Elementary: The Female of the Species (3x14)

I am very, very, torn about this episode. So many things worked about it, but there are some other things that felt like a real letdown. Part of it is that this is just not at all what I was expecting after last week's cliffhanger, and so I'm left feeling a little bit lost. Let's get started.

Joan is convinced that Elana March is responsible for Andrew's death, and she goes to talk to her in prison. There's no hard evidence to connect Elana to the crime, but Joan just knows that it was she who tried to kill her. Sherlock is worried about Joan, because she is pulling back and not talking to anybody about what she's going through. Sherlock checks up on her, brings her food, etc. to try and make her feel better, but he also has his own case to work on.

Apparently, two pregnant zebras have been stolen from a zoo. Sherlock asks Bell to come in on this one case and work it with him. Bell does so, and the two of them discover that the zebras were pregnant with a deceased species called the Quagga. Of course, these formerly extinct and now re-born babies are so rare that they will sell for a lot to the right buyer. Sherlock and Bell manage to track down the zebra kidnapper, and the case is completed.

Joan gets a letter from Jamie Moriarty saying that she won't let anything happen to Joan, since Joan still has an important part to play in the relationship between Jamie and Sherlock. Jamie has Elana March killed, although of course there's not going to be any way to prove it. Joan realizes that she can't have a "normal" life and still be a detective. She needs to give in to it, and dedicate herself fully to her work. She wants to move back into the brownstone and work with Sherlock.

So, as I said before that brief plot summary, I'm feeling pretty torn. I want to start with the things that disappointed and/or confused me about this episode.

I was expecting a lot more. I thought last week was the lead-in for a really intense A-plot episode, which would deal with the threat placed on Joan's life as Joan, Sherlock, Gregson and Bell all worked to discover the culprit and protect Joan from further danger. Instead, we got Joan sitting on the sidelines, and we got an immediate resolution of the threat to Joan's life. The entire purpose of Andrew's death seems to be to catapult Joan back into Sherlock's life. I'm not opposed to the result, exactly, but I am opposed to killing a character off for such a small reason. I wanted drama, adventure, angst-y panic from Sherlock and Joan as they worried for Joan's life... but instead, everything was over so quickly.

And what did we get instead? Sherlock and Bell on a case with pregnant zebras. What? That's so random! I'll talk in a minute about the good stuff going on here, but overall, I thought the case itself was really stupid. We're doing a case about extinct animals and mysterious zoo kidnappings now? It was off the beaten path in a way that made me roll my eyes. This show is often creative in the kinds of mysteries it tries to tackle, but this was not one that hit its mark.

That being said, I did think this episode had a lot of important and good elements in it. For all that I thought zebra-kidnapping was a strange case to focus on, it did give us an opportunity to spend some time with Sherlock and Bell. How many times recently have I complained that Gregson and Bell don't have enough to do? Well, we finally got to see Bell take on a more central role in events! Yes! And he was really funny. I loved all of his questions for Sherlock, and the way that he actually contributed to the case. There was a nice little evolution in this episode from Sherlock's insistence on calling him "Detective Bell" to a final willingness on Sherlock's part to calling him Marcus. That was lovely.

Also, I had no idea that a British accent would pronounce "zebra" as "zeh-bra." That delighted me. (Not exactly a critical note, but hey. It's my blog).

Lucy Liu was directing this episode, which is why she took a back seat on the acting front. But what we did get of Joan was excellent. It makes sense that she would be retreating and not wanting to talk to Sherlock about what she's going through. Even though Joan knows how to be there for other people when they're going through stuff, she can't manage to figure out how to be there for herself.

Sherlock was such a good, supportive friend, though! He made food for Joan, and hung out at her place while he was working just to keep her company. Aww! My favorite part of the scene at Joan's place was when Joan woke Sherlock up. She took such pleasure in it, probably because of all the times he's done it to her.

Then there's that end scene... I think Sherlock is probably selfishly glad to have Joan back in the brownstone, but I can't help but think that it's not a healthy solution for Joan to be in. Time will tell. If Kitty and Andrew end up being nothing more than detours for Joan and Sherlock on their road back to partnership, then that's going to annoy me. But if we continue to explore what those people meant to them and to their development, and if we eventually do see Kitty again, then I'll chalk up this season as a success so far.

Lastly, Moriarty. Jamie. Moriarty. She's back. You should know that the only reason I'm remotely calm about this is that it's been a few days since I've seen the episode. I was freaking out when I heard Natalie Dormer's voice. All the Joaniarty shippers are probably going nuts, huh? That letter was just so... intimate. And creepy. That's what's excellent about Moriarty, though. She makes everything feel personal, like she's whispering homicidal nothings into your ear. Ugh. I loved the way Sherlock kept clutching at the note from Moriarty like it was some kind of a lifeline. I'm really scared of Moriarty coming back, but at the same time, I can't wait.

I think that's all I'm going to say. I don't know how to rate this episode, though... I liked what we got, but I can't help thinking of what we could have had.

7/10