Elementary: Breathe (6x13)

Sherlock Holmes you utter sweetheart.

Cons:

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, I found the subplot to be super compelling, while the main story didn't grab my attention as much. More than just not grabbing my attention, I felt like the case this week was a little too... odd. The victim, it turns out, is a super successful hit man who has murdered tons of people over the years. But then it turns out that the victim actually killed himself and framed someone else in a ploy to help his illegitimate child get cheaper access to life-saving medication. This is just a little too bizarre for me. The setup was really intriguing, and then I feel like it went off the rails just an itty bit.

Pros:

The one thing I did like about the case was how it took shots at the pharmaceutical industry. Elementary is often surprisingly political for a show on CBS, and it often takes successful shots at Capitalist America, all through the lens of Sherlock Holmes, aloof British dude above it all. Maybe all of these "woke" political opinions are just lip-service, but they are kind of fun to hear all the same.

Okay. So. The subplot. Joan is annoyed to find out that her lawyer screwed up and made her miss a couple of appointments, so now the adoption agency is no longer considering her candidacy. Her attorney refuses to take the blame at first, but Sherlock helps Joan find dirt on the man so he can be blackmailed. Joan's adoption aspirations are put back on track by the end of the episode.

The events of this subplot were fun, and pretty straightforward. I like that Joan isn't sure what to do, and that Sherlock manages to come up with a creative and silly solution to the problem by pulling on a family contact - a King without a kingdom. It was just the sort of bizarre thing that Sherlock would think to do.

The emotional weight of this subplot is what really needs to be examined, though. Sherlock is very gung-ho about the prospect of Joan adopting a child, so much so that Joan is a little put off by it. She's worried that if she thinks Sherlock's life is going to change too much because of this kid, she'll chicken out. Sherlock ends the episode by pointing out that he will inevitably be a part of this child's life. He's not going to be a father, but he'll be involved. He tells Joan that he'd lay down his life for her, and thus if she has a child, he'll do the same for him or her. I love the way that Johnny Lee Miller plays this moment. Sherlock is an incredibly practical person about everything, including weighty emotional statements like that one. His devotion to Joan is obvious to everyone, and I love that he's able to be so honest about it. Also, I'm sensing a bit of... excitement? in Sherlock as he contemplates being an honorary "uncle" to Joan's baby. I loved the moments where he's talking about doing research on child safety locks. He seems confident that any child raised in their household will quickly be able to outsmart any mechanism designed to keep regular babies away. He's probably right!

That's all I've got for now. I know I've expressed my doubts about the adoption subplot, but thus far I've been pleased with the weight and attention being given to these issues. I can't wait to see what's next!

8/10