Elementary: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (4x21)

I loved this episode. I loved it more than the episode actually deserves. In many ways, it was nothing special, but it felt like it was written by a true fan of the show. Somebody who understands what the fans really want. Let's dive in.

Cons:

My love for this episode does not come from the A-plot, even though it was perfectly decent. I get sick of saying this, but the fact is, the character development and the subplot material is just so much more interesting than the murder-of-the-week stuff that I always find myself checking my watch when case work is going on. In this one, there's a double homicide that appears to be staged to look like the two men killed each other, when in reality it was a third shooter. Nothing wrong with this plot, but I do wish we could find better ways to incorporate character growth into the main plots of each week's episode.

Pros:

In the main plot, we do get the lovely fact that Bell deduces that the crime scene was staged. I'm sure Sherlock could have deduced it as well, but Bell is the one who actually does the deducing, and that made me so happy. Anything that gives him more focus is good with me.

And that's really what I mean when I say this episode was made for fans. Bell got a bit of a chance to shine, and we got so many other details to round out this world and the characters within it.

The episode begins with Joan going to see Eugene (the mortician) do a stand-up comedy routine. He says he's working through his issues and he is getting closer to being able to come back to work. Who knew we would be checking in with him again? I'm so happy this character has managed to stick around.

Although we didn't see Fiona, we got multiple mentions of her. Sherlock gets her an adorable hairless cat for her birthday, but when the cat doesn't like Fiona, Miss Hudson volunteers to take the cat. That arrangement doesn't work out either, so Sherlock is forced to keep looking for a new owner.

Okay... is it my birthday and nobody told me? Fiona, Miss Hudson, and a hairless cat?! I'm not really a cat person necessarily but my little sister as a hairless cat and that thing is my literal heart and soul. And this little critter was so sweet looking! It reminded me of Sherlock and Joan's weird pet habits. Remember the roosters? The bees? I know we didn't get to see Fiona or Miss Hudson, but still. Mentioning them was a big deal.

The subplot follows Joan as she continues to blackmail Emil Kurtz for information on Morland's operations. Emil gets paranoid, thinking that Morland is on to him, as Joan learns from him that Morland is hunting for an escaped prisoner. As the episode ends, we see Bell show up at the scene of a shooting. Multiple victims. The first victim? Emil Kurtz. Dun dun dunnnn!

There was so much to love here. First of all, you have the focus on Joan as she continues to fall into this morally grey area. She is spying on Morland, and while she is very smart and capable, hiding things from the Holmes family is never going to be easy. Morland shows up at the Brownstone, which really shakes Joan, but Sherlock doesn't necessarily suspect anything yet. His trust in Joan prevents him from seeing what's going on right away. But that doesn't last for long - Sherlock clearly knows Joan is hiding something from him, even if he doesn't yet know what it is.

Then you've got that ending - Emil Kurtz is dead! I'm really excited for the next couple of episodes, because it looks like the Morland A-plot is going to intersect with the crime-solving portion of our show. This is what I was complaining about earlier - there hasn't been a lot of unity between the two. Also, the ramifications for Joan are huge! She'll have to come clean to Sherlock about spying on his father, and that's going to open up a whole can of worms!

Even if the main plot here was mostly shrug-worthy, I absolutely loved this episode. I can't wait to see how the season ends!

9/10