Elsbeth (2024) s04e01 Episode Script

1
When the marriage isn't working,
what do you do?
As a couples therapist,
I've seen all kinds of responses.
Some people fight.
Everything becomes
an excuse to voice their resentment.
"You don't load the dishwasher
the right way."
"You forgot to pick up milk."
"You never listen."
"You never hear me."
Some people retreat into their own lives
until the partners wind up
like two ships in the night,
passing each other in the hall
with a wave.
"Hi, honey. Bye, honey."
[SOFT LAUGHTER]
And some people stray.
So, how do you "keep it together"?
I can help you improve your marriage,
just like I've helped so many
couples in my private practice.
Some of their stories
are featured in my book,
and a few of those happy couples
are here today.
This, this is my Graham.
We've been blissfully married
for 11 years.
Do you want to know how we do it?
WOMAN: Yes.
It starts with trust.
I put a spell on you ♪
[LAUGHS]
We have to stop.
[GASPS]
[LAUGHS]
You have to come and get me.
Chase me.
Chase me!
Human desire is a fire
that needs to be stoked.
It needs air and agitation.
Graham and I work hard
to keep our love life playful.
You know I can't stand it ♪
You're running around ♪
We're both generous with our words.
We never wonder
what the other one is feeling.
We're not afraid to get sentimental.
[WAILING]
I put a spell on you ♪
I love you, I love
You remember this?
You gave it to me
after your trip to Costa Rica.
[CHUCKLES] You told me
to never take it off.
Costa Rica?
That was, like, 20 years ago.
You still have that thing?
Of course I do, silly.
I might not see you for a bit.
And the most important thing:
we never, ever give up on one another.
[BOTH GASPING]
[PANTING]
I need to focus on work.
And I think Graham
is starting to catch on.
When are you going back to California?
Oh. I meant to tell you the good news.
I got a gig playing my own songs
at this pub in Queens,
so I think I'm gonna stick around.
Music scene's dead in L.A. anyway.
What do you mean, stick around?
You don't even have an apartment.
- You're house-sitting.
- [CHUCKLES]: Yeah.
It's a pretty sweet setup.
He's gonna let me stay through November.
No, no, no, no, no.
You need to go home, Casey.
I can't keep doing this.
I can't function with you in my city.
If you want to call it quits,
just say the word, babe.
I'm probably gonna be pretty
busy with my music, anyway.
That's it?
You're not gonna fight for me?
Hey. Easy, tiger.
[CHUCKLES]
Why would I fight for you?
You always come back.
[CHUCKLES]
You found my Hacky Sack.
Right on.
[CHUCKLES]
[PHONE CHIMES]
What is this?
You can't keep doing this to me!
Luke, wait.
Where are you going?
You think you can just send me
a text and everything's cool?
What? Huh?
Lauren's not going anywhere, bro.
Who's Lauren? What, what text?
You want to hash this out?
Let's hash this out right now.
Come on.
[SPORTS FANS CHEERING NEARBY]
[MEN GRUNTING]
[PANTING]
[CASEY GROANING]
[SIGHS] Why can't you just
leave me alone?
What? No.
[CHEERING CONTINUES OUTSIDE]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Ooh, a Hacky Sack.
Oh, is the victim a college student?
GRACE: Hardly.
He's a 48-year-old musician
named Casey Arthurs.
The address on his ID
is in Van Nuys, California.
- Yeah, what was he doing here?
- House-sitting.
The woman who lives upstairs says
he's been in town about two months.
He was watching the apartment
for the guy who lives here.
Apparently that guy
is walking the Camino?
I'm gonna need more detail.
It's a pilgrimage journey
through Europe.
Uh, some people walk
the last part on their knees.
Or I guess you'd call that crawling.
About the victim.
- Who found him?
- Uh, the neighbor lady.
She said she saw blood
on the door this morning,
so she let herself in
and she found Mr. Arthurs.
Now, CSU says he's been dead
at least 12 hours.
He has a single bullet wound
to the chest.
He also has a cut over
his left eye from a fistfight.
Oh, the killer used this.
We found it on the floor over here.
It's registered to the victim.
No sign of forced entry,
so our victim lets the guy in.
They throw some punches, and
our victim gets his gun.
