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Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine (2013)

May 24, 2013 David Marshall Leave a comment

This review discusses the plot so, if you have not already watched this pair of episodes, you may wish to delay reading this.

In discussing Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine (2013), the question that must perforce occupy us for the next thousand or so words is a simple one. What do we expect from the final narrative contributions to conclude a twenty-four episode series? Note that I said series and not serial, i.e. that almost without exception, each episode has been a standalone and the average viewer’s enjoyment would not be affected by whether previous episodes had been viewed. Except, of course, this series insisted on showing the final two episodes in sequence on the same night. This signals a slightly greater level of ambition. Indeed, there are references back to the last two episodes (A Landmark Story and Risk Management) although, again, the average viewer might not even notice. So is this a success and so, to some extent, redeem the series?

Jonny Lee Miller looking tense

I suppose the first part of the answer is that it reaches a climax and there’s quite a pleasing emotional pay-off in the naming of the bee. Whereas other series have chosen to leave cliffhangers with viewers supposedly left on the edge of their seats during the summer, desperate to discover which of the series characters have been killed off, this satisfies us with the identification of Moriarty (Natalie Dormer) and offers an explanation of why she staged her own death and now chose to reappear. Although it fails to tie up loose ends, e.g. whether Moran survived, it does rather neatly leave us poised to start the new season with a clean slate. As an aside, I note the obvious failure to end canonically with the death of Moriarty. Since a woman with her talents and connections is unlikely to spend too long in an American jail, I look forward to seeing more of Natalie Dormer in the role. I thought she made a very good villain (as she has to a slightly lesser extent in Game of Thrones). Resuming the game with Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) would be an interesting possibility in Season 2.

So to the crux of the matter: Holmes has “recovered” Irene Adler from the clutches of Moriarty. There she was calmly painting. The next minute, Sherlock is clutching her to his heaving bosom. This has come as a shock to our eponymous hero and he’s mentally AWOL for most of the first episode. This leaves Watson in the driving seat and she’s more than equal to the task. In the private consulting business, you never know what small piece of information may prove critical, so even though Watson plays fair by admitting the coincidence of recently studying paints, it does enable the police to track down a key New York hench-person who, to put it mildly, is upset by his unmasking. Meanwhile, Irene Adler is cycling between PTSD and a version of Stockholm Syndrome which serves the purpose of keeping Holmes off balance. However, the flashbacks to London show Holmes stopped thinking the moment he set eyes on Irene. From the outset, he correctly identified her as a master forger, but he never takes the further step of associating her with the commission of any other crime. I don’t care how besotted he is and how diligently he chases her, this is a woman worth pursuing for her intelligence. He should suspect her of further criminal behaviour. I confess I had rather been assuming this was a long-term relationship with the couple getting to know each other rather well. What we see here is lust at first sight and the abandonment of common sense by our hero in a relationship based on a two actual and one anticipated sexual encounters, one following an expedition into a Roman sewer to provide the requisite level of uniqueness. I can’t say I find the subsequent breakdown even remotely credible. He’s far too self-centred for a casual sexual relationship to destablise him to this extent and so quickly.

Lucy Liu gives Natalie Dormer the guided tour of the brownstone

Now let’s look at this from the other side of the coin. Here’s this man chasing her. Obviously they have a good time together sexually but he’s dangerous because he’s sitting up in bed beside her analysing the assassinations performed by Moran. It’s therefore entirely reasonable for her to decide to fake her own death and disappear so she can get on with being a criminal mastermind without having to worry about the man in her bed. But we’re supposed to believe she’s fallen in love with this emotionally shallow man who’s being led around by his penis. Worse, when he collapses into self-destructive addiction, she’s supposed to “love” him rather than feel contempt for the pathetic weakling. I don’t think so. In terms of intelligence and in personality terms, she’s obviously better than him, i.e. ignoring the fact she’s using this intelligence for criminal purposes. So why reappear? Ah well he’s rebuilding thanks to Watson and with a big crime set in motion in New York, there’s a risk Sherlock might get in the way. Since she’s set everything up, it’s credible for her to set out to distract him. That he’s immediately reduced to a quivering jelly is a further nail in the romance stakes. How can she feel anything but contempt for this embarrassing wreck?

I think the scriptwriters painted themselves into a corner and, having done so, failed to come up with the best solutions. I’m not saying it’s a complete failure. Indeed, I think it’s a very brave shot at something very difficult, if not impossible, given the way they planned for the narrative arc to work out. But I just don’t buy into the idea that Irene Adler loves this man and wants to rescue him from himself. To make that work, the backstory has to show a real relationship between equals stretching over a significant amount of time and not snatched moments based on uniqueness. As to the major crime underway, the Greek shipping magnate Christos Theophilus (Arnold Vosloo) is primed to assassinate the key Macedonian politician’s son so that Moriarty can collect on a massive currency deal. This is a very ingenious crime based on a good understanding of the regional politics. The device of having New York’s finest driving through traffic to prevent the assassination is a tiresome cliché but it does at least give an extra few minutes of screen time for Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill). They have deserved better from this series. So we end up with Holmes and Watson in a more solid relationship, and Moriarty lives to fight another day, i.e. to order the assassination of both Holmes and Watson from her jail cell during the summer recess. That’s makes Elementary: The Woman and Heroine as good an ending as we could have expected to an indifferent season. One or two of the episodes were pleasing but the overall standard was poor to middling. If the television company had commissioned only ten episodes at ninety minutes including ads, we might have achieved a reasonable standard. As it is, we got no better than we deserved.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, Heroine, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Natalie Dormer, Sherlock Holmes, The Woman

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management (2013)

May 17, 2013 David Marshall 2 comments

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This review discusses the plot so, if you have not already watched this episode, you may wish to delay reading this.

