Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14 is headlined by a solid guest star lineup which includes the returning Michael Emerson, Adam Ferrera, and Alyssa Milano.
The latest episode of the CBS crime drama, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," sees Elsbeth investigating a cold case (the Goldie Moresco murder in 1998) that she comes across with during a walking tour in New York City.
Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14 premiered on CBS on March 6.
Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 14 Cast & Guest Stars
Luciana Capuano - Young Pupetta
Luciana Capuano stars as the younger version of Puppeta via flashbacks.
Elsbeth is Capuano's first major acting credit.
Ryan O’Dell - Young Gene Genetti Sr.
Ryan O'Dell appears as the younger version of Gene Genetti Sr.
O'Dell is a stunt double known for his work on Lethal Weapon, New Girl, and The Hangover.
Alison Chace - Reporter
Alison Chace plays the reporter who revealed the news that the Goldie Moresco case is being reopened.
Chace's notable credits include Law & Order, FBI, and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
Adam Fontana - Eddie Nova
Adam Fontana portrays Eddie Nova, the arrested suspect in the Goldie Moresco case in 1998.
Fontana also starred in Into the Wild Frontier, How to Live Your Best Death, and The Mega-Brands that Built America.
Anthony Pyatt - Genetti Jr./Goldie Moresco
Anthony Pyatt plays dual roles in Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14: Genetti Jr. and Goldie Moresco during flashbacks.
Goldie Moresco's death in 1998 led to an all-out gang war. Meanwhile, Genetti Jr. is the biological son of Pupetta Del Ponte.
Pyatt previously appeared in Descendants: The Rise of Red, Will Trent, and The Right Stuff.
Daniel Oreskes - Detective Fleming
Daniel Oreskes returns as Detective Flemin, the lead investigator assigned to the case who was actually the one who spearheaded the investigation of the Goldie Moreno case in 1998.
Oreskes is back after playing a prominent role in Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 8.
Oreskes is known for his roles in Law & Order: Organized Crime, The Sopranos, and Only Murders in the Building.
Murray Hill - Henry
Murray Hill guest stars as Henry, the main tour guide assigned to the walking tour in New York focused on sites of previous crimes.
Hill is part of the cast of Somebody Somewhere Season 3 as well as Life & Beth, Drag Me to Dinner, and Welcome to Flatch.
Adam Ferrara - Older Gene Genetti
Adam Ferrara joins the cast of Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14 as the older Gene Genetti who eventually marries Pupetta Del Ponte.
He asks for Elsbeth's help in unpacking the truth behind what truly happened to the Goldie Moresco case back in '98.
Ferrara has credits in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Rescue Me, and Definitely, Maybe.
Hayward Leach - Roy
After making his debut in Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 12, Hayward Leach reprises his role as Roy, Teddy's boyfriend who strikes a strong bond with Elsbeth. They even have nicknames to each other: E.T.
Leach previously appeared in Tom Swift, Love Life, and Sneakerella.
Ben Levi Ross - Teddy
Ben Levi Ross returns as Teddy, Elsbeth's son who helps her solve the case while also bonding with her boyfriend.
Ross has credits in Tick, Tick... BOOM! and Acting for a Cause.
Michael Emerson - Judge Crawford
Michael Emerson is back as Elsbeth Season 2's big bad, Judge Crawford.
In Season 2, Episode 14, Judge Crawford's influence over the judges of New York prevents them from reopening the Goldie Moresco case that was already closed in 1998.
Emerson is best known for appearing as part of the cast of Fallout Episode 2 where he played Dr. Siggi Wilzig.
The actor can also be seen in Saw, Lost, and Person of Interest.
Alyssa Milano - Pupetta Del Ponte
Alyssa Milano guest stars in Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14 as Pupetta Del Ponte, the only remaining member of a crime family who decides to start fresh after Goldie Moresco was murdered.
Pupetta, though, is hiding some shady secret that could unravel the Goldie Murder case.
Milano's most recognizable roles include playing Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed, Samantha Micelli in Who's the Boss?, and Coralee Armstrong in Insatiable.
Here are the other main characters who appeared in Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14:
- Carrie Preston - Elsbeth Tascioni
- Carra Patterson - Officer Kaya Blanke
- Wendell Pierce - Captain Wagner
- Daniel K. Isaac - Lieutenant Connor
Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 14 Plot Recap
Elsbeth Asks Questions About a Cold Case
Elsbeth Season 2, Episode 14, "Scenes from a Restaurant," begins with Elsbeth, Teddy, and Roy going on a walking tour in New York with a tour guide, Henry, that explains famous crime scenes in the city.
The last stop is Pupetta's, an Italian restaurant where a mob-related murder happened in 1998. The crime has been even adapted into a movie called City on a Knife Edge.
