Elementary: Internal Audit (2x11)

Since I've let these reviews pile up and it's now the holidays, the next few are probably going to be rather short. My apologies.

Plot plot plot. The case involves this guy who was about to kill himself but then he gets tied up and murdered. Sherlock and the gang try to follow different avenues of investigation based on the fact that this guy was embezzling lots of money and thus has a lot of people very angry with him. In the end, however, it seems that the culprit is a man in charge of giving settlements to holocaust survivors. He had been stealing money from his clients, and when the victim caught wind of it he was going to reveal everything. A reporter also gets killed in the process of all of this going on.

So, as far as cases of the week go, this one was serviceable. Nothing special happened, but it was fine. I thought the twist about the murderer was actually a bit out there, if I’m going to be picky. But in terms of telling a unique story I suppose it was alright. As always, I enjoy seeing Joan and Sherlock work as a team, instead of having Sherlock steamroll over Joan while she tries to learn. They have a really good professional balance along with their private friendship.

The meatier parts of the episode were very much character-based, as is most often true with this show, and indeed is often true with procedural cop shows in general. Sherlock is still thinking about Bell’s injuries, and although he has decided that logically speaking he is not to blame, he still feels bad about it. Sherlock confesses as much to Alfredo, his sober sponsor, who responds with a rather surprising idea – he wants Sherlock to take on a fellow addict and be a sponsor himself. Sherlock doesn't like the idea, as he says he doesn't have time to deal with such things while being dedicated to his work.

Bell meanwhile has been relegated to desk work while he recovers, but he gets a surprising offer from a special division, which he considers taking. He and Sherlock are not on speaking terms. In the end, Sherlock decides to be a sober sponsor, but he makes sure his fellow addict understands that they are not going to be friends.

I really love this continued development of Sherlock’s character. This show and in particular Johnny Lee Miller do such a good job with pushing the envelope, which stops Sherlock from becoming a static character. The same is obviously true for Joan, but in this episode we really focused on Sherlock’s character, on his feelings of guilt, and on his ability to grow. It was wonderful to see Alfredo again, and I’m so pleased to see Sherlock growing up and taking on new responsibilities.

In summary, the case of the week was nothing too special, but Sherlock’s character development continues to impress.

7.5/10