Elementary 1.14

[selenak]

Verily, American tv schedules are mysterious. Unexplained breaks followed by several episodes in a row, this one broadcast apropos the "Superbowl", which regretably has nothing to do with spicy red hot wine despite sounding similar to the German word for it, and everything with Baseball, which, decades of visits to the US later, I still don't get. (Me and Jed Bartlett, which is why he's so my favourite fictional American President.)
ETA: or is it about football? Either way...



Gratitious opening was gratitious, but I suppose at least Johnny Lee Miller was objectified as much as the girls? Also, Holmes saying he's grateful for having a non-murder case for a change is lampshading fannish rumblings about that? Anyway. Moving on. Watson flexing her deductive muscles and thereby getting the better of her super (and on her own, not with Holmes prompting) was beautifully done, and of course the whole apartment subplot gets her closer to moving in with Holmes, once she decides to do that, on a permanent basis. (Which btw it was important that she did get the better of the super instead of being chucked out; she could have had her apartment back, but went for financial compensation instead.) I also appreciated Holmes' gift of the new spatula.

What I have mixed feelings about is the whole Kathryn Drummond plot. Or: not the plot as such, but the larger implication of this being the third or so episode in a row with Holmes' darker side coming into play, and one of the reasons why I like this Holmes is that the pre-M episodes had him caring about the victims of the cases, as opposed to many another recent incarnation. So a tiny part of me is afraid that maybe the producers feel the need to make him more of a jerk?

Then again: we actually got a really good reason for his behaviour towards Kathryn Drummond instead of making it all about professional waspishness and hurt male vanity at being bested; using confidences from a private relationship in a public article, even if you don't name the man in question, is pretty low, and he had reason to resent her for this. And the whole "she predicted my drug addiction, so does that mean I'll also end up completely self destructing?" is actually good because it means he doesn't want that.

Of course, what Kathryn Drummond did to the villain of the week's parents is infinitely worse. Both from a human and from a purely professional pov, because accusing parents of sexual abuse of their child without any actual evidence, for no better reason than "other serial killers were abused as children, so this one may have been as well" and bribing someone to back up your claim is horrible on every level. It occurs to me that this is in a way the reverse scenario from the episode with Adam, who got introduced as a victim and sympathized with, and then got treated by both the show and Holmes as an unsympathetic evil villain once it turned out he had masterminded the murders. Whereas here we got introduced to a serial killer behaving as your standard film and tv serial killer does (i.e. Evil McEvil) and then found out that what motivated him and his sister for going after Kathryn Drummond was actually not the standard tv serial killer thing but that she'd driven their parents into their deaths. And while the show didn't justify the random slaughter of innocents or for that matter the throat cutting of Kathryn Drummond, it also made clear the reason for wanting revenge in the first place was understandable. (If not, again, the execution.)

The showdown between Holmes and the killer didn't quite work in the way presumably intended to me because I kept thinking that if Holmes hadn't emptied the gun of bullets beforehand and the police waiting, this little exercise in trying to find out whether one can beat the profiler odds was utterly irresponsible. As it turns out, he did call the cops in time (so presumably if our villain of the week had overpowered him, he still couldn't have escaped again), and we didn't hear about the bullets.

Bits and pieces:

- Holmes' disdain for serial killers and the media giving them catchy nicknames reminded me of the second Sandman volume, A Doll's House, and Morpheus' words to the serial killers at the convention at the end - taking away their grandiose self images.

- loved Watson's medical knowledge coming in crucially handy again.

Comments

[ratcreature]

Baseball? I'm fairly sure the superbowl is an American football championship...

[lilacsigil]

It was a more over-the-top dramatic episode than usual, but I suppose that's why they picked it for this week? It's supposed to be a big deal for a show to get that timeslot. The determination of the serial killer and his sister to take revenge makes me think all the more that they were, in fact, abused, and were of the kind of family where that must never, ever come out. I liked the Holmes/Drummond relationship and the particular kind of unethical behaviour that she engaged in, because it was a very neat parallel to the Criminal Minds cast and their drama and (in one case) professional success from writing about their cases.

Watson's storyline was shorter than I would have liked, but it was excellent! I loved her applying deduction to the tape while trying not to watch it at the same time.

[selenak]

The determination of the serial killer and his sister to take revenge makes me think all the more that they were, in fact, abused, and were of the kind of family where that must never, ever come out.

Hm, I suppose that's possible (though if that were the case, I doubt the show would have emphasized K. Drummond had to bribe a neighbour to say they'd given her the quotes she invented because she couldn't unearth actual evidence), but honestly, I like the story much better if this is not the case. Because in recent years "was sexually abused as a child" has come to serve all too often as a backstory for killers in fiction and a pat explanation for everything. Also, I like the show addressing the damage you can do with such an accusation if you make it without having actual reason to. It doesn't matter whether the accused are able to sue or clear their name - there will always be doubt in the minds of people from this point onwards even in a best case scenario. And one where the accuser is a highly respected author, and the accused the father of a serial killer is practically a worst case scenario. The parents were probably already pariahs before the book came out because of their son's crimes, let alone afterwards. No wonder suicide followed.

[likeadeuce]

Jed Bartlet approves of football ;).

[selenak]

I didn't say he doesn't.:) It's baseball he explicitly says he doesn't like in the s6 finale. <3

[likeadeuce]

Just clarifying he'd be okay with the Super Bowl. (Though I'm more intrigued by the wine version...)

[selenak]

Voila:

[king_touchy]

one of the reasons why I like this Holmes is that the pre-M episodes had him caring about the victims of the cases, as opposed to many another recent incarnation.

Me, too. I like the various ways an actor plays the same character, and hell, how about that theater production of Frankenstein? Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch directly head-to-head; it was awesome. I like BC's stylish and manic sociopath, and I can relate better to the injection of human empathy JLM gives his Holmes (plus he does actually inhabit a human body by eating and fucking and all that; he's more corporeal and maybe that's why his addiction problem inhabits a larger part of his life, hm). Maybe I like JLM's Holmes because when he does go extreme, it's a shock. When BC's Sherlock does something outrageous, it's par for the course, although, hm, as I think about it, when BC's Sherlock shows softer emotions, it's a shock, too. Hrmm.

Either way, I love both shows. I'm very much enjoying Elementary more because it's actually on my damned TV. I'll swing back when BBC Sherlock finally hits the airways.

[selenak]

plus he does actually inhabit a human body by eating and fucking and all that; he's more corporeal and maybe that's why his addiction problem inhabits a larger part of his life, hm

That's a very good point. I hadn't thought of connecting the physicality of the character with the very different weight the addiction is given by the narrative, and oh, so true.

when BC's Sherlock shows softer emotions, it's a shock, too

Also true. I think that's why I liked his awkward scenes with Molly best in the s2 finale.

[rembrandtswife]

Hee, baseball is the U.S. summer game, while football, not to be confused with what the *rest* of the world calls "football", is our great winter game. And yes, airing after the Superbowl is supposed to be a great boost for a show.

I very much liked Watson deducing her superintendent's complicity, without even talking to Holmes about it! And I didn't mind the teaser since we know already that Holmes hires sex workers from time to time, so it wasn't OOC. Plus, Mr. Miller has a pretty nice torso, doesn't he? *g*

[selenak]

Without question, he does, and your icon is very fitting. :)

[rembrandtswife]

I thought you would appreciate the icon, as you are also a Merlin fan. :)

[selenak]

And one who never complained about any of the shirtless Arthur scenes.:)