.
So, I appreciate you helping me
out, but you do know we have
slightly different taste in clothes.
I know, but I still feel
like Detective Blanke
showing up at the crime scene
should make a statement.
This feels a little premature.
Why? Captain Wagner said
you're on the fast track to detective.
(CHUCKLES) The fast track
seems pretty slow.
But the summer was slow in general.
Oh, I know. I feel like I had
just gotten in the groove,
and then we had this big, long summer break.
What happened to all of
our high profile cases?
Oh. They're all in Martha's Vineyard,
Tuscany, driving drunk in Sag Harbor.
- Oh. Right. (LAUGHS)
- (LAUGHS)
Well, they should be back soon.
Maybe we should wait
till things pick up a little.
(SIRENS WAILING IN DISTANCE)
KAYA: Detective Fleming?
Captain Wagner said I should find you.
Officer Blanke. I know. I know everything.
You don't spend 36 years on the
force without picking up a few things.
ELSBETH: Wow, that's a long time.
I'm Elsbeth
Tascioni. I know. With the consent decree.
Buzz Fleming.
You'd better not screw up my pension.
Oh. I'm sure I won't.
Not without a super good reason.
You,
you're on the detective track?
Stick with me, I'll show you the ropes.
I appreciate that.
So, uh, the victim was
stabbed multiple times?
First lesson:
All cases are about either sex or money.
The victim's wallet is gone,
indicating a robbery.
Wh-Why would a random thief
stab someone that many times?
- That's a very good point.
- Maybe the victim put up a struggle.
Young Wall Street guy
living in a place like this
doesn't give up his money so easy.
- Found these in his pocket.
- ELSBETH: Ooh!
- What are those?
- Two tickets to Tosca last night.
Good seats.
So
multiple wounds after a night at the opera.
Sounds like a crime of passion.
FLEMING: I don't think so,
but we do our due diligence.
Let's find out who he went with.
His phone. No prints.
Where'd you find that?
On the floor over there.
It was smashed against
the railing near the body.
So, the killer smashed the victim's phone
and then threw it across the room.
- That's a passionate thing to do.
- Mm-hmm.
Or
the victim smashed his own phone
- after an upsetting call.
- Oh.
We'll check the records,
find out who called who,
but, uh, this feels like a random robbery.
- Huh.
- What "huh"?
Well, it's just, why would somebody random
be so angry at a cell phone?
(QUIET CHATTER)
(SIGHS)
Ringers off.
As you know, Lieutenant Noonan
was an old friend.
That must have hurt.
The point is,
I worry that my personal history
with Dave Noonan may have blinded me.
So you're looking for a new lieutenant
who's not your friend?
I suppose. You
You have a reputation
as someone who, you know
I'm not the buddy-buddy type.
And that's okay.
I'm the numbers guy. Stats, regulations.
Moneyball is my favorite movie.
Really? All-time?
Captain, I understand your predicament.
You've been through a crisis.
The precinct is still recovering.
You need someone clean as
a whistle, who's nobody's buddy.
I don't mind being that person.
I accept your offer.
- I actually hadn't offered you
- On one condition.
I give everything that goes on here
and I mean everything
a thorough going-over.
No more cutting corners.
Nothing just slips by.
Not anymore.
You know something?
I feel better already.
Good morning. Hey, good morning.
Oh, Elsbeth,
I want to introduce you to
our new administrative lieutenant.
Elsbeth Tascioni, Steve Connor.
Oh, I didn't realize.
Did you think Lieutenant Noonan
wouldn't be replaced?
To be honest, I hadn't thought about it.
Duh. (CHUCKLES) Hi.
The Department of Justice
has agreed to fund.
Ms. Tascioni's consent decree
for another year.
She's been a great help to us.
- Is that for your office?
- Uh, yes.
I've been, um, trying
different things to warm it up.
This was Lieutenant Noonan's
office, wasn't it?
