Matt Smith reviews the eighth episode of Elementary season 2…
Familial relationships, in a similar topic to last week, can be quite strange. Different to relationships you have with friends, you’re rather forced into a family (by birth, off all things. And you thought you could trust the concept of being born to be your friend). Forced to adopt their mannerisms and hobbies at first in order to fit in and survive. Their ideas are what drive you to simply ‘do’ and make you what you are.
It’s in this unfortunate position that Sherlock Holmes finds himself this week. The matter of Sherlock Holmes’ wealth can at times seem ambiguous. How does he afford to stay in, while not affluent, more than comfortable means while pursuing cases that sometimes don’t pay the rent? But now it’s revealed he’s still under his father’s influence, to an extent, when Holmes Sr. threatens to cut Jr. off.
This is along with the case that does come up, which involves a lot of money indeed. A rich man is lying in a hospital bed, dying for some unknown reason. And in terms of spoilers, they won’t be posted here, but the neat little twist regarding a murder is very welcome indeed. You’ll be guessing all the way through this episode, as to everyone’s motives, even as the episode finishes.
Another mystery does crop up that seems unsolvable at this time. Why do people always use an alias that links to their real name or a well-known fact about them? Surely, in order to keep hidden, you’d completely make one up for the sake of secrecy. If a character is a big fan of Shakespeare he’s going to give himself Mr. Iago or Mr. Romeo as an alias. If a real person is a big fan of Shakespeare, he’s going to give himself Mr. Smith as an alias.
But I suppose I’m being too smart for my own good, which is exactly what Holmes ends up doing this week. Putting all his eggs in one basket, he sends himself down an alleyway without a flashlight. Once again, it’s the flaws in our protagonist that this series has so ably shone it’s own light on that stands out as one of the highlights. Holmes is nothing if not his flaws as well as his talents.
He has, as a character, always seemed a bit of a cop out in terms of realism when it comes to his ability to pick and choose his cases as opposed to dealing with money problems that would surely come. Hopefully Holmes has this as another problem to be put on the pile, both professional and personal. But, as seen in the final scene with Mycroft, not everything is as it seems…
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Originally published December 30, 2013. Updated April 13, 2018.
