Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Elsbeth

 Elsbeth
type
TVTItem
 Elsbeth
label
Elsbeth
 Elsbeth
page
Elsbeth
 Elsbeth
comment
Elsbeth is a CBS Mystery of the Week series starring Carrie Preston reprising her role as Elsbeth Tascioni from The Good Wife and The Good Fight.Tired of defending criminals, the eccentric attorney decides to leave Chicago and move to New York as an outside observer of the NYPD and its operations as part of a consent decree. The NYPD hopes to be able to distract her and wait her out, but it's not long before Elsbeth barges into murder investigations where her unique mind lets her spot crimes other miss.The series premiered on CBS on February 29th, 2024. On April 18th, it was renewed for a second season.Now has a recap page under construction. Episode-specific tropes should go to each episode's page.
 Elsbeth
fetched
2024-05-06T02:17:17Z
 Elsbeth
parsed
2024-05-06T02:17:17Z
 Elsbeth
processingComment
Dropped link to TheGoodWife: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Elsbeth
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Elsbeth / int_14180452
type
Instantly Proven Wrong
 Elsbeth / int_14180452
comment
Instantly Proven Wrong: A Running Gag is Wagner boldly announcing the death was an accident and/or a suspect is guilty, only for someone to walk in with evidence to the contrary.
 Elsbeth / int_14180452
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_14180452
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_14180452
 Elsbeth / int_14c791fb
type
Conflicting Loyalty
 Elsbeth / int_14c791fb
comment
Conflicting Loyalty: Kaya is caught in the middle when she finds out Elsbeth is investigating Wagner for potential corruption. Kaya has worked for Wagner for years, respects him greatly, and swears she's never seen him behave in anything except an honorable manner, but she also trusts Elsbeth and knows Elsbeth wouldn't be poking into this for no reason. To make it more complicated, Wagner is aware Elsbeth is looking into him and has asked Kaya to keep tabs on her for him, while Elsbeth admits she isn't sure Wagner is guilty or not.
 Elsbeth / int_14c791fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_14c791fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_14c791fb
 Elsbeth / int_177a6464
type
Genre Shift
 Elsbeth / int_177a6464
comment
Genre Shift: The Good Wife and The Good Fight were legal soap operas whereas Elsbeth is a lighthearted murder mystery series.
 Elsbeth / int_177a6464
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_177a6464
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_177a6464
 Elsbeth / int_1b4ea159
type
The Alibi
 Elsbeth / int_1b4ea159
comment
The Alibi: Each killer tries to use this, most going to extremes to make it work only for Elsbeth to see it through because no regular person is so easily able to provide an alibi. In "Reality Shock," when Skip offers to show on his phone the time of a call and his description almost word for word what the woman he was with at the time said, he might as well just hang a sign to Elsbeth he's guilty.
 Elsbeth / int_1b4ea159
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_1b4ea159
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_1b4ea159
 Elsbeth / int_20a14df0
type
Wrong Genre Savvy
 Elsbeth / int_20a14df0
comment
Wrong Genre Savvy: The rotating pack of detectives on each murder case all think they're in a straight-up CBS-style procedural and cases are nice and obvious. They don't grasp they're the supporting players in a comedic murder mystery where the eccentric lawyer is the real crime-solver.
 Elsbeth / int_20a14df0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_20a14df0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_20a14df0
 Elsbeth / int_2a090d00
type
Lampshade Hanging
 Elsbeth / int_2a090d00
comment
Lampshade Hanging: When talking to Margo Clarke about office romances between lawyers, Elsbeth mentions that they always seem to result in sex on top of office desks — which is a staple feature of legal soaps going back decades.
 Elsbeth / int_2a090d00
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_2a090d00
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_2a090d00
 Elsbeth / int_4604fd4d
type
Worthy Opponent
 Elsbeth / int_4604fd4d
comment
Worthy Opponent: The show's killers-of-the-week invariably come to regard Elsbeth as a canny adversary and tip their hats to her (some begrudgingly) when she proves their guilt.
 Elsbeth / int_4604fd4d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_4604fd4d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_4604fd4d
 Elsbeth / int_4733b5a5
type
Saying Too Much
 Elsbeth / int_4733b5a5
comment
Saying Too Much: As Elsbeth puts it, "I can always tell how guilty a client was by how much they talked." So when the killer speaks more than they should, from an alibi to details of a crime they shouldn't know about, Elsbeth is onto them.
 Elsbeth / int_4733b5a5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_4733b5a5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_4733b5a5
 Elsbeth / int_5aa8d3d8
type
Friendly Enemy
 Elsbeth / int_5aa8d3d8
comment
Friendly Enemy: Elsbeth doesn't have any personal grudge against the killers she goes up against, and is so cheerful and nice that some become genuinely fond of her and get taken away in cuffs with smiles on their faces.