Oh, yes, it was.
Oh, my gosh, what am I thinking?
Uh, you're the new lieutenant.
You really should have this office.
Oh, no. That's kind of you,
but I'll be perfectly happy
on the Fifth.
Fifth floor. And besides,
if I do my job right,
you and your consent decree
will be out of here in a few months anyway.
- Fifth floor, you said?
- Mm-hmm.
Well, that was terrifying.
Are you sure about that guy?
No. But I was sure about Dave Noonan,
and look how that turned out.
I'm not sure that's the way it works.
FLEMING: Captain.
How we doing on
this Wall Street murder case?
Looks like a robbery, but as Officer Blanke
and Ms. Tascioni pointed out,
some things don't add up.
WAGNER: Well, let's
get this nailed down soon.
A broker murdered in his own home
after a night at the opera
is bad for the city.
And the opera.
My gut still thinks it's about money.
Find the victim's missing wallet,
you'll find the killer.
Here's the autopsy.
And here are close-up photographs
- of the various wounds.
- Oh, whoever did this,
- really wanted Eddie Reese to die.
- Hmm.
Oh, this is interesting.
Oh, what is?
There was unidentified DNA
found on the body.
- So many knife wounds.
- Yeah.
Huh. Okay, look.
This looks like a bruise from the hilt
of the same knife,
but there's no puncture mark.
- How is that possible?
- Maybe the blade finally fell off,
or maybe the killer turned the knife around
and beat him with it.
Really? Uh, have
Wait, have you ever seen that?
FLEMING: Could be a sign of overkill.
I'm switching my theory from money to sex.
When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I admit it.
- Remember that.
- Oh, I will.
This is probably the work
of a jilted lover.
Well, that won't narrow
things down too much.
What do you mean?
Oh, I went through Eddie's selfies.
- This guy had a lot of dates.
- Hmm.
Well, I'd never been taken
to the opera before,
and I thought it sounded
fun, classy. (CHUCKLES)
And it was kind of.
You know where the guy sings
Figaro, figaro, figaro. ♪
That's real.
I thought it was a cartoon.
The opera lasted a lot longer than the sex,
I can tell you that much.
I thought it was boring. So boring.
Like Oppenheimer boring.
Does that make me a bad person?
Well, I would've stayed,
but his friend Sean
invited us to some club,
and they got in a fight,
and then Eddie left me there.
Not to speak ill of the dead,
but he was awful.
He was, like, the worst guy in New York.
Maybe in the tristate area.
MANDY: So, there are others?
Should've known.
FLEMING: Maybe you did
know and you got jealous
and you tracked him down
and you murdered him in cold blood.
That's ridiculous.
"Ridiculous" is just what
a killer would say.
We call that "bad cop."
Yes, we do.
Someone found the wallet
up by the G.W. Bridge.
No cash in it.
Oh. We're back to money.
So, what led you to the job?
Was your dad on the force?
No. I watched cop shows with my mom.
She'd get home from work,
we'd heat up dinner,
and we'd watch.
I liked how things always came
out right in the end, you know?
Bad guys get caught.
And on better days, that's how
it works in real life, too.
Mm. I could use some better days.
(SIGHS) Okay, so they said
they found the wallet
somewhere over here?
Let's take a look.
This might take a minute.
(GROANS) Okay.
(SIGHS)
Hi.
Mind if I ask you a couple questions?
ELSBETH: Oh, that's a pretty dress.
I wish I could wear that.
Hmm.
Who is that guy?
You don't look very happy,
do you?
Thank you so much.
Huh. Nope.
No clues.
So, while you were down there,
I talked to a guy over there
who said he noticed a man
with a mustache wearing a hat,
sunglasses and expensive shoes.
So I'm the killer,
but I want to plant this wallet
where nobody will be able
to trace it back to me.
And I choose here, which is
- (WATCH BEEPS)
- Oop.
5:00. We're done for the day.
