Elementary: Terra Pericolosa (3x06)

OH MY GOD SHERLOCK HOLMES YOU ARE TOO ADORABLE. I absolutely loved everything about Sherlock, Joan and Kitty in this episode. Let's get crackin'.

So, the case of the week involves ancient maps, and thievery. I won't go into too much detail, because as I think I've made clear, the case-of-the-week stuff is never the stuff that I'm really interested in. Basically, a guard at a library is murdered so that someone can get their hands on a very specific map. Sherlock, Joan, and Kitty all investigate, along with Gregson and Bell. Sherlock eventually detects some slight differences between different copies of the map, and he realizes that the whole thing was set up by the granddaughter of the man who originally loaned the map. She had paid a forger to make a forgery that looked really old, so she could trick everyone into thinking that the original was the forgery. She is arrested.

The much more interesting plot of this episode involves Kitty, Sherlock, and Joan's personal relationships. Joan notices that Sherlock has been sending Kitty on lots of little errands, several of which seem beneath her. Joan learns from Kitty that there's a group of friends she has met, and she has turned down going out to drinks a few times, because Sherlock needed her to do something. Joan tells Sherlock that he has to give Kitty some free time, and Sherlock reveals that Kitty has a suitor. This man is interested in her, and Sherlock is worried that Kitty is not ready for this step. He makes up busy work on purpose so that Kitty will not be able to go out with this man.

Joan tells Sherlock that he has to let go and let her recover. Sherlock apologizes to Kitty for monopolizing her time, but Kitty reveals that she knew all along what Sherlock was doing, and she appreciated it. She's scared about moving forward with this guy, and what Sherlock did made her feel very safe and loved. Sherlock asks if Kitty might want to invite her friend, Zachary, along with them to the museum, and Kitty says she'll call him.

Complaints?

No. I don't know. Not really. I mean, I want Miss Hudson to actually appear in another episode. She was mentioned in this one, and I got really excited, but then we never saw her. Hmph.

And I still feel a little uneasy about the lack of Gregson and Bell. We started something sort of weird and yet sort of promising with Gregson's daughter, but then didn't continue with it! I also continue to be bitter about the cliffhanger with Bella. I still want to know what the heck was going on with that whole AI thing!!

However, mostly I'm a happy camper.

The case itself was interesting. I liked learning about cartography, and about forgery. Those topics aren't ones I've ever given much thought to before, but I'm always willing to learn more! I also thought the murderer was nicely set up. When she was first introduced, I thought the actress was just not very good. She seemed really stiff and awkward. However, as the episode continued, I started to think maybe the actress was good, but was just playing a character who wasn't very good at acting. That turned out to be what was going on. So, kudos for the fake-out. I liked it.

The meat of this episode is definitely the relationship between Kitty and Sherlock. First of all, Joan and Sherlock's fight about Kitty was brilliant. I loved how Joan slowly realizes the full extent of the situation, tries to yell at Sherlock for it, and then realizes that she had misjudged Sherlock's motivations. He feels protective of Kitty, and it's really nice to see him caring about her in this way. It's strange - often times I'm a selfish watcher of TV. If any new character encroaches on the time spent between my two favorite characters, I get resentful. For example, when I used to watch Merlin on BBC, I liked Gwen a lot, but I always craved the scenes between Merlin and Arthur the most. In the case of this show, I like Joan and Sherlock's relationship the best, but I'm so happy whenever Kitty and Joan talk, or when Kitty and Sherlock have scenes together! I just love all three of them, and the weird unconventional family they're making together.

My favorite moment was the scene at the end, between Sherlock and Kitty. Kitty started to cry as she told Sherlock how much he meant to her, and how safe and protected she felt. We've seen how strong and resiliant Kitty is, but this was the first time we've seen her in a more scared and vulnerable place. I loved it. Sherlock looked like he was going to start crying too, when he saw how emotional Kitty was. His offer to spend time with Zachary was just about the cutest thing I could possibly imagine him doing. Think about how much that offer must have meant to Kitty! And how much it meant for Sherlock to say that!

Joan also got some great stuff with Kitty. I love her protectiveness, and the way she tries to navigate the situation with Sherlock and with Kitty. She wants to be helpful, but she doesn't want to overstep her bounds. I love that there's been no jealousy on Joan or Kitty's parts, but that they seem to be getting along in their own right.

That's where I'll stop. This episode was just the best. I'm really, really happy with Kitty. She is a great character, and she becomes more and more vital to the plot with each episode. I couldn't have asked for better.

9.5/10