Henry explains what happened during that fateful night, revealing that Goldie Moresco of the Del Ponte family's reckless actions of throwing a drink in the face of Eddie Nova ignited an all-out mob war in 1998.
It turns out that Goldie was murdered by Eddie during his last meal by stabbing him in the chest with a corkscrew and shooting him twice.
After Eddie left the scene, a young waiter named Gene Gianetti witnessed the whole thing. Eddie was then found dead three days later, leading to an all-out war between the two crime families, with Pupetta being the only one left alive.
Given Elsbeth's curiosity, it doesn't take long for her to notice gaps in the story, such as Eddie using Goldie's gun and not his when he killed him, and the fact that something was amiss behind the motive.
However, Elsbeth gets interrupted by Pupetta herself, claiming that Eddie was just a fool back then.
Before heading out, Elsbeth meets the older Gene Gianetti, who seems distraught over the fact that Pupetta (who is now his wife) is with a young man.
Gene gives Elsbeth a note with a time and place, with him seemingly wanting to reveal something to her that could be tied to the Goldie Moresco case.
Later that night, Elsbeth, accompanied by Teddy and Roy, goes to the meetup place to learn the truth from Goldie. However, they end up finding Goldie in a stretcher after being involved in a car accident.
Detective Fleming’s History With the Mob Case
At the scene, Officer Kaya informs Elsbeth about the accident while Detective Fleming overhears their conversation.
He reveals that he is the main detective assigned to the Goldie Moreno murder back in '98, which was his first high-profile case and Gene was his only witness then.
Pupetta arrives on the scene, and she immediately grieves her husband even though Gene is clearly still alive.
Elsbeth becomes suspicious of the mob princess, pointing out to Blanke and Fleming that Pupetta was the only one who saw her and Gene talking at the restaurant (indicating that foul play may be involved).
At the precinct, Lieutenant Connor and Captain Wagner are trying to find a suitable replacement for Officer Blanke to follow Elsbeth around before eventually promoting her to detective.
Wagner is concerned that Blanke and Elsbeth's strong dynamic will be hard to replace.
Elsbeth and Blanke arrive to loop Captain Wagner in about the case, telling him that they believe that it's suspicious that Gene was involved in a hit-and-run moments before he was about to meet Elsbeth to shed some light on the Goldie Moresco murder.
Detective Fleming chimes in, believing that Eddie Nova was framed for Goldie Moresco's death and the real killer is still on the loose.
He says that there were rumors that Goldie was killed by a member of the Del Ponte family because he was an informant to the FBI.
Fleming believes that Elsbeth is right and he wants to push to reopen the case.
However, Wagner reminds them that the main case they are investigating is the hit-and-run involving Gene and not the Moresco murder from '98. Unless there is a connection between the two, the case stays closed.
More Family Drama Gets Unearthed
Back at Pupetta's, Fleming and Elsbeth inform the restaurant owner that someone might've deliberately tried to run Gene over, but Pupetta assures that her family has no enemies.
After Elsbeth points out that the young man whom Pupetta is with may have caused the rift between them, she reveals that it was actually their son, Gene Jr.
She informs that Gene Sr. doesn't want their son to work for the restaurant, because he has a business degree from Wharton that could take him elsewhere. However, Pupetta has other plans for him.
After getting word out that Gene is out of surgery, Fleming and Elsbeth head over to the hospital to check on him. Surprisingly, Pupetta is already there.
While Elsbeth manages to talk to Gene alone, he is tight-lipped on why he decides to meet her that night, and it appears that Pupetta has already threatened him.
At the precinct, Blanke reveals that the cops manage to apprehend the guy who ran Gene over, telling Fleming and Elsbeth that his record is mostly clean and he only lost control of the car.
Despite that, Fleming notices that the guy is familiar, and it turns out that he was the same guy the cops arrested in the past and is a former associate of the Del Ponte family.
After Fleming brings out his former case files, Elsbeth notices that there are scratches in Goldie's face and the detective tells her that the victim had a deeper scratch in his chest.
Despite the obvious signs of a physical altercation, the detective reveals that he wasn't able to confirm if it was connected to his death because Goldie was a womanizer back in the day.
To give a brief rundown, Goldie Moresco was murdered in 1998 before he could reveal much to the FBI and someone tried to run over Gene Gianetti (the only witness) in present day before he managed to talk to Elsbeth. So maybe the same person gave both those orders.
Still, it doesn't make sense, so they bring Pupetta in for questioning since she is the only Del Ponte alive.
During the interrogation, Pupetta doesn't give away much, but Elsbeth notices her sharp nails.
She gets offended after Elsbeth asks her about the scratches on Goldie's face, and she eventually leaves because she is not a suspect (for now).
Judge Crawford Returns to Create Problems
At Elsbeth's place, she, alongside Ben and Teddy, watches City on a Knife Edge (the movie based on Goldie Moresco's murder).