Uh, but You think we're
getting overtime for this? Come on.
Any big plans for tonight?
(CELL PHONE BUZZES)
- (SIGHS) Ah, Jesse.
- (CHIMES SOUNDING)
Another Thursday,
another mediocre Butterfly.
(CHUCKLES)
JESSE: Here you are.
These two on the aisle.
- ELSBETH: Thank you.
- KAYA: Thank you.
ELSBETH: (GIGGLES) Oh, wow!
- These seats!
- Mm.
Amazing.
Oh, this is so exciting.
Can you believe it?
This is my first time.
No kidding.
Nice hat.
(SINGING IN ITALIAN)
(CRYING LOUDLY)
(APPLAUSE)
Oh, God.
Oh, that was so beautiful.
I don't even know what to say.
That was only act one.
- How about we stretch out our legs?
- Oh, yeah.
You seem like you come here a lot.
Was that good?
Because that seemed really good.
Ugh. The conducting is a little sluggish,
and the soprano opted out of the high note
in her entrance aria.
I've heard better,
but I've definitely heard worse.
Well, it seemed good to me.
May I ask what brought you here tonight?
These seats aren't easy to get.
Uh, we're with the police.
Our boss, Captain Wagner,
he has connections.
Yeah, the person whose seats
they are was murdered.
Oh, yes. I read something about that.
Such a tragedy.
God, this city.
Excuse me.
Is that?
Dr. Yablonsky.
I know that chin.
- Aw.
- (LAUGHS)
You know, I've done several
Elsbeth chins in the last month.
- Really? (LAUGHS)
- Mm-hmm.
I'm honored.
I had no idea you were an opera lover.
Neither did I. Oh
No, we're actually here as part
of a murder investigation.
Don't tell me I'm a suspect again.
Oh, no, no, no. This is just
a happy coincidence.
Although I would
love to ask you a few questions.
If you must.
So, according to Eddie Reese's
phone records, he got two calls
that night, one at 12:33 A.M
which was probably around
the time he was killed
and one for three minutes
at 9:47, when he was here.
It was Tosca. 8:00 curtain.
Act one ended 8:45.
Act two started roughly 9:15.
9:47 would've been
right around "Vissi d'arte."
That's an aria.
It's pretty famous.
Right. But the call lasted three minutes.
He didn't take the call
during the opera, did he?
Oh, yes. Phillip Cross,
the aisle seat scold.
He was a successful attorney,
but his firm forced him out for being
too argumentative.
- (CHUCKLES) That's funny.
- (LAUGHS)
How Evelyn put up with him,
I'll never know.
- Who's Evelyn?
- His late wife.
I never met her. She died
before I joined this series.
Series?
Oh, the subscription. 11 Thursdays.
(GASPS) Ah.
He does seem to be
a bit of a loner.
Well, I tried.
I just got so tired
of listening to him complain.
Comparing every performance
with his first Tosca
in Philadelphia, 1968,
with Olivia Malapiero and Gino Gozzi.
Please, I heard Gino Gozzi
when he sang Rigoletto here in New York,
and he had no legato.
You know, I don't understand
what you're, um,
saying, but I love the way it sounds.
It's like being an obsessive
sports fan, isn't it?
I don't know why anyone feels it necessary
to make that comparison,
but with you, I'll allow it.
(CLEARS THROAT) Oh, hey.
So, that first phone call?
It happened during the opera,
and Eddie left right after.
- He took the call?
- Mm-hmm.
(GASPS) Ooh, I bet that
made people around him
pretty mad.
Still not a motive for murder.
No, probably not.
- (CHIMES SOUNDING)
- Oh.
(CLEARS THROAT)
ELSBETH: I just hope I
can handle the rest of this.
I'm already a wreck.
How about we go out after?
There's a bar where all the singers go.
That sounds fantastic.
Do a lot of the opera fans go there, too?
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Hi.
Do you mind if I join you?
For what?
