Warning: SPOILERS forElsbethseason 2, episode 13, “Tearjerker.“Season 2, episode 13 ofElsbethintroduces a new detective to the series, but his general behavior and a few key details suggest that he might actually be a sleeper villain for the season. The second season has expanded things in a number of ways, including the addition of a few new faces toElsbeth’s cast of characters. Recent introductions include Elsbeth Tascioni’s (Carrie Preston) son Teddy (Ben Levi Ross), Lieutenant Noonan’s (Fredric Lehne) replacement, and even the first-everElsbethromantic interests(although Tascioni’s only lasted for one episode).
The newest detective joins as Elsbeth and Officer Blanke (Carra Patterson) investigate a high-end escort named Chloe (Jordana Brewster), who’s suspected of drugging one of her clients. Meanwhile, the subplot with Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) is heating up asCaptain Kershaw (Jenn Colella) reopens the Mertens case at Wagner’s (Wendell Pierce) request. However, she wants Wagner to do her a solid by taking on the same detective who bungled the Mertens case in the first place. And regardless of whether he sticks around forElsbethseason 3, he won’t need that long to cause some serious turmoil.
Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 13 Debuts Detective Rivers
Wagner Only Takes Him On As A Favor To A Fellow Captain
Aside from the fact that he ruined the Mertens case by railroading the wrong suspect, not much is known about Detective Rivers (Braeden De La Garza) before he makes his first appearance on the crime scene.Rivers immediately makes his presence known by obnoxiously breezing past Elsbeth and Kaya, talking down to them for being at his crime scene at all. But despite this, Rivers continuously tries to take credit for Elsbeth’s work by cutting her off during witness interviews to ask the same questions and citing her ideas as his own when talking to Wagner.
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He gets even worse when dealing with potential suspects, aggressively accusing every single one of them of murder. Worst of all is when he deals with Chloe. Elsbeth likes Chloe, accepting her life as an escort, and Chloe appreciatingElsbeth’s unique fashion sensedoesn’t hurt. So when Rivers asks Chloe during a DNA swab how much she charges to put things in her mouth, Elsbeth invokes her consent decree to have him booted from the case. But while Rivers may seem like he’s just incompetent and rude, earning his resentment could be a dangerous move for Elsbeth.
Why Detective Rivers Has All The Hallmarks Of A Potential Foe For Elsbeth
He Could Very Easily Have Connections To Judge Crawford
Although it initially appeared as though Carter Schmidt (Christian Borle) turning up as the firstGood Wifecharacter inElsbethwas meant to introduce the Van Ness case as season 2’s main arc, it soon became clear thatthe season has a tangible villain in the form of Judge Crawford. One of Crawford’s most dangerous traits is that he’s well-connected, and Detective Rivers may be one of those connections. It’s revealed at the end of “Tearjerker” that Rivers' uncle is the chief of detectives, the exact sort of high-ranking company Crawford is known to keep.
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Rivers also shows himself to be ambitious and fond of pulling rank. Despite nearly sharing a brief moment of vulnerability with Kaya, he very quickly belittles her for holding a lower position. Rivers' resentment of Elsbeth is likely exacerbated by her lack of a badge, and working with someone as connected asMichael Emerson’s Judge Crawfordto derail Elsbeth’s work could earn Rivers a promotion while getting Elsbeth’s consent decree revoked if her cases go far enough south. Rivers might be petty and a little stupid, but those can be dangerous qualities in someone who mistakes nepotism for birthright.
Detective Rivers' Vulnerability Hints He Can Still Be An Ally
He’s Obnoxious But Also Genuinely Wants Approval
As obnoxious and potentially conniving as he may be,Detective Rivers does have two moments of vulnerability in “Tearjerker.“The first is when Wagner tells Rivers that his behavior has earned him a reprimand and mandatory counseling. Rivers very meekly tells Wagner that he was handling the case aggressively because he just wanted his new captain to be impressed with him. Later, when sitting at Kaya’s desk, he tells her in a very raw fashion that he’s had a rough day and just needs to sit down.
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Rivers ruins the latter moment when he pulls back and laughs at Kaya for still being a uniformed officer, and his tendency to lash out when he feels vulnerable is exactly the sort of thing that might lead to his villainous turn inElsbeth. However, it also provides a glimmer of hope that he could be redeemed. Any connections he might have to Crawford could easily be turned to Elsbeth’s advantage. Rivers may be hard to stomach in his first appearance, but his unpredictable motives make him a rather fun character for the future.
