TV Review: Elementary Episode # 22 - Risk Management

Moriarty wants Holmes to solve a murder case. Against Joan's wishes, he takes up the case with the desperate intention of getting any kind of clue(s) about the man who killed Irene Adler.

Captain Gregson is concerned about Joan's safety and does his best to ensure her safety. Joan is too smart for such tactics and not even Holmes can keep her away from the scene of action.

Canonical References

1. Moriarty quotes almost verbatim the following lines spoken by Holmes (about Moriarty) from The Adventure of the Final Problem: "He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them. He does little himself. He only plans. But his agents are numerous and splendidly organized. Is there a crime to be done, a paper to be abstracted, we will say, a house to be rifled, a man to be removed... "
2.  Moriarty compliments Holmes that he would "excel as an assassin" - The Canonical Holmes himself remarked on more than one occasion that he would make a great burglar and that the society is lucky that he is working for the law and not against it.
3.  Miller's Holmes states that "new eyes on a case could be new information" - The Canonical Holmes often discusses with Watson to see if he can get a new clue or leads to solve an ongoing case.
4.  Captain Gregson informing Joan about a prospective client (as a sober companion) - The Canonical Holmes got many of his cases from Scotland Yard
5. Miller's Holmes mentions that Irene Adler was American - In A Scandal in Bohemia, Holmes maintains the following information about Irene Adler in his files: "Born in New Jersey in the year 1858. "


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6.  Miller's Holmes referring to Irene Adler as The Woman - In A Scandal in Bohemia, Watson states about Irene Adler: "To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name."
7.  Miller's Holmes mentions that Irene Adler "eclipsed and predominated the whole of her gender" - In A Scandal in Bohemia, Watson states about Irene Adler: "In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex."
8.  Miller's Holmes indicates that Irene Adler is the only woman he ever loved - This is contrary to the Canon. In A Scandal in Bohemia, Watson states about Irene Adler: "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler."
9.  When asked about his martial arts skills, Miller's Holmes mentions "Single stick, now and then again". - Watson mentions about Holmes in A Study in Scarlet: “Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.” Holmes himself states in The Adventure of the Illustrious Client:  “I’m a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know.”
10.  Miller's Holmes waking up Joan from her sleep (for the nth time in the show) - In the Canon, it has happened in many cases – either due to the sudden visit by a client (The Adventure of the Speckled Band) or after Holmes has had a sudden brainwave (The Man with the Twisted Lip)
11. Miller's Holmes mentions that he has "been stiff, sitting for too long". - The Canonical Holmes is known to occupy the same posture for long periods of time, when he is pondering on a case.

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The final 5 minutes show that Irene Adler is alive. Viewers can safely skip the rest of the episode. In fact, now that you have this information, you can skip the entire episode and check out the season finale due on May 16.

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As for the mystery plot, it was one of the most boring ones. By Elementary's usual standards, that's saying a lot. Joan did most of the deductions.

But the episode did have its share of enjoyable parts. The best scene was definitely Holmes' reaction to Irene's presence in the room. Miller goes so over the top that he stopped being Holmes and became just another lovelorn TV show protagonist. This scene is easily the funniest moment in the show!

Joan had her moments too and thankfully, at least hers were the (intentionally) good ones. She was smart enough to deduce not only Captain Gregson's true intentions but also Holmes' plan to face Moriarty alone. She also made some fine deductions about the victim's wounds.

Holmes was left to read the case details on the web and being too emotionally involved to make his deductions. This episode almost reversed the roles of Holmes and Watson and reminded me of the original story The Sign of the Four (SIGN). In SIGN, Watson meets Mary Morstan and instantly falls in love with her. Holmes, as usual, is emotionally detached and solves the case. Watson does end up with Mary in the end. But he experiences a roller-coaster ride of emotions as the case progresses, something that Miller's Holmes goes through in this episode.

The other notable aspect was the characterization of the show's version of Irene Adler. Elementary's Irene Adler (portrayed by Natalie Dormer) is a painter who restores renaissance paintings for museums. The Canonical Irene Adler is an opera singer and an adventuress.