I just, I wanted to apologize.
Sorry.
I just, I'm afraid that, um,
I was a bit distracting during the opera,
weeping and-and snorting so loud.
So sorry.
Well, it was odd behavior
for a police investigation.
No. Oh, no, it had nothing to do with work.
I was just so moved by Madame Butterfly.
It just tore me to pieces.
It's been a long time
since I've seen someone gutted that way,
which is really
the only appropriate response.
I mean, there's really
nothing like it, is there?
No, there isn't.
So, uh, do you come here
after every performance?
Just about.
And, yes, I did come here
after Tosca the night
that poor man was killed,
if that's what you're asking.
I think I still have the receipt.
In fact, uh, I'm sure I do.
(LAUGHS): Wow.
You're so organized. I admire that.
No, I was just wondering
if you might have seen
Eddie Reese here
after the opera that night.
No. But I have seen
many interesting goings-on.
- Oh.
- I once saw
Joan Sutherland sneak out the back
to avoid the critic from the Times.
Imagine a six-foot,
redheaded Australian coloratura
trying to make herself invisible.
Huh.
So, a person could come here,
pay and make a quick exit
without being noticed, couldn't they?
And get a receipt.
You have a devious mind.
I'm a lawyer.
(CHUCKLES)
That's funny. Me, too.
Well, I should probably
get back to my friends.
Um, thank you for understanding
about my blubbering.
- (CHUCKLES)
- To be honest,
and to my great surprise
I enjoyed it.
I'm actually so jealous of you.
- Of me?
- Yes.
You clearly know so much about opera.
Oh, you must have a million stories
and memories.
I wish I had someone who could teach me.
I'm so interested, but
I wouldn't know where to start.
SEAN: I wouldn't say we were friends.
More like frenemies.
Phone records show
you called him twice that night.
I made two mill that day on one trade.
I wanted to rub his face in it,
make him feel like a loser.
You called him at 9:47 to
invite him to meet you, right?
Yeah. I heard him tell Alexa,
the girl he was with.
So, anyone could have
heard where he was going.
FLEMING: You saw him at the club, so
why'd you call again at 12:33?
Because he stuck me with the check,
which was a classic Eddie move.
It went to voicemail, so I got back at him
by sleeping with Alexa. Booyah.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
We'd like a DNA sample, if you don't mind.
I don't think that second phone call
is the one we should be focusing on.
- Why is that?
- Sean says that call went to voicemail.
The first one happened when Eddie
was sitting at the opera,
and he took the call.
That was probably very disturbing
to the people around him.
You really think that someone
would kill a person
for not turning off their cell phone?
I brought opera cake.
I figured it's the least I can do,
since you're giving
so generously of your time.
Yes, it is somewhat uncharacteristic,
but I feel
that your reaction to Puccini
makes it my cultural duty.
Look at all this amazing stuff. (GASPS)
Fritz, who runs the archive
at the opera house, is desperate
to get his hands on it all,
but over my dead body.
Oh.
What's that? That knife.
Oh, it's so shiny.
That was the knife Tosca used
to kill Baron Scarpia
in a production in Philadelphia in 1968.
Huh. What made that one so special?
Nothing.
Except it was my first time.
My parents took me.
- (OPERA MUSIC PLAYING)
- Oh, that's
that's sweet.
This is Leyla Gencer, by the way.
I love how her voice is so high
but also so dark at the same time.
Exactly. (LAUGHS)
Now, uh, where shall we start
with your education?
The history of the art form?
Story synopses from the standard rep?
The principles of vocal technique?
Oh, I'm interested in all of it.
And that is why you should never
mention Andrew Lloyd Webber
in that context.
I won't make that mistake again.
Any other questions?
Nope, you've been so thorough.
- Ah.
- (LAUGHS SOFTLY)
Actually, um
I do have one question.
Why are there no pictures of Evelyn?
Who told you about Evelyn?
