‘Elsbeth’ Season 2 Episode 9 Recap: The Hideaway From Hell

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 9.

Welcome back, Elsbeth fans! It’s only been a few weeks, but it really does feel like forever since we got to spend time with our favorite attorney and her pals at the NYPD. When we last left off, Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) was about to unknowingly face a huge personal and professional hurdle when the details of her involvement with the messy Van Ness divorce case are leaked to the press, which her friend Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) learns about on the news, while Elsbeth shares her plans to go after Judge Milton Crawford (Michael Emerson) with Chief Wagner (Wendell Pierce). It’s a new year, but it’s the same old hijinks on Elsbeth, so let’s dive in!

Elsbeth Investigates a Death at a Wellness Center in Season 2 Episode 9

Apparently, it’s “new year, new me” everywhere, as Episode 9, “Unalive and Well,” kicks off at a holistic wellness center, where the founder, Tom (Eric McCormack), guides a group through a detox program designed to shed the toxicity of their lives outside. While this form of wellness center, to me, doesn’t feel like it has much application outside the wellness center itself, when things like “reality” are happening, some members of the group appear to derive some benefit from it, releasing their frustrations through tears, while others are a bit more cynical. I would be too if this supposed wellness coach is encouraging people to give up their therapists in the name of such things being “superficial.” Billy (Michael Hsu Rosen), the cynic in the group, declines to participate in the exercise, and as Tom’s assistant Starlight (Cailen Fu) later reports, also keeps junk food in his car, therefore not participating in the center’s processed food cleanse either.

Tom agrees to talk to him, and approaches him the next day with a juice designed to cleanse the junk food from his system, an offer Billy turns down after telling Tom the program leaves him hungry — and no, Tom, at no point does hunger ever “transform into joy,” it’s called “hangry” for a reason — and that he doesn’t actually care about any of it. When pressed, Billy adds that he cares about getting what he rightfully deserves, and that he has a darkness inside him that the program isn’t treating by conventional means, saying he needs something stronger, and wants to “see Midori.” Tom picks up what he’s putting down and that evening administers kambo, a waxy secretion from an Amazonian tree frog, via burns he makes on Billy’s arm. The kambo takes effect quickly, making Billy vomit and then pass out. When he comes to, Tom tells him that he’s proud of him, but Billy corrects his use of his name, saying it’s not actually Billy, but rather Cole Campbell, a revelation that shocks Tom. Cole, it turns out, is the younger brother of June Campbell, a woman who died 15 years previously, and for whose death Cole holds Tom solely responsible.

Cole is a touch too excited at finally being able to pin his sister’s death on Tom. Why else would he reveal his intentions of presenting proof to the authorities instead of just quietly leaving and doing so, therefore not tipping Tom off? I guess we can chalk some of that up to the drugs still in his system. As he leaves the center, Cole tells Tom that his face is swollen from the kambo, but assures him it’ll pass in a few days. He hands Cole the car keys, and as Cole drives off, he spitefully shoves powdered donuts into his mouth, but Tom is too busy watching him go with an evil little smirk to be much bothered by that display. Sure enough, Cole never makes it home, as he pulls off the freeway, and loses control of his car, crashing into some barrels under a bridge as it becomes clear he has passed out.

At the precinct, everyone is reading the same newspaper, which features a write-up of the Van Ness case and the lawyers involved in his previous divorce, which also features an image of Elsbeth front and center. She arrives at work to strange, unsettling looks from everyone on the floor, and the moment she enters her office, Blanke follows right behind her, a copy of the paper in hand. Blanke initially gives Elsbeth the benefit of the doubt, wondering how it is that the papers got Elsbeth’s name mixed up in the scandal. Elsbeth begrudgingly tells her that it wasn’t a mixup and that she was one of the lawyers on the case. Given that the papers are also reporting that Van Ness’s lawyers suppressed his ex-wife’s claims of domestic abuse, Blanke is more than a little horrified to hear Elsbeth played a part in that, a horror that deepens when Elsbeh tells her that she was brought on at the firm specifically for this case. Things end on a tense note when Elsbeth refuses to elaborate, citing attorney-client privilege, despite how hard a time Blanke is having with the news — though in fairness, she’s also visibly upset — when the pair of them are joined by Wagner, who also has a newspaper in hand. I do find it charming that everyone is reading the story on a physical newspaper rather than on their phones, but I suppose it’s less dramatic, and far more costly, to fling a cellphone onto a table to prove a point.

