Matt Smith reviews episode 18 of Elementary season 2…
Sherlock Holmes, as discussed in previous reviews, is a complicated character. Done in so many ways before (BBC drama decades ago, BBC drama a couple of years ago, Hollywood blockbuster, as well as in various other media formats), you have to wonder if any episode in this series is original when it comes to the case at hand.
This week we see the slightly comical death of a man who dies while under the influence of helium. Deprived of oxygen, his body is set up to look like a suicide, which Holmes sees through (how his methods work in this regard are a little unclear during this scene). The case is on and it all gets complicated when it turns out the victim was working on revolutionary medical equipment under a veil of secrecy.
With a case focusing on the future of medicine (and, admittedly, a misleading episode synopsis), I was looking forward to an episode focusing on Watson. But instead we’re treated to the classic format where we jump from one case to the other, along with Bell trying his best to get a violent criminal behind bars and out of his old neighbourhood. It’s a method that, like Holmes’ investigatory ways, is tried and tested. I was, however, a little let down when the possibility of Holmes matching wits with Mossad didn’t go anywhere. Instead of being integral it was a bit of a red herring when, in a rather escapist sort of way, it was a cool premise. Though you have to wonder how good a famous secret intelligence service is.
Again as discussed before, a little ironically, Sherlock Holmes has been done in so many different ways that this episode felt a little non descript. None of the elements seemed memorable, though strangely enough the case given less screen time (Bell’s violent criminal) seemed the most intriguing. A proper mixture of black and white as he has a return celebration the same time his case doesn’t go well, it’s a comment on police work as a whole.
Overall this week’s episode seemed a tad uninspired. It seemed to go through the motions, just like it’s famous detective, to get to the end with the style that on its own isn’t enough to get by. It’s not that it’s not entertaining or poor in any sense, it’s just like the misleading synopsis and the way this series has handled the character so far, I expected something a little different.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published April 17, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
