How ‘Elsbeth’ Explains Carra Patterson’s Absence From Season 3 Premiere

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from tonight’s Season 3 premiere of the hit CBS series. Elsbeth entitled “Yes, and…”

In tonight’s season 3 premiere Elsbeth, Carra Patterson did not appear as Kaya Blanke, although there was an explanation for her absence. The actress stepped down from her series regular duties in May, as Deadline exclusively reported, saying she would return in the new season as a guest star.

To explain Kaya being off-camera, the character was promoted from an NYPD officer to an undercover agent as part of a special task force in DC. Captain Wallace said at the time: “Training begins right away. It will require extensive training in DC and undercover missions.”

Tonight’s episode picks up Kaya’s storyline, explaining what she’s working on in a conversation between Elsbeth and Cameron Clayden (Sullivan Jones).

Cameron silently tells Elsbeth, “I’m not supposed to say anything” when she asks him about their mutual “friend.”

Adding: “I spoke to her and she finished her training and started her first undercover mission. And she seems pretty happy.”

Kaya will officially appear in the third episode of season 3, titled “Good Grief”, where her case intersects with the one Elsbeth is working on. Without giving too much away, Elsbeth and Kaya interact (photo above), but with great caution so as not to blow Kaya’s cover. The events of this episode’s finale set up Kaya’s storyline for the rest of the season.

“All I can say is we love the relationship between Elsbeth and Kaya, and we love Carra Patterson. We hope to see Kaya on the show as much as possible,” showrunner Jonathan Tolins said in an update on how much of Kaya we’ll get to see this season.

Tolins didn’t share the exact number of episodes we could expect to see Patterson appear in, but as previously mentioned, the Episode 3 finale will allow Kaya to disappear for a while until she comes back into the picture.

Patterson explained how this would all be handled in May.

“My character, Kaya Blanke, embarks on a new adventure as the story continues to unfold, and I’m excited to do the same. But we will see Kaya again – fans will find out what she’s been up to in her new role as ‘Detective’ next season when I return as a guest star and play alongside Carrie and Wendell,” she said.