Castle Season 5, Episode 3: Secret’s Safe with Me

When a woman is found brutally murdered with a mysterious message written in her own blood, the team searches for what she could have meant by “LIE”. And as they try to find her next of kin, only to find that he too is recently deceased. And when they come across a storage unit up for auction that belonged to the deceased brother, Castle will have to pony up the cash to keep their evidence from slipping through their fingers.

When they find that the deceased brother’s employer was recently burgled, it seems that somewhere in the storage unit Castle just purchased there’s a four million dollar bracelet hidden away. With their mounds of loot back at the precinct, Castle stumbles on the way to befriend Captain Gates, giving her a small doll – a collectable she’s been in search of for years. But when their search comes up empty, Castle will have to sacrifice his new found friendship with the icy Captain in order to solve the case.

My Thoughts:

The second Castle gave her the doll, I knew whatever they were looking for was inside it. There was no way the writers were going to let him off that easy, Gate’s hating Castle is a road bump in every episode. It would make things a little too easy for them to be on the same side.

Castle’s relationship with Alexis is one of my most favorite things about the series, so every glimpse we get of them makes me happy. In this episode, with her leaving for college, I think you do get a bit of a look at the codependent nature of their relationship. I’m not saying it isn’t normal to miss your parents, but I do feel the relationship they have is a bit more connected than most.  And checking under her dorm bed for monsters is just too adorable.

I find it interesting that there’s not even a sliver of weirdness between Javier and Ryan… after all, they should have some brief moments of awkwardness as they just got back together. I would have liked to see a little bit of that in the episode.

I appreciate how this episode didn’t have any moments with Caskett alone. There’s something very real about the relationship and how they’re hiding it and they aren’t going to always have moments alone, they aren’t always going to get to spend the evenings together, and until they come out, they won’t be able to. And so I enjoy that the way they’re hiding their relationship comes over very real.

Elementary Season 1, Episode 2: While You were Sleeping

While Holmes and Watson work to get used to each other, they’re called in on another case: a man, shot dead in his home and his furniture stolen. When Sherlock determines that the murderer was a woman and that there were two crimes, a homicide and then a burglary, he begins to butt heads with a new detective. Though he hands them the burglar, he cannot figure out who the killer is from the little facts he has. When a second murder, lands in their laps, they find their victims were unknowingly related and potentially the heirs to a large fortune, but when the woman the first victim’s thieving neighbor describes turns up to be in a coma during both murders, the thread they’re following turns to a tangled clump.

My Thoughts:

It is nice to see that Watson has a life outside Sherlock in this series. And while I’d prefer it if she were more intrigued by the mystery of it all, It is nice to see a Watson who’s life does not so wholly orbit Sherlock. I imagine it must be difficult, to have your life put on hold every six weeks you have a client. It couldn’t be an easy thing to do when you’ve got a relationship, and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to an extremely trustworthy environment.

The murders themselves were interestingly commonplace, the way the sister tried to cover it up, was the only thing that really bespoke of a Sherlockian mystery. I feel like this episode was more about establishing characters and the burgeoning dynamic of the partnership between Watson and Holmes.

I’m still not 100% sure about this series

Castle Season 5, Episode 2: Cloudy with a Chance of Murder

When a local weather girl is murdered, the first thought is her competition, but when that falls through, the gang will have to follow a tangled thread to find the killer. Espo and Ryan find themselves in the spotlight as they try to bring in a basketball player for questioning, while Castle and Beckett learn there might have been more to the busty weather girl than everyone thought.

As Castle and Beckett try to keep their relationship a secret, they decide to be single in public. This leads to Castle accepting a date with a reporter, much to Kate’s annoyance, and when things go wrong and Kate finds Castle with the reporter’s boobs in his face, their burgeoning romance might be torn apart before it has a chance.

My Thoughts:

I do love how casket is holding on to the thread of their deception with all for fists, and still things seem to be slipping through their fingers. It should be really interesting to see how they hold up when Alexis and Martha come back into Castle’s everyday life. On a related note: it’s always sad when there’s no Alexis or Martha in an episode.

The fact that Castle has a date with Nash Bridges Daughter is remarkably funny to me. I have a feeling Nash wouldn’t approve. Maybe that’s what it is. Either way, I’ve never found her particularly hot, so I was never particularly worried about her being a temptation for Castle to cheat.