I suppose we have to consider Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management (2013) the story of three women rather than as an adventure for the hero created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Let’s start off with the question of Irene Adler. As has been trailed for some weeks, this is the episode Natalie Dormer is due to appear. Opinion among the experts favoured the notion she would appear in the flesh and not by way of flashback. The explanation why she should have been involved in staging her own death is left to the final pair of episodes being run together as the season finale. Not unnaturally, the speculation is that she is Moriarty and that explains why Sherlock has twice been spared death. However, en route to the reveal in the final seconds of this episode, we’ve been treated to a despondent Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) eulogising the woman as the superstar of her gender. It seems she not only had the body of a sex goddess, but also possessed the aesthetics of an artist and, most usefully of all, a brain. On the receiving end of this definition of a paragon (except possibly the reference to a brain) is Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) who, as she forcefully points out to Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn), has not been blessed with a penis. She has to sit through this remarkably unromantic moment demonstrating just how self-absorbed Holmes is. Anyone with even a hint of empathy would hesitate before passing this message of perfection on to a woman who might just be interested in something more than a platonic relationship. That said, Watson seems to be holding up the reputation of her gender both with the work to show who had committed tonight’s murder and by refusing to be marginalised by Holmes — she clones his phone so she can follow him.

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu before the breakdown

So far she’s doing her “stand by your man” schtick with considerable style. Whatever her actual strengths and weaknesses, Watson is determined to take the professional risks she thinks necessary to be the person she wants to be (not the person other people want her to be). Through her express role as a sober companion and now as an apprentice consulting detective, this Watson has become an emotional rock for this Holmes. She and Gregson are only too aware that this makes her a potential target for Moriarty. If she goes, the recovering Holmes could be thrown back into his pit of despair. Indeed, we see symptoms of collapse in the childish petulance Holmes shows when challenged by Moriarty to solve the case properly. So there’s an essential paradox in Watson’s role. Holmes fears losing her and, in a part of his mind, wants her to be safe and so seeks to exclude her from the danger zone. But the other part of his brain realises that, if she’s not there showing her mettle, she’s not earning his respect as a person. For all Irene Adler has been grated mythical status as the embodiment of all female virtue, she ran out on Holmes. Watson has refused to do that and is, at the very least, Irene’s equal — it will be interesting to see what motive the scriptwriters give Irene for leaving Holmes.

Which brings us to the third woman, Katie Sutter (Francie Swift) whom I find to be completely incredible. She has been in a relationship with Daren Sutter (J.C. MacKenzie) for more than twenty years and, for most of that time, he’s been depressed by the murder of his sister. As they approach the twentieth anniversary of her death, he becomes suicidal so this loving woman convinces him that a local man was the murderer. This framing of the victim is plausible. It would take the investment of significant time and energy to determine he could not have been guilty. Her husband does not feel the need to take the time. His drive for revenge is absolute and, when he has killed this man, the depression falls away from him. For the first time since his sister died, he feels at peace. Perhaps I lack a romantic spark but I don’t believe a successful business woman would arrange for her husband to kill a man just because it would make him feel better. Indeed, the entire murder element in this episode is perfunctory. I assume Moriarty wishes both the husband and wife owners of this detective agency out of the way and, wow, it just happens they have both planned a murder. How remarkably convenient and so lucky Moriarty can call on the services of Holmes to solve the case for him (after a little prompting, of course). It’s also nothing but a coincidence that the murder du jour is a moral message to Holmes on the practice of revenge. To say this is heavy-handed scriptwriting is an understatement. With on the question of the script, we should also note Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) had another line to speak this week.

Elementary: Risk Management sees Holmes relegated to sidekick status as his mind comes under pressure when tasked to solve a murder by Moriarty. I’m not sure the heroes of television shows like this are supposed to stop thinking clearly and turn into spoilt children. I agree with the scriptwriters to the extent that Holmes is a proud man, but the husband as killer in this episode seems a more credible character. Once aimed by his wife, Daren Sutter is completely energised and focused on achieving his revenge. Holmes is the exact opposite. He’s losing the chance to identify Moriarty until Watson solves the case for him. Oh wait. . . That’s the point, isn’t it. The two scenarios have been crafted as mirror images. Both men are weak failures. Respectively as a sober companion and a loving wife, these two strong women manipulate and “save” the men in their lives. The one so he can spend the rest of his days in jail — ironically an unhappy man because he now knows he killed the wrong man — and the other so he can be built up and knocked down by Irene Adler. If Irene is Moriarty, the canonical Holmes must eliminate her by going over one of the New York waterfall installations by artist Olafur Eliasson. Or Moriarty will kill her for real this time.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, Francie Swift, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Risk Management, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013)

May 7, 2013 David Marshall 2 comments

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Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013) and a red-letter day in another sense. This is the first case that doesn’t get solved in a single episode. One of the most serious problems with this series has been the perceived need for there to be a crime committed and solved within time available. Imposing this arbitrary constraint has led to some truly awful mysteries and solutions. Apparently, this is the first in a four-episode sequence forming the season finale which offers scope for some welcome complexity as Moriarty comes into the frame. This episode therefore lays the ground in a number of different ways.

Vinnie Jones is back as Sebastian Moran and obviously top dog inside the jail. His approach to ensuring no-one will pass on the contents of the conversation with Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is pleasingly direct. No matter that he lacks real credentials as an actor, our retired footballer does manage to come across as magnificently thuggish. He sets the ball rolling by summoning Sherlock and passing on news of a murder dressed up as natural causes. Since they both want to catch Moriarty, this is the first crumb in the trail of breadcrumbs for Sherlock to follow.

