S01.E08: Artificial Genius

[DanaK]

Quote

Elsbeth goes to battle with artificial intelligence when Quinn (Elizabeth Lail), the young CEO of a location-based crime alert app, murders a journalist and uses her app to divert authorities and create a phony killer. Meanwhile, Wagner hatches a plan to fight the D.O.J. investigation, on ELSBETH, Thursday, May 9 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+

 

[AnimeMania]

Elizabeth Lail as Quinn Powers

[AnimeMania]

Something weird I noticed, there was no tape/chalk outline of the body on the floor. I don't know if they do that in real life, but it is always done in TV Shows.  I thought it was weird when they said the body was right here, and there was no indication of where it was.

There was also a callback to episode 3, a Lavish Ladies billboard advertising the TV Series was in the background.

Elsbeth is so silly, she was playing with the Hoberman Sphere (the ball that expands and contracts), she put her head inside and made it shrink.

[possibilities]

The dog didn't react when her person was attacked!

[Irlandesa]

AI detectors are not great at detecting AI writing.  They give false positives and negatives.  And as far as I know, they definitely can't detect which AI generator created the writing.

Overall, not my favorite episode.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

It seems as though criminals really always do return to the scene of their crime.

Quinn left the black coat behind at the crime scene, right?  I would think she would have left DNA of some some sort, or a strand of hair at the scene which would be useful after they had strong reason to suspect her.

Also, I really don't think Elsbeth should be searching for evidence while Kara is in a different room.  The chain of evidence has to be preserved, and since Elsbeth doesn't work for the NYPD, I don't think she is capable of doing so.

6 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

There was also a callback to episode 3, a Lavish Ladies billboard advertising the TV Series was in the background.

I noticed that, too.  "Katricia is Back!"

[mammaM]

Okay episode, not great not bad.

At least the captain's storyline is sorta kinda moving forward. We better get a resolution before the season ends, I hate cliffhangers.

[sugarbaker design]

The actress who plays Kaya has excellent comic timing, she's giving me Maya Rudolph vibes.

[shapeshifter]

12 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Elsbeth is so silly, she was playing with the Hoberman Sphere (the ball that expands and contracts), she put her head inside and made it shrink.

I wanted to love that sight gag, but it really wasn't well enough directed or recorded. 
Maybe it's not really possible to put your head in the sphere and contract it?

[AnimeMania]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

12 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Elsbeth is so silly, she was playing with the Hoberman Sphere (the ball that expands and contracts), she put her head inside and made it shrink.

I wanted to love that sight gag, but it really wasn't well enough directed or recorded. 
Maybe it's not really possible to put your head in the sphere and contract it?

No, her head was inside, because when she pulled if off, her hair was a mess.

I think it was hard to see because the camera was focused on Quinn and Elsbeth being Elsbeth, happened in the periphery, barely on camera, it seemed improvised.

Maybe it was a comment on the new toy filled work environments, since she was also riding the scooter and making the back-up noises or maybe Elsbeth was having too much fun on set since she also run into the Chief's office, did a hopping skid, crashing into Kaya. Elsbeth seemed to have a lot of childish energy this episode. Maybe having a cute dog on set helped to set the mood.

[Daff]

7 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

The actress who plays Kaya has excellent comic timing, she's giving me Maya Rudolph vibes.

She’s so low-key and calm, juxtaposed to Elsbeth’s craziness. She really makes the partnership work. I especially loved the warning look she shot at Elsbeth when she confiscated the cane as Quinn was arrested. (Really? You’re handing her a potential weapon on her way to jail?)

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, Daff said:

She’s so low-key and calm, juxtaposed to Elsbeth’s craziness.

Yes. Excellent casting.

[chitowngirl]

I like that Kaya never felt saddled with Elsbeth.

