Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Elsbeth Season 3, Episode 11.
After a lengthy hiatus, Season 3 of Elsbeth finally kicks off 2026 with its mid-season premiere episode, “Ol’ Man Liver.” So far, the series’ third season has been overwhelmingly positive, both in terms of quality and the titular character herself, played by Carrie Preston. It’s no wonder the series has already secured a Season 4. The question is, does Elsbeth, as per the episode’s punny title reference, “keep on rollin’ along,” or is it dammed?
Hamish Linklater Trades in for a Newer Organ Model in ‘Elsbeth’s “Ol’ Man Liver”
“Ol’ Man Liver” opens on the face of Archer Kopunek (Hamish Linklater), a wealthy, middle-aged biohacker, as he awakens at 4:00 am to begin his daily routine. Soon, we see Archer in an in-house lab, where Dr. Kim (Jason W. Wong) is looking over his biometrics. Through a rigorous daily health routine, Archer’s cellular age sits at 32.4 years. It’s never been lower, and the only thing preventing him from getting lower still is his not-quite-up-to-snuff liver. The news rattles the health-obsessed Archer, but there’s little that can be done medically — sometimes genetics simply play a role that can’t be circumvented.
Just then, opportunity comes knocking in the form of Tyler, a young man on the grounds crew seeking some ice to tend to a bee sting. Archer is instantly captured by Tyler’s physique and asks if Tyler works out regularly. He does not, attributing his health to good genes, prompting Archer to ask about his blood type. Strange, but it makes sense once we see a montage of Tyler going through the same daily routines as Archer, only with blood transfusions added in. Several months later, the arrangement is working for Archer, who is now down to a 31.9 cellular age.
Only the arrangement is not working for Tyler, who wants to move on and do normal things that 22-year-old people do, like try beer and sushi. Archer pleads for him to change his mind, saying how, by following his methods, Tyler could very well be the first man to live forever. It doesn’t work, and Tyler is adamant about moving out at the end of the month. That night, Archer switches their Externa Bands, rings that monitor their biometrics, then forces his heart rate to dangerous levels, triggering a 9-1-1 call with the system believing Tyler is having a stroke. A software update at 12:00 brings the system down, allowing Archer to stick a syringe in Tyler’s neck as he sleeps, forcing an air bubble into his veins that kills him. Deed done, Archer switches the rings back and goes to bed as the lights of the ambulance strike the room.
Elsbeth Gets Closer To Figuring Out Archer Is the Killer
One year later, Captain Wagner (Wendell Pierce) walks in on Elsbeth as she’s talking to Cord (Danny Jolles) about cellular memory, where an organ transplant recipient takes on the characteristics, phobias, and even memories of the donor. As Elsbeth explains, Cord believes that the donor was murdered, plagued by horrible nightmares after the transplant, and seeking answers (“To questions raised by his organ,” Wagner quips). Later that day, Elsbeth accompanies Cord to a gathering of people celebrating the first anniversary of the organ transplants they received from none other than Tyler, and who have all had similar experiences to Cord’s. They’re all accounted for except the liver recipient, who didn’t want to be identified. Cut to Archer, who is told by Dr. Kim that his numbers are perfect.
Back at the precinct, Elsbeth, Wagner, and Officer Reynolds (Bianca “b” Underwood) are perplexed. The medical report indicates that Tyler died at 22 of a stroke, a natural cause of death, and in the police report, paramedics had responded to a distress call from Archer’s home. But if Tyler worked for a biohacker, whose goal is to use science to extend their lives and live forever, why didn’t he make it to 23?
Elsbeth goes to Archer’s home to ask and learns that Tyler was Archer’s trainer. But he didn’t follow the stringent protocol set out by Archer, and you can’t fight genetics, remember? He then shows Elsbeth his Externa Band, similar to the one that initiated the call for help for Tyler, before adding that routine is the cornerstone of good health. Elsbeth politely disagrees, citing three members of her family who lived past 100, before noticing calcinolate, an organ transplant drug, on Archer’s counter, there on account of his liver transplant. But Elsbeth’s assumption that the liver was Tyler’s is wrong, with Archer saying it came from his son, bringing them closer than ever.
Nope. His son, Atlas (Ethan Peterson), calls Archer a “selfish, vindictive prick” and would take his liver back if he could. As he explains, when Archer turned 40, he had the “mother of all midlife crises,” which drove Atlas’ mom away. But he stayed, stuck to all the rules, gave Archer his blood and a part of his liver, only for Archer to accuse him of cheating on the protocol. The news prompts Elsbeth and Reynolds to posit that Archer decided Atlas’ liver wasn’t good enough after believing he cheated, so maybe Archer killed Tyler to get a new one. It would fit the profile and, besides, Tyler was paid over six figures last year, well above what a personal trainer would take in.
