Elementary 4.05
Dec. 11th, 2015 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which Alfredo returns, and brings a lovely subplot with him.
Case of the week was case of the week-ly, with the highlight being Joan the 80s video game fiend. (I can so see that.) But the Alfredo plot - which also continues the fallout from Sherlock's s3 finale actions - was fantastic.
At first I thought "hadn't we done that already with Marcus Bell in season 2?" when it appeared as if Sherlock due to feeling guilty avoided Alfredo. But no: the story wasn't about Sherlock having to get over himself and/or regain Alfredo's friendship. Instead, after Joan conveys Alfredo's message, he shows up chez Alfredo next thing, not least because he did learn from experience, I presume, and it turns out the subplot is about something else altogether.
When near the end of s3, before Oscar struck, Sherlock and Alfredo decided to put their relationship on a new footing (from sponsor-sponsee to friends), the show never answered how that would work out in the long term precisely because Oscar struck, and the relapse happened. This episode not only addresses the "do we have things in common beyond the program?" question (without giving a definite answer) but also does the exact reverse of the Magical Negro cliché. Instead of Alfredo, despite the trauma that happened to himself, being there for Sherlock in order to help him staying on the wagon post relapse, Sherlock figures out it's Alfredo who is in a crisis and need the help of a friend. And that makes so much sense - Alfredo went through a harrowing experience. In a way, it's the first true test as to whether they can be friends as opposed to sponsor-sponsee - as Sherlock's sponsor, Alfredo would have to hide his own crisis. But as a friend, he can accept help.
Also: great illustration of how far our charactes have come, and learned from each other: Joan is the one who solves the case of the week by rational deduction, Sherlock is the one who solves the personal/emotional conundrum of the week by applying his understanding of the person in question.
Case of the week was case of the week-ly, with the highlight being Joan the 80s video game fiend. (I can so see that.) But the Alfredo plot - which also continues the fallout from Sherlock's s3 finale actions - was fantastic.
At first I thought "hadn't we done that already with Marcus Bell in season 2?" when it appeared as if Sherlock due to feeling guilty avoided Alfredo. But no: the story wasn't about Sherlock having to get over himself and/or regain Alfredo's friendship. Instead, after Joan conveys Alfredo's message, he shows up chez Alfredo next thing, not least because he did learn from experience, I presume, and it turns out the subplot is about something else altogether.
When near the end of s3, before Oscar struck, Sherlock and Alfredo decided to put their relationship on a new footing (from sponsor-sponsee to friends), the show never answered how that would work out in the long term precisely because Oscar struck, and the relapse happened. This episode not only addresses the "do we have things in common beyond the program?" question (without giving a definite answer) but also does the exact reverse of the Magical Negro cliché. Instead of Alfredo, despite the trauma that happened to himself, being there for Sherlock in order to help him staying on the wagon post relapse, Sherlock figures out it's Alfredo who is in a crisis and need the help of a friend. And that makes so much sense - Alfredo went through a harrowing experience. In a way, it's the first true test as to whether they can be friends as opposed to sponsor-sponsee - as Sherlock's sponsor, Alfredo would have to hide his own crisis. But as a friend, he can accept help.
Also: great illustration of how far our charactes have come, and learned from each other: Joan is the one who solves the case of the week by rational deduction, Sherlock is the one who solves the personal/emotional conundrum of the week by applying his understanding of the person in question.
no subject
Date: 2015-12-13 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-13 09:32 am (UTC)