We now need to reflect on the backstory. It’s been suggested that Irene Adler (to be played by Natalie Dormer in the final three episodes) was the emotional rudder to the Holmes ship. By removing her, Moriarty was neutering Holmes, sending him into self-destructive addiction. So if Moriarty is to pull the same trick again, Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) must have become his important other. This is not, you understand, a sexual relationship. But as an addictive personality, Holmes has partially built his recovery program around this woman. That’s presumably why we have this scene in the park. While staking out the killer bees, Sherlock says, “The thing that’s different about me, empirically speaking, is you.” Although we’re still at a level of platonic friendship, Watson’s reaction looks equivocal. As I’ve mentioned before, this is dangerous territory. If the show makes them a “couple”, this is likely to change the dynamic of the relationship for the worse. The whole point of the Arthur Conan Doyle model is that Watson was loyal but not always around. It’s also a relief to see Watson allowed a little more personal space. Even though she disapproved of the autopsy, she was nevertheless provoked into action by Sherlock’s apparent incompetence. Or perhaps Sherlock was just manipulating her. Despite all this, the renewal of this show for another season presumably means that Holmes and Watson will be back. Hence, Moriarty cannot kill Watson — a big killer of suspense.

Vinnie Jones and Jonny Lee Miller discuss the weather

F. Murray Abraham appears this week as Daniel Gottlieb, an inventive serial killer who, as an engineer, delights in solving assassination problems through the appliance of science. Hacking a pacemaker is interestingly alarming for all those with that small piece of electronics inside their bodies. Dropping an air-conditioning unit on a target from a great height has a Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner quality about it. While the attack of the killer bees is a genuinely ingenious way to attack someone with an allergy. It now seems Moriarty has twice spared Sherlock’s life. Gottlieb was due to administer a heroin overdose but the job was “cancelled” — the only time this happened. The second time is in the hotel room towards the end of this episode when the sniper could have killed him. So the game seems to be to challenge the mind rather than kill the body.

As to the investigation element, there was the now usual trail of breadcrumbs to follow from the pacemaker to the air-conditioning unit to the bees. I was onboard up to this point. Leaving aside the problem of how our assassin is going to spray the intended victim with a bee-attracting substance, he has to keep coming back to feed the growing hive. And kidnapping him is OK. But the next link in the chain is hopelessly incompetent. I hate it when our heroes have to trail after a suspect at night down empty streets without being seen. It also takes remarkable foresight to bring a camera with a long lens and shutter speeds to die for. The piecing together of the final picture is simply incredible given the circumstances in which all the shots were taken. This guy had to stand in the same position without turning his head while the train was passing. Like that’s going to happen. Any sane arrangement involves the contact person using his mobile phone to report back to the hypothetical Moriarty. Once again, if you blinked, you missed Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill). Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) gets marginally more time. So although there’s a lot of good things about Elementary: A Landmark Story, it’s hardly rescuing the sinking ship.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: A Landmark Story, Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, F. Murray Abraham, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes, Vinnie Jones

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013)

April 28, 2013 David Marshall 7 comments

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Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013) had a better balance between narrative arc and individual mystery to be solved. Let’s start off with the general character development. The fact we’re seeing Alfredo (Ato Essandoh) for the third time is encouraging. If we’re going to be even remotely canonical, there should be several characters representing the Irregulars: those convenient urchins who know their city like the backs of their hands and can move around largely unobserved. This character is ideal for the purpose. As a car thief and recovering addict, he could be well-connected and supply lots of different services as required. We’ve already seen him teaching Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) how to break into and steal cars (an invaluable skill for an investigator). He’s also useful to sit outside places in his car and keep watch (or try to follow people escaping the scene in cabs and lose them which is hardly what you would expect from an expert car thief and driver). So as Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) comes up to the one year anniversary of his last fix, we’re into a mini-drama as to whether our hero will go through a ceremony to collect a small token signifying the achievement. Naturally, Sherlock views this as an entirely private matter. Alfredo points out that’s a typically selfish attitude. He should show addicts newly entering the program that it’s possible to get clean and stay clean.

Of course, being a man obsessed with details, Holmes is failing to admit he had a lapse and so has not yet reached the full one year. Having failed is deeply embarrassing to a man who prides himself on his strength of mind. Hence his unwillingness to go through the ceremony. The subtext of the episode is therefore whether he will tell the truth about his lapse. That he eventually trusts both Watson and Alfredo is a sign he’s consolidating the recovery by sharing the burden of “sobriety”. There’s hope for him.

Lucy Liu, Jonny Lee Miller and Ato Essandoh

As to the mystery element, we have Alfredo introduce a private client. This should be happening more often rather than leaving our hero waiting for a summons from NYPD with another challenging homicide to solve. Appropriately, this is a blackmail case and we’re quickly given the name as Charles Milverton, a blackmailer who features in The Return of Sherlock Holmes. As in the original story, one of this blackmailer’s victims shoots the villain and stamps on his face. However, apart from this significant borrowing, the story then veers away into rather unnecessary complexity as Holmes runs around trying to find the titular Dead Man’s Switch. As in all good blackmail schemes, there’s a failsafe: someone hidden who will release all the incriminating information should anything happen to the more easily detectable blackmailer. The convenience of the internet as a mechanism for releasing this information is a pleasing modern development. At just the touch of a mouse or pad, our back-up can punish all the victims for killing their blackmailer. Except, of course, this assumes only one victim. In this case, Milverton is a professional who has information on many so, if one victim takes revenge, all suffer.

At this point, I need to express frustration that this Holmes can find out so much information on people and events in America through Google and whatever else he can use to dig out data online. It’s remarkable and, by my standards, unrealistic. For example, he can produce a list of nuisance claims against service providers alleging discrimination on the ground of weight that were quickly settled. I know that the identity of litigants is a matter of public record once proceedings are filed in court, but Holmes is finding cases that would probably have been settled by the attorneys before going to court became necessary. The whole point of nuisance actions is for the targets to make them go away as quickly as possible. Anything settled in this way would be covered by confidentiality agreements and inaccessible. For Holmes to not only come up with a list of such litigants, but also to produce newspaper photographs of two of these claimants, is magical. As is Watson’s ability to recall the identity of an ambulance-chasing attorney from a few scattered details of description.