Elsbeth Wraps Up Tyler’s Murder Case With a Sweet Treat
Wagner tasks Detective Rivers (Braeden De La Garza) with assisting Elsbeth, and the two track down an Airstream trailer that Tyler bought two weeks prior to his death. Despite Archer’s claims that Tyler was a loner, a young woman named Ana (Karma Jenkins) answers the door, with Tyler’s Externa Band on a necklace. Ana says they made plans to travel with the trailer after he quit, but it was too late. Elsbeth is shocked at the revelation of Tyler quitting, and further posits that Archer, a health-obsessed perfectionist with abandonment issues, saw Tyler’s exit as the perfect opportunity to replace his liver with a better model. Furthermore, because there were no signs of foul play, organ donation trumped a proper autopsy, and certain induced symptoms could be mistaken for a stroke.
Her theory gains traction after getting hold of a copy of the contract Tyler signed, which gives Archer the rights to anatomical remains in the event of death while under employment, meaning that he would get dibs in the event he needed, say, a liver. Archer would have known the dangers of incorrect syringe use, like an air bubble prompting an air embolism, posing as a stroke to an undiscerning machine. And, curiously, despite Archer posting his biodata on his website daily, there were two notable exceptions: a two-month stint following the partial liver transplant, and a 6-month period after Tyler passed away, matching the recovery time needed for a full liver transplant.
‘Elsbeth’ Season 3 Episode 10 Recap: Andrew Rannells’ Grisly Holiday Murder Mystery Wraps Up 2025 on a High Note
Another Season 3 episode that’s tutu good to miss.
Good enough, and so Elsbeth and a gaggle of police show up at Archer’s house, where she explains everything. It was the rings that brought it all together, with Archer’s cellular age a stunning 22 the day Tyler died, but Tyler’s ring registered his at 31.9, the ages having switched along with the rings. It allowed Archer to stage a fake medical episode that triggered the 9-1-1 call, while the software update gave Archer the window needed to kill Tyler shortly before the ambulance arrived, ensuring the liver stayed as fresh as possible. And if he still wanted to deny it, a warrant would allow police to confirm whose liver Archer really has. Defeated, Archer hangs his head and accepts Elsbeth’s offer of birthday cake fro-yo, given he might as well break protocol now, and claims it’s bliss after a single bite.
“Ol’ Man Liver” is another fantastic episode in a season filled with standouts, but does it say anything about the way things ended back in December with Alec Bloom (Ivan Hernandez), whose claims about his homeless youth may be false? Oh yes, it does. Elsbeth actually confronts Alec about Teddy’s (Ben Levi Ross) findings, but Alec claims he doesn’t remember a lot from that time, and those things he does remember are too hard to think about. Teddy, who is taken off the Alec Bloom beat after his editor is aggressively challenged by Marissa (Sarah Steele), turns up at Elsbeth’s to talk about it, fearing that she’s wearing blinders, with her sharp instincts being muted by Alec’s charm. She didn’t challenge Alec’s explanation earlier, so maybe Teddy’s right? It’s hard to say, especially after the conversation cuts short as Alec walks down the stairs in nothing but a towel, making for an extremely awkward moment. ‘Til next week.
- Release Date
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February 29, 2024
- Directors
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Nancy Hower, Robert King, Lionel Coleman, Rob Hardy, Robin Givens, Ron Underwood, Rosemary Rodriguez, Aisha Tyler, Bille Woodruff, James Whitmore Jr., Joe Menendez, Kevin Rodney Sullivan, Lily Mariye, Nick Gomez, Peter Sollett, Sam Hoffman, Tyne Rafaeli, Darren Grant, Fong-Yee Yap, Mary Lou Belli
Pros & Cons
- Haymitch Linklater brings gravitas to a villain that easily could fall into camp, making for another great Season 3 antagonist.
- Elsbeth’s exuberant explanation on how she stays healthy is an absolute must hear.
- Captain Wagner’s “What in the Nosferatu?” gets my vote for quote of the year.
- Although they pulled it off yet again, these outlandish scenarios are getting less credible.
- Elsbeth seemingly taking Alec at his word, especially with such a weak explanation, is almost jarringly out of character.