Is the Captain really trying to prove his innocence or is he setting up the Lieutenant? Hmmmmm

[shapeshifter]

Just now, chitowngirl said:

Is the Captain really trying to prove his innocence or is he setting up the Lieutenant? Hmmmmm

Didn't the Lieutenant already admit to the Captain a couple of episodes ago that he was "dirty"? 
But, yes, I do think the Captain wants to nail the Lieutenant before he (the Captain) goes down for the Lieutenant's dirty deals.
But the Captain also sounded like his primary concern was protecting the children's charity, which would lose funding if its supporters were found guilty of financial malfeasance even if it was not associated with the charity.
Or, @chitowngirl, do you think children's charity is not really his main concern, and possibly not even a very big concern of the Captain's?

Regardless, I'm wondering if the Captain's wife will turn out to be doing some money laundering or embezzling about which the Captain has no clue. 

On the third hand, the Captain could be doing his own dirty deals that the dirty dealing Lieutenant doesn't know about.

[ForReal]

I've just caught up with all the commentary on this show. I am enjoying this show a lot, more than I expected. My first thought was that the show resembles Columbo, but the show also reminds me of the short-lived show "Carter," starring Jerry O'Connell. In fact, I think Carrie Preston (Elsbeth) looks like she could be related to Jerry, they seem so similar.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ForReal said:

I've just caught up with all the commentary on this show. I am enjoying this show a lot, more than I expected. My first thought was that the show resembles Columbo, but the show also reminds me of the short-lived show "Carter," starring Jerry O'Connell. In fact, I think Carrie Preston (Elsbeth) looks like she could be related to Jerry, they seem so similar.

So I'm not the only one who watched Jerry O'Connell's Carter!
I'm glad to see he's landed on his feet with daytime TV shows like Pictionary and too many more projects to mention. I would love to have him appear as a guest star on this show.

I thought the beginning of this episode was a copy of a Columbo episode (can't recall which one) but then it went in a different direction.

[Quark]

This episode cracked me up so much.

 

[kaygeeret]

I am a little surprised at myself.  I have come to actively like the show and take Elsbeth's shenanigans as they come.  They are making me laugh sometimes.

Last weeks dancing with Keegan Michael Peele was great.

It really helps that the casting is so spot on.  Kara is now one of my favorite actors.  She really is spot on in a low key way.  Really effective

And the captain has always been a fav of mine.  Don't get to see him in enough shows.

 

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, kaygeeret said:

Last weeks dancing with Keegan Michael Peele was great.

As someone who can never remember which is Key and which is Peele, I feel heard! 

[zapper]

annoyingly, I recognized the plot device from Columbo: Double Exposure. 

In that episode, subliminal hints are shown in the pre-release showing of a filmed presentation to get the victim to go out of the theatre and be killed. The murderer covers his tracks by having to give the narration over top of the film in the wings because production hasn't put the voiceover onto the film.  But .... the murderer instead of being in the wings, plays his narration on a cassette player near the mic while he goes off and does the deed.

I recognized it instantly in this episode of Elsbeth and lost complete interest in the episode. 

Edited May 12 by zapper

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, zapper said:

annoyingly, I recognized the plot device from Columbo: Double Exposure. 

In that episode, subliminal hints are shown in the pre-release showing of a filmed presentation to get the victim to go out of the theatre and be killed. The murderer covers his tracks by having to give the narration over top of the film in the wings because production hasn't put the voiceover onto the film.  But .... the murderer instead of being in the wings, plays his narration on a cassette player near the mic while he goes off and does the deed.

I recognized it instantly in this episode of Elsbeth and lost complete interest in the episode. 

Do you recall the title of that Columbo episode? 

Anyway, you might want to give it a couple of more minutes — or not:

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought the beginning of this episode was a copy of a Columbo episode (can't recall which one) but then it went in a different direction.

[zapper]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Do you recall the title of that Columbo episode? 

Anyway, you might want to give it a couple of more minutes — or not:

the Columbo episode was "Double Exposure".  I gave this Elsbeth episode about 10 minutes or so, then I faded...

Edited May 12 by zapper

[Trey]

On 5/9/2024 at 11:41 PM, possibilities said:

The dog didn't react when her person was attacked!

