Matt Smith reviews the thirteenth episode of Elementary season 2…
Sherlock Holmes is obviously a character with a history. He’s one of the best-known characters in all of fiction, a character synonymous with his occupation, with the ability to be the best detective around with the aid of his friend Watson. The only trouble people seem to find is telling a story with a new twist to the Sherlock Holmes character, something they can claim is ‘theirs’.
This Sherlock Holmes has a history too. The drug abuse that is mentioned to certain extents with other iterations is made a huge part of his life in Elementary. He also has a history with certain people, more recently and importantly Detective Marcus Bell. Two similar characters, in that they can’t shake off their detective monikers and they both bring to their respective work places a different way of doing things.
It’s seen as a positive trait in this show (and indeed, most shows featuring police officers that go against the usual) that doing things your way will get results and be, in the end, the right way thing to do. Only once has Holmes’ methods proven a bad thing for anyone who isn’t a criminal behind bars.
There’s a healthy dose of assumption all round this week, as Sherlock Holmes takes on the mafia. Every character in this world assumes an amount of respect will be paid within the confines of their criminal enterprise (for example, burying your enemies in accordance with religious beliefs or police happily searching without a warrant). No one is black and white, but everyone knows how it all works. Everyone bends the rules a little bit within their own social confines to get a little higher in the world.
While Sherlock Holmes is never really known for solving crimes relating to the mafia (taking a view upon them as someone might a boring book), there’re conventions and previous archetypes to draw from, from all over the crime genre. The wise guys and knee capping Holmes looks at with almost a fond distance lets us as an audience know the show’s aware of them as a mainstay of crime stories and that they recognise they’re an important part, without things getting to meta.
There’s a nice moment where Watson gives Holmes a few examples of other officers they’ve refused to put up with and they sound like book titles (‘Nash and the Museum Thief’, ‘Peterson and the Somalian Chef’). These moments let us having a knowing little beat to Holmes’ history and style. It’s in part a small tribute to the past.
This episode is also all about professionalism, in that it all carries on as normal despite the events of last week. Where’s Moriarty? Is Holmes really that cold that he can move on to the next case without talking about prior events, or even stopping to ponder them? Eventually Bell realises professionalism is the way to get things done right and Holmes is proven right in the end. Again. That’s how it usually works. It’s either revelatory on his part, or he pushes everyone to see things his way.
While that tone is slightly derisive, this week does feature such a well put together scene that I couldn’t look away, nor even blink, as the two detectives confront each other after weeks of tip-toeing round. A deceptively simple dialogue between two characters (which is set up so insignificantly it takes place in a hallway as one leaves the other’s house) plays upon what’s been built up before and plays out seemingly the only way it ever could.
The case itself is a little confusing, what with nicknames and prior history being thrown about at a pace meaning there needs to be the conventional detective’s explanation towards the end of the episode. There’s a lighter tone that juxtaposes well with the grisly findings early on in the episode that lets the pace pick up and, for the most part, juggle everything around easily. The dismissive humour aimed at those who don’t do as they should in this world (i.e. obey Holmes’ methods) helps, though is a gag about Sherlock Holmes knowing the secret to the JFK assassination really necessary?
In the end, the episode manages to give every different storyline its respective time, even being able to bring them together in the end like the classic detective stories of old. Elementary knows it has a history to both draw from and respect. While that may sound like it’s limiting, this situation gives us the audience a framework to start from and lets the show take it up and carry on without having to explain too much, giving the producers a sly assist. It’s a very knowing series with a lot of history. Just like its protagonist, it’s seemingly unending in its interest. This episode is just another example of great television.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published March 15, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
