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

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.

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.

Sherlock Season 1, Episode 3: The Great Game

When a bomb blast leads to a string of abductions that place the abductees’ lives on the line, Sherlock is given clues to solve a series of puzzles in order to save them. After solving a 20 year old murder, an insurance scam and a paint forgery, Sherlock realizes the case he’s been ignoring – but that John has been looking into are related… and his lack of interest in the case may prove to be John’s demise.

My Thoughts:

It’s interesting to see so many cases shoved into one episode. Like Sherlock is speed dating cases. Or he’s in some hellish school exam where the deadlines are crazy and the tasks near impossible.

Poor old blind woman. Moriarty really should have picked his people better. It is interesting to see him carry out his threat – even though Sherlock solved it. It speaks to what kind of a person Moriarty really is. I always enjoy a villain who’s more substance than fluff.

To be honest, the bomb vest feels a little unsophisticated for Moriarty. But it’s mobile, wearable, and let’s face it, an easy out.

I think the painting was my favorite of the cases he had to solve. Mostly because of the set up earlier in the episode – where we learn that Sherlock didn’t know the Earth revolves around the Sun. And because it frustrates him so terribly much just before he manages to get it.

If there’s one thing this episode illustrates, it’s that crime is a broad spectrum that is littered with pockets of new and old games. Murder, Fraud, Forgery… As a people, we’ve come up with a lot of ways to hurt others… and we’re always thinking of more. What does that say about us?

Sherlock Season 1, Episode 2: The Blind Banker

When two men are murdered, one a banker and the other a reporter, in eerily similar ways, Sherlock and Watson must investigate the Black Lotus crime syndicate to discover the truth. As they get closer to the truth, Watson is mistaken for Sherlock and he, along with his new girlfriend, are kidnapped. Sherlock has to decipher the syndicate’s code and find a way to rescue them.

My Thoughts:

This is the sort of crime you expect Sherlock to be tasked with. Murders inside locked rooms, a warning in a code you can’t read… All classic mystery stuff for the classic mystery detective.

If ever I go to London, I’m definitely finding one of those A-Z London books. Because Reasons.

As an avid fan of tea, I for one loved that aspect of the girl who tries to help them. I enjoy that her dedication to the teapots is what gets her caught by Sherlock.

I love that Watson is mistaken for Sherlock – even if it does put his life in danger… it just makes so much sense, since they’re obviously merging into a pair –even if it’s not a romantically inclined one.

Why do villains always choose some elaborate and silly way of killing people? I realize that this is to keep the character alive and give one of the heroes time to save her… but still. If you want to do something right. Do it quickly.

The idea of the brother coming after his sister is a tragic thought. But it’s a rather real one. Peole often say that family is the one bond you can’t break… but that’s a lie, isn’t it? Brothers and sisters forsake eachother… parents kill their children, or vice versa…. The ease with which some shed themselves of familial responsibility is quite disturbing, but it is often the way of things.