 Elsbeth / int_5aa8d3d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_5aa8d3d8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_5aa8d3d8
 Elsbeth / int_60194b82
type
Spanner in the Works
 Elsbeth / int_60194b82
comment
Spanner in the Works: As noted, Elsbeth herself is this as each killer could have outwitted the cops but not Elsbeth. In "An Ear For an Ear," Vanessa's otherwise brilliant alibi of being at an art museum is marred when a climate protestor tosses paint over the area, splattering people. Vanessa went ahead to fake the splatter on her own shoes, but Elsbeth is able to see that A) It's not the right coat of paint and B) the splatter pattern just doesn't make sense, which means Vanessa wasn't really at the museum.
 Elsbeth / int_60194b82
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_60194b82
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_60194b82
 Elsbeth / int_61b8f9e2
type
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
 Elsbeth / int_61b8f9e2
comment
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Elsbeth in spades. She's awkwardly friendly and comes across as being almost childishly naïve, but she has a keen eye for detail and dogged determination that makes her a formidable investigator.
 Elsbeth / int_61b8f9e2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_61b8f9e2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_61b8f9e2
 Elsbeth / int_6b2b3b59
type
The Reveal
 Elsbeth / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: The final scene of the first episode reveals Elsbeth's real reason for being in New York is to investigate Captain Wagner for suspected corruption.
 Elsbeth / int_6b2b3b59
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_6b2b3b59
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_6b2b3b59
 Elsbeth / int_6c75e0e4
type
Beware the Silly Ones
 Elsbeth / int_6c75e0e4
comment
Beware the Silly Ones: Elsbeth is amazingly friendly to everyone she meets, but once she starts to suspect your crime, you might as well turn yourself in on the spot.
 Elsbeth / int_6c75e0e4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_6c75e0e4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_6c75e0e4
 Elsbeth / int_725583e8
type
Good Feels Good
 Elsbeth / int_725583e8
comment
Good Feels Good: Elsbeth says that being a consent decree attorney means her only job is to find and reveal the truth, which feels good and refreshing as being a lawyer who provided vigorous defense to clients she knew were criminals was wearing on her.
 Elsbeth / int_725583e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_725583e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_725583e8
 Elsbeth / int_737a65f4
type
The Watson
 Elsbeth / int_737a65f4
comment
The Watson: Kaya Blanke shadows Elsbeth and asks questions that help the audience better understand Elsbeth's thought processes. Blanke also provides her own insights to investigations, such as helping Elsbeth understand the character dynamics in the Lavish Ladies reality show.
 Elsbeth / int_737a65f4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_737a65f4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_737a65f4
 Elsbeth / int_78fde6df
type
Removing the Rival
 Elsbeth / int_78fde6df
comment
Removing the Rival: "An Ear For an Ear" has plastic surgeon Vanessa murdering former protege Astrid when the latter's new practice (and shots at Vanessa's age) threatened Vanessa's own practice.
 Elsbeth / int_78fde6df
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_78fde6df
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_78fde6df
 Elsbeth / int_8015df5d
type
Reverse Whodunnit
 Elsbeth / int_8015df5d
comment
Reverse Whodunnit: Each episode opens by showing who the killer is and how they perpetrated their crime. The rest of the episode features a cat-and-mouse game as Elsbeth solves the mystery while the killer tries to throw her off the trail.
 Elsbeth / int_8015df5d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_8015df5d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_8015df5d
 Elsbeth / int_90d44f44
type
Karmic Death
 Elsbeth / int_90d44f44
comment
Karmic Death: After Elsbeth successfully nails Joann and the co-op board members for causing Gloria Blecher's death, it's discovered that Gloria also poisoned a dog, got the woman her husband was gonna leave her for fired from her job and then blacklisted, and also killed said husband.
 Elsbeth / int_90d44f44
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_90d44f44
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_90d44f44
 Elsbeth / int_9dab0a6e
type
Continuity Nod
 Elsbeth / int_9dab0a6e
comment
Continuity Nod: Cary Agos from The Good Wife is mentioned as having been also considered for Elsbeth's job as the consent decree attorney. Elsbeth's housewarming party in "Something Blue" has several minor characters in attendance, including people Elsbeth met on investigations—and the rapping tour bus guide from the very first scene!
 Elsbeth / int_9dab0a6e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_9dab0a6e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_9dab0a6e
 Elsbeth / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 Elsbeth / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: Upon hearing that Elsbeth has been asking lots of questions, Captain Wagner freezes in shock because she only starts doing that if she thinks someone is worthy of suspicion.
 Elsbeth / int_ad1db87c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_ad1db87c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_ad1db87c
 Elsbeth / int_bbb3a5a0
type
Splash of Color
 Elsbeth / int_bbb3a5a0
comment
Splash of Color: Elsbeth pops in each scene as she wears bright colors while most others are dressed in darker shades and the city backdrop is very gray.
