'There Are A Lot Of Suspicions': Elsbeth's Carra Patterson Talks Kaya's Conflict And Being 'Very Worried' About The Partnership

Carra Patterson and Carrie Preston in Elsbeth Season1x06
(Image credit: Elizabeth Fisher/CBS)

Elsbeth arrived on CBS later than other of the network's shows in the 2024 TV schedule, and wasted no time in becoming enough of a hit to earn a Season 2 renewal. With Carrie Preston reprising her role as Elsbeth Tascioni from The Good Wife amidst a totally new cast of characters, the first five episodes proved that it's definitely not The Good Wife 2.0. Now, the sixth episode promises to complicate Elsbeth's partnership with Kaya, and actress Carra Patterson spoke with CinemaBlend about what's on the way.

The next new episode airs on April 25 and is called "An Ear for an Ear," after a high-profile plastic surgeon is found dead under circumstances that are suspicious... or, if the first five episodes are any indication, Elsbeth will probably find more suspicious right off the bat than Wagner and Co. at the NYPD! Showgirls alum Gina Gershon will guest star, while Kaya will start to keep tabs on what Elsbeth is up to. Will this be the episode that Kaya truly discovers that there's more to Elsbeth than she knew before?

Well, only tuning in will confirm, but when Carra Patterson previewed "An Ear for an Ear" to CinemaBlend, she weighed in on Kaya's level of trust for Elsbeth:

At this point, I think she trusts Elsbeth. I think she has a great trust and respect for Elsbeth, but I think this episode is pivotal because that trust is called into question because she sees Elsbeth make some suspicious decisions. And there are also a lot of suspicions surrounding Wagner, who she also respects and I think Kaya is really torn. We get to see Kaya really navigate that this episode.

It's safe to say that Kaya is in an even more difficult position that ever before, with reason to be suspicious of two major people in her career at this point. According to Patterson, this will be a "pivotal" episode, so fans may want to prepare for a possible turning point in the series so far.

And for as much fun as Kaya and Elsbeth have been to watch as a duo ever since the series premiere's True Blood reunion for Carrie Preston with Stephen Moyer, their partnership and friendship might not be great for the officer's career. Patterson weighed in on the subject:

I think Kaya is very worried about what this could mean. Kaya prides herself on being very by the book, and I think she really pours her all into her career. I think that's why when she goes home, her outlet is like just binging on reality TV, but then she gets up the next day and she really gives her all. So for this investigation to be going on and if it backfires, it could really mess up everything that she's worked hard for. So I think Kaya is being very cautious, but she also wants to do what's right, which is why she got into this in the first place. She wants to be on the side of truth and putting away the bad guys, and if two people who she respects could potentially be one of the bad guys, then she has a really tough choice to make.

For a character who wants to be on the side of the truth, she's unfortunately surrounded by characters who are keeping some secrets! Hopefully Kaya will find out about Elsbeth's investigation into Wagner sooner rather than later, because I can't be the only one dying to see her reaction after five episodes of growing friendship.

So, with growing suspicions about Elsbeth, will Kaya feel any conflict about keeping tabs in the April 25 episode? The actress answered that very question, saying:

Oh, I think Kaya feels tons of conflict throughout this. I think she is starting to question Elsbeth's motives and question who's on the right side of justice this episode, and I think she's conflicted scene by scene.

Be sure to tune in to CBS on Thursday, April 25 at 10 p.m. ET for the "An Ear for an Ear" episode of Elsbeth. The renewal for Season 2 fortunately means there's no need to worry that the end is nigh with the Season 1 finale in May, and you can always revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

Also, if you're an Elsbeth viewer who does see the show as a Good Wife spinoff, you can find the series that introduced Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni streaming on Paramount+ as well.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).