But the attacker grabs it
and things go south. Huh?
Why didn't anybody
call this in last night?
Hmm?
I mean, you'd think the
neighbors would hear a fight.
Or a gunshot.
The Rangers were playing last night.
There's a sports bar downstairs.
Maybe it was noisy.
Maybe. What are you, a Blackhawks fan?
Oh, gosh, no. [CHUCKLES]
But Teddy and Roy have been
really into hockey lately.
Me, too.
Excuse me.
Huh.
For a dirty apartment,
sure is clean over here.
Sort of.
Huh.
Ooh. Looks like somebody
put this in here to chill
and then forgot about it.
Huh. Riesling.
That looks expensive.
Huh.
Nice wine, cheap beer.
Cheap gun, too.
Still works, though.
Huh. I don't see any fingerprints.
They haven't run it yet.
They're gonna test it down at the lab.
But
there are bloody fingerprints
on the doorknob, see?
From when someone closed
the door on the way out.
If the killer had blood on their hands,
then why aren't there bloody
fingerprints on the gun?
Maybe they wore gloves.
- But why take them off?
- Maybe they didn't
get blood on their hands
till after they shot him.
GRACE: Good news, Detective.
The victim's phone
has two missed calls and an angry text.
- Ah, who from?
- Some guy named Luke?
BOBBY: All right, well, let's go pay
some guy named Luke a visit, shall we?
I don't mean to rush you, Serena,
but they need to make the slides
for your closing talk.
Do you have a theme yet?
SERENA: Yes.
Eliminating temptation.
Looks like you've got
a love triangle on your hands.
What? Oh. [CHUCKLES]
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
you're probably right.
- Right about what?
- About the murder, it's a
classic love triangle.
Guy meets girl, girl is married,
guy ends up in the morgue.
Kind of makes you glad to be single.
- I'll second that.
- I wouldn't know.
I just got back on the dating apps.
Are you on them?
I don't even like to shop online.
It's pretty bleak out there.
Nevertheless, she persists.
Hey, have Teddy and Roy
set a wedding date yet?
Not yet. I wish they would.
I can't start a mood board
without a season.
How long is he gonna
keep us waiting? A man is dead.
Then what's the hurry?
This is our prime suspect Luke Prescott.
We held him overnight for questioning,
but I need your okay before
we charge him with the murder.
Someone thinks we need
more physical evidence first.
As if admitting to beating up
the victim isn't enough.
- Care to elaborate?
- I'm not saying he didn't do it.
I am just saying
there are some inconsistencies
we need to account for first.
For example, Luke's bloody fingerprints
were on the door of the apartment,
but the lab ran the gun
and it was clean.
No evidence that Luke
ever even touched it.
Doesn't that strike you as odd?
Bloody fingerprints at a crime scene
are difficult to argue, even for you.
But in light of the settlement
recently paid out
for an unlawful arrest,
I'm okay proceeding with caution.
He may not have acted alone.
Do you have a motive?
The victim was sleeping
with the suspect's wife.
He even texted the guy to brag about it.
Yeah, does that make any sense to you?
Go lean on the suspect some more.
But first talk to the wife.
[DOOR OPENS]
He killed Steve?
Who's Steve? Our victim's name is Casey.
Um
Maybe you know him by another name?
I don't recognize this man.
Think harder.
A musician visiting from L.A.
He's house-sitting
on the Lower East Side.
A house sitter? That's
not exactly my type.
I have been seeing someone
please don't tell Luke
but my boyfriend's name
is Steve, not Casey.
Steve works in finance and has
a third house in the Hamptons.
BOBBY: But you are
cheating on your husband, right?
LAUREN [CRYING]: Oh, God.
What a mess.
Everyone had higher hopes
for Jack and Jill.
Who are Jack and Jill?
Our pseudonyms.
Luke and I used to see
a marriage counselor,
and she wrote about us in her book
Keeping It Together.
Serena changes
her patients' names for privacy.
You mean Serena Collyer?
[GASPS, SQUEALS]
I love her. I listen
to her satellite radio show
all the time, where people
call in for marriage advice.
Oh, she is good.
- Not that good.
- Oh, no, no, trust me,
she has a way with words.