I’m happy the writes found a manly way for Espo and Honeymilk to rekindle their bromance. It was really depressing to see them fight. And though John Huertas does the “I’m so pissed off I can’t even look at you” face remarkably well, and Seamus Deaver has the sad puppy dog down pat. I’ll be really happy to see them back into their normal routine after this little spat.

Elementary Season 1, Episode 1

Joan Watson, a disgraced surgeon now employed as a sober companion,  heads to her new charge, Sherlock Holmes who’s just broken out of his rehab facility on the day he was to be released. The British consultant doesn’t care to have her around, but disobeying his father’s mandate for the companion would mean being kicked out of the “Least renovated” of the five properties his father owns in New York. Reluctantly, he drags her along with him on his case.

They arrive at the scene of the crime – thought to be a kidnapping thus far, and Sherlock quickly deduces the woman in question was murdered, and she never left the home. Finding a safe room her husband supposedly didn’t know about, they discover her lifeless and broken body. And just when it seems like Sherlock has figured out who it was, their prime suspect is found dead in his home, apparently having committed suicide. With doubts, Sherlock and Watson begin to unravel the tangled web that lead to the woman’s death – and the reason an already beautiful woman would so drastically change her appearance.

My thoughts:

I do appreciate that they’ve kept Sherlock British in this series (for one thing, it’s unlikely that anyone in the US would name their child Sherlock in this day and age.) It will be interesting, as the series progresses to get more insight into this Sherlock’s back-story. So far, we know that he’s a recovering drug addict – something that seems trumped up to bring him and Watson together, so we’ll see how that plays out – and that something made him leave London where he was a consultant to Scotland Yard. It’s obviously not the job, since he dives right back in….

The first case was twisty enough to not be boring. Though there were a few things that bothered me. 1) The guy is in a roid rage, but has the wherewithal to go back and kick in the door to make it look like it was a break in. 2) Watson seems bored with her predicament, she stumbles on the case solving “Rice” conundrum by accident, not because her curiosity has pushed her to look for the answer – and that feels a) lazy and b) not true to the original characterization (Watson stays with Sherlock because he’s intrigued by the man’s mind and by solving cases to promote a greater good… This Watson feels like she’s bored.)

I can’t help comparing this series to the British produced Moffat helmed version. And while I’m not going to write this series off after a single episode… at the moment, Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is more intriguing, and Freeman’s Watson is less boring. It’s sad, because I like both Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, but I feel like this series – unless they do something spectacular with it – is going to be a waste.

Castle Season 5, Episode 1: After the Storm

Castle and Becket decide to hide their budding romantic relationship from both his family and the precinct, which is a difficult thing to do when Martha and Alexis come home early, and Ryan comes to them for help on the case.

But when they figure out who the man that’s been protecting Beckett is, they get to him too late, with Mr. Smith on his way to the hospital, and the file smoldering in the fireplace, all they have to go on is the clue of “86.” When Maddox follows them to the building Mr. Smith was trying to direct them to, he gets the file, but is blown up in the process, and when the team digs through the scraps of paper, they discover who’s behind it all. And Espo, Ryan and Castle will have to hurry if they want to stop Kate from turning into a murderer.

My Thoughts:

I love how high school they’re treating the relationship, It’ll be interesting to see who figures it out first, and how the secret spreads through the group… if it latches on like a rumor, or if they’re caught making out in the records room by the whole precinct.

I was not surprised to see Hilo go so quickly. The character wasn’t like lockwood, I didn’t see him as being viable over the long course of the season, he was single-minded in his pursuit of getting the file and killing her, and let’s face it… there can’t be an infinite number of copies. Though I really hope they do wind up with a real copy sometime in the near-ish future.

The lack of Alexis and Martha screen time was unfortunate. I love their interaction with Castle and it’s always sad when there isn’t much of it, though I am amazed they weren’t suspicious of him. I mean, Alexis has a pass, since she’s hung over, but Martha should have caught on a little bit.

It should be interesting to see if they go back to a semi normal routine after all that, or if the over arcing plot of the Senator’s involvement is more prevalent in these episodes than the other “big scheme” plots have been.

Sherlock Season 2, Episode 3: The Reichenbach Fall

Feeling Sherlock has become too complacent, Moriarty stages a robbery of the Crown Jewels and tells him he’s created a computer code that would access anything and everything the internet has to offer – claiming its how he pulled off his crime.

