Elementary 1.06 and 1.07

[selenak]

Last week's epside contained an alarming sentence, or rather, one that could have fatal results, which is why I was waiting to review it. Luckily, this week's episode made me feel better about it. I am of course referring to the fact Alistair told Joan Watson that she can't expect Holmes to behave normally and it's worth putting up with his behaviour for being his friend. I yelled a mighty NO at my view screen at this point, because one big reason why I l ike these incarnations of Holmes and Watson is that Joan isn't required by her show to endlessly put up with Sherlock being a jerk, and that he responds to her not-putting-up-with-crap in positive ways (not always immediately, but always) and by improving his behaviour. I so do not want another version where Holmes is the special snowflake jerk everyone else indulges in being assholish because he's just that special. House and to a degree the BBC Sherlocok soured me on this one for a while. The fact that in last week's episode, Holmes plays a silly prank on Watson wasn't reassuring, either; it seemed a step back. However, what I clang to was the possibility that we weren't supposed to agree with Alistair: after all, Joan didn't, either.

And this week's episode rewarded me. Also it was generally better. And had Daniel Holtz Talia Winters' slimy ex a minor character in Argo Keith S. as a guest star, but that was a minor perk. The main treats were the Watson and Holmes relationship on the one hand, and the Holmes and Gregson relationship on the other. You know, I really love that this show takes its time with the Holmes-Watson relationship and doesn't promote them to bffs quickly, but allows us to watch step for step. This includes the building of trust, and the constant negotiations and renegotiations of boundaries between them. I like that it's not black and white, and what this episode made clear that it's not about Watson having to put up with crappy behaviour from Holmes (she doesn't), but about those fluid boundaries between what she needs to know as his sober companion and what is his private business, only to be revealed at his choice. And that by now they can fall back on crime solving as interaction while they're inwardly chewing on this issue. Also we get to see Watson being an excellent observer (noticing the beekeeping gardener and correctly concluding that this is the most likely person for Holmes to have talked during his stay in rehab), and Holmes, even when angry with her, implicitly trusting her judgment when showing her the interrogation tapes.

Said tapes bring me to the other relationship under focus in 1.07. The show giving us a personal relationship between Holmes and Gregson instead of just letting Gregson be "the cop who gives Holmes access to crime scenes) was an unexpected delight anyway, as had been the moving scene when Holmes talks to Gregson about being a recovering addict and Gregson reveals he'd known that. Then, we saw how much Holmes cares about Gregson's good opinion. Now, in this episode, Holmes is confronted with a situation where Gregson looks like he's hiding someting and has planted false evidence, and while the "Gregson's old partner did it" solution was obvious to me, I really liked this subplot for showing us, again, Holmes' respect for Gregson, and also the fact that this does not negate the need for justice to prevail. The older I get, the more I prefer the relationships where both parties don't sacrifice their ethics for each other to the ones along the "ethics be damned, you're my friend/lover/relative/whatever". (Hell, one of the reasons why I loved Xavier/Magneto from the moment X1 introduced me to them was that they both act to the best of their convictions and that their affection for each other doesn't mean they're going to handwave the convictions away.) It also hit another soft spot of mine - the one where we get to see how a relationship benefts both parties. It's always been clear how Holmes benefits from Gregson. Here, we saw that Holmes isn't just useful for Gregson as an additional crime solving tool but as someone who doesn't let affection and respect stop him from questioning, and not in an arrogant "I know best" way, but in a looking-at-facts-and-justice way.

Lastly: last episode's tag scene revealed there is an Irene Adler in the Elementary verse, this episode reveals she died - or, rather, that Holmes thinks she did. Which actually fits with A Scandal in Bohemia the short story, where according to Dr. Watson she is the late Irene Adler; naturally, every adaption ever either ignored that or had her fake her death. Which might also be the case here; I guess we'll find out (or not, depending how long this show goes). I wasn't quick enough to catch it for sure, but I think Irene's address on the letter was a New Jersey one; if so, nice canon touch!

Comments

[lonelywalker]

what I clang to was the possibility that we weren't supposed to agree with Alistair: after all, Joan didn't, either

I think Alistair was presented as being quite the unreliable character - he misrepresents himself to Joan at first and deliberately plays quite a nasty trick on her for no good reason (other than Sherlock asking him to). Although I think he cares about Sherlock, we're supposed to see him as being quite messed up on the Sherlock level too... not least because of how enamoured he seems to have been by the attentions of a 10-year-old.

[selenak]

Good points all!

[legionseagle]

I'm not following Elementary because there are certain elements in the set-up that make me very uncomfortable and I don't think I'd enjoy it, but you make a very good point about the writers looking at

it's not about Watson having to put up with crappy behaviour from Holmes (she doesn't), but about those fluid boundaries between what she needs to know as his sober companion and what is his private business, only to be revealed at his choice.