It's a good thing Serena
wasn't around 20 years ago,
otherwise I might still be married.
BOBBY: Oh, come on, Luke, just tell us
what really went down
with Casey Arthurs.
He and I had words, it got
a little physical, then I left.
I didn't shoot anybody!
You think I've never
been lied to before?
All right.
Let's start from the beginning.
Casey sent you a text, right?
Then what? Why'd you go over there?
Do I have to answer that?
Legally, no.
You don't have to answer
any questions you don't want to.
But the less you talk,
the guiltier you look.
ELSBETH: Your wife Lauren
told us that
your marriage counselor wrote
about you in her book,
so I started reading the chapter
about you.
Serena Collyer calls
your relationship "sexually volatile."
So you do seem to have
a serious issue with jealousy.
You got to read
the whole chapter. I got better.
Lauren and I were one
of her success stories.
Go talk to Serena.
She'll tell you everything.
I'm not a violent man!
We would love to talk to Serena,
but unfortunately therapists
can't disclose anything
without your permission.
You'd have to waive your right
to privilege.
Whatever it takes.
You'll see, I'm not a killer.
Oh, you must be the detectives.
Welcome to the Sanctuary.
I'm Serena Collyer.
Well, I'm the detective. She's, uh
So pleased to meet you. Hi.
I am Elsbeth Tascioni.
I am such a huge fan.
I listen to your radio show
all the time.
- Wow, you look like your voice.
- Oh, oh, careful.
Ooh. Uh
- what goes on in here?
- [LAUGHS SOFTLY]
I'm hosting my annual
relationship workshop.
We do group couples therapy in here.
Sitting on pillows helps
keep things grounded.
I bet it hurts a lot less
when they throw them at each other, huh?
[BOBBY LAUGHS]
Uh, so what can you tell us
about Luke Prescott?
We understand that you were
his marriage counselor
for two years.
Yes, I was.
Uh, from what you said on the phone,
it seems like Luke is hoping I'll vouch
for his transformation?
Can you?
Unfortunately, no.
Luke was always a hothead.
Something was bound to happen.
He's a jealous, possessive man married
to a sexually compulsive woman
with a fear of commitment.
Sounds like a match made in heaven.
I've seen worse. Luke and Lauren
they did make progress.
It's all in my book.
When they stopped seeing me,
they were in a good place, but
toxic behavior has a funny way
of reappearing.
The work is never done.
Right.
Oh, this all checks out, so,
um, thank you for your time.
Yes. Thank you. [LAUGHS]
Um,
you know what? There is something
that I'm hoping you can explain.
Uh, Lauren admitted
to having an affair
with some guy named Steve,
but she swears she wasn't seeing
our victim Casey.
In fact, she denies even knowing him.
Oh, she's probably feeling
ashamed, so she lied.
Ashamed?
Oh, because he wasn't up
to her usual standards.
[CLICKS TONGUE] I got it.
How do you mean?
Oh, Lauren mentioned that
she prefers men who are more
financially stable.
Whereas Casey was
a struggling musician downtown.
That's putting it nicely.
The guy was a bum.
You shouldn't judge a person
on their economic status
or what part of town they're staying in.
You might miss all the other traits
that make them a beautiful
and creative soul.
Right.
Huh.
You said "staying in"
instead of "living in."
Uh, how did you know
Casey was from out of town?
Have you spoken to Lauren recently?
It's just a figure of speech. [LAUGHS]
Oh. That's our time.
- Oh.
- [LAUGHS]
Unless you, uh, want
to stick around for the retreat?
- Oh, yes, please.
- Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
I sense some friction here.
Your microexpressions speak volumes.
Oh, thank you.
We'll get out of your hair.
- How much is it?
- $20,000 per couple.
- We'll think about it.
- BOBBY: No, we won't.
[SIREN WAILS]
GRACE: Okay, so guys
can't message me unless
- I like their profile first.
- Mm.
Oh, I know him
from the comedy clubs. No.
No.
I think I arrested him last summer.
Have you tried expanding
your search parameters?
I guess I could open it up
to all five boroughs.
Actually, I'd better make it four.
- I am not getting on a ferry.
- Hmm.
[BOTH GASP]
ELSBETH: Is that Detective Smullen?