Elsbeth’s Past Returns to Haunt Her in Season 2 Episode 9

Wagner asks if Elsbeth has any idea why the Chicago judge would unseal the records, and Elsbeth suggests it might have something to do with her troubles with a certain judge here in New York, and he asks her to keep him posted on all that. With that resolved, at least for now, Wagner then tells Elsbeth about her new case: the death of Cole Campbell. While someone losing control of their car and crashing just off the freeway isn’t noteworthy in and of itself, Wagner says the case is of interest given that Cole had been staying at a wellness center frequented by the rich and famous. The case apparently has so much traction that the international press is even citing Meghan Markle as a person of interest in the case. I normally wouldn’t flag a throwaway joke like this, but I cannot let a Suits Easter egg — Pierce and Markle played father and daughter on the hit legal drama — just pass me by without remarking on it.

Turns out the Meghan Markle thing was probably a joke on Wagner’s part, but what really catches his attention is the fact that Elsbeth and Blanke have nothing to say in response. Picking up on the weird energy between them, he orders Blanke to accompany Elsbeth on her investigation, telling them to meet Detective Smullen (Danny Mastrogiorgio) on the scene. Once they arrive, the pair of them note how swollen Cole’s face is, and Smullen tells them the M.E. thinks it’s likely due to an allergic reaction, though to what, he can’t say. They turn their investigation to his car next, and Elsbeth takes in the sheer amount of junk food in the front seat, wondering if something he ate caused a reaction. She also notes that the juice pouch he kept with his snacks spilled all over the seat despite the straw still being attached and the straw hole being intact. Finally, she finds Cole’s EpiPen, confirming that he was very allergic to something, and wonders why he wouldn’t administer it if he realized he was having a reaction. Adding further confusion is Blanke’s discovery that Cole wasn’t driving to a hospital, but rather to a diagnostic center, according to his GPS. With all this still a little muddled, Elsbeth decides to retrace his steps, and asks Blanke where exactly he was coming from.

Blanke tells her the facility is called Heiwa Zen Center, which translates to “Peaceful Peace.” While Elsbeth thinks that sounds lovely, and, well, very peaceful, the center is anything but as the group there is currently engaged in some sort of scream therapy that involves them lying on the floor and screaming at the top of their lungs to release… something or other. I can’t believe these people are paying thousands to do what so many of us do for free, at home, but I guess I’m just not rich enough to understand. One of the group members, Cheryl (Marcia DeBonis), pauses in the middle of her screaming to ask where Billy is, apparently having realized he’s not with them. Tom tells her that Billy is on a “different journey” and encourages them all to send him positive energy instead.

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What Does ‘Elsbeth’s New Enemy Mean for the Show?

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Elsbeth, Blanke and Smullen arrive at the facility and wait in the reception building, where they’re greeted by Starlight. Though she doesn’t recognize the name Cole Campbell, she does recognize the picture they show her, and says that she knew him as Billy, and that he and Cheryl were working together, as everyone at the center works in pairs. They’re joined by Tom, who cites some sort of hippy reason for the practice, and then asks if they’re there about Cole Campbell. He gets ahead of what they may or may not know already by suggesting that Cole had been troubled ever since his sister June died at the facility. Tom says June died of a gallstone infection, unrelated to the program, and that Cole was hoping to feel closer to her by doing the program, but ultimately decided to leave the night before. Tom has Starlight gather the other participants to notify them, and says he also needs to call Cole’s parents, and effectively kicks Elsbeth, Blanke and Smullen out, reminding them they’d now need a warrant or another reason to stay if they want to linger.

Back outside, Elsbeth points out that it’s weird Tom would know Cole by his real name, since he checked in under the name “Billy,” and wonders why Cole felt the need to disguise his identity at all. Blanke adds to that, saying it’s suspicious that Tom would offer up all the information about June without being asked, as if he knew the police would eventually ask him about her. With the late June Campbell now a point of interest in the case, Smullen says he’ll look into her partner from the facility to see what he can find, and at Blanke’s request, agrees to let her shadow him, flattered that Wagner would recommend him so highly. With so many loose ends at the center still, and needing a break from reality, Elsbeth says she’ll check in as a participant to learn more about Cole’s partner and the program as a whole, using the lone landline to stay in touch as cell phones are banned.

