Due to its extended second season, Elsbeth was able to improve its overarching mystery narrative as the season leans into secret aspects of Elsbeth's past in Chicago while developing a mystery surrounding her conflict with Judge Crawford, a significant subplot where the build-up is sprinkled in throughout a majority of episodes in season two. The other major plot thread in season two saw Kaya Blanke's promotion to detective, a story arc that had been working its way forward since the show's beginning. Unfortunately, following Kaya's promotion, her screen time lessened, as Elsbeth was paired with a revolving door of police officers and detectives. In the end, this decision was meant to prepare Elsbeth and the audience for how Kaya's decision to leave the precinct to join a task force would coincide with Carra Patterson's exit from the show as a series regular.
Carra Patterson's role as Kaya Blanke added so much joy to the series, as her chemistry with Carrie Preston allowed for the dynamic between Kaya and Elsbeth to feel natural, and gave the series a grounding in friendship. Their dynamic helps the heart of the show, and even though it is already confirmed that Kaya will reunite with Elsbeth again in the future as a guest star in season three, the weekly interactions between Elsbeth and Kaya will be missed. In the event that one or multiple of the police officers who have been working with Elsbeth step up to be a larger part of the show, then season two did a solid job of sprinkling in the characters throughout the season, which allowed the audience to grow used to their presence. Kaya's goodbye as a series regular in "Ramen Holiday" also sees Elsbeth and Kaya's friendship as a focal point for Kaya's portion of the episode, as she grows concerned that she may not get to see Elsbeth again before she leaves for her new job.
Otherwise, Elsbeth fully embraced the idea of aiming for closure in "Ramen Holiday." There are no loose ends or cliffhangers, and in a way, it could have been a nice conclusion had the series ended right there. Elsbeth is reunited with many of the murderers she had placed in jail, and her role also involves solving another murder. The season finale is a joyful event, even with its primary location being a prison, as the series leans into the light-heartedness of the series with a musical number inspired by Chicago. Elsbeth takes advantage of the many guest stars from over the course of two seasons by putting many of them together in one confined space, as "Ramen Holiday" offers a variety of personalities that help keep the storyline engaging as Elsbeth solves the final case of the season before her inevitable release.
"Ramen Holiday" allows the audience to breathe as the series heads into its third season. Without a cliffhanger to determine the fate of any of its characters, Elsbeth celebrates the bonds that everyone has made with each other and embraces the journeys, either together or individually, that they are about to embark on. As a season finale, "Ramen Holiday" delivers a joyful and emotional conclusion that offers closure for some storylines and characters while also opening the door for whatever comes in season three. In its second season, Elsbeth kept up its quality as a joyful, comical, and intriguing mystery series, and its upcoming third season will have the excitement of introducing new mysteries, characters, and storylines to the overarching narrative.