- [GRACE GASPS]
- I thought he was married.
- He is.
- [KNOCKING]
- Oh. Good day.
- Oh. Yeah, top of the morning.
Morning. You wanted
to show me the phone?
- Yep.
- Right.
Yeah. Let me just hook up.
I mean, connect.
- Oh, God. Ooh.
- Whoa. Hey, that's the wrong phone.
- [LAUGHS]
- Hey. Oh.
- Here we are. All right.
- Okay.
Okay. So, I've been digging
through the victim's phone.
He had a very busy social life
with the ladies.
Um, I typed up a list,
in case you want to talk to any of them.
Uh, I also went through all
of his messaging platforms.
And unfortunately,
I couldn't find any connection
between Casey and Lauren,
our suspect's wife.
Well, I guess you'll have
to keep looking, then.
Call me when you find something.
Um
That was rude. You didn't even
let her finish her presentation.
Look, this case is open-and-shut.
Luke's our guy, with or without
his wife's texts to Casey.
Well, have you read
the full forensic report
that just came in?
They didn't find any gunshot
residue on Luke's hands
or on the shirt
he wore the night of the murder.
They didn't? Well, there's, uh,
probably an explanation.
- I'll find it.
- I still don't understand
why Casey even sent a message
to his lover's husband
in the first place.
Because it's the noble thing to do.
Boy, Smullen is extra touchy today.
Maybe he was up all night swiping.
- [MUFFLED LAUGH]
- [LAUGHS]
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't have said that.
- Did you find anything?
- Nothing.
I mean, it's weird.
You'd think that Lauren's number
would be in Casey's phone.
Hey, look at that.
"Careena." That's an odd spelling.
We just met with a "Serena."
Wonder if it's the same one.
I want to empower you to release
all that guilt, Martha.
You didn't know how they felt
about surprise parties.
Your in-laws should have been
more explicit.
But now it's time to let it go
and let them rest in peace.
And that's our hour.
Let's give an extra special thank you
to my dear husband Graham
for joining us.
The pleasure was all mine, my darling.
Until next time, I'm Serena Collyer,
wishing you a happy home
and a healthy sex life.
Preferably with the same person.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Next time let me have the last line.
- It's my show.
- I'm sorry, my love.
Any chance we could have
a repeat of the other night?
I have 12 people coming here in an hour,
all of them desperate for my help.
- Now is not the time.
- You're right.
I should have respected your headspace.
[KISSES] How did we get so lucky?
[PHONE BUZZING]
Discipline.
Are we in the right place?
Yes, and you are just in time.
Please follow me.
Welcome to the Relationship Roundtable.
- Have a seat.
- Uh, yeah, that's not why we're here.
We need to talk to Serena.
Oh, you'll meet her soon.
But first let's all just get
to know each other better.
Yeah, that ain't happening.
Tascioni, let's go.
Let's go!
Am I supposed to respond to that?
Okay, looks like
we're jumping right into it.
Does anyone want
to share what they're hearing?
I'm hearing a lot of anger
in her partner's voice.
Uh, we're not partners.
How does it feel to be around
that kind of hostility?
Thank you for asking.
Sometimes it feels pretty lousy.
It's not his tone
as much as his resistance
to seeing my point of view.
That's not true. We're here, aren't we?
Well, I practically had to drag you.
Yeah, because it's a waste of time.
He's not usually this emotional.
I think he's hungry.
I'm hearing you make excuses
for your partner.
- We're not partners!
- Don't yell at them.
- I was yelling at you.
- Well, don't.
Stop.
This back-and-forth, it's just noise.
What's driving it?
If you want to repair the relationship,
you need to get at the heart
of the problem,
that thing you're too afraid
to say out loud.
So let's get it out.
What's wrong?
- He doesn't respect me.
- She doesn't respect me.
Wow. What if you actually listened
to one another with this truth in mind?
How would it color your response?
That's an excellent question.
Bobby?
I'll have to think about it.
Now can we see Serena?
SERENA: Oh, Casey Arthurs.
I couldn't place the name before,
but I recognize his face.
I knew Casey in grad school.
I'm sorry to hear he's gone.
How well did you know him?
We dated briefly,
but we didn't keep in touch.