Put all this together and you have an episode with such a high death count among the actors, there was only one left to be the killer. Worse, the killer had an accomplice who never actually made it on to screen. We have to be told about this person’s essential contribution to the plot by the semi-triumphant Holmes and Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) who does get to deal with a minor moral dilemma in this episode and comes out of it all looking better. The relationship between Holmes and Gregson also seems to be healing. If you blinked, you missed Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) who, in terms of dollars earned per words spoken and seconds on screen, must now be one of the highest paid actors on US television. He’s the most embarrassingly underused actor in a prime-time show. Would this treatment be given out to a white actor? I don’t think so. So put all this together and Elementary: Dead Man’s Switch is an average episode that moved us along in broad narrative terms but offered little of substance on the use of deduction to solve mysteries. Arthur Conan Doyle would not have approved.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ato Essandoh, Dead Man's Switch, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013)

April 10, 2013 David Marshall 4 comments

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Many moons ago when CSI: Miami was only three seasons old, we had an episode called Crime Wave. In this, our robbers were playing the long game by waiting for a hurricane but, when a convenient tsunami came along earlier, it was just too good a disaster to pass up as the means of stealing a large weight in gold. In the real world, disasters are quite commonly exploited by thieves except, of course, we call them looters after the citizenry has been cleared from the area in anticipation of the approaching storm, flood, volcanic eruption, etc. When policing become an arm for FEMA or some other federal or state agencies, this leaves a big window of opportunity for well-prepared criminals. In this episode, New York is being shut down as a major storm approaches. With the temperature dropping and the snow starting to fall, power is cut off and the city is at its most vulnerable.

So with Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013) here we go with a hackneyed plot to steal millions of dollars in old bills from the federal agency responsible for shredding currency past its sell-by date. On paper, it’s a neat idea. If you can take the money on the way to the shredder and substitute bundles of shredded paper sitting beside the shredders, you have the perfect crime. No-one will notice the bundles do not contain currency. They will be taken off to the dump site with no-one any the wiser — this assumes the shredders work without power and the electronic records could be hacked to show the machines had been run. However, these criminals are out to demonstrate how not to organise a robbery. Rational thieves work months if not years in advance. They look at all possible targets around the USA so that, no matter where the next big storm hits, they have a potential place to rob. Then they quietly acquire blueprints, floor plans and any other source materials that will help them identify the vulnerabilities of the buildings and their various occupants’ responses to emergencies. They need to know how many staff are retained on each site, how they are deployed when the power goes out, and so on. Assuming they are proposing to steal heavy weights of money or precious metals, they also need a way of moving their loot through the buildings unobserved and then out of the city. This is not something you can work out last minute.

Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller wrapped up warm for winter

Yet here we have a crew that breaks into a firm of architects to steal old blueprints without any guarantee no changes have since been made to the building — these architects have these plans because, some years ago, they bid on work to upgrade the premises. And when do our thieves do this? It’s the night the storm is due to hit. So they have come to New York with all their equipment but without knowing how they are going to break into their target building. These are not professional thieves. Worse, they advertise their presence by shooting the guard to the building where the architects are based and, instead of disarming him, leave him with a loaded gun so he can shoot one of the robbers. Continuing their amateur performance, they leave the body of the guard to be discovered. They could at least slow down the response by hiding the body. When I look back at the episode of CSI: Miami (not a series renown for its sophisticated plots), the gold thieves were real professionals!

As to the rest of the episode, Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) grows irritating while Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) is actually allowed to show powers of observation. That he just happens to be in the right hospital out of all the hospitals in New York is just one of these felicitous coincidences scriptwriters love. Other than this, we get to see Clyde is still alive. I’m relieved. Or perhaps members of PETA threatened CBS and forced this brief proof of life appearance. Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) also makes an appearance to justify his pay cheque. And finally, we have a Miss Hudson appear on the scene. Well, I use the words cautiously. Just as we have changed the sex of Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), we’ve now gone even further out on a limb with a post-op transsexual. Of all the people to play the Hudson role, the producers selected Candis Cayne. One way of looking at this casting is to see it as a magnificent gesture to normalise society’s view of the LGBT community. Too often, they are the victims of prejudice and discrimination. So a role like this in a high-profile television show is a good first step to confront the phobic response. Except I fear this will be a one-off. Rather in the same way that Marcus Bell’s role is marginalised, I suspect we will rarely get to see this Miss Hudson. Why? Because Candis Cayne is too beautiful and successful in the transition. It’s unlikely we will see her in the background cleaning up after Holmes. She’s not a background person. I would have had faith in this gesture to gender equality if the person chosen to play the role was less successful and Holmes was, in effect, offering a sanctuary for someone who might be finding it difficult to survive in a hostile world. This woman is pursued by her lover. She doesn’t really need the help. I may be wrong but I’m prepared to bet we never see her again which is a shame. The LBGT community needs sensitive exposure on mainstream television. It’s an affirmation of their normality and the actors can become positive role models for people considering their own gender identity. I think CBS has blown a good chance to make a positive statement. So for all the reasons given, Elementary: Snow Angel is a very poor episode.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Déjà Vu All Over Again, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013)

March 16, 2013 David Marshall 4 comments

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Well, after another of these breaks in the transmission schedule, we have a lone episode poke its head above the barricade. Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013) is supposed to keep us interested and excited as another two week gap looms. It’s most curious the schedulers are not trying to maintain momentum and continuity. No matter what the quality of the individual episodes, this is not helpful to retain audience support. I suppose we now have an insight into the minds of the scriptwriters on how they propose to develop this series. Up to this point, we’ve had Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) as a medical doctor who, more by luck than good judgement, has been able to assist Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) in solving cases. Well, perhaps she’d already given up on the practice of medicine as such. If you’d looked on LinkedIn or some other social networking site, you might have found her describing herself as a Sobriety Companion. Think of this as a kind of intermediate step. It’s related to medicine in that addiction and its consequences are inevitably a part of a doctor’s remit although some might see this as more a mental than physical health problem. So she’s abandoned the specific role as a surgeon but remains under the umbrella of medicine. Now she’s taking a further step away from the practice of medicine and trying out as a consulting detective. This is a step of some psychological significance so this episode makes Dr Watson the focus of attention and watches her challenged by the past and begin to look forward to a different future.

