Elementary: Bang Bang Shoot Chute (5x07)

I surprisingly really did not enjoy this episode. It was filled with weird stereotypes and stupid twists that didn't really add up to anything. The subplot was good, though, which always makes me happy.

Cons:

The main case involved a guy who was "murdered twice." While jumping off of a building, he is shot out of the sky. Later, Sherlock discovers that the man's parachute was sabotaged prior to his jump, so even if he hadn't been shot, he still would have died. This means we have two potential killers with two different motives. A really compelling concept, no? Well, sure, but they totally wasted it. The saboteur ended up being the victim's pregnant wife, who discovered her husband was having an affair, and so decided to kill him. This is a wife that we see for like 30 seconds in the second act and who isn't brought up again until she's revealed to be guilty.

The other killer is the brother of the woman who the victim was having an affair with, trying to shoot down the big bad white man for sleeping with his sister, because... oh, did we mention? He's an illegal immigrant, and he's Taliban. Cool job, Elementary. What great timing you have. This was just so uninspired. I kept waiting for them to put a fresh spin on it, or maybe to explain in more detail the plight of the refugee, and the struggles that immigrants in this country have to face, given the political turmoil back home and here. But... nope. Dude was Taliban. Dude was terrorist. Dude was illegal immigrant. Case closed?

This case also had too many red herrings, like the sister of another guy who used to go base jumping with the victim, before he died in an accident. She's an amazing sniper, but she's got an alibi for the time of the murder.

Or the pilot who flew the victim's secret immigrant-smuggling plane across the border from Canada to the states. Surprise, surprise... he's the father of the victim's wife. And Sherlock has to deduce this by noticing genetic similarities in their hair growth. Why wouldn't the guy just admit to being the victim's father-in-law? Makes no sense.

Pros:

I did really like the setup for this case-of-the-week, which is maybe why I'm harping on its failures to such a degree. The idea of two motives for two simultaneous murder attempts on the same man is really cool, and in fact the motives did come around to the same thing: the victim's affair. All of this could have been really neat, if executed better.

The subplot with Shinwell took an intense turn. Joan tries to give Shinwell some space, but she decides to sneakily keep tabs on him. She discovers that he was meeting with an old gang member. Sherlock confronts Shinwell about this, telling him that he's got a good thing going with Joan, and that he should try not to throw it away by placing himself in temptation's path. Shinwell asks Joan to come over, and basically tells her that he's done with her help. Joan leaves, shocked at her failure.

First of all, it was super cool to see Joan's sister again. The two of them discuss their experimentation in sisterhood, and how it appears to be going pretty well. It's so nice to have multiple characters who are there to flesh out Joan's character. I hope we can see more of the sisterly relationship develop, even though it's mostly on a back-burner for the time being.

Shinwell. Wow. First of all, dude is an incredible actor. Second of all, Sherlock going to see him was perfect. The two of them playing chess together... I mean, it's a rather unoriginal way to set up a meeting of the minds, but I liked the energy it gave to the scene nonetheless. Sherlock is so respectful and understanding in this scene that it's almost impossible for Shinwell to get mad at him for getting involved in his business. It would be so easily for Sherlock to feel morally superior, but he knows what it's like to hit rock bottom, and he compares his own history with addiction to Shinwell's situation of dipping his toes back in to his old life. It might have worked in getting through to Shinwell, if not for the fact that he's pissed at Joan for deceiving him.

The final confrontation between Joan and Shinwell is amazing. Neither of them has to say very much to get across a whole lot. It seems like it's only just now occurring to Joan that she can't just waltz in and automatically fix Shinwell's life. At the start of the season, Joan expressed some sadness over the fact that Sherlock doesn't need her anymore, or at least he doesn't need her the way he used to. Shinwell became a project for her, something to fill in the void. But the trouble with people is that they don't often submit to being other people's projects. I want what's best for Shinwell, and I think Joan could help him to get there... but he has to want it, first, and Joan needs to respect that.

That's all I've got. Even though I enjoy the way things are playing out in the Shinwell plot thread, I can't give this episode a pass for its somewhat lazy and definitely untimely subject matter.

6/10