I mean, to be honest, I'm surprised
my number was still in his phone.
I didn't think we were ever that close.
Well, he spelled your name wrong,
so I guess you weren't.
Don't you think it's
a strange coincidence, though,
that a former patient allegedly
murdered your old boyfriend?
No.
I don't believe I asked you
where you were Monday night.
I was taking one of my serenity walks.
You should try this.
I leave my devices at home
and I walk for miles,
wherever my intuition tells me to go.
Where did your intuition
send you that night?
Up the Hudson River Greenway.
Mm. I don't understand why
you're asking me these questions.
Where you see coincidence, I see
connection.
I connect with people for a living.
[LAUGHS]
Eventually,
some of those people are bound
to cross paths with one another.
It's a big city.
That's a lot of connections.
New York is an atomic collider
filled with eight million
particles smashing together
in search of connection.
As friends, random sex partners,
even soul-connected
lovers.
How many connections have you two made?
That's our time.
My couples need me. [LAUGHS]
- Those are cute.
- Oh.
- [KNOCKING]
- Come in.
Um
Is everything all right?
I need to tell you something
in confidence.
Recently I discovered,
totally by accident,
that someone here has
an online dating profile,
and that someone is married.
Elsbeth, that is not within my purview.
It's Detective Smullen.
I know I shouldn't say anything.
His personal life is none
of my business.
But he's been so on edge lately,
I mean, more so than usual.
And it's affecting his work.
You're right.
This isn't your business.
And Smullen is no more thorny
than usual, so there's no problem there.
- But I'm worried about him.
- Are you?
Or are you just a bit excited
to have a good piece of gossip
and needed somebody to take it to?
[GASPS]
I have no comment. I'll see myself out.
Mm-hmm.
Claudia, are you sitting down?
GRACE: Okay, I got something.
Now, I went through all
of Casey Arthurs' albums,
going back to, like, the early aughts.
He wasn't bad, but he also was not good.
Anyway, I found the same name
on every album.
A guy who goes by the name
Viper played the drums.
And I looked him up.
He lives in Brooklyn.
Ooh. Good thinking.
Maybe Viper can tell us more
about Casey's personal life.
- Yes.
- [BOBBY LAUGHS]
I'm sorry.
Are our ideas funny to you?
Not at all.
It sounds like you want to
establish a stronger connection
between Serena and Casey.
We do, and thank you
for seeing our perspective.
I think that
Serena might have used Luke as a cover
for a crime she committed.
Ah. Okay. But, respectfully,
how would Serena know
that Luke would assault Casey?
ELSBETH:
Luke only had to confront Casey,
which Serena knew he would,
based on past behavior.
The fistfight was just lucky.
But I acknowledge your concerns.
- [BOBBY LAUGHS]
- Respectfully.
Okay. Why are you guys talking
like that?
You-you sound like
you're in a hostage negotiation.
Yeah, some days it feels that way.
Okay, well, um, Viper is free today,
so who wants to question him?
- Oh.
- You two go.
I've got an appointment.
Yeah, I remember Serena.
She used to date Casey.
Man, I'm really bummed out by the news.
- [SIGHS] He was a good guy.
- Yeah.
We're so sorry for your loss, Viper.
Oh, you can just call me Jeff.
Uh, do you remember, Jeff,
how long Casey and Serena were together?
Oh, they were on and off for years.
Yeah, it was intense. One time
she took a six-hour Greyhound bus
just so she could spend
one night with him.
He used to go camping down South,
and she would call me in tears,
trying to get ahold of him.
Casey never had a cell phone.
Why didn't he have a cell phone?
He was an analog guy.
He only played acoustic.
I used to tease him
for only having a landline.
He only got a cell phone in 2014.
It's the year my daughter was born.
2014?
Ah. Serena was running
her private practice by then.
She told us they only dated
when she was in grad school.
Wait. So why was her number
in Casey's first cell phone
five years later?
'Cause she lied
about losing touch with him.
Do you think it's possible
that Serena and Casey
were still seeing each other?
Well, Casey was moving back to New York,
so I'd be surprised if they weren't.
But those two were toxic.
It's like they were addicted
to each other.
You know, it's it is kind of wild
that Serena's
this big relationship guru now.