I think the victim had only recently acquired the dog, so they really hadn't bonded yet.

[shapeshifter]

On 5/9/2024 at 11:41 PM, possibilities said:

The dog didn't react when her person was attacked!

5 hours ago, Trey said:

I think the victim had only recently acquired the dog, so they really hadn't bonded yet.

The victim didn't say when he bought Gonzo, so not necessarily. 
The transcript includes "( Gonzo whimpering )" when the killer is stunning Gonzo's owner, but I didn't hear Gonzo whimper. Did anyone else? 

When I saw Gonzo not barking at the attacker, it reminded me of a single female friend who lived alone with her collie in an apartment on Venice Beach, California in the 1970s (when it was not expensive). One night a man climbed in her window and started to rape her. She screamed while the dog hid under the bed in fear. Fortunately a neighbor came running into her apartment and chased the rapist away.
So dogs being more fearful than protective is a real thing.

Still, when Gonzo didn't even bark at the attacker, I thought it was significant for a TV dog. But I guess Gonzo was just more like a real dog than like Lassie? 
Or maybe the dog they hired to play Gonzo just wasn't much of a barker?
They should've used my daughter's small poodle mix. He barks loudly and at anything that moves. He would've annoyed everyone on the set if they had him there for more than the time needed to shoot his scenes.
Cute, but almost continuously loud when he's not sleeping.
Maybe the dog who played Gonzo gets work because he does "quiet on the set" without having to be told?

 

[MaryMitch]

I guess we'll find out about Gonzo's personality; it looks like Elsbeth has adopted him(her).

[kaygeeret]

Embarrassed apologies to ALL, but especially the actor

Keegan-Michael KEY.

I referenced him by the wrong name - 

Sorry to all but especially the actor.  God willing and the creek don't rise he will never know about his new name

[MerBearHou]

Count me as another “Carter” fan — what a fun series and Jerry O’C was great in it.  Ended far too soon.

Elsbeth has become a series I really look forward to each week — much of my other TV-watching is of the more serious vibe like the L&Os and FBIs, so Elsbeth is a welcome “lighter but still solve-the-mystery” show.  Carrie Preston is doing a terrific job.  

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Still, when Gonzo didn't even bark at the attacker, I thought it was significant for a TV dog. But I guess Gonzo was just more like a real dog than like Lassie? 
Or maybe the dog they hired to play Gonzo just wasn't much of a barker?
They should've used my daughter's small poodle mix. He barks loudly and at anything that moves. He would've annoyed everyone on the set if they had him there for more than the time needed to shoot his scenes.
Cute, but almost continuously loud when he's not sleeping.
Maybe the dog who played Gonzo gets work because he does "quiet on the set" without having to be told?

It can depend on the breed and even the specific personality of the dog.  I read that Border terriers are supposed to be loud barkers but they aren't as aggressive as some other terriers.  Some dogs imprint on their owners to a greater degree than others and might be more likely to bark if their owners are in distress.  I've known poodles that would jump on and bark at a human that looked like it was going to hurt it's owner and others that would crawl under the bed and cower.  Dogs are like people and can have different personalities.

I'm thinking that Gonzo's behavior on this episode was as much part of the performance as anything else and the show put on the version of the dog's reaction that they wanted us to see.  Obviously there was no real murder happening and genuine dog reaction.  They probably wanted the dog to remain quiet because barking wasn't going to be used as a plot device.

[Badsamaritan]

On 5/11/2024 at 12:28 PM, shapeshifter said:

Didn't the Lieutenant already admit to the Captain a couple of episodes ago that he was "dirty"? 
But, yes, I do think the Captain wants to nail the Lieutenant before he (the Captain) goes down for the Lieutenant's dirty deals.
But the Captain also sounded like his primary concern was protecting the children's charity, which would lose funding if its supporters were found guilty of financial malfeasance even if it was not associated with the charity.
Or, @chitowngirl, do you think children's charity is not really his main concern, and possibly not even a very big concern of the Captain's?

