Elementary: Paint It Black (2x22)

Ahhh! What the hell was that?! This was wonderful! Lucy Liu's directorial debut for television, and Mycroft, and kidnapping, and bad-assery, and just general awesomeness. I was a big fan of this episode, and especially of what it means for the future of the show. Let's take a look at the plot.

Joan has been kidnapped, and Mycroft convinces the kidnappers (members of the French paramilitary) to agree to a trade. If Mycroft, with Sherlock's assistance, can procure the whereabouts of Pierce Norman and a list of valuable Swiss bank clients, Joan will be set free.

Mycroft and Sherlock try to track down Pierce Norman, but instead they find his corpse. Turns out, Pierce was framed for the crimes of another. Sherlock finds the man actually responsible, and threatens to torture him if he doesn't hand over the list of names that will free Joan.

We also find out during all of this that Mycroft is reporting to the same strange boss that we saw him talk to once before on the phone. When Sherlock has the information he wants, he wants to turn it over to the NSA so that they can go in and insure Joan's safety. Mycroft can't have that. He tasers his own brother and goes to make the trade in person. Sherlock awakens and begs the NSA to help him save Joan, now that he's been betrayed by Mycroft.

Mycroft goes to get Joan back, but it seems Sherlock was right in not trusting these French baddies. Once they have the list, they plan on killing Joan and Mycroft. Luckily, Mycroft has got quite a large secret up his sleeves: the British government. Mycroft gives the order, and he and Joan are safe, while their French captors are dead.

We don't see much of Joan while she's with her captors, but we do see her attempt to save the life of one of them, as he gets shot. She continually insists that he needs a hospital, and tries to appeal to the good nature of her kidnappers. When Joan says that the man will die if not brought to a hospital, her captor shoots the grievously injured man where he lay, killing him and proving to Joan - and to the watching audience - just how bad these guys are.

Complaints?

The parts with Joan were actually pretty unnecessary. We didn't really learn anything more about the kidnappers or about Joan's character when we were focusing on their part of the story. It wasn't bad by any means, but it did feel like it got in the way of the rest of the episode, which was just so fantastic.

There's also one thing I don't get... Mycroft's secretive phone calls were with someone from the British Government, I'd assume... but what I don't get is why it was so important to get Sherlock to come back to his home country? What did that have to do with anything? It's one piece of the puzzle that I really don't get. Maybe we'll get answers later.

So let's talk about some of the awesome stuff.

Mycroft is the British Government. Or at least he works for them. That isn't really a shocker if you know anything about the canon, but it was still awesome to see the way they incorporated it into their story here. Elementary has made some pretty drastic moves with canon, making both Moriarty and Watson female, for one thing. Because of that, I wasn't ever quite sure if they were going to go the traditional route with Mycroft, or not. I must say, I'm really happy with the way this is going, even if I still have some questions.

Sherlock. Holmes. Loves. Joan. Watson. So. Much. Really, the thing that made this episode was Johnny Lee Miller's acting and the fantastic script, which allowed Sherlock's panic and true depth of feeling for Joan to shine through. Let me list just a few of my favorite moments.

Sherlock's initial reaction to the news. He's so panicked, and so angry. And then when he calms down enough to learn what they have to do, it's such a nice contrast. Of course, the second he learns that if they fail, Joan dies, he freaks out again. I loved it when Mycroft said that Joan was the person Sherlock loves most in all this world. It's been obvious for a while that this is the case, but there's something so wonderful about hearing it said.

"If anything happens to Joan, I will murder you." Damn. The best part is, it's not exactly hard to believe him in that moment.

He begs the NSA for help. He's so scared. I don't think Sherlock would ever admit it, but Mycroft's betrayal was a big blow to him. His own brother turned his back on him and might be the reason that his best friend is killed.

I really could keep talking about this forever, but I'll reign in my enthusiasm. The last thing I want to mention is something I'm glad they're not doing. It would be so easy to use this whole "Joan is kidnapped" plot to reveal  previously unacknowledged romantic feelings between Sherlock and Joan, but they aren't going that route. I continue to be thrilled by the deep friendship between these two famous characters, and the way that deep friendship does not need to become romantic or sexual for it to be important.

9/10