I mean, back then
she seemed like a total mess.
Psst. Elsbeth.
Come here.
Claudia spoke to Sally Smullen.
It's worse than I thought.
She left Bobby.
And now she's off on some kind
of, uh, journey of self-discovery
with her divorced girlfriends.
- So he's not cheating on her?
- No.
- [GASPS]
- They're officially separated.
And according to Sally,
he's not taking it well.
- Oh.
- I hope
you're not making him read that.
Might seem insensitive.
No. I'm just doing a deep dive
on Serena's work.
Ugh. But now
Detective Smullen's bad attitude
is suddenly making more sense.
Oh, he's secretly heartbroken,
and I've been dragging him
to marriage counseling.
Don't beat yourself up. You didn't know.
Ah.
- ELSBETH: Oh.
- WAGNER: Bobby's tough.
He'll pull through.
[MUTTERS]
[PHONE BUZZING]
- Luke, what is it?
- LUKE: I'm freaking out.
What did you tell the police about me?
Take a breath. Everything is
everything is okay.
I am so glad you called.
Excuse me. I need to report a threat.
Serena. What happened?
Luke Prescott called me
last night in a rage,
demanding to know
what I told you about him.
I don't feel safe. Why haven't you
arrested him for the murder yet?
I wish I could answer
that question for you.
Cap, if we keep
dragging our feet on this,
we're gonna have blood on our hands.
How comfortable are you
getting Luke to talk?
- I can get anyone to talk. Why?
- We need your help.
Put a car outside of Luke's apartment.
Let's get Ms. Collyer
on a controlled call.
Are you okay with that?
Legally, yes.
He already waived privilege.
Good. Maybe he'll say something
we can use.
Oh, I would love
to hear that conversation.
Hmm.
So he'll see
your regular number come up.
He won't know we're recording.
Detective Smullen will give you
a couple questions
to help steer the conversation.
- Sound good?
- Of course.
Whatever you need to put that
disturbed man behind bars.
Elsbeth, take two steps back.
Please?
There's a real will-they-won't-they vibe
between you two.
Have you explored it yet?
- No.
- I'm happily married.
Oh, really?
Your wife let you out
of the house in that shirt?
Are we good here?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
[QUIETLY]: Let me see. Okay.
LUKE: Hey, Serena.
Hi, Luke. I wanted to check on you.
You were so distraught last night.
And I just I-I wanted
to tell you how proud I am
that you're handling it so well,
especially the news
between Lauren and Steve.
Yeah. Wait, what about Steve?
Oh, I
assumed the police told you.
Lauren's been having an affair
with Steve.
My business partner? That Steve?
I'll kill him!
No, no, no, no, no.
Hold on. Remember the work, Luke.
You can't keep killing people!
It's a good thing
that we had an officer there.
Otherwise Steve might have
wound up like Casey.
And the D.A. says
that it's good to charge him
for menacing and for Casey's murder.
Then I guess that's that.
Do you mind if I have a word with him?
Uh, no. Have at it.
Hi, Luke.
I'm so sorry
to hear about Lauren and Steve.
I think we've hit a new low.
Can I ask you a personal question?
Does Lauren always admit
when she steps out on you?
Eventually, yeah.
She does it on purpose to hurt me.
I'm no prince, believe me.
But she still hasn't admitted
to dating Casey?
No. Casey wouldn't admit it either.
Said he didn't know her.
Full of excuses.
He swore that his ex-girlfriend
sent that text,
that she was some kind of psycho.
His ex-girlfriend?
Would you be willing
to put that in a statement?
Sure, not like it matters.
I'm going down for this murder.
Which I didn't do, by the way.
I always knew Lauren and I were doomed.
Why is that?
We bring out the worst in each other.
- Oh.
- I love my wife,
but sometimes I wish I'd never met her.
SERENA: I worked with a couple,
who we'll call Sam and Diane.
Their love story spanned decades
and was one
of the most powerful connections
I have ever observed.
During their many breaks,
Diane would put on the one gift
that Sam had given her,
a piece of artisan jewelry.
She would hold it to her skin
like it was his touch.
Her friends called her pathetic
and delusional,
but Diane knew she and Sam
would find their way back to each other.
Their love bond was dysfunctional,
but it was real.
