Elementary 1.11

[selenak]

And our show of meh plots and fabulous character interaction is back!




I would call the Russian sleeper agents plot dumb except that real life constantly lets me down when comes to sophisticated and sense making spy plots. (My favourite example remains the CIA wanting to ruin Castro's macho image by giving him pills so he'd lose his beard. And of course I live in a country where we're constantly face palming when yet another functionary of a soon to be outlawed crazy right wing fringe party is unmasked as a secret police agent.) Also, it provided a good chance for Joan to showcase both her emphatic sober companion and her detective skills in her interaction with the daughter; as we're nearing the transition point, it's interesting and good to see the show still emphasizes that being a sober companion is something she's good at and which means something to her. More about this in a moment.

The episode had Holmes try various ways to prevent her from leaving on the ever closer day her sober companionship is up - and note we go from the condescending "apprentice" to the praising "associate/partner" through the course of the ep - but what I appreciate is that so far, and I hope this won't change, the show doesn't have him do something below the belt manipulative. Let me explain what I mean. At one point, he offers to tell his father he's had a set back so Joan has to stay longer. Now leaving aside this wouldn't work (not least because it actually makes Joan less efficient, not more necessary, so no wonder she immediately says no), both RDJ!Holmes and Cumberbatch!Holmes would instead have faked or actually done a genuine relapse in order to make Watson stay. Maybe the next episode will prove me wrong - though I hope not - but I don't think this version of Sherlock Holmes will do that, both for Watsonian (hah!) and Doylist reasons: he knows how important her job is, he knows the impact her relapsing ex had on her, and the show has been so careful to make this a balanced relationship so far, which it wouldn't be anymore if he made her stay with him in such a way.

Given all this, I am really curious how the show will handle Joan Watson deciding to stick around after all. Maybe she's do both, be the sober companion for the next client and show up at Holmes' regularly for the detective business? Though I'm not clear on how that would work, schedule wise. Or her next client will turn out to be someone who'll make it impossible for her to continue as a sober companion for a while. (Moriarty? Another villain?) All guesses, but I have no idea. Just cautious trust they'll find a way to do it without making it implausible for her.

Favourite moment: the exchange between Holmes and Watson about the answer to a puzzle not necessarily providing justice.

Comments

[lonelywalker]

meh plots and fabulous character interaction
How true. Although I prefer that to the other way around.

I agree with you about Sherlock not being manipulative enough to keep Watson under false pretenses... but of course it's possible he could have an actual relapse (either intentional or not). But I hope that it winds up being her choice to stay as being a good step for her, not just because Sherlock does puppy-dog eyes.

[selenak]

Same here. And I think given all the emphasis in the previous ep with her mother on detecting making her happy, she'll stay for her sake, not because he needs a caretaker. Also I think this Sherlock would want her to make the decision of her own free will and based on truth. *crosses fingers*

[lonelywalker]

I wonder if it'll be a definite switch from her medically-oriented profession to "crime solver", or more like the Doyle canon, where Watson was always practicing medicine, just not necessarily very often or successfully.

Also, if she's Holmes' crime solving buddy rather than sober companion, she wouldn't actually need to live with him, so I wonder how they'll work that out.

[selenak]

Other than her first scene in the pilot, did we ever see her in an apartment of her own? I don't think so. Though she presumably must have some place she can stay between jobs. If something happens to it, maybe there's another reason why she could stay at Holmes' after her sober companionship is over.

[lonelywalker]

I was just thinking about that, and I don't think so either.

[meri]

I do feel like we're close to the turning point, and I really like what they've done so far. I do feel like it's in general Sherlock's character to fake/not fake a relapse to get her to stay but I don't feel like it's in this particular Sherlock's character. So I really don't hope they'll go there. I hadn't even been thinking about that but two separate reviews I read this morning mentioned it and now I'm worried. >.

[selenak]

*crosses fingers that Sherlock will be true to his characterisation to far and won't go there*

I think the reason other reviewers mentioned it is that several more recent incarnations of Holmes would go there - Greg House, and as I said both RDJ!Holmes and Cumberbatch!Holmes. But I really don't think and hope Miller!Holmes will, not least because his characterisation goes for me back in many ways to the ACD original and his code of behaviour. Incidentally, here is a very good post on ACD!Holmes by someone who doesn't watch Elementary, so what she misses in the other current Sherlocks and sees in the first one is all the more fascinating.

[monanotlisa]

I agree that, Doylistically, having this Holmes relapse just to keep Watson would be out of character from what we've seen; on the Watsonian level I also feel that Holmes is already supremely confident she'll stay: I don't think he's deluded, and he has already outlined the reasons why she appreciates this job. Most of that seems to lie with Watson making her own decision, so perhaps this storyline will pivot around her, not him.

[the_grynne]

I thought instantly of Irina Derevko when I saw the trailers for the new cable show "The Americans" starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell as a pair of Russian spies pretending to be a normal American couple. One promo focusing on the female character, Elizabeth, and how her work and patriotism took from her any hope of a normal young adulthood and romantic relationships, suggests the showmakers are intent on making it something more than your typical procedural. I'm particularly intrigued by the fact that they appear to have several young children - blood cover, like Sydney was.