Regardless, I'm wondering if the Captain's wife will turn out to be doing some money laundering or embezzling about which the Captain has no clue. 

On the third hand, the Captain could be doing his own dirty deals that the dirty dealing Lieutenant doesn't know about.

I'm not sure things will get this complicated, it is more in the vein of Columbo so I'm not expecting a deep conspiracy. Also, the Captain told Elsbeth his main priority was his wife, and making sure all the work she'd done for the charity didn't get tossed away because she didn't deserve that. 

[Milburn Stone]

On 5/11/2024 at 4:36 PM, Quark said:

This episode cracked me up so much.

 

Me too.

Something this show does that Columbo never did: Every week it enters a different cultural milieu and satirizes the living shit out of it. I mean, eviscerates it until its guts are lying all over the floor.

It may be the funniest show on primetime television. I know of nothing funnier.

[txhorns79]

The actress who played Quinn looked so much like Jennifer Lawrence, I, for a moment, was asking how in the world they got her for the episode. 

I was a little confused at the end when Quinn was being walked out.  They initially handed her the cane, then took it back.  Was that supposed to be a sign that the disability was fake too?  

[AnimeMania]

29 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

They initially handed her the cane, then took it back. 

Elsbeth handed Quinn her cane and Kaya took it back. You do not hand potential weapons to people who are under arrest. 

I thought it was funny since that was what was going through my mind at the time when Elsbeth handed the cane to Quinn. I guess it was extra funny since it was similar in size  and shape to the weapon Quinn used to commit the murder.

[Trey]

2 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I was a little confused at the end when Quinn was being walked out.  They initially handed her the cane, then took it back.  Was that supposed to be a sign that the disability was fake too?  

I believe the ex-roommate or partner, whichever she was, said that Quinn greatly exaggerated the injury so she probably didn't really need the cane.

And what @AnimeMania said.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/11/2024 at 3:39 PM, shapeshifter said:

So I'm not the only one who watched Jerry O'Connell's Carter!
I'm glad to see he's landed on his feet with daytime TV shows like Pictionary and too many more projects to mention. I would love to have him appear as a guest star on this show.

I thought the beginning of this episode was a copy of a Columbo episode (can't recall which one) but then it went in a different direction.

I’ve never heard of Carter!  I’ll check it out. I’m hoping for Jerry O’Connell to do voiceovers on the new Young Sheldon spin-off.  

[Trey]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’ve never heard of Carter!

It was a pretty good show, co-starring Sidney Poitier's daughter. I think  it was Covid that did it in.

[christie]

On 5/10/2024 at 6:26 AM, AnimeMania said:

There was also a callback to episode 3, a Lavish Ladies billboard advertising the TV Series was in the background.

And a call back to the first episode as well - Gonzo pulls out Elsbeth's statue of liberty headpiece from her tote and Elsbeth is holding it when she realises that Gonzo probably hid Quinn's headband.

[EtheltoTillie]

I found Carter on Hallmark Movie Channel.  I’m getting a free trial on Prime to watch it, then I will cancel 

Edited May 23 by EtheltoTillie

[TV Anonymous]

I wish that the writers did a bit of research first before introducing a major plot. What Law & Order franchise taught me is there there is TARU in NYPD. They would find the deleted exposé on Johnson's laptop pretty quickly. As well, they would find metadata on the fake document quite easily.

[Ceindreadh]

On 5/10/2024 at 4:26 AM, AnimeMania said:

Something weird I noticed, there was no tape/chalk outline of the body on the floor. I don't know if they do that in real life, but it is always done in TV Shows.  I thought it was weird when they said the body was right here, and there was no indication of where it was.

 

Apparently the chalk outline of a body isn't really used now, to avoid contaminating the crime scene. 

And (according to Wikipedia) even back in the day, it was more used as a method to allow the press to take a picture to represent the scene but without having an actual (possibly gruesome) body around.