Don't you get it?
Sam and Diane are Casey and Serena.
What does this have to do
with the murder?
Casey's drummer said
that Casey was planning a move
back to New York, which might
explain why Serena snapped.
Their love was so toxic,
his presence drove her mad.
It also sounds like Sam only
ever bought Diane one gift
in their time together, which
alone is reason for murder.
We already booked Luke Prescott.
The case is closed.
But what if Serena's involved, too?
What if she pushed Luke,
her former patient, to commit the crime?
Shouldn't we know now,
before Luke's lawyer finds
the same connection
and derails the prosecution's case?
All right.
You have one more chance to talk to her.
That's all I need.
Where's Detective Smullen?
He had an appointment.
I didn't pry.
Take Officer Hackett.
- Mm.
- Yay.
Let's go.
Oh, no.
I hope we're not interrupting dinner.
Uh, not at all. I like
to have a little something ready
for Serena when she gets home.
So sweet.
Is that your secret?
Doing acts of kindness for each other?
And keeping things fresh.
The other night Serena came home
with a French maid's costume on
under her jacket.
It wasn't even a special occasion,
just an ordinary Monday night.
Oh, I won't ask what you do on weekends.
[LAUGHS]
Um, just this past Monday night?
- Mm-hmm.
- It's funny.
Serena told us that she was out
serenity walking
on Monday night.
Would she really take a long
walk while wearing lingerie?
I don't ask questions.
Another secret to our happiness.
Here she is.
I'll leave you to it.
You're back.
You really are a fan.
Oh, I am. [LAUGHS]
Um, my son is getting married.
- Yay.
- [LAUGHS]
And, uh, it would mean so much
if you signed this
for him and his fiancé.
Their names are Teddy and Roy.
Well, is that all you came for?
Oh, no, no. We also wanted
to thank you for helping us arrest Luke.
I think the case is officially closed.
Ah. I'll drink to that. Anyone else?
Oh, no, thank you. We're on duty.
ELSBETH: Whoa. You like your wine
- cold.
- Oh, Graham puts it
in the freezer to chill for me.
Oh. Uh, you know what?
I don't think I complimented you
enough on this book.
I just finished reading it, and, wow.
What you achieved with some
of these couples is incredible.
There's one case that really stands out.
Sam and Diane.
Like the couple from Cheers.
I don't watch television.
Oh.
- Well, you should.
- GRACE: Uh
- Some of it's great.
- Yeah.
But I don't quite understand this.
Sam and Diane's relationship,
or whatever it was.
It's more of a "situationship,"
as the kids say.
Yeah. I mean, it doesn't seem like
you made any progress with them at all.
Oh, well, not every relationship
can be salvaged.
Some people push each other to
the brink over and over again.
That's funny.
The people we talked to
described your relationship
with Casey in the exact same way.
What did Jeff call it again?
Uh, toxic. Like an addiction.
Just like Sam and Diane.
Any correlation?
I never write about myself.
The truth is, Sam and Diane
are an amalgamation
of several different couples I treated.
Their chemistry is not uncommon.
Really? Gosh.
I didn't realize that
so many people debase themselves
like that.
'Cause Diane [MUNCHING FOOD]
she made a total fool of herself,
all in the name of love.
Not that I'd call what they had love.
More like sexually transmitted insanity.
- [COUGHS]
- Oh, are you all right?
Mm. Went down the wrong way.
Wow. Thank you, Mom.
This is unexpected. [CHUCKLES]
Did Roy say something about us?
- Of course not.
- Oh.
I just thought it would be nice
to have on hand,
in case you hit a rough patch.
- Hmm.
- And, um,
since you haven't yet
May 1st.
- [GASPS]
- You happy now?
May?
- Mm-hmm.
- That is wonderful.
[BOTH LAUGH]
That is exactly in my color season.
I'm a Bright Spring.
Well, yeah, that was at the top
of mind when we picked it, so
I got to go, um, but, by the way,
Grandma says you haven't been
returning any of her calls.
Oh. I've-I've just been busy.
Well, maybe you could work out
whatever's going on
between the two of you,
preferably before
the wedding stuff starts?
Nothing's going on. Don't worry.
If you say so.
- Okay. Love you.