The Victim Was Investigating a Case of His Own in ‘Elsbeth’ Season 2 Episode 9

Elsbeth joins the group for her first activity, a guided meditation practice, where she meets Cheryl, Billy’s former partner, who will now act as her partner. After the practice, the two formally get the chance to meet and bond outside, with Cheryl praising the program for helping her detox after her second divorce. She also tells Elsbeth that Tom’s practice is all about natural remedies and holistic nutrition, but Elsbeth suggests that it can’t all be natural, since a lot of the participants have the kind of stiff, puffy faces associated with Botox. Cheryl is offended at the implication that she’d ever use Botox, but otherwise doesn’t offer an alternative explanation, and instead leads Elsbeth through the rest of their practices, including more meditation, and a course on seed cycling. Afterward, the two head outside, and Cheryl finally uses the opportunity to talk a bit about Billy, if only to tell Elsbeth she’s more fun than he ever was. She explains that while Billy was here, he wouldn’t participate in any of the practices, and used to just stare at Tom very intensely, and they wonder why he’d bother paying all that money if he had no intention of participating.

Their conversation is cut short when Tom and the other participants gather for another activity, this one involving passing a coconut around, and telling a truth that you’ve discovered when you hold it. Tom hands it to Elsbeth first, and she uses the opportunity to ask why Tom would call Cole “Billy” when he knew his real identity. Tom is clearly thrown by the question, but makes the excuse of respecting Cole’s journey, and moves along with the exercise. Later that evening, Elsbeth finds Cheryl outside for a chat. Cheryl earnestly starts having the kind of conversations partners in the program are meant to have, noting their partner’s energies and such, but Elsbeth confesses that she’s really only there to investigate Cole’s death.

While Cheryl is initially embarrassed, Elsbeth assures her that she isn’t there to judge anyone for finding meaning in the program, and confesses she’s actually enjoying it somewhat herself, given her issues back in the city with the press. Without naming names or going into too much detail, she tells Cheryl that she previously made a lot of money helping “bad people” but didn’t realize until recently the extent of the harm she had perpetuated, as those people weren’t honest with her about the nature of the work she was being asked to do, and now she doesn’t know how to tell her friends she needs help. Cheryl, who really is a sweetheart, says that anyone who loves her will want to help her, and in the meantime, if she wants to shed those worries, she should ask Tom to “see Midori.” And sure enough, Cheryl is sporting burn scars very similar to the ones Cole had. Elsbeth finds Tom outside and makes the request, but he declines, initially feigning ignorance, but makes it clear he just won’t do it for her.

Tom Is Guilty of More Than One Murder in ‘Elsbeth’ Season 2 Episode 9

Back in the city, Smullen and Blanke have tracked down Tonya (Megan Robinson), June’s former partner at the center, who explains more about kambo to them. She says that when she and June checked in to the center 15 years ago, they were both 22 and Tom was nearly 40, which is why they felt so confident listening to him and trusting him, even when June started to feel sick. The cause of her illness was an infected gallstone, at least that much is true, but Tonya explains that when June took a turn for the worse, and they went to Tom about it, he administered kambo rather than take her to a hospital, and this ultimately killed her. While he reached a settlement with her parents, Cole, who was much younger, was left to fend for himself while his parents dealt with their grief, likely driving his need for revenge now. Blanke and Smullen call Elsbeth to catch her up on their findings, adding that Cole made two calls on the drive back from the center: one to the diagnostic lab he was driving to, and one to his lawyer saying he had “everything he needed.”

Following that lead, Elsbeth tracks Tom down again, this time in the sauna, and tries to start an innocuous conversation, but he prompts her to get to the point of why she really came to find him. She launches into it right away, saying she knows that he settled with June’s parents after her death, and he says they’re both very dear to him, hence why he wanted to call them with the news of Cole’s death. He makes an offhand comment about the “junk” likely in his system, and Elsbeth asks if he means kambo, which is what they found in June’s system after she died, and which would also explain his puffy face. Tom tells her that it was Cole who brought the kambo to the facility, asking Tom to perform a kambo ceremony for him, but he says he refused as he banned the substance completely after June’s death to make things easier on the family. Though he might be full of shit most of the time, Tom proves that he’s actually quite perceptive with emotions, and leaves Elsbeth with the notion that, whatever is weighing her down, she must first forgive herself, before she can receive that forgiveness from others, a sentiment that leaves her reeling, but hopefully on her way to actually healing.

Smullen and Blanke get back in touch, saying they found the terms of the settlement with the Campbell family, which lists the amount of money he paid them, and adds that he’d have to pay them an additional $2 million if he ever administered kambo again. This, they figure, is why Cole was so keen to get to the diagnostic lab to have bloodwork done, to prove Tom was still using the substance. Elsbeth asks if this is what ultimately killed him, but they tell her Cole actually died of anaphylactic shock, and had a lethal allergy to sesame seed oil. Elsbeth heads to the center’s kitchen to see if she can find any sesame oil, and while she finds plenty of varieties there, that’s not one of them. She’s distracted from her task, however, when she sees Starlight shuffling by quickly with something clutched in her arms and decides to follow her.