When two children go missing, Sherlock solves the case – in a way only he could – and suspicion starts to mount that perhaps he is providing crimes to solve. With his reputation shattered, and the lives of his friends on the line. Sherlock must make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Thoughts:

It’s sad how easily people cling to the hope that someone’s got a dark mark hiding underneath their varnished exterior. How quickly people accept the bad, and are willing to explain away the good. But that is the way of things. As a whole, humans need to feel that those who perform exceptional tasks have some sort of leg up, or that they cheat. We tend to assume that others can’t possibly be able to do something, for no other reason than that we ourselves cannot do it. Humanity is a very blemished species.

Here we have proof that being mean doesn’t help you. Sherlock may be antisocial (perhaps even asocial) but a little kindness would have saved him a load of trouble. He may be the master of unraveling plots, but he has yet to understand the power of common courtesy. Perhaps he has it harder than the rest of us, because he can see our faults well before the good bits have a chance to shine through. And that is a pitiable thought.

In the category of things I didn’t expect: Moriarty shooting himself to screw Sherlock over. Seriously didn’t see that one coming – and it kind of proves how deeply psychotic Moriarty was.

I absolutely adore how mad Mrs. Hudson is with Sherlock at his grave. It’s adorable and a completely natural reaction to grief. And it makes her feel even more real than she did before.

Sherlock Season 2, Episode 2: The Hounds of Baskerville

When brought a case that has threads of the supernatural involved, Sherlock and Watson head to Dartmoor to investigate the claims of a man who feels the Baskerville government research station is breeding mutant animals. As they tour the facility, they find nothing concrete, and the admission of local town-folk to a hoax with a large-breed dog seems to be the end of it. In the end, it may likely be a foe posing as friend who’s behind it all.

My Thoughts:

This take on the original story is quite intriguing. I like the idea of a military cause behind the hounds. And that the main clue to who the culprit is was in the slip up of calling a mobile, a cell. Also, why do we Americans have to get all the rubbish terms for things? The Brits always have better names or pronunciations.

I love that we get to see Lestrade out of his usual element. I also love that Sherlock has no clue what his first name is.  And that Sherlock is forced in this episode to admit that he doesn’t have friends… just one.

The part where Henry Knight is at home, alone and freaking out, was admittedly rather creepy. The worrisome part about that lay more in the fact that he was alone, than the idea that there really was a ravenous beasty out to get him.

The idea of vegetarian inn owners buying loads of meat for a dog to drive up business is oddly fanciful to me. The poor blokes. I also love that one of them tries to claim he’s fallen off the wagon and has been eating meat, and that Lestrade doesn’t fall for it. It’s actually a rather comical scene.

Sherlock Season 2, Episode 1: A Scandal in Belgravia

While investigating a bizarre rural murder, Sherlock is pulled to Buckingham Palace where he’s asked to deal with Dominatrix Irene Adler. Adler claims to have compromising pictures of a member of the royal family and while she’s not asking for anything and isn’t making any threats, they don’t trust her. Upon meeting with her, Sherlock is intrigued, and finds that she possesses secrets more dangerous than the one he’s been called in to retrieve when a CIA team bursts in and tries to remove the information from her possession. As events unravel, Sherlock tries to figure out if Irene can be trusted… or if she’s in league with Moriarty.

My Thoughts:

Irene’s strategy is balsy, and I kind of love her for that. I also enjoy how it confuses the heck out of Sherlock. I think there’s some degree of shock to his inability to read her – more than the idea that reading her requires her to be clothed. I’m sure he could tell something from the way she put her hair up, or some lines or marks or bruising. But it is fun to see him stymied all the same.

I appreciate that she’s not traditionally gorgeous. She’s pretty, but her attraction comes from her power and her intellect. It’s nice to see a female in that sort of position.

Seriously, CIA douche. NOBODY hurts Mrs. Hudson. That sort of behavior calls for the deepest pits of hell and the longest death to get there.

And once again, here I am feeling terribly sorry for Molly. I just want to jump in the TV, give her a hug and gently pet her hair.

I was a little sad when I thought, at first that she might actually have been playing him the entire time. I do greatly appreciate that he’s put one past his brother and Watson when he goes to her rescue at the end.

Luther Season 2, Episode 4

With the identical twin on the loose, Luther tries to make a deal with the devil to get one step ahead, but the dice don’t land in his favor. As he tries to track down the next move of his suspect, he also must help Jenny dispose of Toby’s body and dodge Toby’s bludgeon man. When they realize this is really just a game for the brothers, it’s too late, and the loose one walks through London proper with a bomb strapped to his chest, and Luther will have to put himself in the line of fire if he hopes to save them.