The structure is one of a six-month flashback. She’s meeting with friends for a drink when the call comes in inviting her to work with Sherlock. Broadly speaking, her friends are supportive. They see a steady future for Watson whether she chooses to stay in counselling or to return to full medical practice. Back in current time, she’s learning carjacking skills from Alfredo (Ato Essandoh) and observing Sherlock at work to get a better grip on the processes of detection. Inconveniently for Sherlock, his father refers him to one of his US attorneys to take on a case. The fact the problem is an associate’s missing sister does not modify his opinion of the case’s merit. He delegates it to Watson and decides to investigate a homicide on the New York Subway mentioned in a video made by the missing sister. We therefore have the first chance to see Watson take the initiative.

Lucy Liu getting her first sight of the “clue”

After reviewing the files, she goes to talk with the sister’s husband and is immediately suspicious when he repeats his original statement to the police almost verbatim. It looks rehearsed. Sherlock listens and suggests the Gaslight (1944) approach, i.e. sending messages to a suspect to see how he or she reacts. This requires her to follow the husband. Perhaps he will act suspiciously. Taking an hour out, she meets up again with those “old” friends who complain she’s abandoned them over the last six months, not only becoming “involved” with the addict, but now apparently giving up on her medical practice. They are worried about her and so put her under emotional pressure to justify her decisions. This upsets her and she leaves only to misjudge the situation with the husband. A misjudgment that lands her in jail, accused of breaking into his car (you see how immediately useful those skills proved to be).

Meanwhile Holmes is making progress on the subway murder. For once, this is done well even though it’s very much a skeleton plot element as he identifies first a stalker of the murdered woman and then a musician working on the platform who saw the killer. The upshot of this is a critical plot element that Watson is able to link to her investigation. When they compare notes, they come up with a theory of what must have happened. A search warrant elicits the evidence and they jointly get the result. The point of all this is to enable Watson to see she can actually make a success of being a consulting detective. This is not to say she will become Sherlock’s equal. She doesn’t think in the right way for that. But it’s made obvious that she does have appropriate intellectual skills and the determination to pursue her beliefs even though this may force her to spend some hours in a jail cell or lose her friends. Ah, now there’s the rub. As an individual, it’s not so difficult to change careers, but it can be painful to give up friends.

As to the case itself, I was initially thinking this was likely to be a Strangers on a Train (1951) scenario but it proved to be a much less complicated albeit elegant plot once you accept the coincidence of the two cases being connected. Overall, Elementary: Déjà Vu All Over Again is moderately satisfying as a mystery to be solved, but I remain worried about the decision to make Watson an increasingly valuable “partner” in the detective business. Arthur Conan Doyle has the original Watson as the back-up with the gun but not in any sense an effective investigator. Even the Baker Street Irregulars have more savvy than Watson. But this is definitely moving towards a Sherlock and Watson Investigate format which potentially distracts us from simply enjoying the mental skills of the great Sherlock Holmes. Just imagine this series becoming another Remington Steele. Indeed, the title of this episode might more properly have been Dr Watson Investigates with Holmes very much pushed into the background. I think I did catch sight of Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill). As core cast members, they probably draw their salary no matter how little screen time they are given.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)

Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Déjà Vu All Over Again, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17. Possibility Two. (2013)

February 25, 2013 David Marshall 10 comments

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There are slightly more spoilers than usual in this review. You may prefer to watch the episode before reading this review.

Well it seems we now have a new game to play and, to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced it’s a positive development. To understand the scriptwriters’ problem, we need to go back to the beginning. Arthur Conan Doyle prescribed that, for most of the series, there be a single household containing Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Dr John Watson (although he did get married and find other reasons not to be around all the time). Hence, in strict canonical conformity, we’ve now arrived at a point in our subversive modern version with Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) formally enrolled as a member of the team. The only feature we’re missing in this New York brownstone is a Mrs Hudson (although presumably we have a turtle named Clyde lurking comfortably somewhere in a drawer — see The Red Team). So the first sixteen episodes have played with our expectations as to how this unlikely pairing will seal the deal. Now that’s all behind us, the scriptwriters must decide how to fill the time gap. They could produce more interesting and complicated crimes for Holmes to solve with Watson’s help. That would be a major statement of intent and reassure us that, in the final analysis, the program makers are interested in a Rolls Royce series of high-class investigations. The second possibility (sic) would be to keep on with modest mysteries and find something else which which to distract us — a much less desirable option.

In Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17. Possibility Two. (2013) we have a client referred by [Reginald] Musgrave (he of Ritual fame in the Memoirs). He’s been diagnosed with an hereditary condition except there’s no history of the condition in his family. Perhaps surprisingly, one of his delusions is that, “someone has done this to him”. OK so this is the science fiction episode. We’ve moved into a new technological age where scientists can design molecules that, when ingested by humans, give them [the symptoms of] an incredibly rare genetic disorder. There’s another marginally more likely scientific development thrown in later, but the damage has already been done. If you remember the famous quote, “When you have eliminated the impossible. . .” Sadly, the scriptwriters decided to introduce the impossible and let Holmes deduce the existence of stuff that doesn’t exist. Worse, the entire murder plot is actually complicated. Perhaps I lost concentration but I’m still not sure who killed the chauffeur. I suppose it must have been the demented client who just didn’t remember. I think it would have made for a better ending if the dynamic duo had been to see him, even if only to hold his hand while telling his uncomprehending body they had worked out who killed his mind. Then there was the whistle-blowing geneticist. We cracked that case. What happened to the Norwegian who had bought the royal estate he could not afford? And all this stuff about the family of the client came to nothing. I could go on but you should get the message that there was enough in there for at least two episodes but it all flashed by with such speed, we were not supposed to see how weak it was in the telling. There are red herrings and clues that go nowhere with everything stitched up at the end.
Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) now formally a partnership

The rest of the time, we had Holmes encouraging Watson to develop her own deductive skills. In strict terms, this is anti-canonical. Every attempt the original Watson made to think his way out of a paper bag ended in misunderstandings and confusion. The only thing he could do efficiently was accurately report what people said to him. Holmes would then interpret this in his unique way. We have to remember that this Watson is presented as a highly professional surgeon with an above-average level of technical skill. Yet to encourage her to compete with Holmes is a little daring. Indeed, in this episode, she does conduct her own investigation and gets a result. Perhaps this series will have to be retitled Holmes and Watson Investigate. Personally I’m not sure I want to see Watson endlessly humiliated, i.e. every time she gives an incorrect or only half-right analysis, Holmes publicly explains what she’s missed and where she’s gone wrong. In the earlier episodes, part of the fun was Watson inadvertently helping either by a casual remark based on her specialised knowledge or by being herself. Frankly I can’t think of anyone less well suited to be a teacher than this Holmes. He’s a deeply sexist, patronising, intellectual bully. The only virtue is that his inability to relate successfully with those around him gives him a position of isolated objectivity from which to assess the world. Trying to force this Watson into a new worldview threatens to be painful to watch as she will almost certainly fail to measure up to his high standards. The test case was faintly ludicrous as two men lay dead with a gun between them. The answer featured some tortured thinking in the style that reminds me of the old riddles, e.g. a man is found hanging from the ceiling in a room locked from the inside with no furniture, etc.

In the usual slightly jokey way, we have Holmes seduced by a solitary bee and Watson struggling with the need to hit the dummy with a big stick. As a final thought, there was absolutely no reference to addiction or meetings in this episode. Now that Holmes has his Watson, is he cured? Worse, there was little or no emotional development in the relationship between the new partners. They seemed exactly the same as in previous episodes. I was hoping they might be more comfortable together. Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) put in their usual token appearances. Put all this together and Elementary: Possibility Two was a poor episode.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 2. While You Were Sleeping (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 3. Child Predator (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 4. The Rat Race (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 5. Lesser Evils (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 6. Flight Risk (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 7. One Way to Get Off (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 8. The Long Fuse (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 9. You Do It To Yourself (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 10. The Leviathan (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 11. Dirty Laundry (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 12. M (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13. The Red Team (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15. A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 16. Details (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine. (2013).

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Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Possibility Two, science fiction, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 16. Details. (2013)

February 17, 2013 David Marshall 4 comments

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There are slightly more spoilers than usual in this review. You may prefer to watch the episode before reading this review.

I suppose I should start this review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 16. Details. (2013) with the cliché, “there’s good news and bad news”. From the outset of this series, I’ve been very conscious of the fact that there are four names in the frame: two white guys, one woman and an African American. At first sight, this is a balanced piece of casting. Then comes the process of watching the show. Obviously Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) get the lion’s share of each week’s script. The two NYPD officers, as in the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, are there as set dressing. They are the necessary trigger mechanism to introduce the detective duo to the latest crimes to be investigated and, when input is required to move the plot forward, one of them will be given the key lines of dialogue to feed Holmes. Apart from M J Trow who wrote sixteen novels about Inspector Lestrade (some of which are actually rather good), no-one really cares about the police officers. Their sole function is to be failures, entirely dependent on Holmes to solve the cases for them. We should therefore not expect the actors in those roles to be given much to do. In this, we are not disappointed. Except, Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill), as the junior detective, has been the classic gofer, there to fetch and carry, or to lurk in the background doing detective-like things while the others do more exciting things in the foreground. I have noted in each episode how little the actor is being given to do and have been hinting, without any subtlety, that this is classic Uncle Tomism. He’s the black detective who acts in a subservient manner to Holmes and Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn). He’s also a member of a police force that’s often perceived as having problems of racism in its relationship to the African American community. The good news is that, perhaps out of a sense of guilt, Jon Michael Hill was given a leading role in this latest episode. The bad news is that it was one of the worst examples of racist stereotyping I’ve seen so far this year.

Let me list the key factors. He comes from a broken home and was brought up by a caring mother. Andre (Malcolm Goodwin), the older brother joined a gang. In due course, the two brothers fell out because Marcus is a straight arrow and breaks the mould by joining the NYPD. Naturally, the older brother is arrested. Despite all the efforts of Marcus to help behind the scenes, the gang ethos wins out. The brother will not inform on any of those he knows. He prefers to go to jail. It’s literally impossible to come up with a more clichéd backstory. Now Andre is released, Marcus does the caring act, trying to help and, of course, the siblings continue to squabble. Before long, Marcus suspects his brother may be involved in further crimes (because he’s black and newly released from prison). This is a slow-motion crash and a classic example of everything that’s wrong with American television. Why could Marcus Bell not have been written as a slimmed down version of Alex Cross or a modern Virgil Tibbs? What does it cost scriptwriters to have their characters located in calm middle class surroundings?
Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) and Dr Watson (Lucy Liu)

The second piece of bad news comes from the detail of the plot. It was obvious from the first scene in the NYPD who was responsible. That’s how these episodes are put together. If an NYPD officer is to be framed for any crime, the first suspect is always a fellow officer who might have reason to dislike, if not hate, him. The way the investigation runs is therefore a travesty in that it shows nothing of the process. At the end of the episode, we’re simply given a summary of how the evidence was collected to prove the case. I, for one, would have been fascinated to hear the argument before the judge to get a search warrant for the suspect’s home. To say that, at best, it was likely to be a speculative fishing expedition is to be polite. The whole point of these episodes is supposed to give us the chance to watch the detective in action. In fact, most of the action we see is directed to the third piece of bad news.

