Review: Elsbeth, “Consciously Unsistered” | Season 4, Episode 3 / Cupertino, "Juno" | Season 1, Episode 3

“I admire how you never care what other people think.”

It’s almost the height of restraint that we didn't meet Elsbeth Tascioni’s mother before the fourth season of the show bearing her name. While Elsbeth was an unforgettable presence on The Good Wife (and we eventually met her ex-husband), she was only on so many episodes of its seven-season run. And she appeared on even fewer episodes of the first spin-off show The Good Fight. Elsbeth is not a show I would categorize as unwilling to delve into its main character, but it’s kind of wild that the basic question of who possibly raised this unique and daffy woman never got answered before “Consciously Unsistered.” 

Though the show could’ve explored the route wherein the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, “Consciously Unsistered” goes in the opposite direction. What if Elsbeth’s mother was the polar opposite of her daughter, to the point where it’s difficult to envision either of them ever truly understanding the other? Christine Ebersole makes her first appearance as Lydia, Elsbeth’s friendly but baffled matriarch. She's the type of person who sees Elsbeth’s office at the precinct and is driven to organize it because it just looks too busy. Arguably, either creative avenue would be easy. If Elsbeth’s mom was exactly like her, it would be eminently logical. But then, no one else is exactly like Elsbeth Tascioni, so it equally tracks that her mother is unable to process how this person is her own flesh and blood. 

“Consciously Unsistered” is, for good or ill, a very easy episode in a lot of ways. Frankly, the only way the episode would’ve been easier would be if Elsbeth was meeting her sister for the first time in a while, not her mother. But the case of the week is just as centered around female familial drama, though it notably takes longer than usual to establish the setup.