 Elsbeth / int_bbb3a5a0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_bbb3a5a0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_bbb3a5a0
 Elsbeth / int_cc7fae30
type
Outside-Context Problem
 Elsbeth / int_cc7fae30
comment
Outside-Context Problem: The killers are all thrown when Elsbeth gets on the case. They built their plans around dealing with serious police detectives who want to clear cases quickly rather than a civilian who latches onto the tiniest details and picks away at every inconsistency while cheerfully befriending them.
 Elsbeth / int_cc7fae30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_cc7fae30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_cc7fae30
 Elsbeth / int_d39d4b71
type
The Perfect Crime
 Elsbeth / int_d39d4b71
comment
The Perfect Crime: Most episodes run on the killer having carefully planned out almost every step of the murder, including an alibi for themselves and meticulous timing. And they might have gotten away with it had Elsbeth not arrived on the scene. Subverted in "Reality Shock" as Skip's murder of Wendy was a spur-of-the-moment decision when she tried blackmailing him, and his lack of planning plays a major part in Elsbeth proving his guilt.
 Elsbeth / int_d39d4b71
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Elsbeth / int_d39d4b71
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_d39d4b71
 Elsbeth / int_dc3d9a68
type
Orgy of Evidence
 Elsbeth / int_dc3d9a68
comment
Orgy of Evidence: The surest sign to Elsbeth that someone isn't the killer is how much evidence is piling up against them. After all, as a lawyer, she knows full well that evidence just doesn't fall into your lap so easily.
 Elsbeth / int_dc3d9a68
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_dc3d9a68
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_dc3d9a68
 Elsbeth / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Elsbeth / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: Elsbeth is often good picking up someone using this. For example in "Ball Girl," she points out to a detective that a suspect didn't deny giving someone drugs, she simply said "I didn't give him anything that would kill him."
 Elsbeth / int_e9e35e8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_e9e35e8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_e9e35e8f
 Elsbeth / int_ec0ce986
type
Spotting the Thread
 Elsbeth / int_ec0ce986
comment
Spotting the Thread: Thanks to her quirky mental process, Elsbeth can latch onto minor details that even experienced detectives can miss and use them to start unraveling the crime, such as realizing that a supposed suicide was staged because the victim died in the middle of self-grooming.
 Elsbeth / int_ec0ce986
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_ec0ce986
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_ec0ce986
 Elsbeth / int_f19e8a55
type
Bad "Bad Acting"
 Elsbeth / int_f19e8a55
comment
Bad "Bad Acting": Subverted in the first episode as Elsbeth says she knew from the start who the killer was by his acting. In "Reality Shock", Elsbeth is immediately able to clock that Skip Mason is guilty by his forced reaction upon hearing of Wendy Wexler's death.
 Elsbeth / int_f19e8a55
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Elsbeth / int_f19e8a55
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_f19e8a55
 Elsbeth / int_f5afa308
type
Hard-Drinking Party Girl
 Elsbeth / int_f5afa308
comment
Hard-Drinking Party Girl: The cast members of Lavish Ladies imbibe so much alcohol that some have started spiking their own drinks with pills to be able to feel a buzz.
 Elsbeth / int_f5afa308
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_f5afa308
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_f5afa308
 Elsbeth / int_f70710ae
type
Blackmail Backfire
 Elsbeth / int_f70710ae
comment
Blackmail Backfire: Played with in "Ball Girl" as the ball girl confronts Cliff on how he drugged Johann's towel and wants in on a scheme to drug other opposing players and clean up on bets. He points out she's wearing expensive shoes from a bet she made on his underdog son in the match where Johann died so she looks guiltier. Rather than be cowed, she just laughs, "Reverse card, nice," and assumes they're now a partnership over Cliff's objections.
 Elsbeth / int_f70710ae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_f70710ae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_f70710ae
 Elsbeth / int_fd497706
type
Accidental Murder
 Elsbeth / int_fd497706
comment
Accidental Murder: In "Ball Girl," Cliff just wanted to drug Johann so his son, Hunter could win a big tennis match. He never counted on the medication in Johann's system reacting poorly to the nitroglycerin on the towel to cause Johann to die on court. He's clearly shaken by it, even remarking "It was an accident" to his son while not openly confessing to it.
 Elsbeth / int_fd497706
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_fd497706
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_fd497706
 Elsbeth / int_fea27091
type
Buffy Speak
 Elsbeth / int_fea27091
comment
Buffy Speak: When first introduced, Elsbeth briefly forgets the term "consent decree" and says that she's in New York for the "thingy thing". In "Ball Girl," Cliff is baffled by the titular ball girl constantly speaking in Gen-Z text-style phrases.
 Elsbeth / int_fea27091
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_fea27091
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_fea27091
 Elsbeth / int_name
type
ItemName
 Elsbeth / int_name
comment
 Elsbeth / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Elsbeth / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Elsbeth / int_name
 Elsbeth / int_name
itemName
Elsbeth

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Bad "Bad Acting" / int_b8287d9c
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Orgy of Evidence / int_b8287d9c
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Saying Too Much / int_b8287d9c
 Elsbeth
hasFeature
Series of the 2020s / int_b8287d9c