Trivia

The overture to Don Giovanni (Don Juan), K. 527 by Mozart is played in the background, as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson approach Irene Adler.

In a nutshell: A certifiably boring episode with some strong dose of unintentional humor, this is a near perfect example of what is wrong with Elementary. Recommended only to die-hard fans of the show.

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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 12 - "M"

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

It is the last week of Watson’s six week term with Holmes. Watson is reluctant to leave since she actually likes the investigative work done by Holmes.

As can be expected, a murder has happened that puzzles Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and soon Holmes and Watson are at the crime scene. There is no body at the scene and no indication of a crime like footprints or fingerprints, except for a big pool of blood.

Holmes immediately discovers the handiwork of “M”, a serial killer he had tracked in London in the past. M kills victims in all age ranges, removes the blood from their bodies and dumps them in the sea.

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Sherlock could not catch M back in London due to his increasing drug addiction. Holmes believes M killed Irene Adler, who Sherlock was dating for a few months. Sherlock wants to be the judge, jury and executioner for M.

This is easily the one of the best episodes in the show. We get to see the dark side of Holmes. The ending is inspired and promises some interesting episodes in the future.

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and Watson

The acting is solid. Miller and Lucy get to go deeper into their roles. Joan Watson makes some good deductions at various points in the episode. The part where Holmes mentions that people only need Haptics to converse with others was a nice touch. Other fun parts were Holmes’ opinion of a Vietnamese restaurant as a front for songbird smuggling and Holmes arranging security measures for his apartment. These were very Sherlockian in nature.

Vinnie Jones does his usual “menacing thug” routine. M being a fan of British soccer (Arsenal F.C.) was played out well.

Vinnie Jones as M

This episode had an amazing number of references to the original stories. There are some spoilers in the next section. I would recommend the readers who have not watched the episode yet to skip this section.

Canonical References:

1.    Holmes’ plans to convert Joan Watson’s room to an apiary – In His Last Bow, Sherlock Holmes has written a book: “Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen.”

2.   Holmes’ lock collection on the wall and Holmes commenting on M’s excellent way of picking the locks – In The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes displays his burgling kit, complete with keys, glass-cutter and a jimmy.

3.  Miller's Holmes maintains his own personal files on M - Sherlock Holmes maintained alphabetically sorted files, as stated by Dr Watson in A Scandal in Bohemia: “For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information.”

4.  We get not one but 3 Ms from the Canon – Sebastian Moran, Moriarty, and Mycroft Holmes who is revealed to be Joan’s employer. We see Watson preparing the final assessment of her client to be given to her employer, a certain M.Holmes.

5.   Watson’s employer does not extend her contract – Further credence to the fact that Mycroft is her employer as he would be having knowledge of Sherlock’s latest activities and probably wants to keep Joan out of danger. After all, according to Sherlock Holmes: Mycroft is the British Government.

6.  M’s message composed by pasting together printed words - Reference to Beryl Stapleton’s message to Sir Henry in The Hound of the Baskervilles: “As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.”

7.    Miller’s Holmes makes deductions based on the scent from M’s note – Sherlock Holmes made a deduction from Beryl Stapleton’s message to Sir Henry in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

 8.   Miller’s Holmes states to Watson: “My enemies are legion” – Sherlock Holmes has had many enemies in the Canon.

9.   Miller's Holmes observes from M's expensive gloves and shoes: “M has money. That much is obvious” - Sherlock Holmes makes a similar deduction about his client in A Scandal in Bohemia: “There’s money in this case, Watson, if there is nothing else.”

10. Theodore aka Teddy is a young homeless man who performs errands for Holmes in return for money - Baker Street Irregulars!

11. Theodore’s comment about being Holmes’ associate as the latter does not have any friends - Reference to Holmes’s exchange with Watson about having friends from The Five Orange Pips: “Except yourself I have none…”

12.  Miller’s Holmes quotes the following line (attributed to William Winwood Reade, British historian) from The Sign of the Four almost verbatim – “.. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant.”