The third problem with the episode is the way in which the narrative arc for confirming the partnership between Holmes and Watson is resolved. Watson has been discussing the future of her relationship with her therapist who strongly advises her to move on. Meanwhile Holmes is working through an extended joke recreating the relationship between Inspector Clouseau and Cato Fong. In the Pink Panther series, you’ll recall they attacked each other unexpectedly until the scriptwriters decided this was a racist subplot. In this case, Holmes wishes to encourage Watson to learn self-defence skills and so ambushes her, throws a tennis ball at her, and so on (ostensibly sexist behaviour). She retaliates with clumsy childishness by pulling down his display of locks and throwing a basket ball in his face. This trivialises what should be a measured discussion. It actually comes down to just a few lines of dialogue from Holmes. “I know my father stopped paying you. I think we make a good team. I can pay you. You can stay in the brownstone. How about it?” “Oh. . . OK.” So all that effort in previous episodes to build to a dramatic climax is thrown away in ten seconds and we move on.

In real terms, this makes Elementary: Details the worst episodes to date. It’s a pathetic mystery for Holmes to solve. The catastrophic stereotyping confirms the thread of racism running through the show. And it avoids a meaningful discussion on the question of the partnership relationship between Holmes and Watson. Three strikes and you’re out!

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 2. While You Were Sleeping (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 3. Child Predator (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 4. The Rat Race (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 5. Lesser Evils (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 6. Flight Risk (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 7. One Way to Get Off (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 8. The Long Fuse (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 9. You Do It To Yourself (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 10. The Leviathan (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 11. Dirty Laundry (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 12. M (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13. The Red Team (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15. A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17. Possibility Two (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine. (2013).

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Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Details, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Malcolm Goodwin, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15. A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs (2013)

February 11, 2013 David Marshall Leave a comment

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There are slightly more spoilers than usual in this review. You may prefer to watch the episode before reading this review.

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15. A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs (2013) is easily the most interesting of the episodes to date. That does not, of course, mean it’s the best. Far from it. But the scriptwriters are at least making an effort to produce something slightly more intelligent. Let’s start with the absence of a murder. At last, we have the chance to see the Great Detective’s skills used in pursuit of more general criminal behaviour. It’s too easy to characterise the Arthur Conan Doyle canon as being murder-obsessed. One of these days, I suppose I’ll do a count of the original fifty-six stories but, for now, I’ll content myself by asserting that even if more stories feature murders, the focus is always on Sherlock and his ability as a detective. The nature of the crime to be investigated is secondary, even in the more melodramatic stories. In this instance, the modern scriptwriters are taking us into territory occupied by The Adventure of the Cardboard Box albeit with a different body part so that this version of Sherlock can use his giant magnifying glass to better effect. I’m ignoring the reference to mongooses as in The Crooked Man. One word of throwaway association with the original stories could be random and doesn’t count.

So why is this episode interesting? The first part of the answer comes in the way Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) tells a story. Most people build a narrative, setting the scene, showing intermediate steps to introduce key plot points, and rising to a climax at the end. In seeking to entertain the audience at the addiction circle, Sherlock recounts a past case but does so in a way that few would be able to follow or understand. Ironically this even defeats his own purpose which is allegedly to lift the pervasive sense of gloom. Telling them jokes in a style they could understand would have been more likely to succeed. Yet as a window into his cognitive processes, it was revealing. He doesn’t think in linear terms and so would not be able to arrange information in the standard narrative framework to tell a story.

For a moment I was also confused because it was not immediately obvious whether the kidnapping we were watching, was the kidnapping he was describing. I thought this coincidence completely unnecessary. As threatened, Holmes could have recounted the story of the Blue Carbuncle, leaving us to follow the sequence of events at the actual kidnapping with more concentration. It was also sad to see no further use made of the delivery man. Introducing gratuitous characters is filling out the episode with redundant information and denying the chance to give Marcus Bell two lines instead of one.

What a pleasure to see John Hannah again. He’s a gifted actor and it was rather a shame he was not allowed to show any real nuance in his performance. This is not to say we do not see a “callous drug pusher”. But the chances for desperation, frustration and despair were all passed over. Hannah could have shown us the humanity in the father rather than the somewhat manipulative thief in the gambling addict who thinks he has an ace in the hole.
John Hannah, Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller with no deerstalker for Holmes

So into the plot proper. A girl has been kidnapped. In canonical style at the scene of the crime, Holmes identifies the cigarette ash and then, as a result of a somewhat bizarre sequence of events (water spilled, back of hand wet, hand strikes wall at head height transferring the image), the stamp of a club (not Klub, you understand). When they go to the club, there’s an even more outrageous coincidence as, out of all the people in this bustling entertainment venue, Holmes meets the undercover DEA officer. The reasoning is quite interesting but not wholly convincing. Would none of the other gang members have noticed? The secondary line of investigation is also interesting. Though it may be boring to plough through all the text messages, it does throw up another possible suspect. I like the realism that detection is not always flamboyant gestures. It can also rely on grindingly boring and repetitive work which starts with one or two potentially relevant “clues” and then tries to add new information so that the field of search can be narrowed. In his angry defence of his methods, Holmes lists some of the things he might find by watching and rewatching the video. The scriptwriters should do more of this self-reflection to illuminate the methodology followed by this version of Holmes and more generally on the deductive process (even distinguishing it from inductive would be a good start).