Oh, Dr. Yablonsky.
He has, uh, seats
next to yours on 11 Thursdays.
Yablonsky.
The plastic surgeon
who was a big fan of Agnes Baltsa?
Must be the same one.
I'll tell you a little secret.
There was no Evelyn.
I've never been married.
No.
When I bought my very first
subscription to the opera,
I bought two seats
and asked various people
to join me dates, friends,
family members, God help me.
- And it wasn't any fun?
- Let's just say
none of them reacted the way you did.
Eventually, I realized what I prefer
is to have nobody
sitting next to me at all.
The myth of Evelyn made that possible.
Well, it's a good thing
you figured that out.
So, um, you really hate it
when people don't behave
properly at the opera.
Nice try, counselor.
The truth is, people have been
behaving poorly at the opera
since the very beginning.
The whole thing started as
a place for shallow, rich people
to dress up and look at each other,
and it still is.
But one learns to tune out the philistines
and concentrate on the stage.
Is that what these are for?
Ah.
What these opera glasses have seen.
Oh, they're beautiful,
and you have so many of them.
Why don't you take a pair?
Really?
I insist.
You've given me a great deal
of pleasure today, Elsbeth.
Now, one more aria you have to hear.
Okay.
Prepare yourself.
(SIREN BLARING, HORN HONKING)
- (KNOCKING)
- Yup.
Lieutenant.
How's the thorough going-over going over?
I'm afraid there's an issue.
I assume it has something
to do with Ms. Tascioni.
Actually, no.
The problem is Officer Kaya Blanke.
I don't understand.
Apparently, when you entered
into the academy,
you did not have
the requisite college credits
for the program that you were admitted to.
But I did.
I took two AP courses in high school.
The recruiter told me they would count.
Well, unfortunately,
that recruiter was a little
overenthusiastic.
Well, Captain, I know nothing about this.
I believe you.
Well, it was just
an honest mistake. I swear.
I didn't lie to anyone.
I know, but Lieutenant Connor
found the error,
and he's not going to look the other way.
So, what happens now?
I can stall things for the time being,
but you need
to get those credits somehow.
What about my job?
- I Yeah?
- (KNOCKING)
You've told her?
Officer Blanke is aware of the situation,
and we will clear everything up right away.
What does that mean?
It means we will clear it up
and you don't have to worry about it.
Okay, Captain.
But obviously,
any promotion to detective
will need to be on hold for now.
Obviously.
But, uh, when you sing Scarpia,
you have to be careful, you know,
because your Tosca can get carried away.
I was in Philadelphia in 1968
- with Olivia Malapiero
- (ELSBETH GASPS)
And, uh, the retractable knife
- did not retract.
- (ELSBETH GASPS)
Someone had set it wrong, you know.
So she stabbed me, and the knife
it went through my coat, through my shirt.
I looked down. Aah!
- I was fine, you know, but
- (GASPS)
There was so much blood.
- (CHUCKLES)
- (AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
Oh, Olivia was terrified
that she would go to prison.
But I wink at her, and we finished the act.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY)
And there was a little boy in the audience.
It was his first opera, and as a joke,
we gave him the faulty knife. (LAUGHS)
A strange souvenir for a child,
but he was a strange child.
- (LAUGHING)
- (AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
- Hi.
- Ooh! Hey. Look.
The retractable knife
didn't retract.
Why didn't Phillip tell me that story?
He talked for four hours.
I asked him about that very performance.
Why would he leave that part out?
Who is that guy?
Um, oh, that's, uh, Gino Gozzi.
He was interviewed
in 1978, ten years later.
He died in 2007.
- Was he a hunchback?
- Huh? Oh, no.
That's him as Rigoletto.
Ooh, that's another opera
about this court jester
who Hey.
Oh, my gosh. Kaya, what's wrong?
- What happened?
- (KNOCKING)
- Lab results.
- (SIGHS) I'll tell you later.
