Elementary 2.23
May. 9th, 2014 11:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakNot yet the season finale because I was wrong about that last week.
An episode that deals with the fallout from the preceding one and builds up to the next one, but rich in characterisation for all that. But nitpicks first:
1.) So Ms Hudson really was brought back for just one line last week. Boo. Or rather: write an episode that can actually use her already, writers.
2.) I'm not sure how I feel about the "Mycroft had already left the service but came back because Sherlock messed up" twist, or rather, it's not Mycroft doing something behind the scenes to help his brother that I have a problem with but Mycroft being currently in MI5 for reasons other than liking to be spy. I prefer my Mycrofts to be spies by conviction.
This being said: Sherlock is a great mixture between considerate and childish towards Joan in this episode. Considerate: he never tries to make her kidnapping experience or the fact Mycroft kept her in the dark about himself but is supportive of however she chooses to deal with it - stay at home, work, talk about it, don't. He doesn't pressure her to do one thing or the other but follows her lead. Childish: his reaction to the news that Joan wants to move, of course.
Speaking of, I really liked that the episode made clear Joan's desire to have her own space again doesn't have anything to do with her romantic relationship status or lack of same, or with her not wanting the detective life anymore. As she says, she loves doing detective work with Sherlock, and wants to continue doing that. It's living with Sherlock 24/7 she wants to put a limit to.
Joan breaking things off with Mycroft because of the deception, not because of the danger was what I had expected; reconciliation after finding out more about his motives, I had not, but I'm okay with it since it happens after she already told Sherlock she wants to move out (i.e. see above, the episode making clear the two circumstances aren't dependent on each other).
I suppose it's possible the show pulls a triple twist of Mycroft turning out to be the mole after all, but I don't think so, because after the revelation that Mycroft did some major behind the scenes helping for Sherlock, something like the final twist in this episode - we're led to assume Sherlock thinks Mycroft is the mole, helped by his gigantic and continuing to build Mycroft resentment, but no, it turns out Sherlock has instead figured out that Mycroft got framed - was to be expected, because in order to restore the relationship balance from a Doylist (ha!) perspective, Sherlock has to do something major for Mycroft now.
Not to mention that by suddenly throwing a pseudo Le Carréian "who's the mole?" plot at us, elderly establishment guys leaning in their armchairs are suspicious per se. Then again, Le Carré specializes in good friends betraying each other, so again, a triple twist is possible, in which case the thing Sherlock does for Mycroft would be to allow him to get away despite Mycroft being guilty. But my current guess is still to take the tag scene at face value: Mycroft got framed, Sherlock figured it out, and the finale will be about exposing the true mole and ending Mycrofts obligation to MI5 so that if he chooses to stay, it will be for inclination alone.
An episode that deals with the fallout from the preceding one and builds up to the next one, but rich in characterisation for all that. But nitpicks first:
1.) So Ms Hudson really was brought back for just one line last week. Boo. Or rather: write an episode that can actually use her already, writers.
2.) I'm not sure how I feel about the "Mycroft had already left the service but came back because Sherlock messed up" twist, or rather, it's not Mycroft doing something behind the scenes to help his brother that I have a problem with but Mycroft being currently in MI5 for reasons other than liking to be spy. I prefer my Mycrofts to be spies by conviction.
This being said: Sherlock is a great mixture between considerate and childish towards Joan in this episode. Considerate: he never tries to make her kidnapping experience or the fact Mycroft kept her in the dark about himself but is supportive of however she chooses to deal with it - stay at home, work, talk about it, don't. He doesn't pressure her to do one thing or the other but follows her lead. Childish: his reaction to the news that Joan wants to move, of course.
Speaking of, I really liked that the episode made clear Joan's desire to have her own space again doesn't have anything to do with her romantic relationship status or lack of same, or with her not wanting the detective life anymore. As she says, she loves doing detective work with Sherlock, and wants to continue doing that. It's living with Sherlock 24/7 she wants to put a limit to.
Joan breaking things off with Mycroft because of the deception, not because of the danger was what I had expected; reconciliation after finding out more about his motives, I had not, but I'm okay with it since it happens after she already told Sherlock she wants to move out (i.e. see above, the episode making clear the two circumstances aren't dependent on each other).
I suppose it's possible the show pulls a triple twist of Mycroft turning out to be the mole after all, but I don't think so, because after the revelation that Mycroft did some major behind the scenes helping for Sherlock, something like the final twist in this episode - we're led to assume Sherlock thinks Mycroft is the mole, helped by his gigantic and continuing to build Mycroft resentment, but no, it turns out Sherlock has instead figured out that Mycroft got framed - was to be expected, because in order to restore the relationship balance from a Doylist (ha!) perspective, Sherlock has to do something major for Mycroft now.
Not to mention that by suddenly throwing a pseudo Le Carréian "who's the mole?" plot at us, elderly establishment guys leaning in their armchairs are suspicious per se. Then again, Le Carré specializes in good friends betraying each other, so again, a triple twist is possible, in which case the thing Sherlock does for Mycroft would be to allow him to get away despite Mycroft being guilty. But my current guess is still to take the tag scene at face value: Mycroft got framed, Sherlock figured it out, and the finale will be about exposing the true mole and ending Mycrofts obligation to MI5 so that if he chooses to stay, it will be for inclination alone.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-09 10:15 am (UTC)Mycroft's "I did it all for Sherlock" explanation seemed far too perfect to me, as it was exactly what you'd say if you wanted to convince Joan of your saintliness and get her into bed.
And yes, I almost expected the MI6 guy to explain that the last case of a mole in MI6 was the entire plot of Tinker Tailor.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-09 04:44 pm (UTC)I also don't like how Mycroft cast him and Watson as Sherlock's parents, taking care of him.