The temptation of Holmes represents a high point in the season, completely derailing the slow deductive process and forcing a desperate manoeuvre. Two points arise from this. In the original stories, Holmes was mainly a recreational user but did occasionally resort to cocaine as a thinking aid (hence, the original references to the “seven percent solution”). It’s therefore appropriate that Holmes should have to confront the question whether he’s a better detective if he’s high. Second, I’m not convinced he would be desperate enough to call his father to “borrow” $2.2 million. It’s just about credible he might view this “client” as worth spending time with given their past relationship. But going cap-in-hand to his father to save the kidnap victim is straining credibility.

Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) is getting very active in defending Holmes who later repays the solicitude by holding out her coat and helping her put it on. This is all looking dangerously like the slippery slope taking us to romantic entanglement. Of course, having now spoken to his father, Holmes presumably knows Watson is no longer employed by him. Like the original, this Watson is also prepared to fight. She could have run away so, even though she breaks Angus, this is a positive sign. Like the original Dr Watson, she also disapproves of the use of drugs. We should remember Arthur Conan Doyle through Watson considers the cocaine a weakness preventing the detective from fully realising the potential of his mind.

In the end, the kidnapping and the drug cartel with its undercover DEA officer were just window-dressing for the development of the broader narrative arc (although I begin to worry about the fate of the turtle — have we seen the increasingly happy couple eating soup?). Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) were given a token scene at the end just to prove Moriarty hasn’t killed them off. So overall, Elementary: A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs moves us forward and remains reasonably constructive.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 2. While You Were Sleeping (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 3. Child Predator (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 4. The Rat Race (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 5. Lesser Evils (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 6. Flight Risk (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 7. One Way to Get Off (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 8. The Long Fuse (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 9. You Do It To Yourself (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 10. The Leviathan (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 11. Dirty Laundry (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 12. M (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13. The Red Team (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 16. Details (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17. Possibility Two (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine. (2013).

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Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, John Hannah, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, kidnapping, Lucy Liu, mystery, Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist (2013)

February 9, 2013 David Marshall 2 comments

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Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist (2013) starts us off with Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) actually using himself as bait to catch two robbers. I’ve been waiting in hope of an investigation of a crime other than homicide so I was initially filled with hope. Which was then almost immediately dashed as we transitioned into the now obligatory multiple murder scenario. The only innovation is lip service paid to the notion of an inverted crime theme with us able to watch the serial killer come to the hospital in chains and then slaughter the operating staff to facilitate his departure. Shortly thereafter, he kills several other people for no reason other than to confuse the FBI profiler, Kathryn Drummond (Keri Matchett). In other words we dropped from a potentially interesting investigation of vice used as a means of home invasion and burglary, and morphed into a saga of revenge.

As a subplot, Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) is questioning where she should live. From her immediate point of view, it seems she prefers not to move more permanently into the brownstone occupied by Sherlock Holmes. To keep her options open, she therefore wants to keep her current apartment available as a bolt hole. Unfortunately, she discovers the current tenant has been using her home as the setting for a hard core porn film. This has meant abuse of her sofa and kitchen equipment. Worse, the owner of the block is also aware of the illegal use of the apartment by her subtenant. He proposes to terminate her lease. Fortunately she’s able to use her growing powers of observation to notice something significant in the amateurish film. This produces a not unacceptable compromise outcome to preserve a precautionary option for evacuation. Her powers of observation are also available for the benefit of Holmes as more of her medical expertise comes to his rescue.
Dr Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) growing closer to Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller)

That said this entire episode is somewhat thin and growing less credible by the minute. It seems Inspector Gregson (Aidan Quinn) has more or less dropped back into the same routine as before. For all there’s a reference back to the previous unilateral action by Holmes, his reaction at the end of this episode is completely implausible. If he was angry with Holmes for taking off with Moran, why is this not just as bad? It’s a pathetic excuse that Holmes texted Gregson. This is exactly the behaviour up with which Gregson said he would not put. The fact Holmes just used a big stick and not a knife or gun is neither here nor there. He’s putting himself above the law for entirely selfish reasons. What makes this all the worse is Watson considering her role in the light of the profile written by Kathryn Drummond. In that profile, Drummond asserted that Holmes would never be able to find a friend. Watson pauses at this point and looks Holmes in the eye. She then says something to the effect that Drummond was wrong. She, Watson, has become Holmes’ friend. This is the kind of emotional commitment the scriptwriters should be avoiding. They are making it physically difficult for Watson to move out while edging her towards some an unfortunate commitment with possible romantic overtones.

So this all leaves me profoundly dissatisfied. The means whereby Holmes tracks down the escaped serial killer is seriously improbable. The relationships between Holmes and both Watson and Gregson are increasingly lacking realism and poor Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) is hardly getting a look in. Elementary: The Deductionist does not augur well for the future.

For the reviews of other episodes, see:
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 1. Pilot (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 2. While You Were Sleeping (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 3. Child Predator (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 4. The Rat Race (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 5. Lesser Evils (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 6. Flight Risk (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 7. One Way to Get Off (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 8. The Long Fuse (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 9. You Do It To Yourself (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 10. The Leviathan (2012)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 11. Dirty Laundry (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 12. M (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13. The Red Team (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15. A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 16. Details (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17. Possibility Two (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 18. Déjà Vu All Over Again. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19. Snow Angel. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20. Dead Man’s Switch. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 21. A Landmark Story. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management. (2013)
Elementary: Season 1, Episodes 23 & 24. The Woman and Heroine. (2013).

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Categories: TV and anime Tags: Aidan Quinn, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elementary, Jon Michael Hill, Jonny Lee Miller, Keri Matchett, Lucy Liu, murder, mystery, Sherlock Holmes, The Deductionist

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