13.  Miller’s Holmes gets emotional towards the end of the episode – In the Canon, Holmes rarely showed his emotional side. The few exceptions include The Adventure of the Three Garridebs and The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.

14. Miller’s Holmes uses drugs even in the midst of a tough investigation – A direct departure from the Canon, where Holmes takes drugs only when he has no case.

Aidan Quinn as Captain Gregson

    The plot and the Canonical nods made this episode eminently watchable. Hopefully, the show will not fall back into its usual routine of mediocrity with the next episode and will continue to be as exciting as this one.

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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 7 - "One Way to Get Off "

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A copycat killer has sprung up and Captain Toby Gregson (Aidan Quinn) promptly contacts Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) for assistance. Holmes is convinced that something more sinister is afoot as he deduces way too many similarities to previous crimes committed by one Wade Crews (Keith Szarabajka) now serving his jail sentence.

In the previous episode, it was revealed that Sherlock was involved with Irene Adler back in London. Sherlock is still hesitant to share any details and even conducts his investigation alone.

Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) hands over Irene Adler's letters to Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller)

Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) however is persistent and visit Hemdale Rehabilitation Facility to find out more about Sherlock’s past. She finds out that Sherlock has not revealed a single aspect of his life to any of his handlers. His only confidant/friend is Groundskeeper Edison (Stephen Henderson), who happens to tend to bees as well. Edison hands over some stuff left behind by Sherlock. These include letters sent by Irene to Sherlock.

Gregson’s old partner, Terry D'Amico (Callie Thorne) who worked with him on the Wade murders is back, thanks to Sherlock. Gregson believes that Wade is guilty. Holmes seems to have reservations. Is Holmes correct in his thoughts?

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Jonny Lee Miller continues to impress as Sherlock Holmes. Miller presents a version of Holmes that is faithful to the Canon. His sense of humor is fast becoming the signature trait of this version of Holmes.

Here are the Canonical references:

1. Miller’s Sherlock knows a lot of details about the Wade murders. This seems to surprise Gregson, considering that these murders took place almost 15 years ago. Dr Watson made the following observation about Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet – “Sensational Literature. -- Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.”
2. Interestingly, Miller’s Holmes also contradicts what we know about the Canonical Holmes. Miller’s Holmes recognizes a couple of lines spoken by a character as being written by Leo Tolstoy and Oscar Wilde. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr Watson lists Sherlock’s knowledge of Literature as Nil.
3. Miller’s Holmes uses Social Engineering to obtain information about a hotel guest. The Canonical Holmes used similar tactics to obtain information from Milverton’s housemaid in The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.
4. Miller’s Holmes changes his voice to gain entry into a hotel room. This is the closest I have seen this version of Holmes come to acquiring a disguise as part of an investigation. The Canonical Holmes adopted many disguises on a regular basis in a number of cases.
5. Miller’s Holmes indulges in lock picking to enter a hotel room. In the story The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes displays his burgling kit, complete with keys, glass-cutter and a jimmy.

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I also liked a couple of other things:

1. Miller’s Holmes speaks fluently in Russian. He was also seen conversing very freely in Chinese in one of the earlier episodes. Though there was never any mention in the Canon, it is not a far stretch to assume that the Canonical Holmes would have been fluent in many languages.
2. Miller’s Holmes asks to use the "Lavatory". Gregson has to explain to the puzzled American character that Holmes is actually looking for a bathroom. This was a nice touch and emphasized the very British nature of Miller’s Holmes.

As much as I liked the way Miller portrayed Holmes, the episode dragged throughout its running time. Despite a twist in the climax, this was one of the weakest episodes with a boring screenplay.

Callie Thorne as Terry D’Amico, Gregson's old partner

CBS, better luck next time!

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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 6 - "Flight Risk"

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Holmes discovers about a plane crash by listening to the police scanner. The detective in charge of the investigation, Miranda Molinari (Reiko Aylesworth) makes it perfectly clear that NYPD and associated “consultants” are not welcome at the crash site.

