The premiere of Elsbeth Season 2 kicks off with a wealthy widower immersing himself in the elegance of an opera. However, his serene evening is abruptly disrupted by the arrival of a youthful broker, whose demeanor betrays a stark lack of appreciation for the finer arts and cultural nuances, let alone the solemn etiquette of the opera house. The widower soon recognizes the broker as the grandson of an elderly lady who once occupied the seat directly in front of him.
As the night unfolds, the widower's patience wears thin, increasingly annoyed by the broker's gross behavior. The final straw comes when the young man audaciously answers a phone call amid the captivating performance, prompting the opera enthusiast to snap. He storms out of the theater , returns home, armed with a knife, and murders the broker in his apartment, forever ridding himself of the obnoxious disturbance. In a fit of rage, he smashes the broker's infuriating cell phone into smithereens.
Elsbeth and Officer Blanke arrive at the crime scene soon after, the detective initially suspecting a robbery due to the victim's missing wallet. However, Elsbeth and Blanke find the multiple stab wounds and the shattered cell phone highly suspicious. Meanwhile, a shake-up in personnel occurs at the precinct with the arrival of a new lieutenant, replacing Lieutenant Noonan. The team interviews the women who attended the opera with the victim, all of whom attest to his unbearable antics.
Later, the police discover the victim's wallet in a public locale, stripped of its cash. The detective theorizes that money – or possibly a spurned lover – could be the motive. While Officer Blanke and Detective Smullen investigate the wallet's discovery site, Elsbeth delves into the broker's phone. In several photographs, she notices the elderly man looking particularly distressed, lurking in the background behind the broker.
This clue leads Elsbeth and Blanke back to the opera that night, where Elsbeth reunites with Dr. Yablonsky from Episode 6 of Season 1. Through their investigation, they uncover that the widower is Phillip Cross, a former attorney who was fired for his overly contentious nature.
Meanwhile, Blanke discovers that the broker had indulged in a thirty-minute phone conversation amidst the opera's mesmerizing melodies, which Elsbeth concedes could have potentially "irked the patrons nearby," albeit both acknowledging it as an insufficient impetus for murder. Following the opera's conclusion, Elsbeth persuades Phillip to unveil his extensive opera collection to her. Meanwhile, the police scrutinize the details of the victim's second phone call, yet their efforts yield no tangible leads.
Later, when Elsbeth steps into Phillip's abode, she is immediately captivated by his treasure trove of opera memorabilia, particularly the knife that held sentimental value from his inaugural performance of Tosca in 1969. After four uninterrupted hours of delving into the depths of opera discussions, Elsbeth's curiosity leads her to inquire about Phillip's wife, only to be astonished by the revelation that she is a figment of imagination. Phillip had initially reserved two seats upon subscribing to the opera, but when his circle of friends and family expressed disinterest, he chose to embrace the experience solo. Pleased with her company and intellect, Phillip generously gifts her a pair of opera glasses from his esteemed collection, further cementing their burgeoning bond.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Connor, a stickler for rules and regulations, uncovered a discrepancy in Blanke's credits upon her enrollment at the academy. Captain Wallace suggested that Blanke address the matter promptly, with Connor adding a grim note: her promotion to detective was indefinitely postponed.
As Elsbeth tuned into an interview featuring actors from the 1969 opera, she was startled to learn that the retractable knife used in the performance had malfunctioned—failing to retract as intended. The revelation that Phillip had omitted this crucial detail from his narrative struck her as deeply suspicious. However, for Phillip’s fortune, the DNA on the opera glasses did not tally with the victim's profile.
Despite his refusal, Elsbeth persisted in her attempt to persuade Phillip to surrender the knife for further examination. He demonstrated its functionality by retracting the blade, but Elsbeth's mind raced as she pondered over the DNA results and the distinctive hilt mark left on the victim's body. It was then that inspiration dawned upon her.
Accompanied by an archivist fascinated by Phillip's collection, Elsbeth and Blanke made their way to Phillip's residence. The revelation was stark: Phillip had dispatched the broker after dining at a restaurant to forge an alibi. Though the knife was indeed retractable, it left an incriminating hilt mark during the initial thrust. In a desperate bid to ensure a fatal outcome, Phillip repeatedly pressed the retraction button as he stabbed the broker.
The DNA found on the glasses traced back to an actor who had been accidentally stabbed during the 1969 performance. The archivist provided a crucial DNA sample from the actor's unwashed costume, shedding light on this overlooked connection.
Returning home, Elsbeth offered solace to Blanke and assisted her in selecting courses to fulfill her college credits. Later, as she walked her dog, a sleek black car glided up beside her. A man inside issued a cryptic command: "Get in."
