Oh my GOD! Thank you! Thank you creators of this beautiful show for this stunning opening episode. I cannot even believe how good this was. WOW. Let's look at the plot before I run away yelling praises to the creators and never get into the specifics.
It's been six months since Joan moved out of the Brownstone, and Sherlock left to join M16. Joan has been working on bringing down a woman who runs a drug empire. The case hits a dead end when the star witness and one of the cops guarding her are killed inside an elevator. These murders seem to defy explanation, and no matter how hard they look, they cannot find a way for the murderer to have gotten into the elevator.
Two months later, Joan is still working on the case, although it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Her personal life is better - she has a new boyfriend and is doing well at work with Gregson and Bell. Then, a tip comes in about an assassin who was likely the murderer of the two people in the elevator. Joan recognizes the name of the tipster as the names of two authors Sherlock used to have her read when he was training her. She goes to the Brownstone, where she finds Sherlock. Sherlock tries to talk to her about the case, and to extend an olive branch. Joan is pretty cold - she says that Sherlock decided they weren't partners anymore when he left with nothing more than a note, and Joan doesn't want him butting in on her case.
However, it seems that Sherlock is here to ask Gregson for his old job back. Gregson says yes, on one condition: Joan has to approve it. Sherlock isn't alone - he has a new protégé by the name of Kitty. Sherlock speaks to Joan about his experience in MI6, and why he left the way he did. He tells Joan about his near-relapse, and how he eventually realized that he didn't need Joan - he simply needed the relationship they had. And he could replicate it with someone else: Kitty. Joan is a bit miffed by this speech, but she continues to stick to her guns: she doesn't need Sherlock anymore.
Sherlock and Joan both investigate the potential assassin a bit further, going to the hotel room where he stayed. However, they don't find answers. Those answers come later, when Sherlock discovers the answer, and calls Joan over to the Brownstone to hear what happened: apparently, the killer used a giant magnet to put bullets in the wall of the elevator and then release them into the victims.
Based on this information, the fact that they find the magnet hidden in the hotel room, and can pull fingerprints from inside the gloves the killer wore, they are able to nab the guy. He turns on the drug lord lady, and then enters witness protection. Joan has defeated her nemesis.
She goes over to the Brownstone to tell Sherlock that she gave Gregson the okay to let him come back, and to let Kitty come along, too. Although they won't be partners anymore, they both agree to cooperate with one another and be there for each other if needed, for consultations on cases. Joan asks Sherlock why he came back to New York, and he says that he belongs here, as does Joan.
It's been six months since Joan moved out of the Brownstone, and Sherlock left to join M16. Joan has been working on bringing down a woman who runs a drug empire. The case hits a dead end when the star witness and one of the cops guarding her are killed inside an elevator. These murders seem to defy explanation, and no matter how hard they look, they cannot find a way for the murderer to have gotten into the elevator.
Two months later, Joan is still working on the case, although it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Her personal life is better - she has a new boyfriend and is doing well at work with Gregson and Bell. Then, a tip comes in about an assassin who was likely the murderer of the two people in the elevator. Joan recognizes the name of the tipster as the names of two authors Sherlock used to have her read when he was training her. She goes to the Brownstone, where she finds Sherlock. Sherlock tries to talk to her about the case, and to extend an olive branch. Joan is pretty cold - she says that Sherlock decided they weren't partners anymore when he left with nothing more than a note, and Joan doesn't want him butting in on her case.
However, it seems that Sherlock is here to ask Gregson for his old job back. Gregson says yes, on one condition: Joan has to approve it. Sherlock isn't alone - he has a new protégé by the name of Kitty. Sherlock speaks to Joan about his experience in MI6, and why he left the way he did. He tells Joan about his near-relapse, and how he eventually realized that he didn't need Joan - he simply needed the relationship they had. And he could replicate it with someone else: Kitty. Joan is a bit miffed by this speech, but she continues to stick to her guns: she doesn't need Sherlock anymore.
Sherlock and Joan both investigate the potential assassin a bit further, going to the hotel room where he stayed. However, they don't find answers. Those answers come later, when Sherlock discovers the answer, and calls Joan over to the Brownstone to hear what happened: apparently, the killer used a giant magnet to put bullets in the wall of the elevator and then release them into the victims.