Holmes cheerfully disregards this and proceeds with his investigation anyway. He deduces that one of the passengers was killed before the plane crashed.

All the passengers were working for a law firm and were involved in a lawsuit against a company for causing cancer. Soon one of the suspects seems to be on the run and as expected Holmes catches the culprit.

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The mystery is good but is overshadowed by the other subplot about Sherlock’s past.

Holmes’s father wants to have dinner with Sherlock and Joan. Sherlock is not appreciative of the idea and confidently predicts that his father will not turn up. In a way, Sherlock Sr. (Roger Rees) ends up having the dinner with Watson and this was the most hilarious scene in the episode.

Joan does some deductions on her own and tracks down “Sherlock Sr.” for some additional information about Sherlock’s past. And what we get is a doozy – Irene Adler aka The Woman.

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Jonny Lee Miller finally delivers a solid performance. This is the first episode where Miller’s performance has started to grow on me. It also helps that Miller and Lucy have a great chemistry. Miller's Holmes has the right combination of humor and assertiveness, that makes him a good on-screen version of the Canonical Holmes. 

It is heartening to see Miller establish his credentials as a credible Sherlock Holmes, after Stephen Moffat and some fans of Sherlock had written off this series so prematurely. As Holmes said in A Scandal in Bohemia: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

Lucy Liu continues her amazing run as Joan Watson. If the previous episode focused on her past life, this time it is Sherlock’s past. Since Miller’s Sherlock has never been happy to discuss his past, Joan has to do some investigation herself and she does not disappoint. Full credit to Lucy for giving us one of the best Watsons.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

Roger Rees made a fine impression and I look forward to his (hopefully) further appearances on the show. The discussion between “Sherlock Sr.” and Joan in the library about the definition of friendship was executed nicely and very Sherlockian in nature.

To the best of my knowledge, this episode had the least number of Canonical References:

1.   The dinner meeting of Sherlock Sr. and Joan Watson reminded me of the following line from The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone – “My old friend here will tell you that I have an impish habit of practical joking”.

2.   Irene Adler – It would be interesting to see how Irene fits in this adaptation and which actress is cast for the role.

I thought this was the best episode so far. Well done, Guys.

Reiko Aylesworth as Miranda Molinari

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TV Review: Sherlock - "A Scandal in Belgravia"

Benedict Cumberbatch and Lara Pulver as Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler

This episode is a modern update of A Scandal in Bohemia.  While the series itself is contemporary take on the classic stories, the character of Irene Adler has been given the extreme makeover. 

Irene Adler has morphed from an adventuress into a dominatrix who is bisexual as well. She is the one to rescue Sherlock and Watson from their precarious situation at the end of the first season. 

Soon, Sherlock and Watson take on a royal blackmail case which involves Irene. The episode rambles on with Sherlock and Irene playing a game of cat and mouse, taking turns to outwit each other. The climactic scene features Sherlock deciphering the key to unlock Irene’s smartphone. Moriarty makes a brief appearance.

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The character of Irene Adler is not the only one to get a modern update. The great Mycroft Holmes himself is not immune to the dictates of a “modern” adaptation. Mycroft is still employed by the British Government; it is his relationship with his younger brother that bears the brunt. Mycroft and Sherlock have a very antagonistic relationship in this series.

The Holmes brothers

In the Canon, Sherlock and Mycroft share a mutually respectful relationship towards each other. They do not gush around each other, but they do have a lot of respect and goodwill for each other. The Granada series, the Russian series and SherlockHolmes: A Game of Shadows captured the essence of this relationship nicely.

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The Granada series in particular knocks this one out of the park and I recommend the episode “The Greek Interpreter”. The scene in the Diogenes Club, where Watson meets Mycroft for the first time is pitch-perfect and Charles Gray is just amazing as Mycroft in this episode as well as in the series.

The episode has references to some of the original stories: The Greek Interpreter (The Geek Interpreter), The Speckled Band (The Speckled Blonde) and The Adventure of the Illustrious Client. 

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