Elsbeth finally put the pieces together in a case that was all about the clues—literally. This week’s episode, “Murder Six Across,” took our favorite quirky attorney into the surprisingly cutthroat world of competitive crossword puzzles, and honestly? It was the clever, character-driven mystery we needed after last week’s slightly wobbly installment. But before Elsbeth could crack the case, she had to face her own complicated history with those “little empty boxes,” all while a much more personal puzzle started unfolding right under her nose.
If you’ve been following Season 3, you know the drill by now: a beloved character actor shows up, plays a seemingly mild-mannered civilian, and turns out to be the killer. This time, it was Steve Buscemi stepping into the role of Simon, a piano tuner and crossword prodigy with some very strong opinions about pop culture slang. And let’s just say, the results were chef’s kiss—or as Simon would probably groan, totally “cheugy.”
Here’s your full recap of all the twists, turns, and heartbreaking dinner revelations from Episode 13.
Steve Buscemi Plays a Killer With a Grudge (And a Crush)
The moment you see Steve Buscemi on the Elsbeth guest star roster, you know you’re in for something special. According to series star Carrie Preston, Buscemi actually asked to be on the show because he was such a fan, and his enthusiasm translated into a performance that was equal parts awkward, menacing, and weirdly sympathetic.
Buscemi plays Simon, an elite solver at the National Crossword Tournament who is deeply offended by the direction modern puzzles are taking. His nemesis? Morris Long (Richard Robichaux), the tournament founder and crossword editor who has decided to fill his grids with words like “cheugy” and TikTok dance references. For Simon, this is nothing short of a cultural crime.
But the motive isn’t just about slang. It’s personal. Simon has a quiet, stammering crush on fellow solver Elaine (Allison Guinn), who has just arrived at the tournament as a newly divorced woman. When Elaine casually mentions that Morris has invited her to dinner, Simon snaps. He confronts Morris in his hotel room, arguing that judges shouldn’t date competitors. Morris, unimpressed, hits him with a time penalty and ultimately disqualifies him. In a fit of rage, Simon grabs a tournament swag bag—one of those nylon drawstring backpacks—and uses it to suffocate the editor right there in the room.
What follows is a masterclass in dark comedy. Simon calmly texts the other judge that Morris is ill, hangs a “Do Not Disturb” sign, and continues competing. He even keeps the body on ice in the bathtub before stuffing it into his trunk, driving it to a remote cabin, and dumping it in the woods. All while trying to win a crossword championship.
Elsbeth vs. Crosswords: A Reluctant Investigator
Here’s the thing about Elsbeth Tascioni that made this episode so fun: she hates crosswords. Well, maybe “hates” is strong—she has a complicated, addictive relationship with them. She confesses to Wagner (Wendell Pierce) that she once missed seeing the Eiffel Tower because she was in her hotel room in Paris finishing a puzzle. She simply can’t resist the pull of those empty boxes. So when she’s assigned to investigate Morris’s murder and has to dive headfirst into the crossword community, she’s equal parts dreading it and secretly thrilled.
Teaming up with Detective Edwards (Micaela Diamond), Elsbeth starts interviewing the small circle of elite solvers. Simon initially plays the part of the grieving competitor perfectly, claiming he admired Morris and had no hard feelings about the dinner invitation with Elaine. He even pays his bar tab with exact change—a compulsion Elsbeth quietly notes.
But another solver, Trudy, spills the real tea. She reveals that Simon hated pop culture clues, once causing such a fuss over a Survivor reference that the paper issued a public apology and swore off reality TV clues forever. Busted.
The Love Triangle and the Tell-Tale Fibers
As Elsbeth digs deeper, she notices a shift in the dynamic between Simon and Elaine. With Morris out of the picture, they’ve grown closer. But Elaine is spotted off to the side, visibly upset, and Elsbeth goes to comfort her. Simon swoops in with one of the most perfectly awkward lines of the season: “Come on, Elaine, cheer up—we all have to go sometime.” It’s a line that only Steve Buscemi could deliver with such insincere, cringe-worthy charm.
The physical evidence starts piling up. Fibers from the swag bag match those found during Morris’s autopsy. Security footage shows Simon leaving the hotel with his large trunk. But the real breakthrough comes when Elsbeth examines a decade’s worth of Morris’s puzzles. She notices that earlier puzzles were intellectually challenging, while recent ones were filled with youth slang—except for the puzzle published after Morris’s death, which reverted to the old, difficult style.
Someone had accessed Morris’s email to submit that puzzle, pretending to be him. And that someone was Simon.
The Final Clue: Exact Change Always Tells the Truth
The climax unfolds during the championship round. Simon is on stage, ready to compete, when Elsbeth, Edwards, and a swarm of officers pull him aside. Elsbeth lays it all out: the argument over Elaine, the broken lanyard clasp found at the scene, the matching bag fibers, the trunk, and the hacked email.
But the final nail in the coffin? Simon’s compulsion for exact change. Elsbeth discovered that Simon had purchased a newspaper at a train station kiosk near the cabin where Morris’s body was dumped. He couldn’t resist buying the Met Tribune to do the crossword, and because he always pays with exact change, his fingerprints were all over the quarters inside the newspaper box.
As he’s led away in cuffs, Simon turns to Elaine and delivers his last, pathetic confession: “I did it because I’m in love with you.” It’s sad, strange, and perfectly in line with the show’s ability to make even murderers feel human.
The Real Mystery: Is Alec Bloom a Liar?
While the crossword case wrapped up neatly, the episode’s final minutes delivered a gut punch that has nothing to do with puzzles. For weeks, Elsbeth has been dating mayoral candidate Alec Bloom (Ivan Hernandez), and things have been going well. She’s even defended him against attack ads sponsored by his opponent’s group.
But during a cozy dinner at Elsbeth’s apartment with Alec and his boyfriend Teddy (Ben Levi Ross), the conversation turns to movies. Alec mentions that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial always makes him cry. The problem? Elsbeth had told him the exact same thing earlier—that the ending makes her cry—and at that time, Alec claimed he had never seen the film.
It’s a tiny detail, but for someone as observant as Elsbeth, it’s a seismic shift. After Teddy pulls her aside to assure her he’ll “play nice,” Elsbeth stops him and says, plainly: “I think Alec is a liar.”
The screen freezes on her realization, and we’re left to sit with it for two weeks until the next episode. Is Alec just trying to impress her by mirroring her interests? Or is something much darker lurking beneath the surface of his campaign? Given Elsbeth’s track record with guest stars, it’s safe to say we haven’t seen the last of this twist.
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Final Verdict: A Clever, Character-Driven Win
“Murder Six Across” is everything Elsbeth does best. It takes a niche world—competitive crossword puzzling—and mines it for both humor and genuine suspense. Steve Buscemi fits seamlessly into the show’s universe, proving once again that great actors make for great villains. His Simon is fussy, obsessive, and ultimately tragic, a man who destroys his chance at love because he can’t handle rejection or a poorly placed pop culture clue.
Carrie Preston continues to shine as Elsbeth, balancing the character’s trademark whimsy with sharp investigative instincts. And the final scene with Alec reminds us that even when the case is solved, Elsbeth’s personal life is becoming the most unpredictable puzzle of all.
What did you think of Steve Buscemi’s turn as the crossword killer? And are you ready for the Alec drama heating up? Drop your theories in the comments!
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