- Love you.
- Elsbeth?
- Huh?
GRACE: Detective
Smullen, I got something
- on Casey Arthurs.
- Casey Arthurs?
I thought I closed this case.
Yeah, you did, but then
Elsbeth had the brilliant idea
to follow up
on that bottle of white wine
we found in Casey's freezer.
Turns out, they sell it
at a specialty wine shop
in Casey's neighborhood.
I got the surveillance footage.
So this is from two days
before the murder. Look.
ELSBETH: [GASPS] That's Serena.
- GRACE: Mm-hmm.
- BOBBY: Okay, I
don't mean to rain
on your good police work. However,
all that proves is that she was
having an affair with Casey.
It doesn't tie her to the murder.
Unlike Luke, who's already been charged.
Wait. Scroll it back a bit.
[ELSBETH GASPS]
Maybe we cantie it to the murder.
BOBBY: How? It's just a wine bottle.
That's not what I'm looking at.
Remember, the grass isn't always
greener on the other side.
The grass is greener where you water it.
BOBBY: Everybody out.
Police business.
Excuse me.
- Come on, everyone.
- Let's go, folks.
What is going on here?
We're here about
the murder of Casey Arthurs.
I thought you already made an arrest.
Well, there's new evidence.
Elsbeth?
We know Sam and Diane
from your book are based
on you and Casey.
Just like their toxic connection,
you loved Casey so much oh! it hurt.
But his return to New York threatened
everything you'd established
in his absence
most of all, peace.
So you eliminated temptation.
I told you, we are not Sam and Diane.
Aren't you, though?
Diane dressed up for Sam,
just like that French maid costume
you wore the night of the murder.
Probably to clean any trace
of yourself from his apartment.
BOBBY: You used Luke as a fall guy,
despite there being
no connection between Lauren and Casey.
Casey even told Luke that
he thought his ex-girlfriend
had something to do with it.
GRACE: And we have surveillance video
of you buying the same bottle of wine
we found in Casey's apartment.
- That doesn't prove anything.
- ELSBETH: On its own,
no, but just like Diane,
you have a sentimental
attachment to the one gift
that Casey gave you,
which you are wearing in this video:
a bracelet from Costa Rica.
Which your sweet, trusting
husband Graham found for us.
And unfortunately for you,
it has traces of Casey's blood
and gun residue on it.
Serena Collyer,
you are under arrest
for the murder of Casey Arthurs.
[CRYING]: Oh, he ruined my life.
I wish I'd never met him.
But I still love him.
But what about your husband?
He's so good to you.
He's boring. He's boring!
[LAUGHING]: There, I said it.
- He's so boring, I could die.
- All right, come on.
[CRYING]: Wait.
Did Casey really call me his girlfriend?
How did he say it?
Tell me what he said exactly!
CLAUDIA: I'm impressed that you
got reservations on such short notice.
Well, what can I say?
I know people who know people.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
And it's been a while since
we had a special night out.
Mm.
Been thinking
about Bobby and Sally, huh?
- Mm.
- Yeah.
It's so strange
seeing old friends break up.
Well, these things happen.
To other people.
Yeah.
- Shall we?
- Yeah.
Bobby, hi.
I was hoping that I'd see you.
I I spoke to Sally.
And I'm really sorry about everything.
How you holding up?
I'm doing okay. Yeah.
Uh, I didn't realize
that Sally was telling people already.
Well, I hope you know
that it's not all your fault.
You know, sometimes people
just need a fresh start.
- We'll have you over for dinner soon.
- Oh.
- Great.
- Good night, Detective.
Yeah.
Oy. [LAUGHS]
Great.
Now everybody knows
that my wife left me.
Oh, if they know,
they haven't said anything.
Bobby, separations are hard.
I've been there.
Yeah, well, I went
to look at apartments yesterday.
That-that was a rude awakening.
Well, if you ever need someone
to talk to, I'm here.
Oh. I might take you up on that.
Uh, seems Sally has taken most
of our friends
in the separation.
Oh. My ex-husband did the same thing.
He even took some of my own family.
Mm. [LAUGHS]
- [CHUCKLES]
- Yeah, well,
so, Elsbeth, um
Have a good one.
Yeah. See you tomorrow.