The DNA on the body does not match
the DNA on the opera glasses
you stole from Phillip Cross's apartment.
You did what?
He gave them to me as a gift. I swear.
FLEMING: And there's no match with Sean,
the "frenemy," either, so we got nothing.
We still have that strange
bruise on the body.
The hilt mark.
We should go over the autopsy again.
Actually, Officer Blanke, you will need
to step back from the case,
under the current circumstances.
- What circumstances?
- Yes, what circumstances?
It's complicated.
FLEMING: Whatever they are,
I think you're making a mistake, Captain.
This one's got the makings
of a first-rate detective.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Hey.
She's right about that hilt mark.
- Borrow it?
- Yes.
Just for a day or two.
Did Fritz put you up to this?
- Fritz?
- From the opera house archive.
I told you he's been trying to get
his grubby little hands on this stuff.
It has nothing to do with Fritz.
It's actually about
the murder investigation.
What would that have to do with me?
I know it's silly,
but there's a mark on the body
that could've come
from a retractable knife,
like this one.
(LAUGHS)
(LAUGHS)
That's absurd.
I know, it seems crazy.
And that's why I thought,
well, let's just ask him.
Let's just test the knife
to prove that the victim's DNA isn't on it.
- Oh, I see. Very clever.
- Mm-hmm.
- No.
- No? Why not?
It would put you in the clear.
I'm already in the clear.
I have no motive.
And how would it be possible for anyone
to commit murder
with a retractable knife?!
(YELPS, GASPS)
You see?
Case closed.
What does that little switch do?
I don't know how it works.
It's something I own for sentimental value.
And not something I intend to part with,
especially without a warrant,
which you won't be able to get,
considering I'm just someone
who happened to be sitting behind someone
hours before they died.
I see.
Well played, counselor.
I'm sorry to have bothered you.
I'm afraid, dear Elsbeth,
you've been listening to too much opera.
Real life is a lot less dramatic than that.
Addio.
I still think that knife
was the murder weapon.
KAYA: Why not see if Captain
Wagner can get a warrant?
Oh, it's no point.
It's shiny, which means that he probably
put it in the dishwasher.
Eddie's blood would be long gone by now.
(GROANS) If only we had found
Phillip's DNA on the body.
KAYA: Even if we had, it
still wouldn't be conclusive.
Phillip was sitting
right behind Eddie at the opera,
yelling "bravo" all over him.
- Oh, you're right.
- (DOOR OPENS)
You can look now.
Oh, Kaya.
I love it.
Are you sure you don't want to keep it?
Oh, my gosh, it looks so good on you.
Thanks, but no.
I-I love it, too, but I won't
be detective anytime soon.
College credits cost money,
and every penny counts. Oof.
Maybe I should just
leave the tags on
and wear it out just once.
- Do people do that?
- Probably.
But with my luck,
I'd just get caught. (SCOFFS)
Once you wear something,
you're on it forever.
(GASPS)
Maybe not forever,
but long enough.
Elsbeth, I want to play you
some Elisabeth Schwarzkopf,
a great diva with regrettable Nazi ties.
Oh, no, thank you.
Not today.
I came to return these.
You got all the DNA you needed?
I knew what you were doing.
And I knew it was a waste of time.
I sat behind Eddie Reese at the opera,
so my DNA would prove nothing.
Funny, that's exactly what
Officer Blanke said you'd say.
Oh, you remember Kaya?
And this is Detective Fleming.
Oh, and you know Fritz, the
archivist from the opera house.
Oh, hello, Phillip.
You have added some things.
Hello, Fritz.
What's going on? What is all this?
It turns out
DNA did solve the case, Phillip.
But it wasn't yours.
I don't understand.
Well, I had a hunch,
and I had to follow it.
I could tell from your face
in Eddie Reese's selfies
how much you hated him,
and I don't really blame you.
I mean, he was a nightmare to sit behind.