My Thoughts:

The shaky cam chaos in the beginning is pretty fun. It almost feels like found footage, but at the same time, it’s clean enough not to fool anyone. And can I just say, Good on that guy for going after him. I know it didn’t do him any good in the end, but that’s the sort of person you should be… and if there had been more like him, he probably would have survived.

You know… I’ve never thought of driving ranges in London. I guess I just associate them with America too much. Not sure why. But that did distract me.

Luther 101: Disposing of a body – I called the trunk switcheroo rather early on. But I do like the plan there. I kind of feel like he’s taken some pointers from Alice in his handling of the situation.

I’m a little sad that Mark North is fazed out of this episode set. She could easily have gone to chill with him instead of her horrid mother. Also, Jenny’s apparently a big fan of gaudy eye makeup and atrocious sweaters…. But her hair is cute.

I’m really happy with how this season ended. I’m dying for season 3, but not staring into a black abyss waiting for the resolution of the last season. And I always appreciate that.

Luther Season 2, Episode 3

With Jenny at his flat, Luther leaves to investigate an incident in which, a roll of the dice seems to have determined the perp’s actions. As the crimes escalate, with the man entering an office building and killing/maiming dozens, Luther finds him trying to hide in plain sight. Seeming to have everything under control, Luther returns home to find Jenny’s killed Toby when he tried to rape her, and somewhere else in the city the perpetrator’s identical twin rolls the dice in a crowd.

My Thoughts:

This has to be the weirdest pre-credits scene to date for the show… It felt completely other, which was fine, because the main plot of this episode (the part not including Jenny) was extremely different from the feel of any of the other episodes so far.

I actually really love Jenny. I’d love to see her and Alice interact somehow (fingers crossed for season 3). Her snark is adorable and her mother is atrocious. I called her killing Toby – it wasn’t hard with the previous week’s previews.

Something I love about Toby – He’s proof that you don’t need to be big to be intimidating.

Luther’s posture is quite enjoyable. Hands in his pockets, hunched… like he’s self conscious. It seems entirely opposite of what it should be.

The perp is interesting. His notebook is really cool – and the intricacies of the game make me think it’s possible he could be brilliant. I do love how twitchy he gets when Luther rolls the dice in front of him.

Question for any science kiddies out there: Wouldn’t the acid erode the inside of the squirt gun?

Luther: Season 2, Episode 2

Having kidnapped Ripley, the killer tortures him, trying to find out what Luther and the police know about his final crime – a finale he’s planned intricately. Ripley manages to keep himself alive – though battered – by playing on the killer’s vanity.

Luther’s personal life crisis starts to affect his professional life when Baba, a woman who claims to own Jenny, forces him to intimidate a man in witness protection so he won’t testify against her grandson. 

Meanwhile, Schenk interrogates a master forger, who’s procured a large amount of supplies for the killer and they get wind of what he’s doing. Sadly, it’s too late for the bus of 14 primary school children, he’s already abducted.

They find the bus abandoned on the side of the road and it looks like they’ve lost again, until Ripley manages to crawl out of the sewer he was being kept in and with the help of Luther, they use the killer’s car’s GPS to figure out that he’s been to an industrial park 8 times in too short a time to be a coincidence, and with the amount of chemical he’s bought they’re not sure what he’s planning.

Luther and Ripley get to the industrial park in time to get the kids out of the van, the killer was gassing them in and because the kid he’s holding his knife to the throat of pulls off his mask, he can’t follow through with his threats, and Ripley takes him down.

Luther get’s Jenny back from Mark and takes her home to her mother, who tells him that they won’t leave, and that Jenny is her property, so she can’t go on her own, and Luther claims he’s done enough, leaving her there, though Jenny begs him not to.

Alice, broken out of the hospital (thanks to Luther, last episode) comes to see him and tries to convince him to come away with her. He tells her he can’t because he is who he is. And then he goes back and get’s Jenny.

***

I think this is the last we’ll see of Alice, at least for a while. I didn’t think I’d say this (back when we first met Alice in episode 1), but I’m going to miss her. I have a feeling they’re trying to put Jenny in as his next unlikely accomplice and I’m not sure how that will pan out if they do.

I enjoyed Mark as a sidekick, he’s a little too taciturn to show up often within the series, but I definitely like him, as an almost reluctant advocate for Luther.

There is something intriguing… and yet disappointing about the killer in these two episodes. I think it’s that his MO is absence… so I just felt let down by his grand finale. Even if he had managed to pull it off, it felt hollow, and I have a feeling that’s what they were going for, but I’m not sure how I feel about it.