(because that was one of the areas which was putting me off watching).

What I am finding, though, is that there's a bleed through into recent Sherlock fanfic, where the canonical balance is completely different (Sherlock's history with drugs is much more ambiguous and policing it certainly isn't part of John's job description). What we're getting at the moment in Sherlock is a whole lot of fic with John policing Sherlock's behaviour, apparently with authorial approval, because it might be drug related (including going through his possessions, opening sealed boxes, finding prescription medicines, leaping to the conclusion that they are illicit/recreational drugs and, even when enlightened about the fact that they are prescribed to Sherlock (by having his attention drawn to the name printed on the bottles) still feeling free to interrogate him about the condition for which prescribed etc). That's the most egregious example, but there's lots more that I could mention.

So it's interesting and encouraging that one of the issues I'd found really off-putting about the relationship in Elementary, that is the forcible stripping of privacy and the mandated intrusion into personal space seems to be being acknowledged and dealt with in the show.

[selenak]

What we're getting at the moment in Sherlock is a whole lot of fic with John policing Sherlock's behaviour, apparently with authorial approval, because it might be drug related (including going through his possessions, opening sealed boxes, finding prescription medicines, leaping to the conclusion that they are illicit/recreational drugs and, even when enlightened about the fact that they are prescribed to Sherlock (by having his attention drawn to the name printed on the bottles) still feeling free to interrogate him about the condition for which prescribed etc)

Good lord. Not only is this highly inappropriate for the BBC characters, but it wouldn't fit on Elementary, either. Joan doesn't do her job that sledgehammery. And yes, the show makes a difference between Holmes' drug issues and his privacy per se. (Not least because by now, he confides in her about the former - when they had a case where there was heavy drug use involved, he commented to her about the difficulty - whereas personal backstory not relating to drugs is simply another matter and he only rarely give glimpses.) I guess one reason why this works for me so well is that it balances his early tendency to intrude on her privacy and personal life via his deductive skills and impulse to show them off. Which he's gotten better about, just as she, in the most recent episode, worked on balancing when to pursue a line of question and when to back off.

[legionseagle]

The fic in question was particularly horrible but there's a lot of similar in the Sherlock fandom, including the ones trying to justify Mycroft's horribly intrusive behaviour in ASIP as "tough love" (families with the inability to recognise boundaries are a particular squicky area for me, hence my difficulties with the premise of "Sherlock's mysterious father imposes a 'sober companion' on his reluctant son")

[meri]

I don't know how I missed that you're watching Elementary. I haven't had time to post about it in my journal (surprise, I know, since all my journal entries recently have been complaining about my lack of time) but I've been liking it a great deal.

I was also super wary of the Holmes is a special snowflake speech last week because that's exactly what I hate about Sherlock (and House) and had liked about this show so far. I agree that Alistar is a very unreliable narrator, and I think the show backs Joan up when she calls Holmes on his shit, while still allowing him to be different. And Joan's ability to function in society is seen as a actual asset that Holmes admires in her, so I think the show isn't really backing Alistar up. Though having him say that could be a way of getting to have both.

[selenak]

I like it a great deal as well! It's my current comfort tv. The cases are nothing to write home about, but the characters and personal relationships are superb.

I agree that Alistar is a very unreliable narrator, and I think the show backs Joan up when she calls Holmes on his shit, while still allowing him to be different. And Joan's ability to function in society is seen as a actual asset that Holmes admires in her, so I think the show isn't really backing Alistar up.

Also, it occured to me that if Holmes already had a friend who challenged him the way Joan does, he wouldn't have responded to her the way he did, so it makes sense that previous friends are more of the enabling type. (Gregson doesn't, but Gregson falls more into the replacement father figure category, which is different.)

[meri]

Also, it occured to me that if Holmes already had a friend who challenged him the way Joan does, he wouldn't have responded to her the way he did, so it makes sense that previous friends are more of the enabling type.

It makes sense that a person who was drifting into and then being an addict might find and keep enabling friends. And that having a friend who doesn't enable him at his worst is a sign that he's trying to heal from the depths of his addiction.

[trcunning]

I have a theory that Irene faked her death and either assumed Sherlock knew or didn't know how it would affect him, then came back when he went off the rails. And that whatever that situation was is an echo of the Gregson thing where Sherlock warned that he'd keep after the truth even if it hurt her/him.

[sabra_n]

I think Irene's address was Dutch - it certainly didn't look American to me. But that can be put down to her travelling; I'm not giving up on the New Jersey origin story. :)

[selenak]

I've seen some screencaps by now, and it's definitely a Dutch address, you're right.