Warning: Minor SPOILERS for Elsbeth season 2, episode 17, “Four Body Problem.”
Season 2 villain Judge Crawford is set to potentially end his story in Elsbeth, but it needs to pay off a long-running tease in the process. While there are some fans still waiting to see which The Good Wife and The Good Fight characters could appear in Elsbeth’s future, many of the biggest draws this season have been characters entirely created as new additions to Elsbeth’s season 2 cast. Michael Emerson’s Judge Milton Crawford has been one of the most compelling, presenting a far greater and significantly more corrupt threat than the first season’s Lieutenant Noonan.
With the season drawing to a close, there’s no telling what might await Tascioni and her NYPD colleagues in Elsbeth season 3. However, it currently looks unlikely that Judge Crawford will return in a major capacity following the current season. That puts greater pressure on the series to give his character a proper sendoff. And, while Elsbeth will be taking a slight break to make room for Matlock’s two-hour season finale, it won’t be long before Crawford makes his final return.
Tascioni Is Set To Encounter Judge Crawford Again In Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 18
It’s Unclear Just How His Elsbeth Season 2 Story Will End
When Elsbeth returns from its short hiatus on April 24, 2025, TVInsider notes that it will be Michael Emerson’s last appearance as the villainous Judge Crawford, at least for the current season. The Good Wife spinoff will revisit the Mertons case, which Crawford had previously tried to close in order to cover up his own involvement. Kershaw agreed to reopen the case at Wagner’s request, but it seems like she’s now become hip to the fact that doing so is paving the way to accuse a sitting judge of murder.
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There will be a ticking clock on the case this time around. Elsbeth season 2, episode 18 will take place right as Crawford is set to take a position as a federal judge. Since the episode will also follow up an earlier season 2 hook that Elsbeth’s son Teddy might pursue his own legal career, Tascioni’s fight against corruption will serve to set a positive example for Teddy rather than merely scratching her usual itch to learn the truth. But for the series to pay off Crawford’s storyline properly, the investigation needs to be more dangerous than ever.
Elsbeth Season 2 Should Pay Off Its Judge Crawford Villain Threat
His Menace Has Been Described More Often Than Shown
Not all of Elsbeth’s season 2 storylines have fully paid off the setups they appeared to have established. For instance, while Elsbeth’s season 2 romance subplot has certainly been referenced here and there, her Scottish beau ultimately has yet to make another appearance. In Crawford’s case, the series has yet to pay off other characters’ repeated warnings that the judge is dangerous. He’s used his connections to stand in Elsbeth’s way a few times, but we currently only know of one actual murder to his name.
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For Crawford to really pose a threat as the villain he’s made out to be, Elsbeth needs to stop describing him as a danger and do more to actually show it. Kershaw just told Wagner in season 2, episode 17 that investigating Kershaw would be dangerous. Only two episodes prior, Tracey Ullman’s psychic character Marilyn had a vision of Elsbeth surrounded by blood and a black-robed figure, suggesting that Crawford could become a truly lethal threat in Tascioni’s near future. Because Marilyn’s implied to be a real psychic, it would be disappointing for the show not to follow that up.
How Elsbeth Season 2 Can Make Judge Crawford A Worthy Villain
Some Of The Show’s Newer Characters Could Make Him More Terrifying
Thanks to Elsbeth’s colorful fashion sense, it can be easy to get lost in the lighthearted nature of the show while forgetting the darker ramifications of its premise. But some of that levity needs to take a backseat in season 2, episode 18. Although Tascioni was almost poisoned earlier in the season, Judge Crawford should come closer to killing Elsbeth than any previous suspect in order to truly establish him as a sincerely terrifying villain. At the same time, Marilyn’s premonition could still pay off if Crawford were to threaten someone like Kaya or Wagner instead.
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At the same time, Crawford could present himself as a legitimate threat by actually ending the life of someone close to Elsbeth rather than merely giving them a brush with death. Newer characters such as Jenn Colella’s Captain Kershaw, Braeden De La Garza’s Detective Rivers, Ethan Slater’s Officer Chandler, and Daniel Isaac’s Lieutenant Connor are all newer characters whose death on Elsbeth would feel significant without completely destroying the series’ status quo. If the show takes this route, Crawford’s impact as the series’ latest villain is sure to be felt throughout the remaining few episodes of the season.
Source: TVInsider
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