So Help Me Todd season 2 is back, and is at the opera, where behind the scenes a mysterious hand replaces a prop knife with a real knife. Meanwhile, Todd (Skylar Astin) waits outside the theater for Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden). Susan (Inga Schlingmann) is also at the theater, in a stunning dress, accompanied by Beverly (Leslie Silva). Allison (Madeline Wise) shows up late, dressed in sweats and a tee shirt.
They are all at the opera to see the celebrated diva Jaqueline (Jenifer Lewis). Todd ends up sitting next to weatherman Tim Chalice (Alex Rose), the weatherman he locked in his dressing room in the previous episode. Todd sees Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) in the audience too. He looks at the program and sees that Jaqueline's last name is Burton, putting together that Jacqueline is Lyle's mother.
What happens during the night at the opera? Read on for our full recap of So Help Me Todd season 2 episode 5, "End on a High Note."
Defending the diva
At the end of Jacqueline's final aria, she has the knife in her hand. The knife flies out of her hand by accident, stabbing one of the other women on the stage. The woman, Aubrey (Yu Matsushita) crumples. Allison runs to the stage to help, but Aubrey dies. When it's revealed Aubrey was Jaqueline's understudy who was supposed to take over the lead role permanently, the police suspect Jaqueline of murder. Margaret steps in to represent Jaqueline.
The next day Margaret goes to the police station as Jaqueline gives her statement. There is a crowd of adoring fans and press, so Jaqueline plays to her audience. As the detective is talking to Margaret, Jaqueline tells the press she would never have killed someone with a knife. She says she would have used poison, like in Romeo & Juliet. Todd, Lyle and Margaret hustle Jaqueline out the back exit before she can make any more incriminating statements. The press is swarming, so they take Jaqueline to Margaret's condo to hide out.
Diva Jaqueline is not happy about being kept away from the public. And she's not happy with Lyle either for not pursuing music as a career. Lyle stays with his mother while Margaret and Todd head to the law firm. Margaret sends Todd to the theater to find the knife while she goes to find out if the DA is going to charge Jaqueline with murder.
At the theater, Todd is caught snooping around by Magda Jennings (Karin Konoval), Jaqueline's assistant. She gives Todd some clothes for Jaqueline and tells him the police have taken the rest of Jaqueline's things. Included in the box are the roses that Tim Chalice had brought for Jaqueline. Magda also tells Todd Jaqueline hated Aubrey because Aubrey was very talented.
It was poison
Allison shows up at the law firm with a copy of Aubrey's autopsy results. The knife wound wasn't fatal. Shockingly, Aubrey died from a rare South American poison that was on the knife blade. Jaqueline recently performed in Brazil, so an arrest warrant is issued for her.
Margaret, Lyle and Todd bring Jaqueline to court the next day to make her plea. Jaqueline is wearing her costume from the opera and a voluminous purple hooded cloak. Margaret tells her to only say, "not guilty." Instead, Jaqueline dramatically sings her plea.
She loudly declares she is the actual victim because she was supposed to plunge the knife into her heart at the end of the show, but that changed at the last minute. She declares someone is trying to kill her. Margaret asks for a dismissal. In the hallway outside Todd sees Tim Chalice.
They bring Jaqueline to Todd's apartment where the press won't find her. Todd tells Margaret he suspects Tim Chalice of trying to kill Jaqueline. Lyle goes undercover at a candlelight vigil that Chalice is holding in support of Jaqueline. Magda sings at the vigil. Lyle finds out that Chalice wasn't at Jaqueline’s Brailizian performance, so he couldn't be the murderer.
Back at Todd's, Allison and Todd fight because he wants her to move out. Not to be out done, Jaqueline dramatically fights with everyone. Margaret tries to make peace by saying that everyone has a different perspective.
A frenemy in the mix
The next day Todd gathers everyone at the law firm. He plays a recording of the performance and everyone explains what they say from their perspective. Lyle notices his mother slid a note at the end and that she was looking offstage to the right. He realizes Magda was helping his mother find her note, and that she's been doing that all along.
Jaqueline reveals she and Magda have been friends since their conservatory days. Magda had perfect pitch and a wonderful voice but no "star quality," so she never made it. That's why she's been working as an assistant to Jaqueline all these years.
The next day at the trial Margaret puts Magda on the stand. She skillfully questions Magda and gets her to confess that she was trying to kill Jaqueline so Jaqueline wouldn't keep Aubrey from succeeding. The charges against Jaqueline are dropped.
At Todd's apartment, Allison confesses she is scared to move out and try again because she feels like she failed at life. Todd tells her she doesn’t have to move out right away.
New episodes of So Help Me Todd airs Thursdays on CBS and are then available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