And you were the person
who invented a fake wife
just so no one would sit next to you.
But that phone call during Tosca,
oh, it must have sent you over the edge.
Especially when Eddie answered the call
and had a whole conversation.
We figure that's when you
heard where he was going.
ELSBETH: You were so
upset, you came straight home.
And that's when you saw the knife
and you thought, "That's what he deserves."
You went back out,
you stopped at your favorite bar
for a quick drink
and a receipt for an alibi
before sneaking out the back
like Joan Sutherland.
Oh, my gosh.
I've been listening to her.
She was so amazing.
Ms. Tascioni, don't lose the thread.
Then you went to wait
for Eddie outside the club,
followed him home,
slipped in the door behind him,
and then you stabbed him
like Tosca stabbing Baron Scarpia!
The knife retracted the first
time, leaving the hilt mark,
but you flipped the switch fast enough
to stab Eddie for real, over and over.
(CHUCKLES)
This is all very entertaining,
but I haven't heard a thing about DNA.
There was mysterious DNA found on the body,
but it wasn't yours and it wasn't Sean's.
So, whose was it?
It was Gino Gozzi's.
Gino Gozzi?
The baritone?
His blood was on the knife,
from that night in Philadelphia in 1968.
But you can't prove that.
Gino Gozzi has been dead for years.
You don't have a DNA sample.
I said I had a hunch, but really Fritz did.
Dr. Yablonsky mentioned that he saw.
Gino Gozzi singing Rigoletto in New York.
And wouldn't you know
This is the hump that
Gino Gozzi wore in 1972.
Never been washed,
and that man sweat like a pig.
The DNA matches.
And the only way Gino Gozzi's blood
could have gotten
on Eddie Reese's dead body
was from the prop knife from Tosca,
which was in your possession.
That is a strange memento to give a child.
You washed Eddie's blood off
the knife after you killed him,
but it was too late.
You had already transferred Gino Gozzi's.
(SIGHS)
Well
I'm impressed.
FLEMING: Me, too.
It wasn't about sex or money.
Take him.
Well, at least there
won't be any cell phones.
Silver lining.
PHILLIP: I have to know,
were you really crying,
or were you just pretending for my benefit?
Oh, no.
No, it's a beautiful art form.
There's really nothing like it.
You know, I still have nights
left on my subscription.
Would you like to take my seats?
Oh, no, thank you. (CHUCKLES)
As much as I enjoyed it, um,
once or twice a year is enough.
Besides, I have to walk my dog.
(SIGHS) Ah, well.
La com media è finita.
Oh. The last line from Pagliacci.
"The comedy is over."
Brava, carissima.
Hands off, Fritz.
You vulture.
ELSBETH: So, how many classes do you take?
Two, but there are like
a million to choose from.
I could just take a gut like astronomy,
but I figure if I have to do this,
I should probably learn something
that I could use on the job,
like psychology.
- Oh, that's smart.
- Mm-hmm.
Although, I have always wanted
to read more English literature.
Mmm.
Or (SIGHS)
Oh, God, how am I going to figure this out?
And how am I going to pay for my mortgage
and classes at the same time?
You will. In fact
and I don't think this breaks any rules
I, um
brought you a little
something to get you started.
- Is this a back-to-school tote bag?
- Yes.
Look, there's, um, pens, ooh, a calculator,
lots of different colored
flash cards and sticky notes.
You know how I love flash cards
and sticky notes.
This
Thank you, Elsbeth.
You'll get through this.
Mm.
I know it feels like
that this is some dumb mistake
that wasn't even your fault
and it's come back to bite you,
but don't worry.
You'll figure it out
and make a fresh start.
(CONTENTED SIGH)
Okay.
(LAUGHS)
Okay. Let's pick out some classes.
Okay.
(LAUGHTER)
(BIRDS SINGING)
(TIRES SCREECH)
CARTER SCHMIDT: Get in, Ms. Tascioni.