Blanke and Smullen go to catch Wagner up on their findings and find him in a meeting with Lt. Connor (Daniel K. Isaac), who is much calmer and more friendly now that he’s not actively trying to kick Elsbeth out and punish Wagner for bringing her in in the first place. After Connor calls the center out for their culturally appropriative practices, including — according to the ex-partner who broke his heart — incorrect use of kanji on their website, Blanke tells them that local hospital records show more than a dozen medical emergencies occurred at the center under Tom’s care in the last two years alone. The only reason they hadn’t heard about it until now is because, after June’s death, Tom partnered with a private ambulance company owned by the local sheriff, thus paying him off to stay quiet about the incidents. Smullen adds that the Heiwa waivers were also changed after June’s death to prevent anyone from suing him for a practice gone wrong. It’s looking increasingly likely, therefore, that he’s behind Cole’s allergic reaction. Wagner wonders if Elsbeth has a lead, and Connor is horrified to hear that despite them all being pretty sure Tom is a murderer, Elsbeth is still staying at the facility. They try calling the center’s landline but are told Elsbeth is unavailable, due to being in the “radical unplugging” phase of her treatment, and therefore not being allowed outside contact. With everyone officially worried about Elsbeth, Wagner dispatches Smullen and Blanke to go bring her back.

Meanwhile, at the center, Elsbeth is still pursuing Starlight, and follows her straight to a small password-locked greenhouse. She waits for Starlight to finish up and leave, then lets herself in, guessing that “midori” is the password to get it. It is not, however, the password to get out, and Elsbeth desperately needs to get out with the temperature inside sitting at upwards of 100 degrees. As the interior keypad is a number combination and not a password, Elsbeth can’t figure out how to get the door unlocked and passes out, but not before seeing that Midori is also the name of the Amazonian tree frog that lives in the greenhouse. Fortunately, Starlight finds her in there and helps her up, saying they should set her up with a mustard seed bath, and also go to Tom to get her a vitamin B shot — as he’s the only one who has access to the needles — to help her get rehydrated. Whatever Starlight said, it triggers a realization for Elsbeth.

She finds Tom passing around the truth coconut, and fortunately, by this point, is joined by Blanke and Smullen. She uses the game as an opportunity to properly accuse Tom, saying he wanted to silence Cole as he was threatening to expose the ongoing kambo use at the facility. She also reveals how he pulled off the murder, saying that they learned in the seed cycling class that mustard seed and sesame seed are in the same seed family, and a person with an allergy to one would be allergic to all of them. She says that since he had access to the needles, he injected all of Cole’s snacks with mustard seed oil, explaining both the anaphylaxis and why the juice pouch was empty with seemingly no hole made. The remaining snacks contain traces of mustard seed, and they find the needle used, which is all they need to arrest Tom. Starlight refuses to call Tom’s lawyer, instead assuming control of the group and leading everyone into a new meditation to heal from this.

The Team Bands Together to Take Down Crawford in ‘Elsbeth’ Season 2 Episode 9

Speaking of healing, Elsbeth and Blanke take the opportunity to try and heal their friendship too. Unsure where to start, Elsbeth tells Blanke she needs her help, and Blanke agrees, on the condition that Elsbeth tell her everything about the case in Chicago. Meanwhile, in the city, Wagner finds Captain Kearnshaw (Jen Colella), the captain of the precinct who oversaw the case Elsbeth sat on the jury for. She still thinks Delia (Meredith Holzman) is guilty, and can’t believe she was acquitted, but Wagner asks her to consider why a Red Sox fan would own a baseball bat from a New York City team. Kearnshaw, a baseball fan, agrees that a Red Sox fan wouldn’t own a New York bat, and wonders why she hadn’t heard this detail, and Wagner reveals that Crawford omitted that particular detail. He suggests that she reopen the case, if only to not leave it unsolved, and all I can say is I hope Crawford doesn’t go after her next.

The first nine episodes of Elsbeth Season 2 are out now. New episodes premiere on CBS on Thursdays, and stream next day on Paramount+.

Review

Elsbeth

Elsbeth’s Season 2 Episode 9 hits the ground running by tying together the Judge Crawford problem and the Van Ness case.

Release Date

February 29, 2024

Network

CBS

Directors

Robert King, Ron Underwood

Writers

Michelle King, Robert King

Pros & Cons

• The episode cleverly works the season-long arc in with the mystery of the week, heightening the stakes.
• The Van Ness case and Judge Crawford continue to be formidable hurdles for Elsbeth to overcome.