Based on this information, the fact that they find the magnet hidden in the hotel room, and can pull fingerprints from inside the gloves the killer wore, they are able to nab the guy. He turns on the drug lord lady, and then enters witness protection. Joan has defeated her nemesis.
She goes over to the Brownstone to tell Sherlock that she gave Gregson the okay to let him come back, and to let Kitty come along, too. Although they won't be partners anymore, they both agree to cooperate with one another and be there for each other if needed, for consultations on cases. Joan asks Sherlock why he came back to New York, and he says that he belongs here, as does Joan.
I don't think I have a single complaint, honestly. The only thing I'm scared of is that Joan's new boyfriend will fall by the wayside now, and we won't get to know anything more about him. The actor played Dev in Smash, and I always liked him, even though the character he was playing wasn't very good. Hopefully he sticks around.
But seriously. This whole episode was awesome! Let's talk about some of my favorite parts.
Joan as a bad ass detective! This was Joan's episode, plain and simple. And you know what? I didn't miss Sherlock. Not one bit. When he finally came into the story, I was glad to see him, but the whole beginning part when it was just Joan on the case, I was really enjoying myself. We see her find a new boyfriend (another character of color! Not that it should matter, but unfortunately it kind of does. So few shows do as well as Elementary with casting people of color). We see her confront dangerous foes and make dangerous enemies, and ultimately, we see her win. Yes, Sherlock is the one who helps crack the case, but Joan did a bunch of the legwork, and the best part? It was her win. She got to be there when the arrest went down. I was worried that maybe Sherlock was going to swoop in and make his little "haha we figured it out" speech, but no. Joan got to do that. It was her case, through and through.
Sherlock thinks he can replace Joan! I love how he thinks he's got it all figured out, you know? He thinks that the reason he needed Joan was because of the parameters of their relationship. If he just picks any person at random and replicates the relationship, then he'll be satisfied. I think that as time passes, we're going to see that this is not the case. Sherlock really cares for Joan on a personal level, and it's obvious that the feeling is mutual.
However, what's wonderful about the way things are now is that we're pushing the Holmes/Watson relationship in a direction I've never seen before. Watson is off solving her own cases and doing her own thing. They aren't going to be a partnership where Holmes is clearly the genius and Watson is the follower. Whatever happens next, that part of it is over.
Then there's the case itself. A giant magnet and a locked-room elevator killing, a suspicious assassin and an all-female drug cartel? Color me intrigued! This was actually a very interesting case, one that felt worthy of Joan's efforts and passion. It didn't get too twisty, which I feel can often be a flaw in these types of shows, since there's such a limited amount of time to get through the story. Even so, it wasn't boring or predictable. The cool thing about a case like this is that we already know the villain, so when she was finally arrested, there was a real sense of triumph - not just that a case had been solved, but that Joan had succeeded in defeating a very specific and concrete enemy.
Then there's Kitty! She seems really interesting, actually. The way she and Joan first confront each other is really funny, as they start fighting in the street. And although Kitty is putting off competitive vibes, Joan isn't picking them up. By the end of the episode, the two of them have actually achieved an understanding. Kitty thanks Joan for saying that she and Sherlock can come work for Gregson. She's excited for the opportunity to learn, Joan is curious about her situation. I think perhaps a friendship will arise between these two characters. Sherlock probably wouldn't much like it!
One of the smaller highlights of this episode was the conversation between Gregson and Sherlock. Sherlock comes to apologize for leaving so abruptly, but Gregson brushes him off, saying that even though he likes Sherlock and wants good things for him, they've never really been friends. They both use each other to get what they want - it's a mutually beneficial relationship, and Gregson doesn't need Holmes to cater to his feelings. This is such a refreshing thing to hear - these two aren't friends, but there's no bad blood between them either. They're colleagues. Professional relationship only.
My favorite thing about this show is that the characters feel so very real. I always have a sense of their development, and the way they've changed over time. There's actual respect between Joan and Sherlock, and even more than that - Joan respects herself. She knows she doesn't need Sherlock anymore, and yet she's not going to let what happened between them ruin the chance for a civil, professional relationship. I can't wait to see what happens next!
9.5/10
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