This is more of an investigation for Elsbeth as she tries to look for clues that can help her convince Captain Wagner to reopen the case.
Given that the movie is fairly accurate to what happened, she notices that Pupetta's nails are quite long, which is enough to leave a mark when scratching a man's face and chest.
The next day, Elsbeth and Detective Fleming try to convince Captain Wagner again to reopen the case.
Despite some backing from Fleming about the fact that the scratches on Goldie's face were never tested for DNA, Wagner is still hesitant, but he does say that he will try to find a judge to sign off on exhuming Goldie's body for some new tests.
At Pupetta's, Gene Jr. catches Elsbeth spying on the restaurant and tells her to back off. He also seems distraught over working for his family's business, which catches Elsbeth's curiosity.
Meanwhile, Roy informs Elsbeth that he wants to create a true crime podcast that revolves around detectives' cold cases, but Teddy appears to be not on board with the idea.
The conversation gets interrupted when Captain Wagner calls her to say that no judge is willing to sign off on exhuming Goldie's body. He suspects that Judge Crawford (Elsbeth's enemy # 1) might be behind it.
The next day, Elsbeth confronts Judge Crawford, but he dismisses her because the only way to receive approval to exhume Goldie's body is if they receive a new confession.
A Season 1 Connection Emerges
Heading home, Elsbeth comes across Pupetta talking to Teddy. It appears that she is there to threaten her to stop snooping around and let the case go before someone else gets hurt.
It looks like Pupetta is the prime suspect, but Elsbeth needs more evidence to put out a warrant.
At the precinct, Captain Wagner advises Fleming and Elsbeth to shut down their investigation because there is no new evidence. However, Blanke swoops in with a new lead.
It turns out that one of their suspects from Season 1, Ashton Hayes (played by Keegan Michael Key from Elsbeth Season 1, Episode 7) was the accountant of Pupetta's family business and it is revealed that she has been laundering money for her mob-related shenanigans.
They suspect that Gene Jr. is being primed to take over Ashton's position because his major at Wharton is forensic accounting. This is the main reason why Gene Sr. doesn't want his son to work at Pupetta's because he doesn't want him involved in some illegal dealings.
Elsbeth also deduces that Gene Jr. is not the real son of Gene Sr. after an Instagram post shows him looking exactly like Goldie Moresco back in the day.
They theorize that Gene Jr. is the son of Goldie and Pupetta, but they need more evidence to prove it.
At the hospital, Elsbeth meets with Gene Sr. to let him know that she knows everything - the mob business and Gene Jr.'s true parentage.
Gene Sr. reveals that part of the deal he made with Pupetta involves him marrying her and raising Gene Jr. as his own while giving up the mob business.
However, after Ashton's arrest, Gene Sr. finds out that Pupetta is still doing some illegal dealings due to her ties from the mob.
Elsbeth suggests a risky move to Gene: confess to Goldie's murder so that his body will be exhumed and the real killer will be exposed. Gene agrees to do it for Gene Jr., but he needs reassurance that he will not go to jail.
A Movie Night Helps Elsbeth Unlock the Case
At movie night, Elsbeth, Roy, and Teddy watch the 5-hour cut of City on a Knife Edge with director's commentary.
This is where Elsbeth finds out a deleted scene (which is fairly accurate to what transpired) where Pupetta's nail was broken, indicating that she was involved in a fight then.
That is more than enough reason for Elsbeth to pinpoint Pupetta as the killer, prompting her to tell Gene Sr. that she found evidence that could expose his wife.
The case gets reopened after Gene Sr.'s fake confession, meaning that Goldie's body can now be exhumed.
At the restaurant, Elsbeth reveals what truly happened during that fateful night.
Instead of Eddie Nova killing Goldie Moresco, a 19-year-old Pupetta is the actual murderer after she arrived to tell him that she was pregnant with their baby.
After Goldie denied that it was his baby, he and Pupetta had a brutal fight which explained the scratches on his face and his chest. She ended up stabbing him with the corkscrew and shot him twice to pin the murder on Eddie Nova.
Gene Sr. was the only witness and they made their deal to cover everything up.
While Pupetta tries to pin the murder of Gene Sr. by saying that he was in love with her the whole time, evidence suggests otherwise since her broken nail was found in Goldie's body and her DNA was all over the corkscrew.
Pupetta ends up getting arrested, and the case is finally closed.
The episode ends with Elsbeth and Blanke celebrating their win while Captain Wagner and Lieutenant Connor are still finding out the next steps on who will replace Blanke as the officer-in-charge for Elsbeth.
New episodes of Elsbeth Season 2 premiere every Thursday on CBS at 10 p.m. ET and can be streamed the next day on Paramount+.
