Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 5 titled Elsbeth Flips the Bird, and it takes place in the high-stakes world of Chef Veev (Pamela Adlon), a perfectionist chef whose temper is hotter than her ovens. Chef Veev is known for always trying to do her best, which is almost the same thing as obsession. Veev’s need for control goes through the roof when her fancy restaurant has a crazy night with reservations, influential people, and a VIP who isn’t happy. What happens next is a crime as well-thought-out as her food. But will Elsbeth and her team be able to figure out this mystery before Veev serves up her last trick?
A VIP Dinner Gone Wrong
When Pamela Adlon plays Chef Veev, her need for perfection is made very clear right away. Veev runs a fancy restaurant, and tonight there is a very important VIP on the guest list, so she needs everything to be perfect more than ever. While she keeps a close eye on her staff, Sam (Jack Davenport) , the restaurant’s maître d’, has to deal with a strange problem: some guests have bought reservations on the black market. Things get even worse when VIP Mr. Montebello storms out when social media influencers take over his reserved booth.
As Chef Veev’s suspicions grow, she loses it when she finds out that one of her employees, Jordan (Aaron Gonner), is making money off of the reservation resale. Because Veev wants to catch him in the act, he sets a trap. When it works, they get into a heated argument. Veev attacks Jordan with a meat cleaver because she is so angry. She tells him rude things about his cooking skills to get her point across. Even though Jordan is hurt, he isn’t done yet. He taunts Veev with a recording of the attack on his phone, which leads to one last, deadly fight. In a terrifyingly quick-witted move, Veev deletes the video from his phone, sets up the scene, and even hurts herself to make it look like she did it all on purpose.
Elsbeth and Kaya Step In
Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) and her team show up just as Veev, who is barely able to stand, says she’s fine and should stay at work even though she broke her arm. This strange ending and her injuries make Elsbeth and Detective Edwards (Micaela Diamond) suspicious. Chef Veev says she is a victim, but Elsbeth is even more interested in her because of strange things like the stains on her clothes and the fact that her staff says she has anger issues.
Elsbeth and her partner Kaya start to look into it more and find strange clues, like Veev’s business dealings with a shady “avocado cartel.” This group of organized criminals tries to get her to buy their goods, and they are so well-known that the FBI is looking into them. Even though it turned out that they weren’t involved in the attack, their presence makes the investigation even stranger.
The Duck Puzzle
As the investigation goes on, Elsbeth has a bright idea about a half-tray of duck that Veev had put in the oven right before the attack. She thinks Veev stumbled out of the basement after turning it off, but the fingerprints and stains on her clothes show that Veev dragged herself across the floor and reset the timer while she was still trying to hide what she did. This forgotten detail, along with the deleted video, is enough proof to show Veev she is guilty.
Putting the Last Bits Together
Forensic evidence seals the case: Veev’s fingerprints are found on Jordan’s phone, confirming she deleted the incriminating video. Her fate is sealed, proving once again that perfection can be a dangerous obsession. Detective Edwards looks into Jordan’s plan to resell reservations, which helps Elsbeth and her team paint a clear picture of Veev’s goal. Jordan lost Montebello’s attention because she had booked two events at the same time. Montebello was a VIP who could have helped her become more famous by letting her work with his hotel chain. Veev acted out because she was angry and thought there was a threat to her career. She made Jordan’s death look like an accident.
The dangerous effects of monomania are shown by Elsbeth’s meeting with Veev. With sharp wit and persistence, she shows how Veev’s world of high-stakes dining is full of lies. In the crazy kitchen of Chef Veev, this episode has a perfect mix of suspense, dark comedy, and moral complexity that you will never forget.
As always, the episode is peppered with standout moments from its ensemble cast. Wendell Pierce delivers comedic relief as Captain Wagner, whose poker nights double as opportunities to gather intel on the case. And Laura Benanti’s supermodel Nadine steals every scene she’s in, delivering hilariously loopy lines like, “Another model once tripped me backstage at Versace — I’m not naming names but ask me in the car, and I’ll tell you.” Her over-the-top energy provides a refreshing contrast to the episode’s darker themes.
Elsbeth Flips the Bird tells a story that is as intense and carefully thought out as the chef herself. It shows that in Elsbeth’s world, even the perfect recipe can have a dark side.
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Elsbeth Season 2 Guest Cast
